CIMM: Keeping It Reel

Last March, seemingly out of nowhere, the Chicago International Music and Movies Festival appeared on the scene to become one of the most pleasant surprises of 2009.

Back for a second year (with the promise of more to come), the festival kicked off last night at St. Paul’s Cultural Center with an opening night party proving that music and movies do in fact go together like, as amiable festival directors Josh Chicoine and Ilko Davidov said in a recent interview, like a beer and a shot. The William Burroughs-themed night featured a screening of William S. Burroughs: A Man Within, including on-camera testimonials from the likes of Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Jello Biafra, Laurie Anderson, and Sonic Youth. Austrian band Naked Lunch performed a live score along to the multiple-narrative feature Universalove, and Thee Majesty performed to round out the evening along with an incisive, blisteringly witty spoken word piece by Penny Arcade (“Imagine the people you hated most in high school all moved to your town, that’s what NYC has turned into”).

The festival proper runs tonight through Sunday, and as with last year there is nary a genre of music that isn’t represented is some fashion, from punk (The Blank Generation with Patti Smith Group: Dancing Barefoot, Saturday, 3:30, Chicago Cultural Center) polka (Polkaholics, tonight, Chicago Cultural Center, 8:00) to marching bands (Mucca Pazza, Saturday, St. Paul’s 9:00), even films incorporating diverse genres such as Vinyl: Tales from the Vienna Underground (Saturday, Chicago Cultural Center, 1:30).

If there is one drawback to the festival, it is that the lack of repeat screenings and performances makes for some tough choices as to what to see and what to have to miss. (For those planning to catch Grant Hart tonight at St. Paul’s, he is a last minute cancellation – filling in will be Jim Becker of Califone. All systems are still go for King Pluto’s Whispering Choir to follow at 11:00 (with Jeremy Jacobsen, aka The Lonesome Organist, playing the truly mighty St. Paul’s pipe organ) accompanying Maciste in Hell, a film I am told is the first-ever Italian horror movie – in addition to being a trip-and-a-half. (I would be remiss if I neglected to mention that the band also includes Facets’ own Chris Cowgill (of Del Rey), Bruce Neal, and Matt Silcock).

As it was last year, along with the Chicago Cultural Center, St. Paul’s is an inspired choice as festival home base. A former Lutheran church, the pews offer a fitting way to worship at the altar of music and movies while the attached gallery houses an exhibition of rock poster art. By the same token, the Chicago Cultural Center makes perfect sense as a venue for multi-media celebration, and better yet, all of the festival events there (including panels ranging from “The Future of Radio” to “Contrax for Soundtrax”) are free. Other satellite venues include Heaven Gallery (around the corner from St. Paul’s), Schuba’s (hosting alt-rock legends Robyn Hitchcock and Jon Langford), and Lincoln Hall (site of Sunday’s the closing night party and awards ceremony featuring DJ Spooky and Soul Summit Dance Party). Who needs the Oscars?


-Dan Mucha