Arts & Culture
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Electric Mud: Electrified Delta Blues got a New Jolt
(“Tom Cat” by Muddy Waters) The late sixties in Chicago was a wild time. The Democratic National Convention and the Riots in 1968 labeled us as unruly, Serial Killer Richard Speck in 1966 labeled us as unsafe, and Martin Luther King, Jr., (marching in North Lawndale for equal housing in 1966), labeled us as a…
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The Shrine is Here!
Just what the doctor ordered, as far as I’m concerned… It’s the long awaited club, The Shrine. Tonight, a star is born in the South Loop. Created by Joe Russo (the man that brought us nightlife legend The Funky Buddah Lounge), The Shrine combines top shelf live entertainment, dancers, and music, like the clubs in…
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A.R.O.M.A. of Summer
Looking for some way to take full advantage of this amazing (if fleeting) weather? Anika Ellison of A.R.O.M.A. says: “Tonight’s the night, lovely people! Fashion, art, tasty global rhythms and YOU. It’s only $5, so ladies breakout those short shorts you’ve been dying to wear, fellas take some time to stretch, ’cause we’re DANCING TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…
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Localism in Music: the Memphis Edition
For those of you who feel as though Darkjive is a Chicago anomoly, here’s the Memphis Edition. Whereas Chicago had Chess and Brunswick as Marquee Soul record labels in the mid-twentieth century, in Memphis, it was Stax and Hi (and their subsidiaries). Whereas Chess at one time owned WVON, Stax owned WDIA. I love the…
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Garland Green “Jealous kind of fella” 1969
A beast of a Chicago Stepper cut by Chicago’s own Garland Green. Oh, and he says, he’s not Jealous nor Violent in real life… he even released a song called “Don’t Think I’m a Violent Guy”. Good to know. more about “Garland Green “Jealous kind of fella”…“, posted with vodpod Someone who could “never lose”…
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a Paper Record Player…..
according to creator Simon Elvins (a UK-based artist), Fully working, manual record player made entirely of paper. To play the record the handle needs to be turned in a clockwise direction at a steady 331/3rpm. The paper cone then acts as a pickup, amplifying the sound enough to make it audible. (Record shown, The Sound…
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Cult Movie of the Week: Sparkle
Not unlike many movies that are labeled as “Blaxploitation”, the soundtrack to Sparkle (1976) is often regarded more highly than the film itself. A Curtis Mayfield-produced gem sung by Aretha Franklin, the soundtrack to the movie is glorious… but laden with its share of controversy. What’s controversial? First, the film is a pre-Dreamgirls rags-to-riches story…
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Dream Big.
It’s easy to feel disheartened in these staunch economic times, but consider a chair with a dozen layers of paint. It’s full potential is only evident once that paint is stripped away, allowing pure possibility. That said, one of my favorite television shows right now is nextTV, a local program produced by the Chicago Urban…
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Mingus Awareness Project TONIGHT!
Tonight, a group of musicians will gather at The Hideout to celebrate the life and music of Charles Mingus, and to benefit the Les Turner ALS Foundation. Mingus, an American musical hero who died of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), is one of the greatest figures in jazz history. His bass playing, compositions and philosophy have…
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Studies on Soul from Johnny Spencer
Johnny Spencer is a British visual artist who has turned the sleeves of his 45rpm records (most of them American Soul from the 1960s) into hand-drawn studies (in ink, watercolor, pencil, and collage, et al). Amazing stuff. I wonder if he works on commission…
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