Event calendar
FPE Records presents: Bass Dreams minus B
Too many wrestlers to love, too many wrestlers to love to hate, and tons of great bassists to listen to .. and why not do the second installment for the Bass Dreams minus B. FPE has allowed me to dig into the other side of my musical life once and once again Bass Dreams minus B: OYAJI ROCK was inspired by all my favorite bassists and wrestlers --Tatsu Aoki Tatsu Aoki's super badass real cats jammed out some true trips this time around. Tiger Tanaka and Rami Atassi are unhinged on electric guitar, eating boundaries for breakfast and lunching on cosmic interconnectedness. All of it quantum interaction, particles at arbitrary distances, precision interpenetrations, flow states bouncing, excited, one mind. Rumback hitting drums to catch the jams, pushing on an impulse drive, everyone chasing the fire.
Michael Foster's The Ghost, Hearsay
We’re excited to welcome Michael Foster’s The Ghost to Elastic Arts for a special Sunday night performance. The Ghost is a trio that celebrates and ruthlessly probes the free jazz tradition's queer feelings, drawing inspiration from noise, reductionism, and the leather culture to unpack the masculinist aesthetics of musical catharsis. The Ghost is Michael Foster (tenor/soprano saxophones, samples, compositions), John Moran (bass), Joey Sullivan (drums). The prolific trio of Hearsay w/ Allen Moore (turntables/electronics), Ishmael Ali (cello, electronics), and Bill Harris will kick things off this evening. 8pm start.
Making Multichannel Music w/ Anthony Janas
In conjunction with Experimental Sound Studio and the CLEAT Series we continue our series of artist-led introduction workshops exploring spatial audio.
The workshops are approximately 2 hours and will begin with a demonstration and discussion of each individual artist’s approach to multichannel sound. In the second half of the workshops, participants will have an opportunity to experiment with multichannel sound techniques on the 16-channel CLEAT system installed at Elastic.
No prior experience with multichannel sound necessary! You will need to bring your own laptop to actively participate in the second half of each workshop, however you are also welcome to simply listen and observe without a laptop.
Tonight Anthony Janas presents: Better Living Through Multichannel Playback An introduction to multichannel performances with Reaper.
The workshops are FREE but space is limited. Come to one, or come to all! Following this round of four workshops we will start planning future CLEAT workshop series in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Fall 2025.
Artist Guests
May 1: Anthony Janas
May 8: Dorothy Carlos
May 15: Allen Moore
May 22: Kiku Hibino
Alex Cunningham/Seth Andrew Davis/Weasel Walter/Andrew Scott Young + Sarah Clausen/Erez Dessel
This week’s Improvised Music Series welcomes a menagerie of musicians from Chicago and the Greater Midwest.
First time quartet of guitarist Seth Andrew Davis (Kansas CIty), violinist Alex Cunningham (St. Louis), bassist Andrew Scott Young (Chicago), and drummer Weasel Walter (Chicago) share the night with a duo of saxophonist Sarah Clausen (Chicago) and pianist Erez Dessel (Chicago).
Kari - Live in Chicago!
Tonight we step into nombreKARI’s world via an intimate performance at Elastic Arts. Kari invites you to join him and a live band, as he takes you through staple songs, the unreleased, and bits of his upcoming EP, rebecca’s room. Stop for a night and dive into the music with Kari!
Asian Improv Arts Midwest: Kishino Takagishi & Henry Wolf, Mallory Qiu
Tonight Asian Improv aRts Midwest presents two sets from Chicago artists. First up we have a duo from Kishino Takagishi and Henry Wolf presenting Radio in the Well. In this debut performance from the duo, Wolf and Takagishi will utilize their cumulative experiences as musicians and filmmakers to exhibit sample-based and multi-instrumental pieces. These works will feature live instrumentation exploring curated environmental landscapes to create a duet between conductors of all varieties. Next we’ll hear Songs of the Moon Over Mountain from multimedia artist Mallory Qiu. Drawing upon the rich cultural tapestry of her roots, Mallory Yanhan Qiu intricately weaves together multimedia elements to invite the audience to immerse themselves in the essence of her cultural and artistic journey from her hometown Chongqing to Chicago. The performance is a sensory experience, incorporating a mesmerizing blend of piano and synthesizer improvisation intertwined with movement, poetry reading, and projection visuals. Divided into four distinct chapters, each segment unfolds like a poetic narrative: "一时啼" (A Momental Chirp), "万重山" (Ridge after Ridges), "月向西" (Moon Towards West), and "影入湖" (Shadow into the Lake).
