Mule Magazine Release Party

Arts and culture magazine Mule celebrates a new issue with a release party at Heart of Gold (3036 N. Lincoln Ave). The party kicks off at 9 p.m. and features music by Killer Whales, as well as DJ sets by Reelfoot, Alex Valentine, Aay Preston-Myint, and Hologram Trav. A suggested $7 donation benefits distribution of Mule and gets you a copy of issue 5.

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. Today is the last day of the sale, so all books (except rare books) are 50 cents. Free. 10am to 5pm. 34 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr. in Skokie. Visit the website for more information.

The Jungle: Labor and Leisure in the Modern American City @ Smart Museum

This summer, the Smart Museum of Art and 57th Street Books present a series of discussions that relate the Ashcan artist John Sloan’s images of New York to classic literary works connected to Chicago. Hear excerpts from Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel The Jungle and take part in an informal conversation comparing the novel’s representation of work and working-class life in Chicago to John Sloan’s depiction of life on the streets of turn-of-the-century New York. Poet and cultural historian Matthias Regan will lead the conversations amidst Sloan’s artwork in the Smart Museum’s galleries. Free. 2pm. Smart Museum of Art. 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. Call 773-702-0200 for more information.

Old Town Art Fair

The 59th annual Old Town Art Fair continues into its second day and features live music, garden and historic tours of the neighborhood, a children's corner, and a food court to accompany the works of the more than 200 artists selected for the event. More information about the fair available in Slowdown and at the fair's website.

A Night in the Box @ Elbo Room

Elbo Room
2871 N. Lincoln Ave
The show starts @ 8:30 Tickets $7

Bad River
Dynamic Box
Malace Finn
A Night in the Box

Take a banjo, a fiddle, the guitar, drums and some damn fine hats, and you've got the Minneapolis-based A Night in the Box. The image is easily described, but it is slightly more difficult to characterize their sound.

Started in 2006 by three high school friends, Alex Dalton (drums, vocals), Clayton Hagen (lead vocals, guitar) and Travis Hetman (banjo, vocals, guitar, harmonica), A Night in the Box released their debut album "The Hustle, The Prayer, The Thief" in 2006 on Afternoon Records. Their Americana-infused soul and bluegrass with the intensity of hardcore punk aesthetic has since won over fans and critics worldwide.

Adding to the flair, their sophomore effort, "Write a Letter" (released May 27th) is rounded out with fourth member Kailyn Spencer (violin), adding an Eastern quality to the already complex melting pot of creative influences that Box fans love. Adding a mixture of accessible pop hooks with their quintessential gritty sound will reach out to tried and true fans and new fans alike.