The Inspiring “City Lights” of Chicago – Ryan Powers and The Secret Weapons release The Goodnight Goodbye Hour at Lincoln Hall

The beautiful city lights in Chicago sparked a romantic story that led me to write the song “City Lights” for my band, Ryan Powers and The Secret Weapons.  On Saturday, May 18^th at Lincoln Hall, I couldn’t be happier to be releasing the album that song is on. “City Lights” is romance in the darkness, infatuation in the rain, all set to the backdrop of this city that I call home. The city has inspired this vintage pop, romantic escape, lifting someone’s spirits, and trying to lift my own.

I am so excited to share this album with everyone, and when I began to start promoting its release I realized how odd a thing self-promotion is.  I have my most important show to date coming up on 5/18 and I want to handle it in the right way. So, I have to be confident, but not cocky. I have to encourage and excite, but not exploit or act entitled. So how is that done? Not entirely sure other than be myself, share the romance this city and its people have inspired, try to express just how happy and proud I am of these new songs, and to make sure I invite everyone I’ve ever met to come to our show. Also, it’s not an easy thing to ask for help. But, it always helps if you do it in the right way, and hopefully I am.

So here’s my pitch: I love these songs. I love the guys I play them with. And if you would be up for sharing our music with your friends, I would love that too. The album is available for advanced streaming at here. Hope to see you Saturday, May 18th at Lincoln Hall.

Musically yours,
Ryan

Tags: "City Lights", album, album release party, Chicago artist, chicago bands, Chicago music, concerts, lincoln hall, Lincoln Hall shows, music performances, Ryan Powers and the Secret Weapons, Ryan Powers music, vintage pop

#Foodiechats will Share Our Strength and Rockit for No Kid Hungry

#Foodiechats ”Food Trends” 2-Year Celebration Fundraiser

Monday, May 13, 2013

Hosted by Rockit Ranch Productions @ Rockit Bar and Grill

5:30pm-8:30pm

Benefactor: No Kid Hungry

#Foodiechats is very excited to bring people together from all over the world for our 2-year celebration fundraiser. Our theme for the evening is “Food Trends.”

Our event will be taking place on Twitter of course and live in Chicago, at Rockit Bar and Grill. All ticket proceeds will benefit the amazing charity, No Kid Hungry.

Those in Chicago who want to attend our event, click “Donate Now” and in the “Other,” field enter your donation of $46 to attend our celebration.

You may be wondering why $46 to attend…One $46 Donation provides one child with one year of meals!

Included in your $46 donation will be incredible cuisine provided by Sunda, Ay Chiwowa, and Rockit Bar and Grill.  Each restaurant will set up as a pop up restaurant inside Rockit Bar and Grill! You’ll have a chance to feast on three of Rockit Ranch Productions Restaurants all in one night!

#Foodiechats is a Hashtag Twitter Chat every Monday 7:00pm CST/8:00pm EST- hosted by Founder, Steve Green.

Through the power of our Hashtag #Foodiechats, Foodies from around the world join in the conversation. We’re excited to “Share Our Strength” as a community during our 2-year celebration to provide hundreds of children with a year of meals for only $46! How amazing!

To our #Foodiechats community all over the world who are unable to attend, your help during this one of a kind Live an Online event will help make a difference. We ask that you donate what ever you can afford; even $5 helps their cause.

We look forward to eating and tweeting with all of you! Join #Foodiechats every Monday on Twitter at 7pm CST/8pm EST

Check out out #Foodiechats 1-year Video:

Steve Green – @steveGOgreen

Founder of #Foodiechats

Tags: "Food Trends" 2-Year Celebration Fundraiser, 2013, @Foodiechats, and Rockit Bar and Grill, Ay Chiwowa, billy dec, cuisine provided by Sunda, events on Monday, foodie events in chicago, May 13, no kid hungry, rockit bar and grill, rockit ranch productions, share your strength, steve go green, Steve Green - @steveGOgreen Founder of #Foodiechats

Rave Runs Bring New Style to Chicago’s 5k

Hey Chicago!  I’m Kendall Rozell, the newest addition to Billy Dec’s intern team at Rockit Ranch Productions.  I have never been too keen on going for a run – the part that really excites me is listening to my favorite type of music, electronic dance.  So when the new trend of the Rave Run started spreading around Chicago, I knew I had to join in!