AfriClassical Futures: King Sophia Presents Classical Black Folk Songs
We again meet on a Sunday afternoon for our AfriClassical Futures Series on May 5th! At this show we’ll be featuring Detroit based artist King Sophia(they/she) as they present the music and legacy of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson as a profound representation of Classical Black Folk Songs. It will be a deep dive into Perkinson's Lamentations, the folk songs within, and the stories surrounding the music and composer. Interspersed between King Sophia's performances of the Black Folk/Song Suite for solo cello will be stories of Perkinson's life and community, including the cellist he wrote the piece for, Ronald Lipscomb, and their work as part of America's first integrated symphony orchestra. We’ll also hear improvised folk songs performed by series curators Julian Otis and olula negre based on the traditional Black motifs found in Lamentations. The evening will conclude with all three performers improvising folk songs based on the entirety of the work and the meaning behind it. This will be an incredibly special matinee and we hope you can join us.
Making Multichannel Music w/ Dorothy Carlos
In conjunction with Experimental Sound Studio and the CLEAT Series we continue our series of artist-led introduction workshops exploring spatial audio.
The workshops are approximately 2 hours and will begin with a demonstration and discussion of each individual artist’s approach to multichannel sound. In the second half of the workshops, participants will have an opportunity to experiment with multichannel sound techniques on the 16-channel CLEAT system installed at Elastic.
No prior experience with multichannel sound necessary! You will need to bring your own laptop to actively participate in the second half of each workshop, however you are also welcome to simply listen and observe without a laptop.
The workshops are FREE but space is limited. Come to one, or come to all! Following this round of four workshops we will start planning future CLEAT workshop series in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Fall 2025.
Dorothy says “Feel free to bring an instrument. This workshop will cater to instrumentalists who are seeking to spatialize the sound of their instrument live during a performance.”
Artist Guests
May 1: Anthony Janas
May 8: Dorothy Carlos
May 15: Allen Moore
May 22: Kiku Hibino
CLEAT Series: Sam Anthem's 'Creature', Jack Hamill + Lee/Ortez/Costello, Yousif Alzayed / Patrick Glennon / Mauricio López F. / Steph Patsula
We’ve got a huge month at Elastic Arts with the weekly Making Multichannel Music workshops and this three set bill! Let’s get our CLEAT on! Tonight will open with a solo performance from Sam Anthem and their Creature, a research and performance project that activates archives of banned books and rhetoric used to justify their banning. Traversing materials and formats such as book pages, wearable electronics, movement, political speech, and literary spoken word, Creature is a meditation on how books can be both reduced to and rise from the monstrous. Han Lee, Justin Ortez, and Shi-An Costello will then perform Jack Hamill’s Manifest the Terrestrial Shifting Boundlessness, a piece for three keyboard instruments celebrating the process of FM synthesis and it’s propensity for electric, earthbound, howling vibrations. These keyboard sounds will then be diffused throughout the 16-channel speaker system. Rounding out the night will be a quartet of Yousif Alzayed, Patrick Glennon, Mauricio López F., and Steph Patsula peforming via the CLEAT. We’ll see and hear three very different approaches to the system, and we can’t wait! Sounds at 8pm.
Celebratory Concert: Funkadesi Unplugged & Community Drum Circle w/ Special Guest Emily Hooper Lansana
In celebration of the Healing from Racism Through the Arts Series, we are thrilled to offer this unique experience!
Celebratory Concert: Funkadesi Unplugged & Community Drum Circle w/ Special Guest Emily Hooper Lansana
Winner of Chicago Reader's "Best of 2023" for Best World Music Group, Funkadesi has been wowing crowds with their unique blend of Bollywood, Reggae, Bhangra, Funk and Afro-Caribbean rhythms for ver 27 years. For this unique program, Funkadesi will perform a semi-unplugged concert. There will also be a special guest opening performance by storyteller & spoken word artist Emily Hooper Lansana. Held in an intimate setting with limited capacity, the band is inviting the audience into a community drum circle, and opportunity for optional reflections on the April workshop series from those who have participated.
Dark Matter Series x Beats & Vibes Workshop
Tonight we welcome a Dark Matter Series takeover from Beats & Vibes, a four-part series of live interviews and interactive skill-building workshops that spotlights Chicago DJs and producers, providing them with a platform to share insights into their creative practices and paths to pursuing DJing and production professionally. Co-presented by Calid Bowen of AfroBang, Alexandria Eregbu of Finding Ijeoma, and Sam Brown of The Sypher Productions, Beats & Vibes continues to bring The Drum Call web series piloted by AfroBang out of the digital realm into diverse Chicago event spaces for hands-on learning opportunities and community-building.
