Mondays with Robbie Singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks explores the nasty side of the ex-Beatles during his weekly show at The Hideout When the winds are cold and the weather’s dismal, it’s nice to have someplace warm and familiar to head to at night. Chicago country yeoman Robbie Fulks understands the value of that kind of haven. During his ongoing Monday-night residency at The Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia Ave.), he invites friends and strangers alike to take in a pint and a song in the warmth of the bar’s welcoming back room. The theme of the evening changes each week, as does the supporting cast; this week, Nora O'Connor, Steve Dawson, Scott Stevenson, and Gerald Dowd will join Fulks for Bitter Ex-Beatle Night, an exploration of melodic diss tracks from John, Paul, George, and Ringo. (7 p.m. $10 suggested donation) Rich Cohen and Samuel G. Freedman Find deeper meaning in the gridiron at this book chat with the authors of two new books on football Football season ended in Chicago, and we’re still seeing horrifying visions of grinning cheese wheels whenever we close our eyes. Not everyone shares our pigskin malaise; tonight, authors Rich Cohen and Samuel G. Freedman will join guests in the Harold Washington Library Center’s Cindy Pritzker Auditorium (400 S. State St.) for a book chat on their latest gridiron tomes. Though both books cover the brutal glory of autumn’s favorite, they tread refreshingly different ground. Cohen’s Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football takes readers back to the smash-mouth days of Ditka, when men were men and refrigerators were…also men. Freedman examines a pivotal year in the college game with Breaking the Line, connecting the 1967 championship rivalry between Grambling and Florida A&M with the ongoing struggle for civil rights that threatened to tear the nation apart. (6:30 p.m. Admission is free) Contra Dance with the Chicago Barn Dance Company Learn the ins and outs of traditional contra dancing with the Chicago Barn Dance Company In their efforts to keep the spirit of traditional square and contra dance alive and twirling in Chicago, the Chicago Barn Dance Company have become barnstormers, filling spaces across the city with good old-fashioned capering. Tonight, they stop by the Irish American Heritage Center (4626 N. Knox Ave.) for a contra dance soundtracked by the lively fiddles of the Ladies of the Lake. Experienced caller Carol Ormand leads the dance, shouting out the same commands that have echoed through New England barn dances for generations. Although these gatherings often attract seasoned aficionados, newcomers need not fear; organizers run a quick introductory lesson 15 minutes before the dance begins. (7 p.m., free lesson at 6:45 p.m. $7 adults, $5 seniors and students) Photo by Dino Stamatopoulos