While running can be very serious and solitary, why not change it up by running in a 5k with glow sticks and dance music but still benefitting great causes?  This running season the Chicagoland area is being treated to three different glow-in-the-dark races

On Saturday, April 27th join runners from all over Chicago at Grant Park for The Rave Run.  Where adrenaline pumping music and special effects lights will pave the way of the course.  The Rave Run focuses on being happy and healthy as you run into a nocturnal world of lights.  The proceeds go to benefit local Chicago charities that are announced closer to the date of the race.

If you can’t make it then, try Living Social’s Glow-in-the-Dark 5k Dance Party on Saturday, June 1st at Soldier Field!  This race allows you to run around the stadium, and then join all the other participants for an after-party on the field, where the Bears play!  The proceeds help Mercy Corps and d.light bring 500 solar lanterns to schoolchildren in Somalia, so they can read and study at night.  So run in lights for lights!

Finally, on Saturday, June 15th try running again in Grant Park for The Glo Run.  It’s the same deal, a 5k at night with great music and lights!  The proceeds benefit Back on My Feet, which uses running to help those experiencing homelessness change how they see themselves!

It doesn’t matter which one you choose because they all have one thing in common…glow swag, dancing, and after parties.  Celebrate your love of running with these new, innovative, charity-driven races!  If it can get me running, then I’m willing to bet these are going to be fun!  If you have any additional questions visit The Rave Run, Living Social, or The Glo Run for more details.

-Kendall Rozell

Tags: Back on My Feet, billy dec, charity, chicago, d.light, dance, dj, electronic dance, Glo Run, glow in the dark, glow sticks, grant park, house music, intern, lights, Living Social, Mercy Corp, Music, neon, rave, Rave Run, rockit ranch productions, running, Soldier Field, Somalia, techno

Calling all Chicago Wine and Rock Enthusiasts!

Tags: Bob Stroud, chicago, food, magnificent mile, michigan avenue, Music, rock and roll, The Drive 97.1, The Signature Room at the 95th®, wine

Human Rights Watch Special Film Screening on March 28th

Can you relate to dealing with a struggle of opinion, being stuck teetering on what morals and ideals you choose to support?  This identifiable theme can be found, in one way or another, in many people’s lives all across the World, which is why this remarkable film by Lise Birk Pedersen is one not to miss, as she transports us over to Russia.

On March 28^th, The Chicago Committee of Human Rights Watch will hold a very special screening, Putin’s Kiss. It is an engaging and moving story of struggle and politics during the Putin era in Russia.  Through the screening, you will experience a first-hand glace of Russia’s political climate through the eyes and struggle of a 19-year old girl, Masha.

Join Masha on her journey beginning with full support of the Nashi Youth Movement and Putin’s policies aiming to remove Russia’s “enemies” which focus on those who support controversial issues, investigative journalists, and human rights defenders.  However, through mixing and mingling with a new set of friends, Masha starts to question Nashi’s beliefs and it’s leaders, causing great angst and confusion.  Come along on her journey, and you will discover what shocking event leads her to make an ultimate decision between the two groups.

After this emotional screening, stick around for a panel discussion to dig even deeper into the context with Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division, Rachel Denber, and other special guests.  To round out this memorable night, cap off the evening with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  Held at the beautiful Museum of Contemporary Art, the MCA galleries will be open for viewing as well.

For ticket information and purchasing, click here!  The film serieswill continue on Monday nights at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, April 8^th- May 6^th.

-Amanda Macchitelli

Tags: gene siskel film center, museum of contemporary art, Nashi Youth Movement, pecial screening, Putin era in Russia, Putin’s Kiss, The Chicago Committee of Human Rights Watch

Martha Stewart’s “Wedding Party” comes to Chicago!

Good news brides to-be! The Martha Stewart Wedding party is making it’s first ever stop right here in Chicago! So don’t worry if you still have things to check off your to-do list, this event has got you covered-and all under one roof! Before diving into the rest of the details, mark your calendars for Sunday, March 10 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and join Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings, Meghan Andalman, founder of Lovebird Events and Claudia Hanlin, founder of the Wedding Library, for a day of inspiration and fun!

