🤩 Reader Wrapped 2023: Top Music & Theater Stories

Plus: Leor Galil's best overlooked Chicago records of the year. [READER]( The Daily Reader 🎶 December 19, 2023 🎭 [The best overlooked Chicago records of 2023]( May this list of deserving obscurities encourage you to explore the uncountable local releases that aren’t covered here—or anywhere else. by [Leor Galil]( 1. [When Orville Peck’s mask came off, his walls went up]( (April 2022) by [Micco Caporale]( When the masked country crooner who performs as Orville Peck dropped his 2019 debut record, Pony (Sub Pop), his decadent baritone and mysterious persona immediately earned him a cult following. 2. [Farewell to Dave’s Records]( (Jan 2023) by [Leor Galil]( and [Kathleen Hinkel]( Photos from the final day of the beloved Lincoln Park shop capture a sliver of the community that Dave Crain’s passion for vinyl drew together. 3. [Juggalo family values]( (Aug 2023) by [Micco Caporale]( You could learn a lot from insane clowns. 4. [Chicago punk loses a champion]( (Feb 2023) by [Leor Galil]( Dem Hopkins didn’t just run Oz, the former gay bar that helped birth the local scene. He’d lived on the streets himself, and he devoted the same passion he had for punk to the cause of housing justice. 5. [The accidental postrock diner]( (May 2023) by [Leor Galil]( In the 1990s, Jim’s Grill attracted loads of underground musicians with a cheap, vegetarian-friendly menu of American diner classics and Korean food. [In 2023, Chicago theaters faced the music and kept on singing]( Amid the ongoing uncertainty, there were bold plans, changes at the top, and great shows. by [Kerry Reid]( 1. [You won’t be my neighbor]( (Sept 2023) by [Kerry Reid]( Class and internalized racism explode in WELCOME TO MATTESON! 2. [Another Marriage marks a promising playwriting debut]( (June 2023) by [Kerry Reid]( Steppenwolf ensemble member Kate Arrington’s new play is honest and riveting. 3. [The Lehman Trilogy is TimeLine at its finest]( (Oct 2023) by [Catey Sullivan]( Three astounding actors bring to life the “double helix of U.S. history and U.S. capitalism.” 4. [Floor Show keeps swinging]( (Feb 2023) by [Kerry Reid]( The David Bowie-inspired phenomenon finally returns. 5. [Not so golden]( (Jan 2023) by [Catey Sullivan]( Ginger Minj is a treasure, but The Golden Gals Live! disappoints. [Issue of Dec. 15 - 27, 2023 Vol. 53, No.]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2023 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616