SEPTEMBER
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Before singer and drummer Li’l Wally slowed down the beat and stripped down the music, polka was usually played at a fast clip by a large band that didn’t interact much with the audience. Wally’s emotional, horn-heavy approach spearheaded the rise of the “Chicago style” polka that was popular in the 1950s. “To me it connects with punk rock,” says musician Don Hedeker, “which I love because it’s a DIY thing and more about having a good time than whether you play the right notes.” His band, the Polkaholics, will share the stage with the retired 73-year-old legend tonight at 9 at the Zakopane Lounge, 1734 W. Division, Chicago. There’s a $5 cover; call 773-486-1559.
The first season of the reality show Starting Over, which airs weekdays at noon on Channel 5, focuses on six women–including a twice-divorced would-be stand-up comic from Niles and a depressed young widow from Orland Park–who share a place in Uptown while struggling to turn their lives around. For season two the producers are seeking a new set of women 18 or older with some issues; in particular they’re in the market for nervous brides and prospective adoptive parents. Today’s casting call is from 9 to 4 at WMAQ, 454 N. Columbus. For more information see www.startingovertv.com or call 312-836-5555.
Back in the day some moving pictures were accompanied not just by live orchestras but also by live singers. Today jazz vocalist Spider Saloff will sing the original love theme from the 1927 Academy Award-winning film Wings accompanied by organist and amateur historian Jay Warren, who came across the original score several years ago. The World War I movie stars Clara Bow, Charles Rogers, and Richard Arlen; the fight scenes feature over 120 planes, and Hedda Hopper, Gary Cooper, and director (and former WWI flying ace) William Wellman make cameos. It screens at 2 at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main in Saint Charles. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Call 630-892-8136 or see www.silentfilmchicago.com for more.
OCTOBER
Earlier this year, Michelle True was looking for a poetry group in the Buffalo Grove area, where she lives. The existing writers’ groups seemed to be about novels or screenplays, she says, and they met in the morning. That wasn’t an option for True, who like most poets has a full-time job. When she inquired at the Indian Trails Library, she learned someone had tried to get a poetry group going a few years ago, but “it never went anywhere.” If True wanted to give it a whirl, though, the library would provide space. With little fanfare, the Poetic License Writer’s Group held its inaugural meeting on the first Thursday of last month; True was pleased when a half-dozen people showed up. “It’s more comment than critique,” she says, “a place to read a poem and say ‘here’s what my intention or inspiration was.’” The second meeting is tonight at 6:30 at the library, 355 Schoenbeck in Wheeling. Call 847-846-3568.