Alright, now what to expect? This premiere wedding event features expert panel discussions and Q&A’s, celebrity speakers, raffle giveaways, sweets, and drinks, a Destination Weddings & Honeymoon Lounge and more for brides and grooms-to be!  Some topics of discussion will be how to personalize your wedding and how to transform unusual locations into the wedding of your dreams. There will also be over 50 vendors present for DJs, bands, accessory retailers, invitation designers and much, much more! For a more detailed version of who will be there, visit Lovebird’s Blog, The Nest.

The party will be held at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago and tickets are priced at $65 for a single or $110 for a couple. Hurry and purchase your tickets online here and don’t miss out on the opportunity to attend this top-notch wedding event!

-Megan Herbst 

Tags: event planning in Chicago, invitation design, Lovebird, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Wedding Party, Martha Stewart Weddings, premier wedding events, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago, The Nest, Wedding Library, wedding planner, wedding planning in Chicago, wedding vendors in Chicago, weddings in Chicago

AChicagoThing sits down with Chicago Rock Band: Filligar

Lauded as “one of the top 8 live acts in America,” the Chicago-bred rock group Filligar is bursting onto the international music scene at breakneck speed. The quartet is comprised of brothers Pete (drums), Johnny (guitar, lead vocals), and Teddy Mathias (bass), along with their lifelong friend Casey Gibson (keyboard, backup vocals). Formed in 2000, the classic rock-influenced band has seen their popularity grow steadily over their young career, having toured with Counting Crows in 2012 and supporting other high-profile acts such as Alabama Shakes, the Black Keys, Otis Day and the Knights, B.o.B, and more. Filligar’s most recent album, The Nerve (2010), was met with great critical acclaim, earning them a nomination for Best Rock Album at the Independent Music Awards and drawing comparisons to a young Rolling Stones, The Doors, Kings of Leon, and the Black Keys. Filligar’s in store for another busy schedule in 2013, which will include the release of another highly anticipated full album. We had the fortune of catching up with the band before an electric performance in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd at Schubas…

-Amanda Rivera, Nathan Sullivan & Kevin Hartmann

Tags: amanda rivera interviewing, filligar, kevin hartmann, nathan sullivan, schubas

Movie Review of ‘Holy Motors: An Odyssey Into the City of Light’

Holy Motors marks the return of French auteur Leos Carax after a 13-year hiatus since his last film. And he arrives in grand fashion, positing an exuberant, surreal tale that’s quite unlike any other film in recent years. Any attempt to accurately and succinctly convey the narrative would prove futile, and perhaps beside the point. Mr. Carax presents an avant-garde patchwork of scenes, whose only commonalities are the lead character, the distinct visual fingerprints of its director, and a pervading sense of despair.

The film opens with shots of a dimly lit theater filled with a faceless, static audience watching King Vidor’s The Crowd in a drone-like manner. A man, played by Mr. Carax, awakens from his sleep and scales one of his bedroom walls, finding a keyhole, which he unlocks with his finger. In doing so, the director acknowledges that this is a meta-narrative, a self-reflexive film about film. And so the character, along with the audience, enters into this Lynchian visionary dream of a movie.

The rest of the film follows a day in the life of Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant), presumably an actor, who is chauffeured around Carax’s fantastical Paris in a white limousine by the blonde Celine. Over the course of the day, Celine transports Monsieur Oscar to numerous “appointments,” whose details are outlined in dossiers, much like that of a script filled with scene and background character information. Monsieur Oscar proceeds to transform himself into character in the back of the limo, which serves as his dressing room. Lavant, a regular in the Carax canon, pulls off a powerhouse performance as the chameleon-like Monsieur Oscar. Even being with Lavant for nearly the entire film, the actor somehow manages to become nearly unrecognizable to the audience from one scene to the next. He inhabits a multitude of characters, ranging from an old beggar lady, an accordion player, a hit man, a sewer-dwelling troll, a man on his deathbed, a motion-capture acrobatic performer, and so on. With scenes so varied in content and genre, the director creates a pastiche of familiar episodes in the history of cinema. The viewer is always left guessing what will come next in the abstract odyssey of Monsieur Oscar, while still trying to comprehend what just transpired in the previous scene. Carax never indulges much into the private life of Monsieur Oscar, but underlines the character’s existential angst with a palpable melancholic mood.  Time and again, the director thwarts audience expectations, including uncharacteristic turns by Eva Mendes as an undeterred fashion model, and Kylie Minogue as a former lover of Monsieur Oscar.

