Biggest Celebrities to Come Out of Chicagoon February 25, 2020 at 7:38 pm

Chicago is home to some big celebrity names. While some stars are true natives who were born and bred here, others found their fame after calling the Windy City their home. Here are some of the biggest celebrities to come out of Chicago.

Kayne West

He was born in Atlanta, but Chicago has been a huge influence on him. He named one of his children Chicago, and he references the city at least ten times in his song “Homecoming.” Kayne even earned an honorary doctorate from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Ben Savage

Ben Savage was a ’90s TV staple on the show Boy Meets World and is a native Chicagoan. He briefly reprised his role as Corey Matthews in the spin-off show Girl Meets World.

Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes, a Chicago native, has created some of the most influential TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder.

Pete Wentz

The Fall Out Boy bassist was born in a suburb of Chicago and graduated from DePaul University.

Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper hasn’t forgotten about his hometown of Chicago even after hitting it big in the rap industry. Few other celebrities have done as much as Chance as he has donated millions of dollars to CPS.

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama famously grew up on the southside of Chicago, and it was here in the city that she and President Barack Obama fell in love and shared their first kiss.

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford was born on the northside of Chicago and graduated from high school in Park Ridge. He later went on to embody some of the most beloved characters on the screen, including Indiana Jones and Han Solo.

Hillary Clinton

Chicago has another famous politician who called Chicago home: Hillary Clinton was born in Chicago and later graduated from Wellesley College.

Oprah

While the TV mogul wasn’t born in Chicago, Oprah has lived in Chicago for many years. She got her start on a small, local Chicago talk show, and the rest is history.

Gina Rodriguez

Gina Rodriguez of Jane The Virgin fame was born and raised on the northwest side of Chicago. She studied at St. Ignatius College Prep.

Hugh Hefner

Even though Hugh Hefner later called the Playboy Mansion his home, he originally lived in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Later, Hefner got a job at Esquire and went on to bigger things until his death in 2017.

Cindy Crawford

The gorgeous movie star says that her suburban Chicago upbringing is the reason for her persona of the “girl next store” and what helped her to keep her feet grounded even while living in Hollywood.

Jennifer Hudson

Before Jennifer Hudson was on American Idol, she called Englewood home. Since becoming famous, she still comes back to visit the city and her family often.

R. Kelly

R. Kelly is a celebrity turned notorious for his current lawsuit involving sexual abuse of teenage girls, one that Chicago definitely wishes we couldn’t claim. Kelly was born in Hyde Park and still calls the Windy City home.

Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco dedicated his album The Cool to his time in Chicago when he was making music in his basement.

Bill Murray

As a proud Chicagoan, Murray can often be seen at Cubs games and other events around the city. He got his start at the Second City, which helped to propel him to fame on SNL later.

Karlie Kloss

Before Kloss was a supermodel, she was doing small-time gigs for tiny bridal magazines in the Chicagoland area.

Keke Palmer

Starting from a young age, Keke Palmer started to perform on stage in the Windy City and this is what helped her to understand the business fully.

Jennifer Morrison

Morrison was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and later graduated from Prospect High School. She studied at Loyola University and later went on to star in TV shows like Once Upon A Time, House, and How I Met Your Mother.

Vince Vaughn

Vaughn is another prod Chicagoan who continues to support his city’s teams. He still lives in the city at his penthouse in the Palmolive building.

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Best Music Venues for Catching Your Favorite Bands in Chicagoon February 25, 2020 at 8:35 pm

No matter what music you’re into, your favorite artists are sure to include a stop on their tour in Chicago. We have tons of incredible venues, but here are 10 of the best venues in Chicago.

