Individuals 1

People doing things. Many different things. Participating and contributing. Working hard. Individuals.

Fantastic picture. Three men studying plants on Brandenburg Farm in Lake Villa, IL - 1931. One, Gunnar Erdtman, a renowned Swedish scientist whose primary study was pollen (left). Another, George Damon Fuller, a professor of Botany from the University of Chicago (right). And the third, Henry Chandler Cowles, helped ecology get recognized as a field of science (middle).

Within five minutes of searching, I got an idea of who these men were and what they did before their lives ended. It was a nice little jaunt, and it got my imagination going. Other pictures of these men, which just added to it...

The Tailor

The men's clothing store and the tailor are endangered species, and they have been for a generation now. However, is it possible that the tailor could make a comeback? I'd like to think so.

A tailor shop in south Texas, early 1900s. Photos by Robert Runyon...

Watching the Hawks

WGN is killing it today. First the Cubs (though they blew the game at the end), now Hawks are on. Here's an awesome old picture of Bobby Hull - 1966.

Junk and Howe April Fools Finds

Spring is here, and the tags sales are abundant. Next month, the flea markets start up. Can't wait! It was a great first weekend of April for Junk and Howe, and here's a taste of some items that are coming to the store this week.

As always, drop us a line if you see something you like and want to make a fair offer on it before it reaches the Junk and Howe store.

We're on Twitter, so go follow us to see and hear about cool things we come across while out junking or enjoying our beautiful city here in Chicago. You'll know the minute new items are up, so you can grab that cool vintage treasure you've been looking for before someone else gets it first!

Pyrex New Dot Orange Bowls
Pyrex Daisy Cinderella Bowl Set
Pyrex Refrigerator Dishes - 2 early (yellow & blue with old clear lids), 1 later (blue)
Washington Forge Bakelite Stainless Steel Steak Knives
Pyrex Pink Daisy Casserole and Divided Dishes
Pyrex Butterprint Iridescent Mixing Bowl Set - RARE
Hazel Atlas Milkglass Pepper Range Shaker
Jackson Pollock Styled Mid-Century Glass Pitcher
Gits-Ware Orange Plastic Cups with Yellow Starbursts
Purses and Handbags
Pyrex Clear Refrigerator Dish - early dish - RARE
Yellow Plastic Napkin Holder with Green Daisies
Glass Juicer

Watching the Cubs

Cubs are on WGN (a rarity today). Here's a picture of two old Chicago Cubs on the street in Chicago in 1905 - Frank Chance and Otto Williams. The former, part of the famous Tinkers, Evers, Chance infield combination. Happy Sunday...

the Record Low - Chicago, IL

I met the Record Low’s Hank and Robby at a small open mic on the north side of Chicago almost seven years ago. Back then, they were an acoustic duo. I can’t say I was their biggest fan right away, but I saw the potential and talent that was obvious and evident. Through the publication (The Crutch) I ran, I did an event in 2004 called the Best of Chicago’s Open Mics. I chose Hank and Robby as one of the finalists. Then, we became friends.

They eventually added drums and bass – Justin and Markus, respectively. Collectively, they were the Record Low. Hank was beginning to push past his charming Tom Petty-style of writing and seemed to tap the subconscious more often. Robby pulled out his trademark black Gibson SG and showed signs of genius.

They released Here to Stay in 2007. The songs were great – I was now a fan – and they were fun, but one could sense more was to come. They got some local attention and that was that.

Then, Justin and Markus left the band, and the core started deconstructing everything. They experimented with different line-ups, instrumentation combinations, and went into the abyss with I saw as a mission to create something new and potent.

Last year, over two years later, they released Away From Us. They had taken the leap and found their voice.

Robby is one of the most creative guitarist I’ve seen. I’ve seen hundreds from ten feet away and he stands at the top. Hank’s lyrics and vocals are penetrating, yet untouchable. The album has precision, laid over an atmosphere of sound, with Hank soloing somewhere in the cloud. Their live show takes that and turns it all upside down. Busted bottles, stomping on guitars, and screams – there is nothing that can’t happen at a Record Low concert.

This is the beauty of this band. They are ever-changing, and multi-faceted – multi-dimensional. Like some of my favorite people, they’re always looking to better themselves. Both work their asses off in the studio, and all the hard work is now paying off, as they are receiving attention every time they play in or out of town. The Onion’s AV Club has been a fan for some time, and they made a number of "best of" lists last year.