Even considering Holy Motors’ fluid, unusual narrative structure, it’s hard to deny the film’s affecting emotional punch and stimulating visual prowess. It is a wildly original, pure cinematic experience. While Leos Carax laments the downfall of celluloid with the rise in digital filmmaking, with this art-house thrill ride the cynic ironically proves there’s much to be excited about in the future of cinema. Although Holy Motors wasn’t recognized by the Academy for awards consideration, the film was met with great critical appraise and found itself positioned on many prominent critics’ top ten lists for 2012.

Holy Motors stars Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, and Kylie Minogue. The film is Not Rated. It is released on DVD and Blu-ray today.

-Nate Sullivan 

Tags: Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, film, Holy Motors, Kylie Minogue, Leos Carax, movies

Help Redmoon Light-Up Chicago at Spectacle Lunatique!

Emily Reusswig from Redmoon inviting you to ignite your passion for the arts at our annual gala benefit, Spectacle Lunatique, March 9th! Prepare yourself to experience four blockbuster spectacle moments, 1,874 candles, 164 performers and 31 wild happenings throughout seven hours of celebration at Redmoon’s 12^th-annual Spectacle Lunatique.

Redmoon, Chicago’s very own transformative creative force known for producing once-in-a-lifetime over-the-top artistic events, proudly presents our famed, annual gala benefit March 9, 7 PM — 2AM.This event also will debut the theater’s new space as Redmoon moves from their current West Loop location to occupy a 57,000 sq. ft. building at 2120 S. Jefferson in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. The move is Mayor-approved, so you know it’s a must-see.

Themed “Starting the Fire,” the evening will have a primal, earthy, “ritualistic” feel and seek to ignite Chicago with spirit, passion and participation in the arts.  Tickets range from $75 per person to $2,500 for a group VIP experience, and packages may be purchased on our website here!

Here’s a taste:

• Four “Blockbuster Spectacle Moments” reflected by light, ambient sound design, installations and provocative, animal-inspired costumes
• A Confetti Cannon, Bubble And Bomb “Assaults” to keep the energy going
• Specialty drinks and culinary delights from local chefs also will be flowing
• Musical entertainment will delight the ears
• Built in Chicago, 1871, and Firestarter Fund founder Matt Moog will be honored with Redmoon’s inaugural Galvanizer Award for his work promoting community in the digital space

Funds raised will support Redmoon’s original and unique events of a massive scale in landmark locations for all of Chicago, and the inaugural year of Redmoon’s Spectacle Academy impacting youth and emerging artists throughout Chicago.

Come one come all!!! 

-Emily Reusswig

Tags: Art, Chicago's very own transformative creative force, circus, Emily Reusswig, impacting youth and emerging artists, mayor's office, Redmoon, Redmoon’s 12th-annual Spectacle Lunatique

Never A City So Reel

It’s no secret that we Chicagoans can’t get enough of this wonderful city we call home. From the over abundance of restaurants, to the never-ending list of things to do, to the Midwestern charm we badge ourselves with, it’s hard to find a reason to not like Chicago. What makes this city even more special is the fact we have the unique experience to be exposed to people from all different walks of life-right in our very own backyard. How many other cities across the U.S. can truly compare?

This Thursday, Northwestern University is hosting a free night of classic short documentaries, Never a City So Reel: Chicago Portraits on Film, that highlight Chicago people and places. The entire program was inspired from the university’s One Book One Northwestern featured book, Alex Kotlowitz’s Never a City So Real. In this book, Kotlowitz showcases his favorite Chicago people and neighborhoods. The film program, in turn, will be showing short films from NU, Kartemquin Films and the Chicago Film Archives that give you a deeper sense into the heart and soul of the city. Topics range from racism, gentrification, an early gay pride parade, and more.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, February 21^st at 7:00 p.m. at the Block Museum of Art. Not only will you learn about Chicago’s rich culture, but you will also get the chance to listen to guest speakers and directors Tom Palazzolo and Peter Kuttner.

For more info click here!

-Megan Herbst 

Tags: alex kotlowitz, Block Museum of Art, chicago, Chicago documentaries, Chicago Film Archives, chicago people, early gay pride too, gentrification, kartemquin films, Never A City So Real, northwestern, northwestern university, NU, One Book One, One Book One Northwestern, Peter Kuttner, racism, Tom Palazzolo