Chicago Comedy Film Festival

We asked the programming director of the Balkan Spring Festival for a crash course in Balkan music. He gave us this mind-melting playlist. Dissonant music snakes its way through the International House’s Assembly Hall at the University of Chicago. Dancers—some in ethnic costume, some in skinny jeans—walk in a tight spiral, their feet moving in time to the complex rhythms of Balkan music. This sight would be jarring any other time of the year, but it’s fairly common at the annual Balkanske Igre’s Spring Festival (March 28–30). This year marks the festival’s 49th iteration, and the schedule is set to include workshops on Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, and Roma dance; a concert with performances by dancers and musicians; and evening dance parties with live music. John Kuo, the longtime leader of Chicago ensemble Balkanske Igre, is excited to see some new faces at the festival this year. “We’re looking forward to seeing lots of people being exposed to this for the first time. And it may open doors … to new rhythms, music, and dance that they may not have previously encountered.” “This is the real stuff,” Kuo says. “Our festival is very different. We’re bringing the masters of this tradition.” In that spirit, we asked Kuo to share his top 10 Balkan songs for people who know absolutely nothing about Balkan music. The resulting playlist is charming and strange, and—fair warning—it’s probably going to make your head spin a little. 1. “Chaje Shukarije” “In recent years,” Kuo says, “there’s an increasing interest in the music and dance of the Balkans—especially of the Roma.” Though the satirical film Borat is based on a character from Kazakhstan, about half of its soundtrack comes from the Balkans. This includes the opening song, “Chaje Shukarije,” recorded by Esma Redzepova, who is basically the Billie Holiday of Roma music. 2. “Mundo Cocek” According to Kuo, Boban Markovic Orkestar is the “greatest brass band in the world.” Their music has inspired countless contemporary fusion bands and other media, including the soundtrack for the film Underground, which explores the history of Yugoslavia from World War II through the Cold War. 3. “Izlel e zhelyo haidutin” This Roma tune has traveled further from Earth than almost any other song in history. In 1977, the Voyager spacecraft launched with a set of gold-plated phonograph records filled with images and songs that would represent Earth’s culture to extraterrestrial life. Carl Sagan helped pick these songs, and he didn’t neglect to include “Izlel e zhelyo haidutin.” 4. “Jelem Jelem” Throughout their history, the Roma people have traveled across Asia and the Balkans and into Western Europe. The song “Jelem Jelem,” which translates to “I wander, I wander,” represents the spirit of that long journey. Its meaning runs so deep that it was adopted by the World Romani Congress as their anthem. 5. “Ederlezi” Use this song to celebrate St. George’s Day, when Romani people are known to jump into local rivers and lakes. The music’s calm, watery sound is similarly—though not quite as literally—immersive. Kuo believes that these personal cleansing rituals provide a unique anthropological insight and “may be a throwback to [the Roma’s] original Hindu rituals.” 6. “Makedonsko Devojce” This Slavic song is “enjoyed and known pretty much everywhere in the Balkans.” It describes the virtues of the Macedonian girl who has hair like silk and resembles a flower picked from the garden. The dance features a simple series of steps and often concludes parties such as the Spring Festival. 7. “Improvisation for Bulgarian Tapan” Balkan music is distinct because of its complex rhythms, the fact that they constantly cultivate dissonance, and a quality of melancholy that’s tied to the region’s tumultuous history. That last part should strike a chord with fans of Celtic music. In fact, Balkan music has penetrated Celtic traditions in a more direct way. When Gaelic Storm played for the film Titanic, they borrowed a tapan (a large two-handed drum) from a Balkan group based in Los Angeles. If you look closely, you can see them playing it in the film. 8. “Zeibekiko” This bluesy Greek song has a 9/4 meter that’s danced in a style called reibetika. It’s unique enough to have inspired the composers of various films, including Zorba the Greek and Never on Sunday. Though originally considered a dance of the lower classes, it was so widespread by the 1970s that even middle-aged Greek matrons were dancing along. “In a former era,” Kuo says, this “may have been considered risque or even scandalous.” 9. “More Sokol Pie Voda Kraj Vardarot” For a song you’ll always have an opportunity to dance to, try “More Sokol Pie Voda Kraj Vardarot,” which translates to “The Falcon Drinks from the Vardar Waters.” This song is “instantly recognizable to Serbians, Bulgarians, Macedonians, and Greeks” because Macedonia is centrally located and its culture touches all of the surrounding countries. 10. “Miserlou” When Kuo teaches his annual lecture at the University of Chicago, he plays this song and asks students what it reminds them of. Their response? Either “Pump It” by the Black Eyed Peas or Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. But “Miserlou” was originally a Turkish song brought to the US by Greek immigrants. This version is by Reptile Palace Orchestra, a group out of Madison. Like what you hear? Tickets for the Friday- and Saturday-night Spring Festival dance parties at the University of Chicago's International House start at $15 and $25, respectively. Click here for more information.