Making Multichannel Music w/ Allen Moore
In conjunction with Experimental Sound Studio and the CLEAT Series we continue our series of artist-led introduction workshops exploring spatial audio.
The workshops are approximately 2 hours and will begin with a demonstration and discussion of each individual artist’s approach to multichannel sound. In the second half of the workshops, participants will have an opportunity to experiment with multichannel sound techniques on the 16-channel CLEAT system installed at Elastic.
No prior experience with multichannel sound necessary! You will need to bring your own laptop to actively participate in the second half of each workshop, however you are also welcome to simply listen and observe without a laptop.
The workshops are FREE but space is limited. Come to one, or come to all! Following this round of four workshops we will start planning future CLEAT workshop series in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Fall 2025.
Artist Guests
May 1: Anthony Janas
May 8: Dorothy Carlos
May 15: Allen Moore
May 22: Kiku Hibino
Elastic Arts 6th Annual Benefit
Save the date for the 6th Annual Elastic Arts Benefit on Saturday May 18th! We need your support to remain a sustainable space for creative music, art, and performance. The event will highlight many of the things that make Elastic Arts what it is, but most importantly we will celebrate togetherness. This year we recognize the achievements of Marvin Tate with the Elastic Arts Achievement Award. We’ll have performances throughout the night, delicious catered food and drink, silent auction, a raffle, interactive experiences, and so much more. Stay tuned for more information and tickets.
Making Multichannel Music w/ Kikù Hibino
In conjunction with Experimental Sound Studio and the CLEAT Series we continue our series of artist-led introduction workshops exploring spatial audio.
The workshops are approximately 2 hours and will begin with a demonstration and discussion of each individual artist’s approach to multichannel sound. In the second half of the workshops, participants will have an opportunity to experiment with multichannel sound techniques on the 16-channel CLEAT system installed at Elastic.
Sky Trajectories (2024, from Superpang) is an experimental sonic work that uses Anne Carson's text as its theme, exploring how minimal musical units, characterized by off-grid rhythm patterns and voice (by Whitney Johnson), approach human perception.
In this workshop, the Hibino will explain how he approaches multi-channel works, using several pieces from this album as examples.
No prior experience with multichannel sound necessary! You will need to bring your own laptop to actively participate in the second half of each workshop, however you are also welcome to simply listen and observe without a laptop.
The workshops are FREE but space is limited. Come to one, or come to all! Following this round of four workshops we will start planning future CLEAT workshop series in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Fall 2025.
Artist Guests
May 1: Anthony Janas
May 8: Dorothy Carlos
May 15: Allen Moore
May 22: Kiku Hibino
Improvised Music Series: Andrew Barnes Jamieson, Tommaso Moretti"s Outside In
This week’s Improvised Music Series features an all-star grouping of Chicago musicians, convened by drummer and composer Tommaso Moretti to flip the approach of his Inside Out project into electroacoustic abstractions. Opening the evening is Chicago-born, Bay Area experimental staple Andrew Jamieson, presenting solo piano deconstructions that are equal parts free jazz, gospel, and Ives-ian mashup.
Shake Shook Shaken: Springing! W/ Gaby Martinez + Julie Meckler
Shake Shook Shaken is a monthly theater/movement workshop series produced by Julie Meckler. The series is designed for people to gently bring body awareness, allowing participants to open up, explore outside of their comfort zone, bond with each other, create and show.
Shake Shook Shaken is a dream of what a safe space could allow. A vision of a place for everybody to gather, look at each other, play and create in a non judgmental, trauma-informed way. It’s an invitation, a journey within and out, a surprise. Each workshop is unique. This month we’ll have Gaby Martinez + Julie leading on the topic of SPRINGING!
No prior dance or acting experience is necessary, just willingness to move and exhale. This workshop series is for anyone and everyone.
CLEAT Series: Haotian Wang - Tea: Story of the Leaves
To cap off a wonderful month of Making Multichannel Music Workshops with our 16 channel system we present a special event from Haotian Wang. Titled Tea: Story of the Leaves, the work weaves a variety of mediums together - including sound installation, sculpture, happening, podcast, poetry, and performance. Wang strives to capture the multi-sensory, healing experience of tea-drinking.
