Ambivalently melancholy nerd rap sounds like it should be an oxymoron, but in Open Mike Eagle’s compellingly odd forebrain, it’s the foundation for the sublime.

A regular at Saint Hyacinth Basilica in Avondale, Godawiec demonstrates great style daily—even at the 6 AM masses she often ...

Wit, warmth, style, and charm are the enduring hallmarks of this show, and it’s good to see it back in all its glory for the ...

Ethiopian Dreams brings an autobiographical exploration of Ethiopian culture and circus arts to Chicago Shakespeare.

Cocojoey plays a homecoming show to support the wild new Stars, Roy Kinsey inaugurates the Rapbrary’s physical home, and more ...

Trump’s brutal cuts to arts funding demonstrate the vulnerability of a culture sector tied to state ideology. How will Chicago rebuild?

With three days of nonstop entertainment, including two stages of live music, West Fest is one of this summer’s most highly ...

It’s hard to do this work, but we know that reporting on local concerns with accuracy is a necessary art. Journalism is essential to our way of life. Solidify your support of local journalism by ...

Among the new class of shoegaze artists powering the continuing resurgence of the genre, many cite Whirr as a foundational ...

An upcoming series at the Music Box Theatre explores the work of pioneering queer filmmaker Arthur J. Bressan Jr.

PDF viewer and free download for Chicago Reader print issue of Thursday July 17, 2025 (Volume 54, Number 41).

Vinyl has long been the big story in physical media, but CDs are cheaper, quicker to manufacture, and poised for a comeback.