Compared to previous years’ rainstorms and heat waves, 2014’s Pitchfork Music Festival was all sunshine and cool breezes. The idyllic weather helped set the vibe for the 43 performances spread over the three-day event. Here are our highlights of the festival’s best moments (both musical and non-musical): Musical Best Headliner: Beck Neutral Milk Hotel delivered an intimate set to loyal fans and Kendrick Lamar ended the fest on a bombastic note, but Beck’s Friday-night showmanship proved hard to top. He showcased well-known (aka funky) hits—“Loser” and “E-Pro” among them—as well as the softer, more introspective side exhibited on albums like Sea Change and this year’s Morning Phase, reminding fans of his status as a true genre chameleon. The constant hopping from hip-hop to blues to country all built to a maximalist encore that included a wicked harmonica solo, an early-career medley of “Where It’s At,” “One Foot in the Grave,” and “Miss You,” not to mention an impressive amount of dancing. Best Finale: St. Vincent The bewitching St. Vincent owned the Red stage on Saturday with her ferocious guitar playing and raw choreography. There were no straight-up dance routines, but Annie Clark practically glided across the stage, moving in synchronicity with her backup guitarist to give the show a near-cinematic quality. Clark (whose gold-embellished dress would look at home on any red carpet) ended her set by rolling around on the stage and smashing her head into a bass drum—her post-show icing was well-deserved. Best Brass: Neutral Milk Hotel It’s not every year that a tuba takes center stage at Pitchfork. Then again, few things about Neutral Milk Hotel’s set were conventional—the lack of photo and video coverage, for one, and the fact that the crowd felt “Holland, 1945” was moshing music. All shoving aside, the band delivered an emotional set that was true to the antiquated sideshow spirit of their cult album In the Aeroplane over the Sea. A heavily bearded Jeff Mangum sang in his broken-boy yowl while Scott Spillane blew the brass until his cheeks were purple and Julian Koster shredded his bow on a musical saw. Best Near-Disaster: Majical Cloudz The weekend was not without its glitches—the most severe of which was a complete keyboard failure for Majical Cloudz. Whereas Pusha T delayed his set by 30 minutes to wait on a late DJ, the electro-pop duo decided to power through their technical difficulties with a largely a cappella set, drawing on the audience for handclaps and making a few jokes along the way. Things ended dramatically with an onstage demolition of the busted keyboard. Best Rookie Rapper: Isaiah Rashad Recently signed to Top Dawg Entertainment—home of fellow Pitchfork Fest MCs Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q—the 22-year-old rapper drew a loyal crowd to the small Blue stage, no doubt recruiting some new fans in the process. Rashad laid his spitfire verses over subdued, jazz-like melodies. The end result was a fusion of West Coast party vibes and the gruff Southern style of his native Chattanooga. Best Collab: Sharon Van Etten and Goose Island Beer Near the end of her downtempo yet emotionally powerful set, Sharon Van Etten dropped in a plug for the dry-hopped kölsch she helped make for Goose Island Beer Company. “They asked me if I wanted to collaborate on a beer, and I said ‘Yeah, if you want it to be disgusting,’ but it was really good!” Indeed, the SVE Kölsch was a hit, though you won’t find the limited-edition brew outside this year’s Pitchfork Festival—yet. Non-Musical Best VIP: Marnie the Dog The 12-year-old Instagram celeb hit the festival hard, snapping selfies with fans, shopping for vinyl, and cuddling with Dum Dum Girls, DIIV, and Perfect Pussy. Best Festival Perk: Free Haircuts Tyler Scott and Will Valentine of Joe’s Barber Shop gave out more than 200 free haircuts at the festival this weekend. The catch? Their clients had no say in what kind of style they received. “I made a girl cry,” Scott said. “I shaved half her head.” Nonetheless, most festival-goers left happy. “It’s a free haircut. You get what you get!” Best