Elastic Arts

TONIGHT!

Join us as our friends at Asian Improv aRts Midwest present a night of deep improvisations with BYSH and Bass Dreams minus B. 

Bass Dreams is helmed by Tatsu Aoki on Asuka Bass (it’s the Asuka bass because it’s autographed by past WWE champ Asuka), with Adam Shead on drums, and the duo of Rami Atassi and Terry Tanaka on electric guitars. The dualing guitar leads dive around a heavy psych jazz rhythm section, reminiscent of the 1970’s heaviest rock meeting the drifty stylings of the Grateful Dead. 

BYSH is an improvising quartet featuring Ben Baker Billington on drums, Andrew Scott Young on bass, Mai Sugimoto on woodwinds/percussion, and Bill Harris on drums. Their debut record was released on Unifactor out of Cleveland, OH in 2025.

Join us tonight! Music at 8:30pm!

Join us this upcoming Monday 6/8 as The Middle presents an evening of unique musical duos. Each explores diverse eras and styles of music, featuring works by Jazzmeia Horn, J.S. Bach, Shai Maestro, Benjamin Britten, Momo Hasselbring, Alvin Santner, and the world premiere of a new piece by Kes Yager. 

As a series, The Middle finds through lines between various musical traditions, connecting genres to create a new musical collage for each show. We hope you can join us for this very special performance celebrating the evolution of the series over the past two years. Featuring Kalyan Pathak, Alvin Santner, Will Stevens, Momo Hasselbring, Adriana Harrison, and curator Priya Fink.

Monday 6/8 at 7:30pm!

Join us this upcoming Tuesday June 9th as acclaimed composer and multi-instrumentalist Dameun Strange is set to present a series of afrofuturist experiments at Elastic Arts. Free and open to the public starting at 6pm! This presentation, supported by Sonic Vanguard, serves as a cornerstone of his AACM composition residency.

The evening promises an immersive exploration of sound and sight, featuring a diverse program that pushes the boundaries of traditional performance:
    •    Solo Audio-Visual Piece: A dedicated work exploring the intersection of solo instrumentation and synchronized digital media.
    •    4D Visual Score Integrations: Two distinct audio-video pieces utilizing an innovative 4D visual score system.
    •    Project | AD: A featured work-in-progress that draws deep inspiration from the life and enduring social legacy of Angela Davis.

Through these afrofuturist lenses, Strange continues to investigate the potential for technological integration within the rich tradition of creative improvised music.

Project AD | Genesis
This work in progress serves as a critical examination of the legacy of Angela Davis, utilizing a 4D visual score to explore themes of liberation and resilience. It represents a continuation of Strange’s interest in non-linear storytelling and ritual performance.

Helianthus | Sankofa
Originally premiered as a Cedar Commission in 2017, Helianthus functions as a ritualistic vehicle for ancestor worship, specifically honoring the matriarchs who raised Strange. The “Sankofa” iteration utilizes the new 4D scoring methodology to create an immersive, interdimensional travel experience for performers and audience alike, moving beyond the linear constraints of traditional staff notation.

AquaSonos | Hydrologic
Born from Strange’s 2019 residency in Senegal, the AquaSonos canon uses graphic notation to explore genetic memory and the African diaspora’s relationship with water. This installment, Hydrologic, leverages advanced 4D scoring techniques developed during his residency with the Capitol Region Watershed District in Saint Paul, MN to map complex, recurring rhythmic cycles.

Join us this Saturday for Shake Shook Shaken!

Shake Shook Shaken is a dream of what a safe space could allow. A vision of a place for everybody to gather, look at each other, play and create in a non judgmental, trauma-informed way. It’s an invitation, a journey within and out, a surprise. Each workshop is unique. This month we’ll have curator Julie Meckler leading on the topic of OUTSIDE. We may leave the space of Elastic Arts, weather permitting.

No prior dance or acting experience is necessary, just willingness to move and exhale. This workshop series is for anyone and everyone.

Meet here at Elastic Saturday 6/6 at 12pm!

This Friday our friends at Asian Improv aRts Midwest present a night of deep improvisations with BYSH and Bass Dreams minus B. 

Bass Dreams is helmed by Tatsu Aoki on Asuka Bass (it’s the Asuka bass because it’s autographed by past WWE champ Asuka), with Adam Shead on drums, and the duo of Rami Atassi and Terry Tanaka on electric guitars. The dualing guitar leads dive around a heavy psych jazz rhythm section, reminiscent of the 1970’s heaviest rock meeting the drifty stylings of the Grateful Dead. 

