Pitchfork 2013 Edition

We made it through another Pitchfork Music Fest weekend mostly unscathed, besides a couple of ink marks. I was unsure I wanted to go this year since I didn't know many of the bands in the lineup and I'm not really a fan of Bjork or R. Kelly, but I'm really glad I went. I had a ton of fun. It's always good to see friends in the music community, and I got turned on to some great new bands. Of course we partied a little bit, too.

Here are links for the daily wrap-ups on Chicagoist, including a couple reviews from me!

Pitchfork Music Festival 2013 Day One: Hot And Groovy

Pitchfork Music Festival 2013 Day Two: Don't Stop The Rock

Pitchfork Music Festival 2013 Day Three: Let's Dance!

Hockey Hooky

The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on Monday and today is the victory parade downtown, just a few blocks from my office. While I'm admittedly not a huge hockey fan, and I only watched a few minutes of one of those playoff games, there's nothing like being in a city like Chicago when a beloved sports team wins a championship. I'll probably head down towards the rally during my lunch hour just to see what it's like down there with the masses of people celebrating, just like I did when they won the Cup three years ago. It's something you don't get to experience often, if at all, so how could I pass it up when it's just a short walk down the street?!

Here's a live stream of the festivities if you can't make it:

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

Breaking Drums

I find this endlessly amusing, or, at least amusing for the next seven hours.

Andrew W.K. is currently attempting to break the world record for drumming. He's gotta play for 24 hours straight. There's a live stream. I already have to go to the bathroom.

Get More: 

O Music Awards

Outdoor Om

Some friends and I are headed to Wanderlust's Yoga In The City this weekend, just one of the events I listed in my recent Outdoor Yoga roundup for Chicagoist. There were a surprising number of offerings that I found including regular classes on North Avenue Beach from Sun & Moon, and a few free options including Sunday's YITC in Grant Park. You just have to register for a class in advance, and then b.y.o.m. (bring your own mat).

See my full list here. Namaste!

Dance Away

I've been busy covering a bunch of dance stuff for the ol' -ist lately, and totally neglecting to talk about of any of it on the ol' blog. Here's some of what I've been up to:

Shaping Sound

• Tonight we're headed to Cirque Shanghai: Dragon's Thunder at Navy Pier, but last night we were at the Harris Theater for Travis Wall (of So You Think You Can Dance fame) and friends' new company, Shaping Sound. Here's my interview with Wall from last week.

• Saturday was opening night for Chicago Dance Crash's new program, The Cotton Mouth Club, and as usual they stun and delight with an unconventional mix of disciplines. Check out my review here.

• I also reviewed Joffrey Ballet's Othello last month, and while that run has ended, you can still look at the pretty photo gallery we had. 

Bloody Bloody Marys

Today we posted a list of our favorite Bloody Marys in the City on Chicagoist as part of our "Best Of" series. Man, do people have strong feelings about their bloodys. As Chuck says, we almost got into a virtual fist fight on the list over it. I am very particular about my bloodys as well, and my contribution had to be edited way down, but here are my complete feelings on the drink, and my favorite in the city. 


I’m picky about bloody marys, but I’m no good pinpointing exactly what it is that I love. I can tell you what I don’t like: one that’s too watery, too thick, too much worcestershire, not enough worcestershire, too lime-y, too spicy with not enough flavor. I don’t mind a little bit of beer in there, but what am I supposed to do with that beer back?? If I want a tiny beer, I’ll order a half pint. Don’t bother with all those meats and cheeses either, I ain’t looking for a meal here, or even a celery stick. Just stick a pickle wedge in there and be done with it.

While appreciate the concept of a Bloody Mary Bar (you’re in control! make it how YOU like it!), I don’t want to be responsible for ruining my own drink, and I’ve ruined plenty of bloodys. When I’m hungover on a Sunday, the last thing I want is a crappy bloody mary, especially one that I paid for and ruined. I want a bartender that can make me a rich, tasty bloody that is consistently delicious.

Enter AJ at the Corner Bar in Bucktown. He’s usually manning the bar on Sundays for whatever sporting event is going on (sometimes they’ll even have Popeye’s chicken), and he makes a mean (read: delicious) bloody mary. You won’t find any pre-made mix in a jug here. He makes each one from scratch: tomato juice, vodka, worcestershire, horseradish, (I’m sure I’m missing lots of important things here), a celery salt rim, and of course, a pickle. I’ve watched him make 'em many times, but I still can’t put it together as well as he does.

Grillin' Weather

It's finally starting to feel more like spring outside, and that means it's time to get the grill out. I've stored my Weber charcoal grill under our deck without a cover for the last couple of years, and it's filthy. I was looking into how to clean it so it has that new shiny black look again, and came across this Weber video on how to spring clean the whole grill. Turns out you don't need a special cleaner, just warm soapy water and a sponge will do the trick for the exterior.



I'm also going to go ahead and order one of these vinyl covers to keep it protected during the winter storage months. If I had realized they were less than ten bucks, I would have gotten one a lot sooner!