13 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 6, 2017 4:34PM
Kelly Anderson Dance Theatre. Image via THAWALLS' Facebook page.
Arts, music and more give us excuses to go out this week.
MONDAY MARCH 6
CHI-TOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL: Chi-Town Jazz Festival is underway at venues across the city. The jazz community rallies for hunger, donating performances to raise funds for hunger relief in the city. The festival continues through March 11. For full schedule and ticket info, visit the Chi-Town Jazz Festival website.
PULASKI PILS + PACZKIS: Enjoy some Pulaski Pils on Pulaski Day at The General. The Logan Square Southern restaurant will be tapping the Maplewood Brewery & Distillery’s specialty brew and serving up fresh homemade Paczkis. 5 p.m.
TUESDAY MARCH 7
MIDWEST FILM: The first Tuesday of every month brings another midwest-made film to the Midwest Film Fest at Century Centre Cinema. Director and Minnesota filmmaker Benjamin May’s THE LEGEND OF SWEE' PEA makes its Chicago Premiere at this month’s event which includes a Q&A after the screening. Reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by producer’s panel at 6:30 and screening at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $10.
TUESDAY FUNK: The eclectic monthly reading series hosted by Andrew Huff and Eden Robins returns to the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf at 7:30 p.m. This month’s readers include Lori Barrett, Steve Bellinger, Naomi Buck Palagi, Tori Szekeres and Ted McClelland. Free.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 8
WOMEN-LED RESTAURANT CRAWL: Celebrate International Women’s Day by hitting up some women-led Edgewater restaurants. The dinner crawl begins at 5 p.m. and includes more than a dozen businesses including Herb and Ethiopian Diamond. Tickets are $35.
STADIUM ROCK: The Kings Of Leon have come a long way since their early days playing shows at Double Door. They've also shed some of the preacher's sons fervor in favor of a more streamlined, mainstream approach. But hey, every generation needs its own U2, right? The band plays United Center on Wednesday and tickets are still available.
THURSDAY MARCH 9
Image by Roberto Leon via The Dance Center.
CUBAN DANCE CO: Now that the gates to Cuba are loosening up, the Malpaso Dance Company of Havana makes its Chicago debut at the Dance Center of Columbia College. With performances through Saturday, see the contemporary dance ensemble bring authentic Cuban influence to the art form. Tickets are $30.
THAWALLS: Links Hall’s annual spring THAW party and fundraiser is making the move to Navy Pier this year. They’re collaborating with Threewalls to support artists creativity in visual art, performance art, music and more. This year’s event will feature the expected bombast of performance art among the transformed indoor street festival theme. 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Tickets are $45.
LIVE PODCAST: Local soul musician JC Brooks is the special guest on the live podcast taping of The Company You Keep at Uncommon Ground. The show, which features conversations with creatives on process, culture, and life is hosted by singer/songwriter Phillip-Michael Scales. 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.
CHEF ROAST: River Roast hosts a Chef Roast to benefit Pilot Light Chefs from 6 to 9 p.m. Paul Kahan (One Off Hospitality), Tony Mantuano (Spiaggia) and John Hogan (River Roast) will prepare a four-course dinner followed by a good-natured roast. The evening will be hosted by WXRT host Lin Brehmer. Tickets are $85.
SWEDISH POP: Jens Lekman continues his string of excellent, sharply written guitar-pop albums with this year's Life Will See You Now. And Lekman prove equally skilled at high energy dance numbers and quiet moments of reflection. Album opener "To Know Your Mission" channels Motown-lite to great effect and closer "Dandelion Seed" showcases a more intimate approach that still manages to fit in a complex instrumental swell at the very end. The music between these bookends sparks, jumps and is a smart, satisfying listen. Lekman plays Metro Thursday night and tickets are $24.
FRIDAY MARCH 10
2017 POEFF Preview from Peace On Earth Film Festival on Vimeo.
PEACE ON EARTH FILM FEST: The Peace On Earth Film Festival raises awareness of “peace, nonviolence, social justice and an eco-balanced world.” Running all weekend at the Music Box Theatre, the festival features and supports independent filmmakers with a conscience. For schedule and ticket information, visit the Peace On Earth Film Festival website.
FEMALE COMEDY: the kates produce a semi-monthly line-up emerging female comic performers, and the next live showcase is at The Book Cellar at 7 p.m. Local comedian Mary Zee hosts. Entry is a $10 suggested donation.