BYSH is an improvising quartet featuring Ben Baker Billington on drums, Andrew Scott Young on bass, Mai Sugimoto on woodwinds/percussion, and Bill Harris on drums. Their debut record was released on Unifactor out of Cleveland, OH in 2025.

Join us Friday! Music at 8:30pm!

We’re excited to present a special Sunday night with two sets from the trio of Bonnie Han Jones, Jeff Arnal, and Ken Vandermark! Join us this Sunday June 7th!

Bonnie Han Jones (electronics/voice), Jeff Arnal (drums/percussion), and Ken Vandermark (saxophones/clarinets) reconvene to celebrate their first collaboration, Signal Otherwise, the 67th edition in the Catalytic Sound Artist Albums series.  The music was recorded at Experimental Sound Studio in December of 2022. Its seven pieces are an amalgamation of many things: individual music histories, pitch and texture, arrhythmic phrasing and pulse, fervent declamation and introspection, which results in an electroacoustic document unique in the discographies of all three musicians. This concert is a rare occasion to hear these three musicians working together through improvisation and experimentation over the course of two sets.
Signal Otherwise is now available to the public as part of Catalytic Sound’s CAA Fundraising program and all proceeds from sales of this digital album go toward Beloved Asheville, “a trusted, grassroots, and equity-focused organization. With over fifteen years of experience in movement building and advocacy for human rights, the organization’s success is credited to the ability to build relationships, create visible change, and generate community-led momentum for collective action.”

Join Sixty Inches From Center here at Elastic Arts this upcoming Wednesday June 3 to hear the latest from poets and creative writers recently published by Sixty Lit, including Vera Blossom, e’mon lauren, Diego Báez, Temperance Aghamohammadi, and Riley Yaxley.

This reading is presented as part of Sixty Lit, an effort that illuminates the brilliance of literary artists working in creative nonfiction, memoir, poetry, autotheory, and experimental or lyrical essays across the Midwest. We’ll see you Wednesday 6/3 at 6:30pm!

TONIGHT!

Two trios bring together generations of Chicago mainstays of jazz, noise, and rock. First up is Ahura, the jazz-based project of bassist Jeff Wheaton, who also produces alternative/indie bedroom pop as jFfjF. The band includes Wheaton on bass, Vincent Davis on drums, and Javier Red on piano. 

Next up is Interim Assassin, the trio of Jeb Bishop, Daniel Burke, and Erik Sowa. Falling loosely in the cracks between post-rock jazz improvisation and ambient electronic minimalism, the band presents communication in pursuit of a good moment. An open exploration of sound playing with the possibilities of sustain, silence, space, texture, environment, and pattern. Embracing the beauty of harmony and dissonance whenever possible. Music at 8:30pm!

8:30 pm: Ahura
Jeff Wheaton - bass
Vincent Davis - drums
Javier Red - piano, keyboards

9:30 pm: Interim Assassin
Jeb Bishop - trombone, electronics
Daniel Burke - guitar, keyboards, electronics
Erik Sowa - drums

TONIGHT!!

Join us for this month’s Pleiades Series! Chicago-based sonic clown and performance artist SAY MAYFIRE opens the evening with Educational Television, a remote-controlled audiovisual performance built from live sound and video manipulation, absurdity, and experimental process. Montreal-based trumpeter and interdisciplinary artist Émilie Fortin follows with a solo set drawing from improvisation, physical theater, and contemporary music practices. Following the performances, SAY and Émilie will co-lead an open workshop/jam exploring sound, clowning, movement, and guided experimentation.

After the performances we’ll have our classic Pleiades Jam open to all femme/trans/nonbinary performers.

Write That Down! is having another ‘Show & Tell’, this time here at Elastic Arts, made possible through a partnership with Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex. Audience members are invited to come by and show a keepsake that’s dear to you, a favorite bit of junk, or a cute knick knack. Then tell a story about your artifact and its meaning, a new poem, or some speculative fiction you’ve been working on. The evening will begin with an open mic and archiving session, followed by a presentation from a past (and/or future) contributors. Attendees are encouraged to bring ephemera and memorabilia that they would like scanned/archived for inclusion in the magazine’s upcoming issue.

Write That Down! is an archival project and magazine capturing the particulars of our current moment, both here in Chicago and in the world at large. The goal is to gather everyday artifacts that tell stories about what is important to us and our communities. There is no memento too big or local story too small for these pages.