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First Look: Light on the South Side

By Kevin Robinson in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 23, 2009 5:00PM

A little over a year ago, if you had a subscription to the Chicago Tribune, you would have come across a nine-page spread in the Sunday Magazine (you can see a PDF of it here). That nine page spread, published as a photo portfolio was a rare glimpse into the world of Chicago's the South Side nightclub scene, 1965-76. It was as much a visual document of the music and culture scenes in the city as it was about how a passion for photography and music brought photographer Michael Abramson and musician Corky Siegel to know Pepper's and Perv's House.

But even if you weren't reading the Trib's Sunday Magazine last May, the guys a Chicago's Numero Group were, and "it spoke volumes about a scene we can only dream about." After months of legal wrangling and licensing issues, and more hours that one can imagine working on layouts and design, Numero is getting ready to put a 132-page hardback book out in the fall. Light: On the South Side features over 100 images from Abramson's years hanging around the aforementioned night clubs, as well as an essay by Nick Hornby and a two LP, 17 track compilation representing a soundtrack of those years in the clubs. They've sent us a short preview of what you can expect when you open the book's pages.

Be sure to check out Time Out Chicago's preview as well.