Tomorrow Never Knows Festival @ Schubas, Lincoln Hall

The annual winter long-weekend festival known as Tomorrow Never Knows hits two venues this year, both Schubas and Lincoln Hall. Today's entertainment includes Paul Green's School Of Rock: Women Who Rock at Schubas [See Slowdown entry below for details] in the afternoon and Clues, Skybox, Pomegranates, Netherfriends at Schubas in the evening with Lee Fields & The Expressions, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers at Lincoln Hall in the evening. The evening shows start at 9pm and are 18+ (School of Rock performs at 2pm and is All Ages) . Tickets are $10-$15 (or purchase a 5-day TNK festival pass for $75). Schubas is located at 3159 N Southport Ave (at Belmont). Lincoln Hall is located at 2424 N. Lincoln Ave.

SketchFest

Today is the day. You will see The Best Church of God, and then you'll tell your friends about it for the next three weeks. The satirical take on church goes up at 1 pm in the North Theater and you'll laugh all the way to hell. Later in the day, check out novelty folk duo Gretchen and Regina, which goes up 2:30 pm in the South Theater. At 4 pm, the Bidnez Ladies skewer the ways marketing and advertising related to gender and identity. The final day of SketchFest closes out with some solid bets, but you should definitely check out Gandergoose at 7 pm in the West Theater, billed with Shock and Awe Review, a bang up show starring Jamie Swise and T.J. Jagodowski.

SketchFest, the world's largest sketch comedy festival, covers two long weekends with 100 sketch groups and 125 shows. Tickets are $12.50 for each timeslot and a limited number of festival passes are available. Buy tickets and see the entire schedule here. SketchFest runs through Jan. 17 at the Theater Building, 1225 West Belmont. HOT TIP: Call the box office at (773) 327-5252 for tickets and you'll a) be treated like a real person; b) get a solid recommendation on what shows will suit you best; and c) avoid a fistfull of Ticketmaster fees.

Illustrious Corpses @ MCA Theater

In conjunction with the Museum of Contemporary Art's exhibit Italics: Italian Art between Tradition and Revolution 1968-2008, the MCA Theater is screening classic Italian films throughout January.
In Illustrious Corpses, a detective investigates the mysterious murder of several Supreme Court judges only to uncover a deeper political plot. Though the quality of the print may not be the best, Illustrious Corpses is rarely screened and this presents a unique opportunity to see it.
Tickets are $8, $6 for MCA members. Screening starts at 1pm.

Winter Block Party for Chicago's Hip-Hop Arts @ Victory Gardens Theatre

The 2nd annual Winter Block Party for Chicago’s Hip-Hop Arts gets going today with a large cast of performers at the Victory Gardens Theatre in Lincoln Park. Hosted by WBEZ, the event will feature a visual art and graffiti gallery exhibition with works-for-sale by some of Chicago's most notable and up and coming contemporary artists, a B-Boy/B-Girl battle, a special installment of "Word: Across the Generations," an open mic showcase, music all afternoon by DJ Itch13, DJ Issues and DJ Seanile, and more. Details here. The day events (11am-4pm) are free, while the evening events, starting at 7:30pm, costs $10-$15. Tickets available online. The theatre is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.

Paul Green's School of Rock @ Schubas

As part of Schubas' five-day Tomorrow Never Knows festival, The Paul Green School of Rock will showcase student musicians playing cover songs at the Women Who Rock show. The school, founded in 1998 in Philadelphia and now in 49 locations around the country, is grounded in the belief that the best way to learn is by doing. Catch the Women Who Rock show today at 2pm. For tickets and information call (773) 525-2508 or visit Schubas Tavern.