CHICAGO’SFREEWEEKLYSINCE | JUNE | JUNE CHICAGO’SFREEWEEKLYSINCE The Reader’s uide to the CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL The fest diversifi es its lineup for its third year in Millennium Park, with south-side dynamo Melody Angel, suave and sexy R&B star Latimore, genre-defying singer Bettye LaVette, and many more. By BDDW New sheriff in town A (brief) guide to the food Shannon Noll subverts gender Maya Dukmasova 8 of Kerala Mike Sula 12 expectations Brianna Wellen 15 THIS WEEK CHICAGOREADER | JUNE | VOLUME NUMBER IN THIS ISSUE T R - ­ ­ CITYLIFE hoversbrilliantlybetween 38 ShowsofnoteAriLennoxInter @ 04 TransportationChicago’s publicpleasantriesandprivate ArmaLittleSimzandmorethis newwaveofaldermendiscuss dysfunctionandMsBlakkfor week sustainabletransportationgoals Presidentcelebratesaqueer 38 SecretHistoryofChicago PTB pioneer MusicDiscodivaLoleatta IEC SKKH NEWS&POLITICS Hollowaygotasecondwindfrom D EKS 06 Joravsky|PoliticsIfthe Nollisusingtheirnewwebseries housemusic CLSK city’sgoingtowastemillionson andphotoprojecttosubvert 44 EarlyWarningsPurlingHiss D P JR CEAL downtownTIFdealswhyshouldn’t expectationsofgenderand ThisIsNotThisHeatSharonVan M EP M EdBurkegetapieceofthatpie? sexuality Ettenandmorejustannounced A EJL 08 Dukmasova|PoliticsLori 19 PrideFoursignifi cantmomentsin concerts SWDI BJ MS Lightfoot’sfi rstcouncilmeeting LGBTQpopmusichistory 44 GossipWolfDeathmetalcrew S WMD L G excitesbutshedslittlelighton Warforgeddropakaleidoscopic EA SN L procedures hurricaneofadebutalbumJordan G D D C S MEBW ReyesofOnoandAmerican M L C FILM Damagelaunchesanothernew S C -J 24 ReviewInAsakoI&IIRyûsuke labelandmore FL CPF TA ECS Hamaguchiwonderswhether CN B humanlongingisinnateorinstilled OPINION D C LCI bysomethingbeyondus 45 SavageLoveDanSavageoff ers G A G KT HR H JH 26 MoviesofnoteTheFallof adviceforadultdiaperloverswho JH IH DJM theAmericanEmpireskewers wanttocomeoutwiththeirkink K S K MM rapaciouscapitalismTheFeeling B MQJRN LPKR BSD THEATER ofBeingWatchedinvestigates CLASSIFIEDS S TW A W 20 ReviewQueenoftheMist thetollofmasssurveillanceon 46 Jobs ---------------------------------------------------------------- FOOD&DRINK somehowmanagestorenderthe aMuslimcommunityandDark 47 Apartments&Spaces D D J D 12 RestaurantReview storyofthewomanwhowentover Phoenixexaminesfamilyandthe 47 Marketplace D P E &P KK Abriefguidetothefoodofthe NiagaraFallsinabarrel“tedious lieswechoosetotell O M S A southwesternIndianstateofKerala monotonousrepetitiveandnot AAJG fun” MUSIC&NIGHTLIFE O P M YD A TO’H ARTS&CULTURE 21 PlaysofnoteBothloveand 29 FeatureTheReader’sguideto ADVERTISING 15 FeatureComedianShannon FalsettosendureFourPlaces theChicagoBluesFestival -- - @ C @ SD PF THIS WEEK ON CHICAGOREADER.COM V P SAM CR M T P SA R B GA H J L LM-H A RLS B W C SM W R NA V M G --- J L SB ---------------------------------------------------------------- DC [email protected] -- STMREADERLLC BPD RL TE R S JS Should a CBD user be Movie Tuesday: Reader swag alert! 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P C IL A C R R RR T ® Correction: Corinne Halbert’s name was misspelled in the Books and Comics Issue story “Four slices of CAKE.” 2 CHICAOREADER - JUNE ll PRIDE BLOCK PARTY Community Brewing Co Sunday, June 23, 2019 with Marz organizations LGBTQ+ artists and Chicago of Pride Featuring 50 years Presented by 1pm to 9pm In support of The following organizations with 25% of sales 3630 S Iron St Wheelchair accessible $10 In partnership with All ages free parking Plenty of ChicagoReader.com/pride ll JUNE - CHICAOREADER3 CITY LIFE TRANSPORTATION defeated 36-year incumbent and Vrdolyak 29 Time for a sustainable member Patrick O’Connor, a symbol of the old Chicago machine. One of the alderman’s top priorities is encouraging transit-oriented revolution development (TOD) around the recently funded Edgewater Metra station, slated for Chicago’s new wave of aldermen discuss transportation goals. Peterson and Ravenswood Avenues, according to ward policy director Geo rey Cubbage. By JG But after witnessing the high-end TOD boom along Milwaukee Avenue, which has hese are heady times in Chicago. We was charged with fi ling a false stolen vehicle been blamed for accelerating the displace- recently inaugurated Lori Lightfoot report and insurance fraud last month, he ment of longtime Logan Square residents, “We as our fi rst black, female, and openly had a reputation for pushing the envelope want to maintain a ordability and make sure gay mayor, and she immediately on transportation, advocating