PleiadesFest Day 1 w/ Heet Deth
PleiadesFest is an extension of the monthly Pleiades series, dedicated to showcasing the diverse talents within the femme, trans, and nonbinary performance community. The festival aims to reflect and further celebrate this mission, creating a space to build community and connection between women and gender nonconforming improvisors and creative performers from diverse backgrounds.
Initiator - Sojourner Zenobia
Improv Set 1 - Mabel Kwan, Maja Radovanlija
Improv Set 2 - CK Barlow, Emily Beisel, + TBD
Closer - Heet Deth
PleiadesFest Day 2 w/ Circuit des Yeux
PleiadesFest is an extension of the monthly Pleiades series, dedicated to showcasing the diverse talents within the femme, trans, and nonbinary performance community. The festival aims to reflect and further celebrate this mission, creating a space to build community and connection between women and gender nonconforming improvisors and creative performers from diverse backgrounds.
2pm - Improvisation Workshop/Session with High Zero Foundation members:
Shelly Purdy CK Barlow Bonnie Lander
8pm - Initiator - Julie Meckler
Improv Set 1 - CK Barlow, Bonnie Lander
Improv Set 2 - Ingrid Laubrock, Mabel Kwan, Shelly Purdy, TBDMovers: Cristal Sabbah, Irene Hsiao, Julie Meckler, Rin Peisert
Closer - Circuit des Yeux
PleiadesFest Day 3 w/ easygoingtech
PleiadesFest is an extension of the monthly Pleiades series, dedicated to showcasing the diverse talents within the femme, trans, and nonbinary performance community. The festival aims to reflect and further celebrate this mission, creating a space to build community and connection between women and gender nonconforming improvisors and creative performers from diverse backgrounds.
Sunday 2pm -
Improvisation Workshop/Session with Ingrid Laubrock
Sunday 8pm -
Initiator - Rin Peisert
Improv Set 1 - Ingrid Laubrock (solo)
Improv Set 2 - Maja Radovanlija, Shelly Purdy, Bonnie Lander, Emily Rach Beisel
Closer - easygoingtech via CLEAT 16 Channel System
FPE Records Presents: Yea Big / Tatsu Aoki Duo (Album Release Party)
Tonight we host FPE Records as they present an album release party for Yea Big and Tatsu Aoki. The Hand and the Moon is the first duo recording from Yea Big and Tatsu Aoki, two improvised sets on their favorite instruments: bass clarinet (Yea Big), shamisen (Tatsu Aoki, Part One), and bass (Tatsu Aoki, Part Two). Its floating, nighttime vibes showcase a comfortable conversation between two musicians who are loving the process of getting acquainted.
Improvised Music Series: The Bridge, Simone Baron + Emily Beisel
Simone Baron (NYC) / Emily Rach Beisel (Chicago) duo, followed by a fresh new ensemble presented by The Bridge blending musicians from France and Chicago!
2 sets, starting at 8:30PM
$15/$10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door
Elastro Series: Laura Ortman, Kim Nucci / Ruby Que, Kikú Hibino
At April’s Elastro Series we’re pleased to welcome NYC-based artist Laura Ortman, a duo from Chicago residents Kim Nucci and Ruby Que, and solo set from the inimitable Kikú Hibino.
Ortman is in town for a couple site specific performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art, so we’re so pleased they’re able to present work with us here at Elastic Arts.
Pleiades Series x The Bridge: Céline Rivoal, Katie Ernst, Caroline Jesalva, Al Kolot
This month’s Pleiades Series features a collaboration with the transatlantic ChicagoxFrance collaborative organization The Bridge! Céline and Katie are part of the this iterations *touring band* and will be playing in quartet with Chicagoans Caroline Jesalva and Al Kolot.
After the planned sets we’ll return to the classic Pleiades Open Jam where any/all femme/trans/nonbinary artists are invited to bring an instrument and get in on some improvisations with Celine / Katie / Caroline / Al + other attendees. You can sign up for the jam at pleiades@elasticarts.org or at the door when you arrive. Any jam participants are offered free admission to the show1
Outburst on the 66 - The Spaceship has Come for the Father's Son (Album Release Party)
We’re excited to host a record release party for an Elastic friend close to our heart. Many of you know Eli Sabbagh as the charming MC of our series Freedom From and Freedom To and a drumming participant. His band Outburst on the 66 has created a new record titled The Spaceship Has Come for the Father’s Son which traveres the spaceways of jazz, funk, rock, and all the things in between. A handful of Elastic family members special guest on here as well! Tonight we’ll have two experiences for you to listen to the new album alongside a video art visual accompaniment. There will be playthroughs at both 7pm and 8:30pm, some food, some drinks, some good times. Join us as we celebrate this radical record!