Artwork: Geometric Village from Johalla Projects Johalla Projects debuted its newest public art piece at Pitchfork: a duo of tent-like structures designed by collage artists Heather Gabel and Chad Kouri. The two contrasting pieces created a sort of Choose Your Own Adventure depending on who was playing the nearby Blue stage. Kouri’s vibrant, simple prints and upbeat slogans paired well with the carefree electro-pop of Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, while Gabel’s stark black-and-white images included a human skull and a coyote torso that complemented the darker, more contemplative compositions of Jon Hopkins. Best Craft: Mia Weiner’s Custom Embroidery In the craft tent’s sea of chunky plastic earrings, flower-adorned sunglasses, and ironic T-shirts, Mia Weiner’s booth stood out for its direct connection to the music. Her custom-embroidered pieces—each taking untold hours to complete—offered a truly unique souvenir: hand-stitched flags and pins of the festival’s featured artists. Request your own custom piece from her online shop, How Could You?. The next Pitchfork Music Festival won’t be for another year. In the meantime, check out more music in the Windy City with these deals for concerts in Chicago. Photos: Jessica Lehrman (Beck, crowd); Tom Spray (Isaiah Rashad); Ebru Yildiz (Sharon Van Etten, St. Vincent); Andrew Nawrocki, Groupon (non-musical categories)

Now in its 24th year, the Chicago Humanities Festival continues its original mission to “extend the riches of the humanities to all who might benefit” with Animal: What Makes Us Human. Over the course of more than 60 lectures, performances, shows, and presentations, art and science luminaries invite attendees to take a closer look at a seemingly simple question: are humans animals? From a demonstration of microscopic robot swarms to a chat with an Obama campaign mastermind, here are eight of our favorites. Purchase tickets here, but don’t dally—many events have already begun selling out. For Those Who Buy Biology Texts for the Pictures: Mark Dion: Krypto-Zoologist WHERE: Chicago History Museum, Rubloff Auditorium | 1601 N. Clark St.  WHEN: Saturday, November 2, from noon to 1 p.m. HOW MUCH: $10 (teachers and students: $5) Whether they lurk within jars of formaldehyde or romp through the pages of Charles Darwin’s journals, scientific depictions of animals often reveal as much about the collector as they do about the creatures being collected. Artist Mark Dion draws on these and other inspirations for his left-of-center cataloging projects; recent works include a collecting expedition to New York’s Chinatown and a survey of the (still-living) bugs that eke out their lives between the seemingly antiseptic walls of University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art. In his chat with Northwestern University’s Lisa Graziose Corrin, Dion will share insights into these and other projects, exploring the constant conversation between science, the natural world, and the artists tasked with reflecting both. For Those Who Dream of Electric Sheep: Invasion of the Robot Ants WHERE: Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium | 375 E. Chicago Ave. WHEN: Sunday, November 3, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. HOW MUCH: $8 (teachers and students: free) As a rough-and-tumble youth inventor, James McLurkin built his first robot out of little more than an old remote control car, a rudimentary computer, and know-how picked up during trips to the public library. Today, as a professor of robotics at Rice University, McLurkin’s experiments are smaller and larger at the same time: inspired by the habits of organization-minded insects including ants and bees, his swarms of tiny machines are designed to accomplish daunting tasks ranging from clearing minefields to exploring planets. He won’t be alone at his Sunday presentation—McLurkin’s creations will also be on hand to give audience members a glimpse at what they can do. For Anyone Whose Favorite Dancer is Michigan J. Frog: Birds Do It, Bees Do It ... WHERE: Francis W. Parker School, Diane and David B. Heller Auditorium | 2233 N. Clark St.  