Aragon Ballroom | 1106 W Lawrence Ave

This beautiful space originally opened as a ballroom in 1926, but now serves as one of the largest music venues in Chicago. The venue is incredibly aesthetically pleasing due to the painted walls and ceiling of the interior. The Aragon has hosted artists like deadmau5, Nirvana, The Flaming Lips, and many more over the years.

chicago concert venues — Photo Credit: Concord Music Hall

Concord Music Hall | 2051 N Milwaukee Ave

If you’re looking for that perfect mid-size venue where you can see artists from all spectrums of music, Concord Music Hall is the venue for you. Not only does this venue host some awesome concerts, they also occasionally host after-parties so that you can literally dance the night away.

local chicago — Photo Credit: Beat Kitchen

Beat Kitchen | 2100 W Belmont Ave

This corner bar in Roscoe Village is considered a pivotal part of Chicago’s music scene, especially if you are an up-and-coming artist looking to have your debut show. You’ll find punk, garage and indie acts performing on stage at the Beat Kitchen alongside a restaurant and bar, fulfilling all of your needs for a fun evening out.

music venues chicago — Photo Credit: Sound-Bar

Sound-Bar | 226 W Ontario St

Providing a pleasing combination of nightclub culture and concert venue, Sound-Bar is a great spot for a night out on the town. Catch a DJ you’ve been meaning to see or to discover a new artist!

Chop Shop | 226 W Ontario St

This hybrid space doubles as a restaurant and deli during the day, and a concert venue at night. With state-of-the-art sound, lights and production staff, Chop Shop is able to put on the show you’re looking for.

Empty Bottle | 1035 N Western Ave

The lowkey exterior of this small Ukranian Village dive bar might have you fooled, but Empty Bottle has had a major impact on the Chicago music scene. Shoot some pool with some of your favorite artists, grab a drink, and groove to the tunes in this intimate concert venue.

Radius | 640 West Cermak Rd

Radius is new to the scene and is ready to make an impact on music in Chicago. Located in Pilsen, this old steel factory is 55,000 square feet of creative space for you to experience the flow of the music.

Metro | 3730 N Clark St

Hosting a variety of touring acts of all genres, Metro is one of Chicago’s oldest clubs and is located in Wrigleyville. You can also check out the bar downstairs, Smart Bar, where the party continues even after the show.

House of Blues | 329 N Dearborn St

Home to one of the city’s best sound systems, the House of Blues is a great venue to immerse yourself in the music and atmosphere. The interior is set to make the venue look like an old blues joint, and has hosted some of the most well-known international artists of our time.

Lincoln Hall | 2424 N Lincoln Ave

Located in Lincoln Park and a quick walk to DePaul’s campus, Lincoln Hall is a great intimate venue with a mellow vibe for when you want to see some emerging artists.

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Best Music Venues for Catching Your Favorite Bands in Chicagoon February 25, 2020 at 8:35 pm Read More »

Beer Preview: Shiner S’Moreon February 25, 2020 at 4:56 am

The Beeronaut

Beer Preview: Shiner S’More

ChicagoNOW

Beer Preview: Shiner S’Moreon February 25, 2020 at 4:56 am Read More »

I am Woman/Hear Me Roar/ A Victory for our Mothers/Wives/ Daughters/ A Wake up call for the Harvey Weinstein”s and Beyondon February 25, 2020 at 1:35 pm

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I am Woman/Hear Me Roar/ A Victory for our Mothers/Wives/ Daughters/ A Wake up call for the Harvey Weinstein”s and Beyond

ChicagoNOW

I am Woman/Hear Me Roar/ A Victory for our Mothers/Wives/ Daughters/ A Wake up call for the Harvey Weinstein”s and Beyondon February 25, 2020 at 1:35 pm Read More »

Black People: Let’s End Black History Month By Getting A Physicalon February 25, 2020 at 2:28 pm

Purple Reigns: How to Live a Full Life with Lupus

Black People: Let’s End Black History Month By Getting A Physical

ChicagoNOW

Black People: Let’s End Black History Month By Getting A Physicalon February 25, 2020 at 2:28 pm Read More »

Cellar Dweller: 2009 New Glarus “Old English Porter”on February 25, 2020 at 2:36 pm

Cut Out Kid

Cellar Dweller: 2009 New Glarus “Old English Porter”

Cellar Dweller: 2009 New Glarus “Old English Porter”on February 25, 2020 at 2:36 pm Read More »

A Dusty Groove documentary premieres in Chicagoon February 25, 2020 at 12:30 am

Director Danielle Beverly in Dusty Groove - DANA LEONARD

In one scene from the 2019 documentary Dusty Groove: The Sound of Transition, Rick Wojcik sifts through a record collection in the Pill Hill basement of Grady Johnson, a jazz saxophonist and one of Chicago’s first black pharmacists. Wojcik owns the record store after which the film is named, and he frequents such spaces in the course of his job–much of his inventory consists of the jazz, R&B, and hip-hop albums he finds there.