HEAVENSWARE VII
HEAVENSWARE is an audio//visual experience in Logan Square featuring the best in live hardware music.
MUSIC:✶ easygoingtech✶ Padlock✶ Shadow Work (Jace Inman + Venosci)✶ WFXR (Fess Grandiose + RMM)
VISUALS:✧ Ashton Simeon
Towards Racial Healing Through Multicultural Drumming w/ Rahul Sharma
Elastic Arts, in partnership with Funkadesi and Strategic Inclusion Consulting, through a generous #HealingIllinois grant, is hosting this FREE experiential 3-hour workshop in Spring 2024. Led by Dr. Rahul Sharma & The Rhythm Ambassadors of Funkadesi, it combines multicultural drumming, self-reflection, & facilitated dialogue. The goals are to deepen self-awareness on racism’s impact, experience the joy of inclusion, and commit to collective action. No musical talented required. Registration is open!
Participants in this workshop and/or the Storytelling & Spoken Word workshop (April 13) will have FREE admission to a Celebratory Concert & Drum Circle on May 11, featuring Funkadesi & more. Also, stay tuned for a pop-up community celebration in late May/ mid-June!
Flex Obscura: Opening Night!
Join us for an evening of community, film and conversation as we unveil a new film series and festival called Flex Obscura!
Flex Obscura Series & Festival celebrates the breadth of creative modes of visual expression and film. We love weird and things that live in the in-between spaces. The event is structured to allow for expansive play across a season of visual, sonic and film exploration. We curate 4 events that offer audiences an unique experience, each with a particular focus in collaboration with Elastic Arts’ existing programming. Our passion is to celebrate new voices and new vocabulary in visual and sonic forms that are expansive and experimental with a focus on fostering inclusivity and promoting emerging talent. Flex Obscura Series and Festival embraces a wide range of genres, styles, and perspectives. It acts as a catalyst for change, inspiring a new generation of filmmakers to challenge conventional norms and push the boundaries of storytelling. From each series emerges juried and audience choice winners who are invited to a culminating festival event showcase and highlighting the best of the series.
improvised music series: 9th gate sonic research society N.G.S.R.S + KEZIA
Improvised Music Series is excited to welcome the Sun Ra inspired collective 9th Gate Sonic Research Society (N.G.S.R.S.), and amazing performance artists Kezia to the series!
Zoe Gac and Karla Biery ‘Night Vision’ Visual Gallery Exhibition Opening
We’re excited for Visual Gallery Curatorial Resident Zoey Dalbert’s second exhibition. We’ll be hosting work from two artists Zoe Gac and Karla Biery as they present Night Vision. The work focuses on the present – emotions, relationships and experiences that are grounded in a particular moment. Both Gac and Biery use their art as a reflection on the dynamics of intimacy and attachment. Join us tonight for a first look at the exhibition and a chance to speak with the artists and curator.
Nicole Mitchell's Telepathic Dialogues
2020 Elastic Arts Achievement Awardee Nicole Mitchell is a professor at the University of Virginia and teaching a class on telematic performance, a live performance (art, dance, music, etc.) which makes use of telecommunications and information technology to distribute the performers between two or more locations. In this class she has connnected with Elastic Arts to organize rehearsals and a culminating performance tonight! Nicole and students will connect with Adam Zanolini, Avreeayl Ra, and Muso here in our space over the airwaves from their location in Charlottesville, VA. Join us for this experiment in sound! We’ll start promptly at 7pm with a set of just around an hour. Please do note, Nicole Mitchell will not be here in our Elastic space physically, but will indeed be here sonically!
Towards Healing from Racism Through Storytelling & Spoken Word: Identity, Belonging, & Sharing w/ Emily Lansana
Today’s Storytelling & Spoken Word workshop will be led by Emily Hooper Lansana and Dr. Rahul Sharma, and will provide participants with activities to share in both written and verbal form. In this session we will share, listen and reflect on stories . We will reflect on our personal experiences and collective memories. We will consider how our unique, racial and cultural identities are disparate and connected. Much of who we are is grounded in the multiple stories that inform our perspective and outlook. Registration is live.
Participants in this workshop and/or the Multicultural Drumming workshops (Apr. 6 or Apr. 20) will have FREE admission to a Celebratory Concert & Drum Circle on May 11, featuring Funkadesi & more.
