The 13th Annual World Music Festival
is 8 days full of great music & culture from more than 30 countries. The
performances are spread throughout Chicago in 20 plus venues. See www.worldmusicfestivalchicago.org
for advanced ticket info and program details.
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The "Ritual's" Showcase Featuring Yahdna,
Armen Rah & Awthntik at the Le Fluer de Lis (the old
Negro League Café) on 301 E 43rd St. (Prairie) Chicago, Illinois. Spoken word, music food & fun. Tickets are
$10, doors open at 8pm-12am TICKETS
$10
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Chicago
born & Grammy Award Winning Hip-Hop artist & actor, Common has dropped his memoir, One
Day It’ll All Make Sense. A soulful and insightful book, Common
effortlessly weaves thought-provoking and entertaining commentary about his
early years, his Mother, manhood, Fatherhood and his ideas/philosophies.
Engaging, the book represents the coming of a Blackman in America and how big
dreams can actually become reality, through a strong foundation of love, hard
work, dedication and humility. It’s a triumphant for American literature and a
treasure for readers who make the perfect choice to purchase the book here or catch Common Tues, September 20 at DePaul University Bookstore for a book
signing. 312-362-8792 for info.
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The UniverSoul Circus is back in Chicago,
IL September 21 - October 16 in Washington Park. This is a very exciting and
intimate event packed with tigers, trick dogs, powerful aerialists, elephants,
contortionists, dance music and more. It is a sight to behold with guaranteed
fun for the entire family. There are two shows a day and tickets are very affordable.
Go to www.universalsoulcircus.com
for info.
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Check
out the play, SPUNK which consists
of three tales by Zora Neale Hurston at the Court Theatre at the University of
Chicago, 5535 S. Ellis. Call 773-753-4472 for more info. FREE parking!
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Released in 2011, STREET TEAM is created by a collective of artists & writers; Joseph Currie, Stanley Weaver Jr., Shawn Alleyne, James Mason, Charlie Goubile & Koran Curtis. This All-Star collaboration highlights the talents of independent creators in a major way! It’s not just a comic book project; it’s a
movement surrounding Street Team. There’s posters, the comic book of course and
a video game. What? That’s right, a video game for the pc that helps go beyond
the comic; professionally done and packaged, but back to the comic book.
Street Team #0 weighs in at 28 pages of full
color with a price tag of $5. It
features a roster of different and exciting looking vigilante characters;
Stalker, Tiger, Aaron, Blackbird & Dodger who decide to work together as a
team as one menace, Oguun a deadly psychopath forms his own villainous
coalition of bad guys.
Will the
different personalities and individual styles mesh well as Street Team?
Will the
combined threat of each of the heroes’ chief villains bring down each of their
cities?
The
answers won’t be found here in this premiere offering but sets up great drama
and action aspects to be explored and fleshed out for future issues. What IS
inside Street Team #0? Let’s begin
with the cover that looks more like a poster for a soon to be released movie. It is a collage of the various heroes in
motion with an ominous pair of eyes hovering above them, complete with
creator/production credits ala movie style at the bottom. Complete with the tag “We Own The Streets”,
Street Team’s call to action, you are ready to jump right inside.
The format for the story panels are done in
landscape with great artwork and sharp dialogue and captions; no filler words
or images here, everything serves the purpose of defining the world and pacing of
the story. Without giving every detail
away, know that the few opening pages are full of real-life possibilities of
terror and it grips your attention from the jump (the beginning) with heart
pounding excitement and ends with great character introductions that leave you
wanting and salivating for Issue #1, #2 until the end of the adventure.
While
other publishing attempts re-vamp their
creative properties, the (I’ll call them the Street Team Collective) have
assembled and formed as a creative force to be recognized and respected;
Independent to win it. Grab this if
you’re looking for fresh, quality comic book to add to your collection. Purchase
it here.
You should own Street Team #0: We Own The Streets. ******
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Bandits by LM Preston is an adventure / sci-fi novel about the main character,
Daniel & his family caught in a dangerous journey of escaping his Father’s
killer; they’re looking for a powerful treasure that Daniel’s Father had in his
possession. However, Daniel, using all
of the training by his Father, is determined to save the universe from the
treacherous villains while avoiding other dangerous situations.
The book
is filled with great world building elements describing very unique planets,
characters and creatures. Some of the interaction between characters maybe, a
little too much for younger readers, but ultimately, Bandits was a good read. Pick it up here and experience it for yourself. ****
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Released
in 2010, The HORSEMEN: Book of Olorun Issue One by Jiba Molei
Anderson published by Griot Enterprises is about the continuation of the new
saga & mythology that Jiba started in early 2000.
Back-story:
The Gods invited Man into friendship and community. Mortal descendents
empowered by worshipping Orishas eventually began to rule Man, they are called
Deitis. The Orisha (Gods) sought to protect mortals and took the shape of man
and defeated the Deitis. However, 8 of the Deitis remained to cause havoc but
the power of the Orishas were born in 7 to fight the Deitis. One of the 7 was
Shango.
This
book picks up 5 years after, the hero Shango destroys Nigeria, the source of
the new mythology releasing the seed of divinity that sparks an evolution of
power among mortals causing a war between humanity and the gods called Deitis.
In The HORSEMEN: Book of Olorun Issue One, this history is told through the mind
& words of the daughter of Asase, the Goddess of Life and it is a great
one-shot allowing the reader to learn about the universe that Jiba has written.
Full of the color images of unique characters and unique African storylines,
this is a must for the reader and comic book collector needing refreshing
literature. Buy it here. *****
Rating System:
*Hot Garbage **Stale Bread ***3 Day-Old Soup ****Decent Satisfaction *****Good Meal ******Great Taste *******Supreme Flavor
Organized by ReedPOP, C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo) was held this past weekend, April 13th -15th and the colorful and creative event did not disappoint. Each day held workshops, panels, movie trailer presentations and special guests surrounded by exhibitions of comics and artists. Shia LaBeouf, John Cusack, Chad Michael Murray, John Barrowman & Sean Astin were just a few of the entertainment guests that were in attendance for autograph sessions. In addition, comic book fans were treated to the appearance of Top Cow Productions, NUKO Toys (A brilliant company with collectible trading cards apps for the iPad & iPhone), Archaia, VIZ Media, Megaton Crush, Marvel and DC/Scott Snyder (Writer of Batman) & David Finch (Artist/Dark Knight). Of course, one of my favorite places of C2E2 is Artist Alley where great talents do commissions and sell their art; some were Alvin Lee, Khary Randolph, Shawn Alleyne, William Jamison, Eric Cooper & many more. 
The UniverSoul Circus is back in Chicago,
IL September 21 - October 16 in Washington Park. This is a very exciting and
intimate event packed with tigers, trick dogs, powerful aerialists, elephants,
contortionists, dance music and more. It is a sight to behold with guaranteed
fun for the entire family. There are two shows a day and tickets are very affordable.
Go to www.universalsoulcircus.com
for info.
