This Much Is True at Hopleaf Bar this Tuesday, February 14th

If you never heard of This Much Is True, Chicago’s most intimate story-telling night, we highly recommend checking it out. It’s held at the Hopleaf Bar (5148 N Clark) every second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm for FREE. This Tuesday’s lineup features stories by regulars Dorrie Ferguson, Deanna Moffitt, and Scott Whitehair, and special guests Shannon Cason, Carol LaChapelle, Natasha Tsoutsouris, and Paul Whitehouse.

Click here for more details.

Elastic Arts Foundation set to develop a new website dedicated to Chicago music

As many of you may know Homeroom’s first Songwriter Showcase of the semester is today at Elastic Arts. Before you head over there learn a little bit about Elastic and their exciting news. We couldn’t be happier to work with Elastic. They are an impressive forward thinking non-profit organization supporting a wide range of arts. We hope to see you there tonight at 9pm to see Shelly Steffens, Donny Mahlmeister, and Brian Sulpizio in action.

Interview with Shelly Steffens and Donny Mahlmeister from A Tundra

Shelly and Donny will be featured Friday, 2/10 at our Songwriter Showcase at Elastic Arts. The two were kind of enough to give Homeroom an interview and talk about how they write songs.

1. What’s your first few steps in writing a new song?

Donny – Messing around with a vocal melody until I feel it’s catchy enough to see the light of day. Then I try to come up with chord progression that sounds unique to my ears.

Shelly – I usually have a kernel of an idea that generally comes from goofing around on the guitar and then hearing something I like and just playing it over and over again until it becomes something tangible. Or trying to learn a song that I like and not quite figuring it out or messing it up but using that fuck up as a basis for something new.

Interview with Brian Sulpizio of Health & Beauty

In anticipation for Friday’s Songwriter Showcase at Elastic Arts Homeroom sat down with Brian Sulpizio of Health & Beauty to talk about his music. After reading make sure to come to our Songwriter Showcase and Open Mic this Friday, February 10th to check Brian out!

Read on below

Ten x Ten Artist Justin Santora

Printmaker Justin Santora worked with avant-garde hip hop group Tomorrow Kings to produce a song and print titled “Borrowed Ladders”. Colin Palombi asked Justin about the process and his work.

Colin: I’m curious about how you guys went about the producing the song and print. There are a bunch of guys in TK, and just one of you. Did the print come out of a response to an idea developed by TK, or was it something that you were all contributing to from the beginning?

Justin: We started off with a couple of very general ideas, but I don’t think there were rigid guidelines on either end. Lamon sent me the beat before there were any vocals recorded, and I listened to it and tried to come up with a few ideas that fit the feel of the song. After hearing the final version with all the vocal tracks completed, the song definitely took on a new form and the sketches I had come up with didn’t really seem to fit anywhere. I ended up using a new concept that was somewhere between an illustration of a section of the lyrics that I found particularly interesting and trying to convey a scene that sort of goes with the song’s aesthetic. I think we originally intended for the process to involve a little more back and forth between Tomorrow Kings and myself, but I’m pleased with how we did it.

Alliance Dance Company and Harold Washington Library Come Together

Ever feel like you need a little more dance in your life? Or feel like you want to expand your artistic endeavors? If so, we highly recommended heading down to the Harold Washington Library this Thursday, February 2nd at 12:15pm. Alliance Dance Company is presenting “10 Years of War”.

As part of the “Dancing in the Library” series, this performance centers on the concept of fighting for one’s beliefs. Free admission, For more information click here or visit Alliance’s site.

Colin Chats with Ten x Ten's Phillip Morris

Colin: You just did three shows in Spain. Can you briefly share how the tour came about?

Phillip: The tour actually came about as the result of a much larger tour that was being planned that ended up not happening due to complications. I really only had 2 contacts in Barcelona, one of which was Raquel Delgado…and the other being my boy Jan (aka Delorian) from De La Rue Squad. So despite the setbacks, with only a few weeks of planning we were able to organize 3 shows. 2 shows in Barcelona (Sant Boi & Santa Coloma) and one show in Zaragoza, Spain. All of which were phenomenal.

Colin: Was it your first time performing out of the country? How was the experience there similar or different to performing in your home town?

Music Box Screening Drag City's Dragonslayer Next Wednesday (for one night only!)

Next Wednesday, January 25th Music Box Theatre is screening the debut of Dragonslayer, directed by Tristan Patterson, executive produced by Christine Vachon (Boys Don’t Cry, Storytelling) and distributed by Drag City. Dragonslayer is already an award-winning film winning Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at SXSW 2011.

Before the screening live music will be performed by solo synthscape-making krautrock master Bitchin’ Bajas, with visual artist Olivia Wyatt, followed by Chicago’s own experimental doom trio Mayor Daley. After the movie director, Tristan Patterson, will answer questions via Sype.

This fun-packed night will begin at 7:00pm, tickets are $9.99 advance, $12 door, and IT’S ONLY FOR ONE NIGHT SO DON’T MISS OUT!