Pencil This In

By Ali Trachta in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 7, 2009 5:30PM

Music
Matisya-who? There's a new faith-based hip hop duo in town. Y-Love, an Orthodox Jewish rapper who weaves spiritual lyrics into multilingual rap and reggae tunes, and DJ Diwon, who pairs modern hip hop sounds with Yemenite and Sephardic beats, have teamed up for a show tomorrow night at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. Preview their respective MP3s here and here.
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 610 S. Michigan, Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m., $10.

Party
Though their "king" been dead for more than 30 years, Elvis fanatics still use any excuse to gather and share the hunka hunka burnin' love. This Thursday the Original Mother's will celebrate what would have been Elvis' 74th birthday with a bevy of lip-curling, hip-shaking activities, including performances by Elvis impersonators, Elvis karaoke, King look-alike contests and of course, birthday cake. We're going for the free peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
The Original Mother's, 26 W. Division, Jan. 8, 7 p.m., $5 suggested donation.

Miscellaneous
Here's a much better way to regift any unwanted items you found under your tree. Bring them to the Cubby Bear anytime this month, and in turn you'll receive a $15 bar gift certificate, as well as the piece of mind that comes with knowing your gift will be donated to charities for the homeless instead of hitting the trash can.
Cubby Bear Wrigleyville, 1059 W. Addison, ends Jan 31.

Photo courtesy of Y-Love's Myspace page.