Things To Do In Forest Park

Five Things to Do This Weekend: November 22–24

Food Film Festival Where: Kendall College | 900 N. Branch St. When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, noon and 7:30 p.m.; see the full schedule How Much: $55+; buy tickets here From the lowliest italian beef to the brightest Michelin stars, Chicago’s reputation as a world-class food city is on stronger footing than ever before. The organizers of the Food Film Festival agree, choosing the Windy City as one of just three destinations for the traveling exhibition. During three programs this weekend, audience members can watch short films about everything from artisan salt makers in New York to the best corned-beef hash in Oak Park before sampling dishes inspired by the films themselves. If we had to choose based on menus alone, we’d give the nod to Friday evening’s The Food Porn* Party Chicago, where edibles will include salted-caramel donuts from Seattle’s Top Pot Doughnuts and Warsteiner-dipped corn dogs in the Fondue Lounge. The festivities conclude at Saturday night’s closing ceremonies, where organizers will hand out awards in seven categories, including Best Film Made Locally and Food Filmmaker of the Year. Proceeds from the Chicago stop benefit the Good Food Project. For a deeper look at this tasty event, check out our interview with festival producer Seth Unger. The Mikado Where: Steppenwolf Theatre, The Garage | 1624 N. Halsted St. When: Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m. How Much: $36+; buy tickets here If Gilbert and Sullivan were alive to see what Chicago theater troupe The Hypocrites did to their 1885 masterpiece The Mikado, they might have a few questions. “Where did the orchestra go?” they might ask, or “Whose idea was the 80-minute run time?” All of these misgivings would likely fade away as the lights came up on the brisk, entrancing production. As they did previously with The Pirates of Penzance, The Hypocrites have turned a moth-eaten classic into a kid-friendly sing-along, replacing Victorian costuming and orchestration with thrift-style garb and motley folk instruments more suited to a hootenanny than an operetta. These updates paid dividends during their debut last year, earning a glowing review from the Chicago Tribune and a spot on the paper’s year-end top 20 list. While the show’s endurance might stem from its catchy tunes or timeless spoofs of love and politics, this 21st-century face-lift ensures its place in the hearts of a new generation. We think ol’ G&S would approve. Smith Westerns with Sky Ferreira Where: The Vic Theatre | 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. When: Friday, 8 p.m. How Much: $21 It’s been a busy year for hometown heroes Smith Westerns. In 2013, they signed to tastemaking label Mom + Pop, released their third album (the shimmering Soft Will), and played to packed crowds everywhere from Coachella and Lollapalooza to a tightly packed Reckless Records. They’ll drop the curtain on this banner year with one final Chicago show. Joining the foursome is Sky Ferreira, who finally gets a Chicago do-over after her slightly wilted performance at this summer’s Pitchfork Music Festival. Ferreira’s had a strong autumn since then: her debut album, Night Time, My Time, dropped to positive reviews last month, with tracks like lead single “You’re Not the One” proving that the success of her breakout single “Everything Is Embarrassing” might not be a one-time thing. One Foot on a Banana Peel Where: Co-Prosperity Sphere | 3219-21 S. Morgan St. When: Friday through December 3; opening reception Friday, 7–11 p.m. How Much: Free Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Logan Square continue to assert themselves as the city’s hipness triad, but radical art refuses to be contained to a handful of ZIP codes. Take Bridgeport, for instance—the no-nonsense neighborhood known for popping out mayors like so many toaster pastries is also home to the Co-Prosperity Sphere. This weekend, the avant-garde event space hosts One Foot on a Banana Peel, a group show curated by Luke Pelletier that features art installations and pieces by 18 fellow scenesters, including Suzi Kemp and The Yok. In the spirit of commemoration, the folks at the C-PS will also compile and distribute a free zine containing works by all featured artists. Chicago Book Expo Where: St. Augustine College, Charlie Chaplin Auditorium | 1345 W. Argyle St. When: Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. How Much: Free With winter gearing up for its annual march of occupation across the city, the only thing to do is grab a blanket, hunker down, and crack open an enthralling book (preferably one about someplace warm.) Fortunately, the folks behind the Chicago Book Expo have plenty of ammo to help you weather the weather. The latest edition of this pop-up book fair will take over St. Augustine College’s Charlie Chaplin Auditorium for one day only, granting temporary space to some of Chicago’s foremost independent publishers, authors, and writing groups. In addition to buying a season’s worth of new books, guests can also participate in onsite writing workshops or listen to unguarded chats with local authors such as Dmitry Samarov and Samantha Irby.

