A Slug Stands Alone, And Another Round Of Blue Whiskey

Photo from the official QWERTY website.

A Slug Stands Alone. Dag Juhlin, who lists Poi Dog Pondering, The Slugs, and EXPO 76 among the multitude of bands he performs with, has a solo acoustic gig tonight at the Uncommon Ground on Devon Avenue in Chicago. There’s no telling what songs Juhlin will play, but he certainly has an expansive reservoir to choose from. Singer-songwriter Kurt Michaels and musician-producer Adam Marsland are also on the Uncommon Ground bill tonight. In his typical humorous fashion, Juhlin noted on Facebook: With this much talent on display, this will be a small scale, indoor, civilized Pitchfork. Let’s call it Saladfork. 

The Fourth Annual Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival  continues in Palatine tonight with a showing of director Bill Sebastian’s comedy QWERTY. The Illinois-based feature-length film concerns an unlikely couple named Zoe and Marty, who become allies while Zoe competes to become the National Scrabble Champion. QWERTY has won awards at film festivals in Nashville, New York, and other cities.

Four short films will be shown before QWERTY: The Grand Design, Australian Samuel Bartlett’s drama about a metaphysics student striving to explain the complexities of fate; A Short Film On Conformity, a series pilot from Norway by Matt Willis-Jones; 88 Miles To Moscow, Karen Glienke’s American-made drama involving a teenage girl’s misadventures in Russia; and Summer Campbell, Illinois native Scott Sullivan’s comedy about a young girl who seeks revenge on a camp counselor who toyed with her affections.

Tonight’s event begins at 7:00 PM and runs through 10:30 PM. The Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival is taking place at Cutting Hall in Palatine through next Sunday. Tuesday night’s lineup includes Andrew Bird: Fever Year, director Xan Aranda’s feature-length documentary on the eccentric indie rock musician.