Head of Femur/The Poison Control Center @ Schubas

3159 N. Southport
Chicago, IL 60657
Head of Femur
The Heavenly States
The Poison Control Center
10:00pm 21+
$10 (in advance) $12 (at the door)

The Upset Opening Night Art Show @ Co-Prosperity Sphere

The Upset is a collective of artists and photographers from Chicago and New York who are having a multi-media show at Co-Prosperity Sphere from May 16 - May 25. The show emphasizes the work of underexposed artists working with photography, painting, illustration, street art and video installation. The opening night party will feature a vintage clothing sale, a magazine release and other performances. 6pm. 3219 South Morgan St. 773-837-0145.

Out of the Vault: Year of Confrontation

The Chicago Film Archives will present a series of four films that deal with the dramatic events of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. You can read more about the films over at A/C.

Out of the Vault: Year of Confrontation will take place at the Cultural Center on May 16 at 7:00 pm. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

Robert Tanenbaum @ Barbara's Bookstore Oak Park

Lawyer-turned-writer Robert Tanenbaum will be at Barbara's Bookstore in Oak Park to talk about his book Escape. Free. 7:30pm. 1100 Lake St., Oak Park. Call 312-413-2665 for more information.

Andersonville Bike to Work Week

Ride to work and get breakfast for free! Andersonville's Bike Week continues this Friday with Bike To Work Day, 7 - 10 a.m. beginning at the southwest corner of Clark and Olive. Participants will get free breakfast from The Coffee Studio (5628 N. Clark), as well as a free water bottle and raffle ticket. Stop by The Coffee Studio on the way home and check out their art exhibit, "Bike Love: A Graphic Celebration of the Bicycle". See the Andersonvile Development Corporation website for details.

Chicago Moves Day @ Daley Plaza

The City That Works works out. Shake off the cobwebs and get into spring at Chicago Moves Day, sponsored by the Mayor's Fitness Council, today, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., at Daley Center Plaza, Washington and Dearborn Street. Participants can try their hand at cardio kickboxing, stretching, Latin dance, the 40-yard dash, rock climbing and bicycle safety. For more info, check out the Mayor's Fitness Council website.

American Science & Surplus Annual Scratch and Dent Sale

This weekend, get your hands on some great "stuff" (that's just a little bumped, demo, floor model, slightly used, returned, stale, partially melted, mildewed, stained, badly smudged, cracked, abraded, scuffed, discolored, asymmetrical, lumpy, or oddly fragrant) at Chicago's favorite place to buy "stuff" — American Science and Surplus. The sale goes on Friday, May 16th, 10am - 7pm, Saturday, May 17th, 10am - 6pm, Sunday, May 18th, 11am - 5pm at the Chicago store at 5316 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-763-0313 (FYI: simultaneous sales will also take place at their Milwaukee, WI and Geneva, IL stores).

SnowQueen Vodka Night @ Viet Bistro

Kick off the weekend at Viet Bistro as it hosts a complimentary SnowQueen Vodka Night on Friday, May 16, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sample this smooth vodka on its own or in some of Sommelier Rashed Islam’s inventive summer martinis, such as the Jackfruit Martini, Passion Fruit Martini, and Cantaloupe Martini.

Chef/Owner Dan Nguyen will serve complimentary appetizers, and raffle out Viet Bistro gift certificates at the end of the evening. Reservations suggested.

For more information, call 773.465.5720.

Flawed: New Work by Joan Hiller @ Medicine Park

Hiller explores the examination of topically cheery but inwardly dysfunctional mother-daughter relationships (after being bombarded by cheerful Mother’s Day commercial imagery in the wake of her own psychological struggles with the lasting effects of a mother’s illness, this seemed apropos) and inappropriately thought-out but acted-upon plans for fulfilling one’s heart and reconciling one’s identity. The show features works of businessmen, put-together and lustful women, mothers and daughters, and egomaniacal Vaudevillian superstar Eva Tanquay, whom the artist recently became enamored with via writer Jody Rosen’s paper at the 2008 EMP Pop Conference. This is a darker batch of work for Hiller, as she turns her thoughts to herself, although portraiture of others is the visual focus. Sparkling, witty conversation and copious amounts of booze! 8 p.m. 2659 W. Chicago. For more info, visit the Website.

Aloft Aerial Dance @ The Aloft Loft

Come see some acrobatic dancers create a story in the air using ... giant lampshades. And picture frames and clotheslines and boots, oh my! Aloft Aerial Dance presents The Dinner of our Discontent, in which they tell the story--which "veers from heartbreaking to hilarious"--of five estranged sisters returning home after the sudden deaths of their parents.
May 16-18 and 23-25, 8:00 p.m. at the Aloft Loft, 941 N California Ave. (down the alley, in the back). $20-$30 tickets at Brown Paper Tickets

Manifest

Columbia College's Manifest Urban Arts Festival brings together a wealth of visual and performing arts spread across 14 galleries and four stages, all in one day. The event includes an artwalk and sale, music on four stages, screenings, readings, live radio, Web casts, the TICTOC Performance Art Festival, the Transmission art car exhibition, Spectacle Fortuna's parade of creativity, and a free concert by OK Go. Get the full schedule here.

The Hue, Kinetix, Bumpus At Kinetic Playground

Jamband fans rejoice. Not only are three of the hottest young bands in the genre uniting for this show, but they all have unique live sounds. Bumpus plays an energetic form of soul and funk music, The Hue have a wandering, driving progressive sound and Kinetix play rythmic guitar rock. Cheap PBR and documentation by Avant/Chicago make this a perfect Friday night pursuit. The Kinetic Playground is right of the Lawrence Red Line stop.