Last summer, they added one of my favorite drummers, Jonny, who is best known for his work with The Changes. I think so much of Jonny’s drumming that I asked him to play on my own record last year. Robby actually auditioned him during that recording session. In the history of rock and roll folklore, this is how perfect matches happen, and Jonny may just be that for the Record Low.

The Record Low is currently working on another album. I was going to do a short documentary on the band, but after one day of shooting, I realized I didn’t have the tools to accomplish what I envisioned. However, I salvaged the day’s footage and created a short film for one of the most dynamic and creatively gifted bands I’ve seen in the last decade.

Go see the Record Low live this Thursday, 3/31, at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. If you RSVP by 11:59pm Wednesday night, the show is free. Send an email to rsvp@emptybottle.com with “the Record Low” in the subject line. Otherwise, it’s $8 at the door. They’re playing with Hospital Garden and F.Y.K.M.A.’s.



Finally, if I had to hand-pick Junk and Howe items for these three guys, this is what I would choose:

Hank:


Robby:


Jonny:

Siobhan's Photography & the Samsonite Bag

Samsonite Silhouette Suitcase at The Inn on Bourbon Street

A couple weeks ago, my friend and outstanding photographer, Siobhan, stopped by to say hello and check out a couple new Junk and Howe items I thought she'd like. She was on her way to a still-recovering New Orleans for Mardi Gras that week, and spotted a light blue Samsonite Silhouette Garment Bag/Suitcase. She wanted it for her drive down to Louisiana. The only problem was that someone had put a small lock on it and I didn't have any bolt cutters to get it off yet.

She had some.
Problem solved.

The bag hadn't even been photographed yet, and thus hadn't been added to the Junk and Howe store either. But, for someone I've known for years and whom I've kind of adopted as my little sister, I had no problem selling her the bag, along with a couple other items. My only condition, because I didn't want it to leave without having something to remember it by: "Please take a picture of the bag somewhere in New Orleans." She did, and as with most other pictures Siobhan takes, it's amazing, as you can plainly see above.

Siobhan did her undergraduate work at Columbia College in Chicago - Fine Arts Photography - and is currently doing graduate work there as well. I've known her since I ran my rock and roll publication, The Crutch, and I was always amazed at how easily she could adapt to photographic situations that she wasn't familiar with. After seeing so many bad snapshot type of photographs at small rock and roll shows here in Chicago, I urged her to get up there against the stage at Chicago staple venues, such as Empty Bottle and Double Door. She did, and she has taken some of the best rock and roll concert photos I've seen. Unlike the stuff you see in magazines, Siobhan captures the rawness that is rock and roll. The other stuff is too polished, and lacks the feeling that you get at an $8 show at a small venue.

King Khan

But it's her original, innate visual artist's eye that puts her on the fine arts level, as she is able to extract the feeling of even inanimate objects - as if she somehow is able to give voice to the walls of the Packard plant ruins in Detroit, or a lonely forgotten railroad track in tiny Argenta, Illinois.

Packard Plant

I did a couple favors by modeling for Siobhan while she was studying her undergraduate. By no means am I a model, and yet while attempting to play natural in a familiar setting, she revealed an emotional skeleton that I didn't realize was visible in every way. I, as a writer, would have a real task to match that kind of temporal breakthrough in words. Her gift couldn't be overstated.

Younger me, as a smoker

The Samsonite Silhouette bag is nothing like I've ever seen. Literally - I've never seen another one of these, and still can't find one anywhere on the Internet. Its design is so interesting, with both sides opening up to create a garment bag - with a hook for hangers and all. It's boxy, but it's rounded, so as not to crease whatever you want to keep unwrinkled. And its fabric zip-up girdle on the inside helps keep those hanging clothes secure against the skin, and separate from all the folded clothing you fill the bag with, as it acts like a large duffel would. It's pretty cool.

It's even cooler sitting on the bed at The Inn on Bourbon Street in New Orleans at Mardi Gras. Thanks, Siobhan!

Check out just a sliver of Siobhan's portfolio at her website. I believe she is going to be making available some stunning prints of her work in her own shop (on Etsy) sometime soon. We'll keep you posted.