Hard and soft, dark and atmospheric, hopeful and full of despair, the new EP Skin – from L.A.-based rocker Devon Thompson – is a study in beautiful contradictions. The five track release, which dropped via Exquisite Feline in late-March, doesn’t shy away from heavy themes or gothic imagery, instead it embraces the dark elegance that […]
Posted inFilm & TV
Review: Dishing The White House Correspondents’ Dinner
With generic jokes, Colin Jost’s wit is as dull as a butterknife at the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Instead of bringing the funny by being edgy, Jost turns the event into a bias campaign ad. While Biden gets some good zingers in, he is more self-promoting than self-effacing. As a result, journalism’s “Nerd Prom” becomes a blatant presidential endorsement.
Posted inArts & Culture
Review: ‘19: The Musical’ Audiobook
Released April 2, 2024, 19: The Musical, a new full-cast audiobook, is an adaptation of the 2019 stage production of the same name, with book and lyrics by Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw, and music composed and arranged by Charlie Barnett. The show provides a detailed backstory of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which […]
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New Title IX Rules Offer ‘Comprehensive Coverage’ for LGBTQ+ Students and Sexual Violence Survivors
Originally published by The 19th Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and sexual violence survivors are largely applauding the Department of Education’s newly released federal regulations to protect the rights of these groups in schools, though they also expressed reservations about the lack of clear protections for transgender athletes. Unveiled on Friday, the final rule under […]
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Photos: Friedberg Says ‘Hello’ to Chicago with an Impressive Thalia Hall Performance
Friedberg, the London-based four-piece known for beautifully blending post punk guitars with synth-pop dreaminess, performed at Thalia Hall in Chicago on April 21 as part of their tour supporting German indie rockers Giant Rooks. Though the band – comprised of Anna Friedberg (vocals, guitar, percussion), Emily Linden (guitar), Cheryl Pinero (bass), and Daniel Brandt filling […]
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Women-Owned Cannabis Dispensaries in Illinois
Women have been central to Illinois’ push for legal weed since the very beginning — the bill to legalize recreational cannabis was sponsored by State Sens. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) and as state Reps. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) and Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria). Since then, the state has been making strides to make the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Accessible Exhibits Showcase The L, LPs, PBS, UFOs, Etc.
Forget the stereotypes about art aficionados. Chicagoans need not don an eye monocle or beret to appreciate current and upcoming exhibitions since the following shows are geared to various ages with vast interests. For example, the Chicago History Museum invites visitors to travel back 131 years when the city’s famed “L” car took guests to […]
Posted inJust the Tip
Just the Tip: People Can Quiet Quit Relationships Too
Just the Tip is a sex and relationship column hosted by queer non-monogamous kinkster Jera Brown. Here you will find interviews with sexuality researchers and educators as well as smart and compassionate responses to anonymous questions. If you would like to be interviewed or have a sex or love question you’d like Jera to answer, […]
Posted inFilm & TV
Review: Unleashing ‘The Beast’ in The Urban Jungle
Léa Seydoux’s résumé reads like a Who’s Who in the film industry. After appearing in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood (2010), she scored roles in arthouse faves such as Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2011); Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The French Dispatch (2021); David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future (2022) and Denis […]
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Their Ancestors Were Pillars of Civil Rights Movements. Now, They’re Fighting Historical Erasure.
When many hear the names Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Harriet Tubman, Thomas Jefferson, and Ida B. Wells, they more than likely think about a distant past that is relegated to things like history books, documentary films, statues, paintings, and names of buildings. They probably don’t think about people who are living today. Yet family members […]