Esperanza Spalding
BEAUTY AND THE BASS Esperanza Spalding, (above), brings her bass, beauty,
and Bel Canto to Ravinia.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 6.20.12 through Tue 6.26.12:

1

festivals Green Music Fest
Leave your cars at home, this weekend the Green Music Fest only has a bike parking lot. The eco-friendly festival features green food vendors, biodiesel generators, and a band lineup including rock group Dinosaur Jr. and Danish indie rock duo the Raveonettes.
GO: 6/23–6/24 from 12-10 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Damen between North and Schiller. greenmusicfestchicago.com
2

dance American Spanish Dance & Music Festival
This expansive tribute to the Iberian Peninsula’s classical, folkloric, and flamenco dance and music traditions—now in its 36th season—is Ensemble Español’s labor of love. Guest dancers include Paloma Gómez, a former principal dancer with the National Ballet of Spain.
GO: 6/22–23 at 7:30, 6/24 at 3. $26–$46. North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie. northshorecenter.org
3

jazz Esperanza Spalding
The red-hot singer-bassist has a theatrical penchant for kicking back and pouring herself a glass of wine onstage before she starts to play. It should go over well with the imbibing masses at Ravinia.
GO: 6/25 at 8. $27–$55. Lake Cook and Green Bay, Highland Park. ravinia.org
4

theatre Common Hatred
The Ruckus Theater company premieres a family drama with all the staples a modern gothic needs: estranged siblings, a brewing storm, and repressed desires. Written by playwright, Calamity West (The Gacy Play) and directed by Karie Miller.
GO: Preview 6/21 at 8; $10. Regular run 6/21–7/22 at 8. $15. The Ruckus Theater at The Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis. ruckustheater.org
5

festivals Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival
Although summer is famously the time for Hollywood blockbusters, this week the Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival celebrates its 24th year. The three-day film fest features a variety of work from found footage documentaries to short animation films. Participating artists include, Stephanie Barber, Mark Toscano, and Wolfgang Lehmann.
GO: 6/21–6/23. Opening night at Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State. Locations, hours, and prices: chicagofilmmakers.org/onion_fest

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Jason Adasiewicz
Jason Adasiewicz

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Jason Adasiewicz, the vibraphonist and founder of Sun Rooms a local jazz ensemble with drummer Mike Reed and bassist Nate McBride. This Friday and Saturday, 6/22 and 6/23, Sun Rooms premieres a set of new compositions at the Green Mill. Friday’s set begins at 9 p.m. and Saturday’s set starts at 8 p.m.

“Friday, night my family and I are going to grill at home. I live in Portage Park and there’s this fantastic fish store—Hagen’s Fish Market—where we’ll get some fish to grill.

“Saturday, my routine revolves around my daughter, so maybe the pool. It’s going to be hot. The outdoor pool in Portage Park is an Olympic-sized and they built it in the 1930s. It’s great. Then I’ll probably take my folks to Moody’s Pub on Broadway, they have a beautiful little outside beer garden. Later that night I have my gig at the Green Mill with Sun Rooms, the group I lead. I’ve been writing a whole bunch of new material and we’ve been rehearsing for this gig for the last couple weeks. It’s kind of cool because we haven’t worked on new stuff in about a year.

“Sunday, well, I think it’s time to start working on the house again. Maybe we’ll take our dog to the Montrose dog beach. If we go to the dog beach, we’ll also go to Tank Noodle on Broadway. I might go to the Transmission Series at the Hungry Brain later, but Sunday is really the day when I hang out with the family.” –As told to Elly Fishman

FREEBIE OF THE WEEK

concerts Make Music Chicago
The daylong summer solstice festival returns to Chicago for a second year with free performances from Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Midwest Dueling Pianos at more than 75 sites. The celebration culminates in a 6 p.m. concert by Third Coast Percussion and David Square Community Park Band at St. James Cathedral in River North.
GO: 6/21. 6 a.m.– 12 a.m. Locations, times: makemusicchicago.com

 

Photography: (ESPERANZA SPALDING) Carlos Pericas Courtesy of Montuno; (ADASIEWICZ) Peter Gannushkin