Troll 2 @ Music Box Theatre

The Music Box Theatre presents a midnight screening of Troll 2, the best worst movie ever (according to its fans). A 35mm print will be screened tonight, and afterwards you'll get to meet original cast members from the film! Advance tickets are available for $10 through Ticketweb. Music Box: 3733 N. Soutport. (773) 871-6604.

Camp Chicago

The Southern Foodways Alliance (in concert with LTH Forum and Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance) will be holding a delicious day camp-like series of events beginning today through May 25 that explore Chicago's many foods, from soul food to bourbon to tamale sandwiches. Camp Chicago is meant to draw tourists to the city, but is open to anyone, and the organized excursions sound great for those of us who love eating but are carless.

Nahid Rachlin @ Women & Children First

Nahid Rachlin will be at Women & Children First to talk about her book Persian Girls: A Memoir. Free. 7:30pm. 5233 N. Clark St. Call 773-769-9299 for more information.

Blood On The Wall War On Drugs, Grimble Grumble @ Empty Bottle

Brooklyn tuff-gnarlers Blood On The Wall play tonight at the Bottle, finally hitting town a good many months after their sophomore album Liferz began to circulate. While they're got a solid and very enthusiastic following back in their native NYC haunts, their reputation has been slow to spread to in wider circles. Tonight'll be your chance to catch them for themself. Anyone with ears acculturated by the squalling riffs of late-80s indie rock (think Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Meat Puppets, et al) should feel right at home. The War On Drugs open. 1035 N. Western. Tickets are $8, and the show starts at 10pm. UPDATE: Blood On The Wall has canceled, but The War On Drugs will still play, now joined by Grimble Grumble.

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

John Huss Moderate Combo @ Elastic Arts

Tonight sees the reuniting of two musical outfit who used play the scene back in the 1990s. First, the John Huss Moderate Combo will reconvene for the first time in nearly a decade to perform a full set of classic original material. Fronted by singer / songwriter / guitarist John Huss, the band included J. Niimi (Ashtray Boy; Aden) on lead guitar, John Greenfield (Illinois First!) on bass, and Andrew Frost (Slink Moss; ex-Miracle Legion) on drums. Joining the JHMC will benother Chicago ex-pat, country-indie legend Slink Moss, who'll also visiting town from New York City to close out the evening with his group, the Flying Aces. Both bands play again at Ronny's on Saturday night, performing on a bill with a number of other locals acts as part of the "Burning Ring of Truth" tribute to Johnny Cash. For more information, see the article on our Transmission page. Elastic Arts Center, 2830 N. Milwaukee. Doors open at 9 PM, and tickets are $10.

Johnny Ten Bones at Gorilla Tango Theatre

Brain Surgeon Theater's new show at Gorilla Tango Theatre will lead you through a montage of dreams and nightmares! Based on the nocturnal musings of the local kids and adults in the cast, this rock & roll musical aims to find out what goes bump in the night--and why. Friday at 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm. Tickets are $10. Visit Brain Surgeon's site to buy tickets. Or pick them up at Gorilla Tango Theater, 1919 N Milwaukee Ave, 773-598-4549.

The Dollar Store Show and Pilcrow Lit Fest @ The Hideout

Jonathan Messinger hosts this month's installment of The Dollar Store Show with special guests Kevin Sampsell and Diana Slickman, as part of the Pilcrow Lit Fest. Free. 7pm. At The Hideout. 1354 W. Wabansia.

The Atomica Project (CD Release Party) @ Darkroom

Darkroom
2210 W Chicago Ave
Doors @ 9:00pm 21+ $8 cover

W/ Corporate X and Comasoft

The Atomica Project is a union of downtempo beats and stunning female vocals, amplified by an organic warmth and generally absent from electronic music. Devised in 2004 by programmer/songwriter Wade Alin and vocalist Lauren Cheatham, The Atomica Project made waves in the chillout/electronic music community with their 2005 debut release Metropolitan.

Grayscale, the highly anticipated sophomore release from The Atomica Project, embodies in itself the struggle of its execution. Taking nearly 3 years to complete, Grayscale is loosely based on the dramatic climate of Cheatham and Alin's adopted home of Chicago. Many of the tracks draw parallels between the cinematic storms of the Midwest and the turmoil of inter-personal relationships. Alin's detailed production on Grayscale constructs a more heavily orchestrated, lavish sound that further incorporates organic instrumentation and exemplifies the emotional impact of Lauren Cheatham's delivery. The comparisons that both flattered and diminished the uniqueness of their debut are no longer relevant, as Grayscale defines a sound exclusive to The Atomica Project.

Yea Big + Kid Static @ The House Cafe

The House Cafe
263 E. Lincoln Hwy
DeKalb, IL 60115
W/ Son Of Starkiller / Egon's Unicat / Frequency En Mass
8:00pm $6

Yea Big + Kid Static is hip hop for the stationarily challenged, the soundtrack for your next dance-off, the preamble to next your coup. Yea Big + Kid Static will overcome you like a band of parkour ninjas wearing jet packs leaping over your grandmother’s privacy fence to steal a pie. Yea Big + Kid Static are one part short shorts, one part cybernetic organism, all parts awesome. Yea Big + Kid Static are a comic book style action figure for all ages, ready to destroy the plastic casing and blow up the spot with the power and skill of 47 stuntmen wearing mylar battle gear. Be prepared to duck.

Elements Contemporary Ballet @ Ruth Page Center

Elements Contemporary Ballet produces dance that is truly ballet (the ladies wear pointe shoes, the movements come from a ballet vocabulary), yet truly contemporary (hey, ballerinas aren't supposed to stick out their hips like that!). ECB's Spring Concert features premieres of "Baroque Compositions" (set to Bach) and "Angel." A free reception following the Saturday show includes an opportunity to meet the dancers, staff, and board of ECB, a wine and cheese tasting, and a raffle.
May 23 & 24, 7:00 p.m. at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn. $17.50 general admission ($15 students and seniors). Click here for tickets, or call the box office at 312-337-6543.