WHEN: Tuesday, November 5, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. HOW MUCH: $20 (teachers and students: $10) Mating rituals from across the animal kingdom become song-and-dance fuel for Rob Lindley and Doug Peck, the theatrical masterminds behind the cabaret-style revue Birds Do It, Bees Do It … . Country tunesmith Robbie Fulks, Goodman Theatre favorite Felicia Fields, and pianist Beckie Menzie bring these displays of affection to life with new renditions of American standards including Hoagy Carmichael’s “Baltimore Oriole” and Stick McGhee and His Buddies’ “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show.” Jeff Award–winning actor Molly Brennan joins Lindley for hosting duties. For Those Who Love Animals for More Than Their Delicious Taste: Jonathan Safran Foer on (Not) Eating Animals WHERE: Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium | 375 E. Chicago Ave.  WHEN: Wednesday, November 6, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. HOW MUCH: $15 (teachers and students: $5) For Jonathan Safran Foer—the author of 2000s insta-classics Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close—what began as nutritional crash course in the face of impending fatherhood became a newfound dedication to animals and animal-free eating. He distilled his experiences into 2009’s Eating Animals, a nonfiction exploration that casts a critical eye on everything from factory farming to the fetishization of food and food culture. Safran Foer will chat about his new dual role as an activist-author and fill audience members in on how they can get involved in his meat-free mission. For Fans of the Lions, the Tigers, and the Bears: Bear Down with Lester Munson WHERE: UIC Forum, Main Hall C | 725 W. Roosevelt Rd.  WHEN: Saturday, November 9, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. HOW MUCH: $10 (teachers and students: $5) From the snarling bears that roar across orange-and-blue sweatshirts to the twinkle-eyed leprechauns that smirk from their perches on baseball caps, sports mascots are a daily part of life in Chicago. During a Saturday chat, ESPN reporter and former Sports Illustrated writer Lester Munson takes a deeper look at these manifestations of fandom, tracing their connections to totemic traditions and examining how their power to inspire devotion turns rational people into feverish fans. He might also answer one of Chicago sports fans’ most burning questions: what’s so tough about a Packer, anyway? For Donkeys and Elephants: The Political Animal: A Conversation with David Axelrod WHERE: UIC Forum, Main Hall AB | 725 W. Roosevelt Rd.  WHEN: Saturday, November 9, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. HOW MUCH: $20 (teachers and students: $10) As one of the masterminds behind Barack Obama’s historic presidential campaigns, strategist David Axelrod was credited with translating Chicago’s boots-on-the-ground activism to the national stage. On the festival’s penultimate day, the founder of the University of Chicago’s new Institute of Politics will sit down with the New York Daily News’ Washington bureau chief Jim Warren for a discussion of power, persuasion, and what the changing expectations of political representation mean for the country and the species. For Anyone Who Knows the Scariest Animal Is Actually Batman: Jenette Kahn on DC Comics WHERE: Art Institute of Chicago, Fullerton Hall | 111 S. Michigan Ave. WHEN: Sunday, November 10, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. HOW MUCH: $15 (teachers and students: $5; discounted Art Institute passes: $16) Watchmen. The Dark Knight Returns. The Death of Superman. During her trailblazing time as publisher and editor in chief of DC Comics, Jenette Kahn oversaw some of the storied company’s most memorable storylines. From the stately stage of the Art Institute’s Fullerton Hall, she’ll delve into three decades of comic history, answering questions such as “How did the graphic novel change the way that comic producers approached their stories?” or “Could the Blue Beetle beat the Flash in a fight?”