Shake Shook Shaken: TIDE W/ Ivan Pyzow + Julie Meckler
Shake Shook Shaken is a monthly theater/movement workshop series produced by Julie Meckler. The series is designed for people to gently bring body awareness, allowing participants to open up, explore outside of their comfort zone, bond with each other, create and show.
Shake Shook Shaken is a dream of what a safe space could allow. A vision of a place for everybody to gather, look at each other, play and create in a non judgmental, trauma-informed way. It’s an invitation, a journey within and out, a surprise. Each workshop is unique. This month we’ll have Ivan Pyzow and Julie leading on the topic of TIDE
No prior dance or acting experience is necessary, just willingness to move and exhale. This workshop series is for anyone and everyone.
CLEAT Series: Regina Martinez / AJ McClenon, Carissa Lee, Christophe Preissing
April’s CLEAT Series will present three sets from artists all close to the Elastic community. Dark Matter 2023 resident Carissa Lee will offer up their first performance on the CLEAT system where we’ll hear her use of field recordings, writing, Black southern culture (that includes medical histories, stories, music etc.) and voice to materialize emotions of grief, and isolation. Old friends and collaborators Regina Martinez and AJ McClenon work together on the CLEAT to present voice recordings, electronics, and abstract tape music textures. The artists parse through voice memos sent over the past five years. "How can the sonics of a friendship be pieced together through disembodied communication that's full of laughter, full of sighs and what we ate today? How have we held space for each other in between the pauses, in between the aparts while listening to the same weather?” Christophe Preissing will present Deconstructivism I: Plume, his first foray into combining cut up texts, phonemic deconstruction, and vocal tics, materials often left on the cutting room floor with recordings made inside a piano and detritus from various other projects. The CLEAT Series focuses on work composed for the 16-channel speaker system in our space, allowing audiences to experience different approaches to spatial audio.
Improvised Music Series: Aaron Kaufman-Levine/Caroline Jesalva and Drew Wesely
Two sets of musical exploration at its most intimate — solo and duo — with artists visiting and new to Chicago’s scene! Featuring Drew Wesley, solo guitar (NYC); and Caroline Jesalva and Aaron Kaufman-Leivine on violin and saxophone.
Two sets, starting at 8:30PM
$15/$10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door
Queer Dance Freakout: Spring Fling (Early + Late Shows!)
EARLY SHOW at 3PM + LATE SHOW at 7PM
Queer Dance Freakout is an interactive choose-your-own-adventure-spectacle, inspired by the Neo-Futurists Infinite Wrench. Our company is composed of queer, trans, and/or nonbinary artists & storytellers, who perform an array of devised performance art pieces. We aim to have audiences booty shaking, grooving, and connecting with the larger queer community.
Each of our original pieces are around 4 minutes in length, and the audience queues the order of these pieces from our “playlist” by verbally calling out the next piece they want to see. Queer Dance Freakout is ever changing; every piece and performance the company writes and choreographs is created from our own life experiences! No Freakout performance is the same as we devise new work every season (and repeat some of our favorites). We can't wait to freakout with you!
Freedom From and Freedom To
FFFT returns for its first iteration of sound and movement collaborations for 2024! Freedom From and Freedom To is an exploration and celebration of artistic circumstance. Movement and sound improvisors from all around Chicago gather in front of a live audience, where they are grouped by chance. Each group performs an improvised set. We fuse diverse artistic backgrounds and practices to create unique and fleeting worlds. There will be a headlining set from Kiku Hibino + Keisha Janae.
Towards Racial Healing Through Multicultural Drumming w/ Rahul Sharma
Elastic Arts, in partnership with Funkadesi and Strategic Inclusion Consulting, through a generous #HealingIllinois grant, is hosting this FREE experiential 3-hour workshop in Spring 2024. Led by Dr. Rahul Sharma & The Rhythm Ambassadors of Funkadesi, it combines multicultural drumming, self-reflection, & facilitated dialogue. The goals are to deepen self-awareness on racism’s impact, experience the joy of inclusion, and commit to collective action. No musical talented required. Registration is open!
Participants in this workshop and/or the Storytelling & Spoken Word workshop (April 13) will have FREE admission to a Celebratory Concert & Drum Circle on May 11, featuring Funkadesi & more. Also, stay tuned for a pop-up community celebration in late May/ mid-June!
Queer Dance Freakout: Spring Fling!