In Johnson’s home, Wojcik unearths something that brings him closer to the 93-year-old, who was then battling cancer (he passed away in 2014). It’s an acetate disc of a largely forgotten Johnson performance, and the two of them listen to the music together–a deeply personal experience that exemplifies the kind of close connection the documentary aims to capture. The scene is the most moving in the film, but saying any more could spoil it.

Documentary director Danielle Beverly has seen Wojcik form many such bonds since her time working at Dusty Groove and Reckless Records in the 90s. Now an assistant professor of radio, television, and film at Northwestern University, she believes that her film shows how these exchanges go deeper than mere retail transactions.

“Rick has this very unique access to people’s very personal lives and very intimate stories,” Beverly says. “They summon him to come to their homes, sometimes their storage spaces, sometimes the homes of their parents who have passed on. And they are often in delicate or sometimes difficult situations. They’re selling their music, these things that once defined them–often prized possessions, rare collections–because they’re undergoing some kind of change in their life.”

Dusty Groove: The Sound of Transition

Director Danielle Beverly, Dusty Groove owner Rick Wojcik, and others will participate in a Q&A at the documentary’s Chicago premiere. Fri 2/28, 7 PM, Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington, free, all ages

Dusty Groove has been a fixture in Wicker Park for more than 20 years, but Wojcik says he preferred to keep the focus of the documentary away from himself. He describes the film as an antidote to the likes of Pawn Stars and American Pickers.

“On those shows, the dealers are the guys,” Wojcik says. “No! The people selling this stuff, they’re the ones with the important stories. All those shows are about people selling stuff, but the buyer being the central one. The stories that flow through people and their objects are far more fascinating.”

Wojcik does more than buy records from around the city and the world to sell in his store. Another joyful sequence in the documentary depicts the day when he brought the historic south-side party and DJ contest Jazz in the Alley to a side street by Dusty Groove. From the mid-1950s through the end of the ’70s, jazz fans had gathered in an alley off 51st Street, engaging in friendly rivalries to determine who could play the winning swing and bop tracks. Many of those veteran DJs reassembled outside Wojcik’s shop on a sunny day in July 2016, and the scenes documenting the celebration in Dusty Groove: The Sound of Transition show how a shared public listening experience can strengthen community bonds.

“This goes back to me being 18 at WHPK,” Wojcik says. “Being a kid who mostly knew rock music but cared about jazz, soul a little bit, and suddenly having all these 50-, 60-year-old DJs on the radio station was fantastic. I couldn’t be a punk-rock asshole–I had to mind my Ps and Qs. Their relation to records, vinyl culture was so amazing. Having a more professional relationship to that world continues to teach me so much more.”

A still from the documentary: Dusty Groove owner Rick Wojcik (right) with jazz saxophonist and pharmacist Grady Johnson in Johnson's basement - DANIELLE BEVERLY

Dusty Groove: The Sound of Transition also tells a story about Dusty Groove cofounder J.P. Schauer, who as J.P. Chill hosted an influential hip-hop show (alongside Wojcik’s R&B program) on WHPK in the late 1980s. Schauer came out as gay in his mid-40s, and the film’s affectionate portrayal of his life after that big change includes scenes of him discarding boxes of his rap collection. In its conversations with Schauer, the documentary suggests that he established a new identity in part by getting rid of the records that had shaped the older one.

“When you have this persona and when that persona changes, sometimes the need to cloak oneself in that persona or wear those clothes is not needed,” Beverly says. “J.P.’s story is like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. He becomes a new person.”

Beverly adds that directing this documentary has helped her appreciate the profound emotion that Wojcik’s work can stir up, both in him and in the people he’s buying records from. It flies in the face of stereotypes about jaded record-store managers popularized by various adaptations of Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity.

In many ways, Wojcik is the opposite of that character–rather than pigeonholing people or attempting to dictate good taste to them, he wants to consider and understand how they form their musical preferences.