for dockless that residents and businesses that have been signed an executive order to end bike-sharing, Car2go point-to-point car-share, in the community for years are able to remain Taldermanic privilege. That dubious tradition and dockless electric scooters. La Spata, a in the neighborhood,” Cubbage said. has allowed City Council members to veto Democratic Socialist who says he makes 95 Vasquez will also be overseeing CDOT’s plan good projects within their wards, including percent of his trips on foot, bike, or transit, Alderman Daniel La Spata with First Ward to improve Lawrence Avenue from Western to sustainable transportation initiatives. promises to continue promoting outside- staff er Allison Carvalho COURTESYOFFIRSTWARD the Chicago River—which includes wider side- With the latest round of federal indictments the-box transportation solutions in the near- walks and upgraded bike lanes—scheduled for against once-powerful 14th Ward boss Ed northwest-side ward, but hopefully without desperate need of sustainable transportation, construction next year. Burke—the council’s last remaining member the shady personal dealings. and that is why my administration, in conjunc- of the Vrdolyak 29, the bloc of mostly white High on La Spata’s list of goals is improving tion with CDOT, is working to bring [Car2go] Matt Martin, 47th Ward aldermen who fought the racially charged the district’s miserable “D” rating for bus and Divvy stations to our neighborhoods.” In the contest to replace outgoing alderman Council Wars against Mayor Harold Washing- service in the Active Transportation Alliance’s He also noted that the ward will be included Ameya Pawar, civil rights lawyer Martin faced ton—Burke appears to be on his way out of recent Bus Friendly Streets Report Cards in this summer’s dockless scooter pilot. “I’m off against Emanuel ally Michael Negron. City Hall and on to prison. study. In particular, he wants to boost speeds excited to be introducing these initiatives and (That meant that when you added an “i” to the And 12 new aldermen joined the council on the popular but sluggish #66 Chicago Ave- more to our residents who need more transit end of either candidate’s surname, you got the last month, including five open Democratic nue route. options.” name of a classic gin cocktail.) Socialists, joining incumbent 35th Ward rep La Spata said he’s looking forward to the Pawar pioneered the city’s first “neigh- and Democratic Socialists of America member Chicago Department of Transportation’s Samantha Nugent, 39th Ward borhood greenway” on Berteau Avenue, and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, which means that a full upcoming protected bike lane project on This former employee of ex-Illinois attorney Martin said he wants to build more of these 12 percent of the 50 council seats are now held Milwaukee Avenue (nicknamed the Hipster general Lisa Madigan won the far-north-side tra c-calmed side-street bike routes, as well by DSA-endorsed politicians. There’s a spirit Highway for its heavy bicycle tra c) between seat vacated by incumbent Margaret Laurino, as protected bike lanes on business streets. of change in the air. Sacramento and Western in Logan Square. the architect of Chicago’s common-sense ordi- On a macro scale, Martin said, “Chicago As such, this would be a great time for a sus- He’s also excited about Active Trans’ pro- nance against using a cell phone when biking. needs to step up its game and roll out many tainable transportation revolution in Chicago. posal to create a safer bike and pedestrian In addition to improving CTA and Metra more miles of dedicated bus lanes.” While he Lightfoot’s transportation platform and state- route between Logan and Lathrop Homes service in the ward, Nugent said she’s jazzed said he’d be happy to get bus lanes on West- ments suggest that she’s on the right page on through improvements to Logan Boulevard to be working with CDOT to fi ll in the roughly ern in his relatively a uent ward, “we would these issues. She’s committed to budgeting and Diversey. “As a cyclist, [transitioning 1.5-mile gap between the North Branch Trail support prioritizing such lanes to improve $20 million a year for walking and biking, between] Diversey and Logan can be pretty and the North Shore Channel Trail. “Connect- connectivity and access to downtown jobs and promised to implement several strategies treacherous, so I would love to see something ing the trails along the two forks of the river economic opportunities for our city’s most to speed