Queer Dance Freakout is an interactive choose-your-own-adventure-spectacle, inspired by the Neo-Futurists Infinite Wrench. Our company is composed of queer, trans, and/or nonbinary artists & storytellers, who perform an array of devised performance art pieces. We aim to have audiences booty shaking, grooving, and connecting with the larger queer community.
Each of our original pieces are around 4 minutes in length, and the audience queues the order of these pieces from our “playlist” by verbally calling out the next piece they want to see. Queer Dance Freakout is ever changing; every piece and performance the company writes and choreographs is created from our own life experiences! No Freakout performance is the same as we devise new work every season (and repeat some of
Improvised Music Series: Lao Dan Chicago Quartet *2 Sets*
At this week’s Improvised Music Series we welcome Lao Dan in from Hangzhou, China to perform two sets with a Chicago-based quartet. The band will feature Mabel Kwan on piano, Joshua Abrams on bass, and Michael Zerang on drums. Instead of pursuing the conventional career path as a professional conservatory flutist inside the “system”, after leaving SYCM, Lao Dan became an independent musician. With his unique understanding of the woodwind instruments through two decades of playing, Lao Dan sticks to his own vision and approach to the Chinese flute and its sounds. We can’t wait to hear two sets from this quartet! Music at 8:30pm
Asian Improv aRts Midwest: Nireus, Tatsu Aoki / Jim Baker Duo
At our second event of March with our friends at Asian Improv aRts Midwest the organization is presenting two duo sets. First up will be an acoustic duet from longtime friends and collaborators Tatsu Aoki and Jim Baker. These two have been stalwarts of the Chicago creative music community for decades through numerous ensembles, solo work, and organizing. Headlining the evening will be Nireus, an electronic new music duo including violist Clara Takarabe and composer / synthesist / multi-instrumentalist H. Anton Riehl. Their broad musical style is influenced by their shared history in classical music, with deep ties to electronic and experimental music. You can hear influences from Palestrina to Shostakovich, Penderecki to Tan Dun, or the music of the medieval Andalusia running through their cinematic expressions. It’ll be a great night. Join us! Music at 8:30pm
Elastro Series: Henna Chou + Alison Wilder, Liv Mershon, Mallory Qiu
March’s Elastro Series bring artists Henna Chou and Alison Wilder in from Texas, then solo sets from Liv Mershon (of nunn + Who is the Witness?) and Mallory Qiu on the 16 channel CLEAT System. Qiu presents Venus, Moon, and Whispers on the Road East, a poetic journey through live synth and piano improvisations, spoken word readings, accompanied by mesmerizing video projections. The piece invites audience to explore themes of love, loss, and liberations, creating a spellbinding fusion of sight and sound that”Qiu presents Venus, Moon, and Whispers on the Road East, a poetic journey through live synth and piano improvisations, spoken word readings, accompanied by mesmerizing video projections. The piece invites audience to explore themes of love, loss, and liberations, creating a spellbinding fusion of sight and sound that transcends physical boundaries. In this solo performance, Mershon combines her current explorations into noise with the song-writing of her recent past and home videos from her youth. Inspired by the psychedelic experience of aging, Mershon combines these nostalgic and emergent practices in an attempt to witness her own changing but static self. More info TBA
IMPROVISED MUSIC SERIES: SIDAKA'S RESURGENCE OF THE BLISS (EXPERIENCE) + ALEJANDRO SALAZAR+ best day ever duo
This Thursday’s Improvised Music Series will have a solo set from percussionist Alejandro Salazar, a solo set from Sidaka with his project Resurgence of the Bliss, and a performance from the Best Day Ever Duo
Dark Matter Residency: “For The Record” - Jarius ‘Man of God’ King Residency Capstone
Dark Matter Resident Jarius “Man of God” King returns for his culminating presentation of the developing work For The Record at Elastic Arts.
For The Record is a multifaceted project that explores Afro-Sino relations and identities through art, documentation, and examination of Jarius’ personal experience as a Black man and artist dealing with global anti-Blackness. Utilizing the marking traditions of Chinese calligraphy and U.S. graffiti, he seeks the shared spaces between these distinct artistic realms. In addition, he weaves in the movements from martial arts and Black dance forms (Street Dance), forging connections that challenge cultural barriers.
This evening’s iteration is an artistic experience of storytelling, visual art, movement, battling, partying, and music.