Lincoln Hall: The Bigger, Louder Sibling to Schubas

The Schuba brothers’ second venue hits all the right notes: the intimacy of their first stage, the sound of a small arena, and a dash of Chicago history. Check Out Our Featured Article for Lincoln Hall: What Do Gord Downie, Neko Case, and Steve Albini Have In Common? A Band Called The Sadies. Travis Good and The Sadies have collaborated with a dizzying number of artists. Their latest victim, as it were, is Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip. Gord Downie and The Sadies will be at Lincoln Hall on Saturday, May 10. By the mid-2000s, Chris and Mike Schuba had built a parent-like reputation among up-and-coming musicians visiting Chicago. At Schubas Tavern, the Lakeview venue the brothers co-own, they introduced countless artists to the city’s music scene and supported them with more shows as they gained traction. But for all its charms, Schubas isn’t the largest of venues. So when it came time for these acts to graduate to a higher level of fame, the brothers were left to wave goodbye from the doorstep of their Southport Avenue club. Eventually, the Schubas grew tired of watching bands outgrow their Lakeview stage. In 2009 they broke ground on Lincoln Hall, a mid-size venue in Lincoln Park with the increased capacity and technology maturing artists need. They invested $250,000 on the audio alone, even hiring a sound architect to outfit their venue with equipment recommended by Michael Jackson’s former sound engineer. The resulting sound is loud enough to make ripples in your drink, but it doesn’t overwhelm the space; any excess reverb is absorbed by plush curtains and acoustic panels. The audio setup is complemented by a hi-def projection screen behind the stage, as well as dozens of LEDs. Even with all these AV bells and whistles, Lincoln Hall somehow retains an intimacy that recalls its sister venue. The stage is certainly bigger, but the low-rise construction keeps musicians close enough to hand off a guitar pick. There’s a full bar on the right side of the room, from which servers ferry Half Acre and Revolution drafts straight into the hands of standing audience members. And there’s no getting stuck behind the sound booth, either, as it’s smartly tucked against the back wall. But before you even get to the music hall, you’ll enter through a restaurant that’s teeming with the aromas of burgers, pizza, and yes, Schubas’ famous mac ‘n’ cheese. Bands set up their merch tables in the restaurant, right beneath a wall of show posters designed exclusively for that night’s event. Over the past five years, the lineups depicted have included rising stars and thriving favorites from any number of genres—indie darlings the Walkmen, soul singer Charles Bradley, electronic acts M83 and Purity Ring, and even local icons Wilco. In fact, Wilco helped with the engineering of Lincoln Hall, providing the venue with some of their stage monitors and signal-processing systems (the equipment bands need to hear themselves onstage). It’s a very Chicago touch, as is the venue’s continued involvement with Pitchfork Festival pre-parties and Lollapalooza aftershows. The latter are some of the hottest tickets in town, as artists tend to let loose a bit more than they might have during their festival performance. During a 2013 Haim aftershow, for instance, the sisters invited their parents onstage for a cover of “Mustang Sally.” As for the Schuba brothers, they’re happy enough in their own role as parents—especially now that they never have to wave goodbye to their grownup kids. Find deals on things to do in Chicago throughout all of Groupon.

