Cure For Boredom: May's Events
By Dan Morgridge
The false spring has come and gone, and now we just have to slug through the last month of the real one. Bump up the windbreaker to a medium jacket, wear the thinnest hat, and go attend a couple fine shows and events before June finally arrives and we can shed the extra layers and commence to three months of picnic blankets. You're so close!
Craft Beer Week
May 17th-27th
chibeerweek.com
Chicago's got its swag on when it comes to craft beer, with Lagunitas announcing a new brewery in the city, Goose Island kicking out Fulton and Wood goodness (and something called Bourbon County Stout?) and the many other excellent breweries and brew pubs just owning the rest of the country (especially large cities to the East, ahem). Maria's hosts the Mash Tun Beer Festival on the 19th, introducing the craft brew journal of the same name. Revolution Brewing will be opening their hotly anticipated brewery on the 25th, and will offer a grand opening party and tours of the facility to celebrate. Hot Chocolate will be letting Three Floyds take over their tap handles for the week.
Maps & Atlases
May 11th
Metro
3730 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60613
metrochicago.com
CBS Event Page
Local lovelies Maps & Atlases have been charming Chi-town since their debut EP in 2006. Signed to Barsuk for the past three years, they've released their third EP in as many – Beware and Be Grateful. Their math-heavy beats, hearty pop hooks, and downright physical drumming should make for a lively show and audience, and So Many Dynamos and Sister Crayon open. Tickets are going for $15 a pop, doors at 8:00pm.
XRT Show: Mayer Hawthorne
May 17th
Park West
322 West Armitage Park West
Chicago, IL 60639
XRT Event Page
The modern maestro of blue-eyed soul has been on a crooning cruise to the top ever since his debut on Stone's Throw showed off the label's smoothest voice yet. Along with his live band The Country, Hawthorne is bringing his poppy take on Northern soul to the Park West. Psychadelic labelmates the Stepkids bring their throwback singer-songwriter goodness to the opening stage.
Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective
May 16th
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603-6404
www.artic.edu
Alan Moore isn't the end-all be-all of high art in comics. There was even a peculiar time, young whippersnapper, when an artist could take the dot coloring and non-laquered paper colors of a dime-store comic and make them into high art. Of course, Lichtenstein should not just be pigeonholed into his takes on pop art – the Art Institute plans to show off some of his drawings, paintings, and sculpture. Go check out the man that beat "lowbrow/nobrow" art to the public conscious by some fifty-odd years.