Collaborators for this evening include AMS/DJ VADER, Tre Daniels/DJ Salem, and Jasmine
Homeroom Residency: Spectralina w/ Chér Jey + Mabel Kwan
Every Tuesday in March, Homeroom Residency presents SPECTRALINA: The audio-visual performance project of Dan Bitney and Selina Trepp. There will be special guests that join Spectralina for four multidisciplinary performances. Working in an improvised format, Spectralina creates an image-sound relationship that treats each medium equally, resulting in performances in which projection and sounds come together as visual music. In Spectralina, Dan uses a computer, synthesizers, drums, voice, and analog processors to create sounds. Selina sings, animates, and plays the videolah, an instrument that creates real-time animated projections. At the fourth and final night of their residency they’ll be joined by Chér Jey and Mabel Kwan. Doors at 8pm!
Dark Matter Residency: “hers is mine” - Carissa Lee + Muso Residency Capstone
Dark Matter Residency artists Carissa Lee and Muso have been with us this last year consistently bringing incredible work to our orbit. Each of them have such a dynamic and multifaceted practice that it’s been such an honor to experience. Their Residency is coming to a close, but we can’t wait to follow along with their journey for years to come.
Muso and Carissa are collaborating for their Dark Matter Residency capstone performance, inspired by earth shaking femme strength, rage, despair, survival, blood and soil. Both these artists worked with memories collected in Zambia, The United Kingdom and the United states to develop sounds and songs that speak to their Black femme experiences. Hers Is Mine is an exploration of femininity through geography, space, time, generations and family ties. The show includes music, poetry, spatialized sound collage on the 16-channel CLEAT system, and performative actions that chronicle the wounds accrued while on the ancient path to ‘womaness’. At times Indie, at times psychedelic, Hers is Mine is a place where screaming and laughter hold hands as sisters, where joy and sorrow dance together in the dark. You do not want to miss this.
Collaborators for the evening include Paige Brown on piano, Torstein Johansen on bass, Naydja Bruton on drums, and Jaden Esi on guitar.
Pleiades Series: Jessica Ackerley - Solo and Trio w/ Mai Sugimoto + Tim Daisy
This March the Pleiades Series is excited to welcome prolific guitarist Jessica Ackerley to Chicago for their first visit in a long while. Now based in Honolulu, HI working as a professor, the guitarist’s work is influenced by Black American Music and avant-garde improvisers, as well as the culture of the thriving New York City rock and noise scenes where they spent a decade before their current locale. Tonight we’ll hear a solo performance from Jessica followed by a trio with Chicago’s equally prolific saxophonist Mai Sugimoto and drummer Tim Daisy. We’re really excited to hear this trio! After the planned sets we’ll return to the classic Pleiades Open Jam where any/all femme/trans/nonbinary artists are invited to bring an instrument and get in on some improvisations with Jessica / Mai / other attendees. You can sign up for the jam at pleiades@elasticarts.org or at the door when you arrive. Any jam participants are offered free admission to the show!
Improvised Music Series: Riggs / Maunu / Rodriguez, King Sophia + Chad Kouri
At this week’s Improvised Music Series there will be a trio from Christopher Riggs, Peter Maunu, and Braeden Rodriguez. Preceding the trio will be a duo from King Sophia and Chad Kouri.
Homeroom Residency: Spectralina w/ Amalea Tshilds + Lia Kohl
Every Tuesday in March, Homeroom Residency presents SPECTRALINA: The audio-visual performance project of Dan Bitney and Selina Trepp. There will be special guests that join Spectralina for four multidisciplinary performances. Working in an improvised format, Spectralina creates an image-sound relationship that treats each medium equally, resulting in performances in which projection and sounds come together as visual music. In Spectralina, Dan uses a computer, synthesizers, drums, voice, and analog processors to create sounds. Selina sings, animates, and plays the videolah, an instrument that creates real-time animated projections. At the third night of their residency they’ll be joined by Amalea Tshilds and Lia Kohl. Doors at 8pm!
CLEAT Series: Michael Schumacher, Derek Rogers, Stephan Moore
The CLEAT Series focuses on work composed for the 16-channel speaker system in our space, allowing audiences to experience different approaches to spatial audio. For this special second CLEAT Series event of March, we welcome back two alumni of the series. NYC-based artist Michael Schumacher will present a set of multichannel pieces called "Stills", from a series of that explores the idea of auditory scene analysis within an immersive sound environment. Texas-based Derek Rogers is back with his exploration of electronic composition, drone, free-improv, ambient, and noise textures. We’ll have the CLEAT system operator / CLEAT Series curator Stephan Moore presenting new work to open the night. Join us!