Inside the Bedazzled Mind of Gem-Sweater Maven Leslie Hall

On the eve of her show at the Empty Bottle, internet superstar Leslie Hall talks about the rap game, the perks of online fame, and how to rock a rude gem sweater. For most people, singlehandedly elevating the gem sweater from bargain-bin anonymity to worldwide notoriety would be enough for one lifetime. For Leslie Hall, it was just the tip of the jewel-encrusted iceberg. After conquering the internet with gemsweater.com nearly a decade ago, the self-described “Midwest Lady Cyclone” turned her energies to the world of music. The result? Six albums and a touring stage show filled with gold lamé, gnarly dance moves, and enough clever raps to set a thesaurus on fire. Earlier this week, we caught up with Leslie as she and her band prepared for their Friday-night stop at the Empty Bottle (9:30 p.m.; doors open at 9 p.m. 21+, $10; buy tickets here). GROUPON: I can’t stop listening to your latest album (2013’s Songs In The Key Of Gold). It’s got some serious bangers. What made you decide to do a remix album? LESLIE HALL: All of these songs were written on GarageBand, with no music knowledge, and I always thought they lacked that oomph. I’m always trying to sound like the classics, like Britney and Rihanna, and they never had that. I’m like, “How do you do that?” I needed to meet somebody who could do it. This is how I always wanted them to sound, so it’s really exciting. I’m so proud of them. G: How did the collaboration with Titus Jones come about? LH: I put request for remixes out, and he did a mashup of one of my songs with Rihanna and Britney, and after trying to make out with him, I said “Would you please remix my album?” I love him. What’s he’s doing with my voice is just amazing. I don’t know how he does it. I don’t know what music program he uses. I don’t know what he eats when he’s working. I just know that he makes great stuff. G: Even though they make you move your butt, your songs don’t skimp on the lyrics. Do you have any personal favorites? LH: Yes! One’s in “Neon Blood.” Let me think. (a voice from the background shouts “Puffy ankles!”) Yes. “I’ve got puffy ankles / I need some masculine hands.” That’s one of my favorite lines. I don’t know where that’s coming from, other than like, I’m looking down at my ankles, and I’m like “You know what? People can relaaa-ate.” I’m just saying what I’m feeling and other people are feeling it. It’s just connecting the world, I guess. Like Coca-Cola. G: Now, I’ll be going to my first Leslie Hall show on Friday night. What should my fellow first-timers and I expect? LH: You’re going to see a lot of people dressed up, first of all. It’s like a Harry Potter premiere party when it comes to costumes and gala. A lot of people make their own outfits, a lot of people wear those tiny little tighty tops that you buy and then you get chubby and then you never wear again. Tonight’s the night. We’re going to try to entertain you the whole time. There’s just six of us. We’re sweating up there. Everything you’re looking at onstage has been handmade, from the costumes to the backdrops to the bedazzled microphone. We’re coming from all angles. G: You often credit your mother for making your costumes. Is that really how you get them? LH: Yes, that’s true. She makes a lot of the costumes. She used to sew in the ‘70s, so her outfits are very detail-oriented. She takes her time and does beadwork and stuff. If you see a costume that’s unraveling or shredding at the armpits, or just has brown stains, I probably made it while eating chili. I just want to make it quick. When she makes an outfit, it lasts, and it’s a little more glamorous. It’s almost like she’s performing too. She’s like my Vera Wang. She takes a lot of pride in the pageantry of it all. G: gemsweater.com got huge just as the concept of "internet celebrity" was starting to take shape. What's the best thing that came out of that increased attention? LH: What I’m able to do now is accomplished because of the internet fame. There’s an advantage to being recognized. People are like “Hey, I remember her. I wonder what she’s up to? Let’s get drunk and go see her.” As long as I entertain and have as much enthusiasm as the original time, they’ll re-fall in love. I just want to maintain a quality product in the live show. My website skills are not getting any better, and I refuse to use a template. I miss and I love the old look of a homemade website. G: That’s almost becoming an aesthetic of its own. LH: Yes! You know, Reddit is sticking to it. Reddit is a basic website, and you appreciate the nostalgia and the simplicity. Ai-yi-yi! G: Speaking of gem sweaters, I’ve got to ask: how’re they doing these days? LH: I am ready for any kind of a museum opportunity, or restaurant that wants to decorate. I’m ready, but they are currently in a storage unit. I’m not giving up. If people want to bring them to the live shows, I’ll take them for the museum. I’ll get you a little plaque that says your name. G: What’s your most powerful article of clothing at the moment? LH: I’ll tell you what, I’m putting pony beads on everything. From head to toe. You know, those big plastic beads that they give to toddlers? Those suckers. I love it. They sell them in bulk, so you get a ton of them in different colors. I found a use for them, and I am ninja-chop dance-movin’ like you’ve never seen. G: That must add a nice percussive element to the music. LH: I’ll do that for the Chicago show! I’ll put the microphone on my beadwork and just jiggle. You will squeal with delight. G: That’s a guarantee that I can make. Now, your song "#1 Cat In America" makes some pretty bold claims. I mean, there are a lot of good cats out there. LH: OK, obviously, I do have a cat, a cat-child, and I was referencing it in my heart. However, I don’t use his name, so I was hoping that when you listen to that, maybe you would think of your own child-cat. That is supposed to be for everyone. That is my gift to the world. G: The Everycat, fair enough. Do you have any other American cats that you’re particularly fond of? LH: So, I’ve been hearing about Lil Bub. I still think Grumpy Cat’s on top. But let me tell you something. Maru is still King Kong to me. Is he in Asia somewhere? G: Japan, I believe. LH: Well, get that cat a green card, because that is entertainment. Photo provided by Leslie Hall

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Five Things to Do This Weekend: November 22–24

Lincoln Hall: The Bigger, Louder Sibling to Schubas

Inside the Bedazzled Mind of Gem-Sweater Maven Leslie Hall

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