The Whistler 7th Anniversary Party

The Whistler, 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave., celebrates its seventh anniversary with a party tonight from 6 to close. There'll be a barbecue in the patio till 9pm, Whistler owners Rob and Billy and past bartenders will DJ, and there will be Whistler Records 7-inch giveaways all night. No cover, 21+

Six Points Reading Series @ Cultural Center

The Poetry Center of Chicago hosts the monthly Six Points Reading Series, this month featuring Rachel Mennies and Sara Henning. Tonight from 6pm to 7pm, listen to the writers reading their own work in the Garland Room at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Free.

Paul Natkin @ Tribeca Speaks

Chicago native and famous rock-and-roll photographer Paul Natkin will speak tonight at Tribeca Flashpoint College, 28 N. Clark St., Suite 500. The event is open to students and community members. Tribeca is a local media arts college and this is the opening event in its new speaker series, Tribeca Speaks, scheduled for the last Thursday of every month. See our story on a recent Paul Natkin event for more info about the speaker.

Le Révélateur @ Siskel Film Center

As part of its Conversations at the Edge series, the Gene Siskel Film Center, in cooperation with Lampo, will host Le Révélateur, the duo of video artist Sabrina Ratté and Godspeed! You Black Emperor/Fly Pan Am's Roger Tellier-Craig.

Ratté's visuals use '80s visual iconography as their starting point -- black fields with grid lines, hallways, gradient-prismatic color squares, juxtapositions of slate gray and sherbet swaths all creatively distorted, doubled, and magnetically interrupted. Tellier-Craig's analogue synth work avoids the cough-syrup murk of Tangerine Dream in favor of an ecstatic, lonely, sparkling tone, closer to Popul Vuh's work on Herzog's film Heart of Glass. It's a heady mix of ecstasy and melancholy, and is best observed in person, rather than on a dinky little Youtube screen.

7 p.m., tickets are $11, $6 for Siskel members. More information at Transmission.

The Stoop @ Rosa's Lounge

The Stoop reading series returns to Rosa's Lounge, 3420 W. Armitage Ave., tonight at 7pm. The theme this month is "Didn't Have to Use My AK," and featured readers include Samantha Bailey, Kevin D'Ambrosio and Chris Trani, plus several open mic slots. Lily Be and Clarence Browley host. No cover, 21+

Reeling Film Festival

The 33rd annual Reeling Film Festival runs Sept. 17-24 at multiple venues throughout the city. See the schedule for full details. First screenings are at 7pm tonight.

Acumen Nation @ Double Door

Acumen Nation kicks off the Cold Waves music festival with a performance of the full album Transmission from Eville tonight at Double Door, 1551 N. Damen Ave. Rabbit Junk and Die Sektor open. Tickets are $10. Doors open at 7pm. 18+

The Fratellis @ the Vic

We all got pretty excited when we heard it during hockey season -- come sing along in person to that famous "Chelsea Dagger" opening with the Scottish band at the Vic tonight at 7:30. The Fratellis play the Vic Theater, 3145 N. Sheffield, tonight. Tickets are $25.