“Everybody is so incredibly complicated, you just can’t ever figure somebody out,” he says. “I’m always learning and always fascinated by the complexity that makes this job a delight.” v

A Dusty Groove documentary premieres in Chicagoon February 25, 2020 at 12:30 am Read More »

6 Awesome Restaurant Weeks in Chicagoland: What you need to know to goon February 24, 2020 at 1:52 pm

Show Me Chicago

6 Awesome Restaurant Weeks in Chicagoland: What you need to know to go

You may have missed Chicago Restaurant Week (January 24-February 9), but no worries, there’s more.

Not unlike the Jimmy Buffet song, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” it seems, if it’s winter in Chicago “it’s restaurant week somewhere. Restaurant Week specials can be a great time to try new spots–often at bargain prices. Here’s five to try running now through mid-March:

Andersonville Restaurant Week

Andersonville is a hotbed of good restaurants. From February 21 to March 1 many of Andersonville’s finest including the popular Bar Roma and will be participating in Andersonville Restaurant Week with $10, $20, and $30 menu specials and prix fixe offers throughout the 10 day “week.” Big Jones will be celebrating Mardi Gras all week with $10 hand-crafted daiquiris, hurricanes, sazeracs and a Cajun Mardi Gras Table for $30 per person family style.

Lake Forest Lake Bluff Restaurant Week

Starting February 28 (through March 8) head north to Lake Forest and Lake Bluff for their Restaurant Week. Some of the best deals are at Inovasi (28 E. Center, Lake Bluff) with a prix fixe 3-course dinner (with 3 choices in each course) for $35 and The Gallery (202 E. Wisconsin Ave, Lake Forest) offering a 3-course dinner for $35. Both are upscale fine dining restaurants. Looking for something more casual, there’s lots more including The Otherdoor (28 E. Center Ave) where you can buy one burrito and get a second for $1 and wash it down with one of their $4.95 house margaritas or head to Lake Bluff Brewing Company (16 E. Scranton Ave) for a flight of their fine craft beers, a burger & fries for $20.

Rosemont Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week returns to the Village of Rosemont March 1 through March 7. Visitors are invited to take advantage of special prix fixe, three-course lunch and dinner menus at participating Rosemont restaurants.

Rosemont has a huge lineup of very good restaurants—some are siblings to city favorites like Gene & Georgetti’s (9421 W. Higgins Rd., Rosemont). Others are Rosemont originals like Hofbrauhaus—a replica of the legendary Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany–at 5500 Park Place in Rosemont.

LaGrange Restaurant Week

Specially-priced menus are featured at $20, $30 or $40 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) at brunch, lunch and/or dinner at LaGrange Restaurant Week. LaGrange is an easy trip from the city—only 13 miles west of downtown or a quick ride on the Metra that stops in downtown La Grange. 15 restaurants will be dishing up multi-course, value-priced menus from a variety of diverse tastes including Italian, Indian, Japanese, Mexican, contemporary American or casual dining starting February 21 through March 1, 2020

Chicago Northwest Restaurant Week

Northwest Restaurant Week is the perfect excuse to check out the great line-up of restaurants in the Northwest suburbs including Arlington Heights and Schaumburg from March 6 to March 15.

There’s a large line-up of participating restaurants with some real deals like Kuma’s Corner (1570 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg). How about a 2-course lunch, including one of Kuma’s award winning burgers plus a draft soda—all for $15. What could be better? Maybe only their special 3-course dinner menu with a choice of a fried pickle or Edamame for starters, followed by their over-the-top burgers, finishing with a choice of Tempura Fried, a Banana Stuffed Twinkie, or Chocolate Ganache & Powdered Sugar. PLUS your choice of a draft soda or beer or a Kreature Brand Cocktail—all included for $25.

Lake County Restaurant Week

Disotto in Highwood.

75 restaurants from Highland Park to Grayslake and in between are participating in Lake County Restaurant Week, February 28 through March 8.

One of our favorites, Disotto, named one of the best on the North Shore is offering a 4-course prix fixe menu that includes a 5oz. glass of wine for $40.

St. Charles Restaurant Week

Download the coupon here and get 20% off at all participating St. Charles restaurants from February 24 through February 28.

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