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Toronto synth-pop group TWRP (“Tupper Ware Remix Party,” allegedly) have a cutesy but somewhat vague 80s sci-fi backstory: front man Doctor Sung, for instance, is supposed to have traveled through space and time to find his bandmates. Onstage each member of the group wears a costume that blurs futurism with fantasy—bassist Commander Meouch combines a lion mask with a getup that looks like something out of Mega Man. TWRP have aligned themselves with comedy groups, most notably Ninja Sex Party, and they like to write goofy lyrics about “atomic karate” (karate moves as powerful as a neutron bomb, of course), exploit sappy memories of dead pets for laughs, or breathlessly recount the murderous exploits of a phantom race-car driver....

In this week’s issue, we acknowledged the thousands of folks who donated to our membership drive, folks who are helping keep the paper alive. Back in 1972, on the one-year anniversary of the paper, the Reader answered readers’ questions about the paper’s existence. Both the questions and some of the answers are still notable today. Before alt-weeklies became a staple of many cities, many people wondered, “What kind of paper is this anyway?...

Meiselman is put-upon. Everything and everyone in his world is bent on humiliating and belittling him, so he plots his revenge. His day is coming. Or so he thinks. And, to Meiselman, it is only his own thoughts that count. The hero of Avner Landes’s hilarious debut novel, Meiselman: The Lean Years (Tortoise Books), is an aggravating, ridiculous being. He’s no one you’d want to know, but he’s a lot of fun to laugh at....

People with synesthesia perceive things typically associated with one sense, such as sound, through one or more additional senses, such as sight, taste, smell, or touch—a B-minor chord, for instance, might register as green. A number of famous musicians, including Mary J. Blige, Pharrell Williams, and Lady Gaga, have claimed to have (or are believed to have) synesthesia. The Jazz Occurrence series, founded by artist Lewis Achenbach, offers its audience an opportunity to experience something approximating synesthesia: Achenbach invites musicians to perform while he creates artwork inspired by their sound....

For their new second album, Baltimore postpunk trio Quattracenta teamed up with producer J. Robbins (Jawbox) and the Brokers Tip label, owned by Bob Nastanovich (Pavement, Silver Jews). Those familiar names aren’t the band’s only nods to the 90s—their sound draws on Slint and occasionally the Jesus Lizard—but II doesn’t feel pinned to any one era. That’s partly thanks to the honeyed, understated vocals of front woman and guitarist Sarah Matas; no matter how intense or dark the music gets, they provide a calming air of intrigue....

Lockdown Bar & Grill 1024 N. Western 773-451-5625 lockdownbar.com Runner-Up: Au Cheval

Paulina Market Gene’s Sausage Shop & Delicatessen Finalist: Publican Quality Meats

Sometimes I feel bad about my inability to keep up with the new talent that keeps pumping into Chicago’s jazz and improvised music scenes; there’s a steady influx of young players forming new groups or joining others that have already begun establishing themselves. There are players from both of these categories in Bison Bison, a quartet that have played a handful of gigs over the last year. They’d been totally off my imperfect radar until recently, when the group’s talented drummer, Matt Carroll—a multistylistic force who plays in the imaginative piano trio Rooms as well as in the rising pop-rock band Ohmme—shared a copy of their eponymous debut album on Flood Music with me....

A state commission that was created to help African-American families is in limbo amid a debate about whether the group even exists—and whether the groups it promised money to will ever get paid. The problem dates back to 2015, during the stalemate over the state budget and a grant-spending investigation. After the economic summit, Wakefield said, “All of a sudden, the commission’s phones didn’t go through and the e-mail never worked....

Aloft Gwynedd Stuart ditches the small screen for the big one this week with her long review of Aloha, the latest rom-com from Cameron Crowe (Say Anything . . . , Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous). Meanwhile, I ditch the big screen for the small one, after a fashion, with my review of Entourage, the motion picture.

Walking into the space of Untitled (red flame) at the Logan Center Exhibitions takes a bit of courage. Ahead of me is a dark sea with a glimmer of red and an echoing sound. The projection of sound and the gallery space taunt me as I brace myself and slowly tiptoe into the gallery. Every movement is followed by a pause before I take another step. I inch closer and closer toward the red glowing light....

Danny’s Tavern, the intimate, candlelit, apartment-shaped bar that’s been a fixture of Chicago nightlife for 34 years, is permanently closed. It’d been shuttered due to the pandemic since March 18, and its owners told staff in early October that it wouldn’t be opening again. Rumors of the closure started circulating on social media midway through last month, and Block Club confirmed the bad news on November 5. Danny’s Tavern staff GoFundMe Donations to gofundme/com/f/danny039s-taven-staff-support will still reach former Danny’s employees....

It seems like every time the Gossip Wolf crew have seen surfy punk quartet Blizzard Babies play over the past few years—roughly a bazillion—we’ve snooped around the Chicago four-piece’s merch table looking in vain for their debut full-length. Our wait is almost over! On Sat 2/21, the Babies will finally release their debut LP, a self-­titled release on local label BLVD Records; they celebrate with a show at Cole’s featuring openers Melkbelly and Yeesh....

Ameya Pawar (47th) chicago47.org Runner-Up: Scott Waguespack (32nd)

Cowboys and Astronauts Hazel Finalists: Penny Lane Studios, CRAM Fashion, Phayes