Look For ChiIL Mama This Weekend: Rockin' With The Buzzcocks, Cheering On The Blackhawks, Parading With The Pooches & Checkin' Out Mr. Singer & The Sharp Cookies

FRIDAY:  There's lots of great stuff goin' on this weekend including just for the parents shows and family fun.

First, call out the sitters tonight.   Theater Oobleck is back with more cutting edge theatre, and you can feel xtra good about your cultural self, because tonight only, half of the proceeds go toward peace and justice work.

Theater Oobleck opens "Casanova Takes a Bath" tonight, in a benefit performance. Half the proceeds go to the American Friends Service Committee, to support their work in peace and economic justice.  Check 'em out on Facebook and YouTube.

   

Throw a little shark steak on the grill and cheer The Blackhawks on to victory in game 3 of the Western Conference Final at 7pm Friday.   We're in it to win it!   Game 4 is Sunday at 2pm.

 

The official start of the festival season is upon us with Mayfest leading the pack.   There are bands galore on Friday through Sunday, but we're aiming for 11am Sunday for the pet parade. 

  

On Sunday, pet lovers unite to enjoy our world-famous Mayfest Pet Parade - Sponsored by Higgins Animal Clinic. Here is your chance to showcase the talents of your furry friends and take the stage for our unique per-friendly party. Awards are presented for the ‘Best Looking’, ‘Largest’, and ‘Owner Look-A-Like’ and others. If your pet can do an incredible trick, make sure to sign up for our ‘Pet Trick’ Portion of the show.

SATURDAY: 

The largest Green Festival in the nation is back at Navy Pier this Saturday and Sunday.   Bring a reusable bag and stock up on green samples and swag.

FREE ADMISSION FOR:

• 
  
  
  Volunteers - learn how to volunteer!
• Bike riders with valet ticket - courtesy of Clif Bar's 2 Mile Challenge
• Students with ID
• Youth ages 18 and under
• City of Chicago Employees
• Green America & Global Exchange members

    $5 Discount:

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  ONLY AVAILABLE AT DOOR!

• Seniors 62 and over
• Public transit riders with transfer or pass
• Union members with valid ID 
• Otherwise, admission is $10 a day or $15 for the weekend. 
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Our favorite derby girls are back in action.   Come cheer the Windy City Rollers  on at 6pm Saturday at UIC Pavilion.   Fun for the whole family.

SUNDAY: 

We'll be featuring Mr. Singer & The Sharp Cookies in an upcoming Win-A-Disc-Wednesday, but why wait?   You can check 'em out in person this Sunday, May 23rd at 12pm  at the Beat Kitchen  *followed by arts and crafts with Unicoi Art Studio.  Tickets are only $5.00.  www.sharpcookies.net or get in touch with Mr. Singer on Facebook .

 

Now, Sunday night, there's a band for the big kids (AKA:  grown ups and those offspring over 21).   Can you name that foursome?  No..............not the Beatles, tho they begin with the same letter, hail from the same country and were once referred to as "the Beatles of punk".

We may all be a bit older, fatter and grayer than we were "back in the day", but we're not dead yet, and we still like a good live show!   So, come on out to the Double Door and see The Buzzcocks this Sunday at 8PM.   The Dollyrots open.

In case you're not familiar with the band or need a refresher course in Punk101.   Here's the band's bio off their "official site"

There are hardly any bands performing today that genuinely deserve the adjective ‘legendary’. Buzzcocks are one of those very few. Their achievements are staggering: one of the original holy trinity of British punk (with the Sex Pistols and the Clash), innovators of the independent record scene and genuine punk rock superstars who have been cited as inspirational by bands as diverse as REM, Nirvana and Green Day. Eight studio albums, over twenty singles and EPs, a constellation of compilations, covers by other bands and songs on film soundtracks and advertisements have put Buzzcocks among the top echelons of British recording artists. A Mojo Inspiration award in 2006 is just one of the many accolades they have received for their work. Buzzcocks have been thrilling audiences for over thirty years. Once called ‘the Beatles of punk’, their music blends high-octane guitar, bass and drum power with heartrending personal statements of love won and lost or dismay at the modern world to create a unique catalogue of unforgettable and immortal music – music they continue to deliver to fans old and new around the world with undiminished passion and energy. Buzzcocks have forged a unique relationship with their public and are deeply loved and revered by a global audience. They are simultaneously true to their original ideals and open to new ideas – a happy result of their own uncompromising and individual standing. Over the years, generations of musicians have tried the Buzzcocks methodology and have made their own variations of it. Most are generous in their thanks to the band that started it all. Those impressed by the recent waves of 'punk' bands would do well to spend an afternoon with Buzzcocks' seminal pop treasure Singles Going Steady, consistently the band’s biggest seller and a masterclass in genre-busting songcraft. This compilation of their first UK Top 40 hits is a classic album in every sense, an astounding collection of stunning moments such as ‘Orgasm Addict’, ‘What Do I Get?’ the anthemic ‘Harmony In My Head’ and, of course, the song that has become their calling card: ‘Ever Fallen In Love With Someone (You Shouldn’t’ve Fallen In Love With?)’. These songs have been covered by dozens of groups in many styles, a testament to the originals' strengths not as slices of punk rock history but as examples of songwriting craft. Buzzcocks are the true godfathers of punk-pop, having laid down that infinitely superior archetype. They are also a band with a past, present, and future. It is a history the group's members could never have imagined back in the hot punk rock summer of '76. Says Pete Shelley: "Looking back on it now, what's going on is like echoes of the Big Bang. You look around you in society and the culture; so many things would not have been the same if there never was punk rock. It's strange; it's like a science fiction novel. But to us at the time, it just sprung naturally." They're still doing it, better than anyone. Sometimes the archetype is clearly the best. Buzzcocks – no. 1 in people’s hearts. Icons, superstars, legends.