Shedd Aquarium wants you to name their new dolphin

The Shedd Aquarium  recently welcomed a  Pacific White-sided dolphin to its Chicago family. Now it is time to give him a name. Starting Monday, you will be able to help the Shedd Aquarium name its new dolphin calf by voting in the “Name the Baby …

5 Must-See Acts at World Music Festival Chicago — Part I

Fatoumata Diawara, 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Mayne Stage, 1328 W. Morse and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington: Mali has long been a hotbed of world class singers and musicians who create a wide array of melodies and …

5 Must-See Acts at World Music Festival Chicago — Part II

So much to see, so little time. Among the 50 acts on the festival lineup, here some musts:

Matuto, 7 p.m. Sept. 21,

Reggie’s Rock Club, 2109 S. State:

If purveyors of the high lonesome sound had hunkered down in northeast Brazil, the result might …

Goodman Theatre’s ‘Sweet Bird of Youth’ takes flight

“Of course, you were crowned with laurel in the beginning, your gold hair was wreathed with laurel, but the gold is thinning and the laurel has withered. Face it — pitiful monster. Of course, I know I’m one too. But one with a difference. Do …

The Mix — Cool Things to Do 09.21.12

WEEKND GIG

One of the biggest critics’ darlings of the year thus far, downtempo R&B; mystery man the Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye, above) gave a curious performance at Lollapalooza this summer — still, soft and seductive. Now the Toronto artist is ensconcing himself in more …

Club Hopping 09.21.12

THE SMITHEREENS

They’re in their fourth decade as hard-edged Beatlesque pop-rockers, but the Smithereens at least sound as if they haven’t aged a day, judging by last year’s “2011.” The guitars bristle, the rhythms stomp, frequent Chicago visitor Pat DiNizio still stacks the downcast pop …

Northlight Theatre adds ‘Woody Sez’ to list of singer’s centennial events

Woody Guthrie, despite his aw-shucks Okie persona, was no fool. He knew how the fame game worked — it hasn’t changed much, even since his 1940s folksinging heyday — and he seemed to know exactly what would happen to his own musical legacy. “The hungrier …

Speaking with Dennis Watkins of ‘The Magic Parlour’

Call him Chicago’s official magic man.

Actor-professional magician Dennis Watkins wouldn’t necessarily disagree. Every Friday night, Watkins — who is perhaps most familiar to Chicago theatergoers for his role as actor, writer, director and founding member of the House Theatre company — performs “The Magic …

Gardot celebrates her favorite haunts on ‘Absence’

Chanteuse Melody Gardot is of no fixed abode — she travels the world performing eleven months a year and then alights somewhere for a few weeks to recharge. Recently it was Lisbon, to which she pays homage with a song in Portuguese vernacular on her …

Humor, family key to Loudon Wainwright’s legacy

The extended family tree of singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III is beginning to look like one of those intermarrying European royal families. Wainwright sits at the hub of a musical dynasty that includes his first wife, Kate McGarrigle; his second, Suzzy Roche (of the Roches); and …

Thornridge High School alumni return home to found the Collective Theatre

Sometimes you can go home again, and something wonderful happens.

That’s one way to describe the journey of six Thornridge High School alumni who’ve returned to Chicago to found The Collective Theatre. The new African-American theater company will raise the curtain on its debut production, …

It’s all in the details at Driehaus mansion museum

One section of marble could use a little more polish, Richard Driehaus noted, as the fund manager and philanthropist walked through the Richard H. Driehaus Museum’s grand entryway built with 17 types of marble, alabaster and onyx. And the small stained-glass cabinet doors would look …

Five special spots of note at Driehaus  Museum

Look closely, now. Here are five special spots at the Driehaus Musuem — hidden in plain sight. 1) The original servants’ quarters are on the second floor behind a door (a staff member can show you where). They now serve as the museum staff offices, …

Circus in the Parks a family affair for Midnight Circus members

In 2007, the Jenkins family heard the playground in their neighborhood park was about to be downsized due to a lack of funding, they sprang into action.

“We were at Welles Park with our son, Max, who was a newborn at the time,” Jeff Jenkins …

Lincoln Trio celebrates anniversary at Nichols Concert Hall

Ten, 10 and 100. When the Lincoln Trio opens the Music Institute of Chicago’s 2012-13 concert series on Sept. 23, it will begin a season-long celebration of an unusual convergence of anniversaries: ◆ the 10th anniversary of the Chicago-based ensemble’s establishment; ◆ the 10th anniversary …