Items filtered by date: November 2007

Like that itch on your ass that you have to repeatedly scratch, Patton Oswalt kept the sold out crowd at Lakeshore Theatre laughing relentlessly from the moment Janeane Garofalo introduced him to the moment he triumphantly darted off the stage. Not a dry eye remained in the house as Patton’s one-hour plus hysterical routine delivered blow after blow – and then some. And though Patton’s clever premeditated material...

"I guess I just prefer to see the dark side of things. The glass is always half empty. And cracked. And I just cut my lip on it. And chipped a tooth." Janeane Garofalo

In a world that seems increasingly full of giggly, cooing blonds and pantyless, camera hungry, dyed blonds - Janeane Garofalo’s black hair, tattooed arms, funky eyeglasses and whip smart humor are as refreshing to me as a cool breeze on a 110 degree summer day.

I remember when “Dances with Wolves” came out and the massive Oscar sweep that Costner received for directing, producing and writing. This film was momentous not just because of the way it portrayed American Indian culture in a sympathetic light but because it was one of the first times I can remember that an...

With so many bands emerging from the Chicago area, Meanwhyle knows the importance of breaking from the mold. “We are a bit of a schizophrenic band. We're not exactly sure what genre we fit in to, and we don't really care either. We don't try to copy anyone's sound, but rather we create our own,” explains...

As I was sitting under a full-moon and an amazing summer sky, Paul Bolger, lead singer and front-man lyricist for Mr. Blotto was walking onto a catwalk, with this surreal blue beam glowing behind him. At the microphone, a story was being presented. Words like "revolution" and "top of the mountain" drifted over the crowd...

Whisky Dick got its name when Dave’s roommate Tony came home the morning after a long night of drinking. He told Dave he had met a girl night before. Dave asked how it went, and Tony said, “Not so good. I had whisky dick.” Dave loved it, “It just hit me. It’s familiar and offensive. It’s already in your head, I don’t...

I’ve always been one for a good mystery, especially in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock or Agatha Christie, and that’s why Leslie Sands who-dun-it, Cat’s Cradle was such an intriguing experience. Directed by Jack Phillips in the 78-year-old Western Springs Theatre in Western Springs, Cat’s Cradle was filled with suspense from the moment London Inspector Jack Frost (played by Bill Hammack) made his way across...

Rick just released a new album of cover songs from the eighties, “The Day After Yesterday” that will make you flashback in a romantic way, but I recommend getting his album of original work, “Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance.” It rocks really hard and in places has a flavor of Nine Inch Nails. I rarely see a pop star...

Sophocles, the great Greek tragedian and philosopher/scientist Sigmund Freud lived worlds apart. Seemingly dissimilar, in a cultural sense, and obviously millenniums apart, there are unique common threads to be found; both men chased intellectual understanding through war and societal ruin. And each had a fascination with a certain archetypal legend that has not only stood the test...

The obvious diversity of the crowd attests to the nature of Porcupine Tree’s musical roots and the type of songs they create. Never happy to linger in a single musical moment, they have effortlessly slipped in and out of multiple genres throughout their career: from psychedelic pop to rambling electronic noise...