Steve Krakow, The Secret History of Chicago Music

Steve Krakow (AKA Plastic Crimewave) has been working on a Secret History of Chicago Music for years.

His Chicago music history is detailed in 8-by-11 inch drawings, or “info strips” as he calls them, that highlights long forgotten, or under appreciated, Chicago bands of days gone by. The strips currently run every other week in the Chicago Reader.

But starting Friday, May 7, the MCA will be exhibiting some of Krakow’s Chicago history strips, quite a bit larger than the 8-by-11 inch originals, as part of their UBS 12X12 series. The month long exhibit will also include performances by a few of the artists featured in past strips.

The schedule for the free shows, held Tuesdays at Puck’s Cafe, is as follows:

ONO: Tuesday, May 11, 7 pm
Bil Vermette: Saturday, May 15, 3 pm
Kelan Phil Cohran: Tuesday, May 18, 7 pm
Chet Nichols: Tuesday, May 25, 7 pm

Krakow will give an artist’s talk before ONO’s set on May 11th. The exhibit runs through Sunday, May 30.