Allá Record Release @ Schubas

Multilingual rockers Allá celebrates the release of their album, Es Tiempo, at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, tonight at 10:30pm. Liam Hayes opens. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. 18 and over.

Ray Pride Opening Reception @ Medicine Park

The photographs in "Enter Dream" anatomize the geography of Chicago night, forbidding and delicious as these streets might be to a runaway child. Things left behind. Escape routes. Mute facades. Fearful horizons. Landscapes both bright and dark. The creatures that populate threatening places and moments familiar to ghosts, insomniacs and those who fear sleep and dreams to come. Pride's work has been exhibited in group shows at the Cultural Center and Zolla-Lieberman Gallery and site-specific solo shows at Rainbo Club and Atomix Café. His portraits have been published in Newcity and Cinema Scope, among other places, and he contributes photo essays to Sharkforum and Variety. DJ Lapple Pietunes (aka Lauri Apple) spins. Through July 9. 8 p.m. 2659 W. Chicago Ave. For more info, visit the Website.

Valentino Trunk Show @ Saks

Stop by the 700 N Michigan Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue to preview the Valentino Fall 2008 collection. The store will host the trunk show on Friday and Saturday June 13th and 14th from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. There will be informal modeling from noon until 3 p.m. For more informal please visit their website or call 312-944-6500.

Film Noir: The Dark Corner @ Film Center

The Gene Siskel Film Center presents a month-long showing of film noir films from the 20th Century Fox archives. Tonight's film is The Dark Corner from 1946, starring Lucille Ball in a dramatic role. Can't beat that! The Dark Corner screens tonight at 6:00 PM, and will also be shown on Monday the 16th at 8:00 PM. See the Film Center Website for a complete listing of the films. Tickets: $9, $7 for students, $5 for Film Center members, and $4 for SAIC students. Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.

War Garden @ Grant Park

The world premiere of a new play from NeighborSpace and Walkabout Theater Company will not be held in a theater in the ordinary sense, but one — actually several — befitting its topic. War Garden, an ensemble production exploring the history of “patriotic agriculture,” opens Friday in Grant Park, at Columbus and Congress. The play will then tour community gardens throughout Chicago over the summer. $10 suggested donation. 5:00 p.m. Call (773) 527-0341 or click here for more information.

Little City Used Book Sale @ Old Orchard

The Little City Foundation Used Book Sale, which is celebrating its 50th year, takes place at the Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie from June 6-15. The book sale is expected to have more than 200,000 used books, plus author events and other activities. All proceeds from the sale benefit Little City Foundation, which provides services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Free. 10am to 9pm. 34 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr. in Skokie. Visit the website for more information.

J-Live @ SubT

Critically acclaimed, but not commercially rewarded, J-Live just isn't gangsta. He doesn't make songs for ringtones. What he does is make grown-people hip-hop, with lyrics for days and concepts for weeks. Opening are a selection of J-Dilla beats and local rapper-in-grind-mode Wes Restless. 21 and over show, $15, and show starts at 10. Tickets online and at the box office.

Second Friday @ Fine Arts Building

The galleries and studios in the Fine Arts Building,410 S. Michigan Ave., will be open tonight from 4:30pm to 9:30pm. Come check out fresh art, impromptu musical performances and even a little theater. Free.

Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Strings @ Columbus Park Refectory

Nicole Mitchell, our local Chicago flute superstar who Peter Margasak called "...one of the most exciting jazz soloists and composers in the world," has a variety of projects that keep her busy. Tonight, she brings her jazz string chamber group Black Earth Strings to the idyllic open air pavilion at the Columbus Park Refectory in a free concert presented by the Jazz Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Park District. Expect an eclectic mix of vibrant rhythms, chamber compositions, and skillful improvisation. 7 PM, Columbus Park Refectory, 5701 W. Jackson Boulevard. For more information visit the Jazz Instiute of Chicago or call 312-427-1676.

Donita Sparks and the Stellar Moments @ Double Door

Double Door
1572 N. Milwaukee

Doors 8pm Show 9pm • $10 adv. / $12 dos.

Donita Sparks, known internationally as the front person and main songwriter of seminal rock band L7, releases her solo debut Transmiticate on her own label SparksFly Records on February 19, 2008 (distributed through Redeye). Recorded in Los Angeles, Donita co-produced the album along with Ethan Allen (Luscious Jackson, The 88, Daniel Lanois).

The record is filled with dance-rock and dark-pop gems that see Donita moving solidly into interesting new territories. Chunky guitar riffs live side by side with synths, reverb twangs, handclaps and girl-group harmonies providing ear candy chocked with glam, avant-garde punk, and lush melancholy. Donita Sparks with her backing band The Stellar Moments (featuring Dee Plakas of L7 on drums) completed a US tour with The Donnas in October.

Also appearing Fever Marlene, Waste, and Chicago's The Prarie Spies

Mayor Daley's Bike to Work Rally @ Daley Plaza

Bike to Work Week wraps up with Mayor Daley's Bike to Work Rally. Free continental breakfast in the morning. Mucca Pazza plays at 5:30 p.m. Runs 7:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Daley Plaza, 50 West Washington.