Chicago. Several years ago in a Wicker Park loft. The first and last gig of UK Grief. “You assholes are in a band?” That can’t be the worse thing you hear when you’re getting in a lift with your bandmates and instruments. Especially when it’s from the mouth of Beer Belly Bob, a local nit who apparently left his bar stool at Mickey’s Tavern to be a pain in our ass at our friend’s Wicker Park loft. The “our” is UK Grief, a newly formed band consisting of myself (vocals), Chicago reclusive author Clive Javanski (keyboards), Aidan (bass), Franz (guitar) and Sasha (percussion and vocals – and back from living in Paris for a year). We were having what businesses call a “soft opening.”…
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Cora Benesh and Jillian Leigh co-star in the new film City Baby. Produced by Benesh, who co-wrote it with director David Morgan, City Baby follows Cloey (Benesh) and her friend Paige (Leigh) during a summer in Portland when both twenty-somethings face life-changing decisions. The film is now available on VOD and iTunes. The Dodgy spoke with Cora and Jillian about the film, guys, beer, dates, what kind of band they would be and more. What made you want to do City Baby? Cora: Morgan and I met and wanted to work on a project together. We both had a few unfinished scripts but writing this one together seemed to make the most sense. We also love Portland and wanted to showcase the city the way…
A Strange Chicago Neighbor Late last summer I was sitting on my porch enjoying a glass of beer when I had to move over and make room for a coffin to get by. That’s right, emerging from the front door of my apartment building was a silver and black casket carried by two muscular, yet feminine-looking boys wearing daisy duke shorts. Now ordinarily you might think this is strange. But not when you live where I do. Not when your neighbor on the third floor of your three flat is Ms. Weregun. The boys loaded the coffin in a truck and said goodbye to Ms. Weregun, who was now standing behind me. “Hey Larry, I got something for you,” she said. “It’s Liffey.” “You…
The Dodgy 