Summer is very often a time of ambivalence: too much gorgeous weather to stay inside, but too hot to disabuse yourself of the air conditioner. Let Cul de sac suggest you take some of the guesswork out of this summer weekend and attend the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park (off the Ashland-Lake Green Line stop). Here are few highlights for your ears to chill to while your flesh melts:

Robyn (Friday, 6:25 PM) – She’s come a long way from “Show Me Love,” blasting away her old sweet-girl image with a “Konichiwa Bitches.” She is now working on a more fleshed out approach to albums with the multi-part Body Talk series, while still churning out dance floor fodder for your favorite gay bar.

Broken Social Scene (Friday, 7:20 PM) – They may still be your fags, but Broken Social Scene has gone through some changes since their sonic departures over the past few years with solo albums by members Feist, Kevin Drew, and Brendan Canning and separate band project releases for Metric with Emily Haines and Stars with Amy Millan. Their recent release Forgiveness Rock Record expands their atmospheric instrumentation and harmonies with more bombastic rock tones.

Panda Bear (Saturday, 7:25 PM) – Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox strikes off on his own as a lonely panda for this year’s tour. His new album, Tomboy, doesn’t hit the streets till September but enjoy the ambient beats in the shade this weekend.

Beach House (3:20 PM) – The perfect summer locale, the perfect concoction of dream pop, the perfect murder (if this were an R.L. Stine novel). While these may not all be perfect explanations of duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, there is a certain amount of sinister that has to go into how well-crafted are the singles on their 2010 release Teen Dream.

Major Lazer (6:15 PM) – No beach house is complete without a good party, and a good party isn’t complete without rockin’ DJs (oh, the connections!) Diplo and Switch combine their auditory wizardry to break the news that partying is here to stay in the USA, in much more convincing way than Madamoiselle Cyrus.

Sleigh Bells (Sunday, 7:40 PM) – In true Pitchfork fashion, one of the closing evening bands is the much-buzzed–with good reason–Sleigh Bells. Their dissonant noise pop still allows room for lots of danceable beats and singable lyrics, like “keep thinking about every straight face yes/wonder what your boyfriend thinks about your braces” from current hit “Rill Rill.” We hope your straight boyfriend likes your braces, too.

While y’all were enjoying a spring awakening in Chicago, Cul de sac was in Austin, Texas, checking out the sounds of the South by Southwest Music Festival. This yearly fest is proceeded by a Film and Interactive Media  portion, but the real party starts with Wednesday’s coronation of the music showcases. Since this is a spotlight of upcoming or established artists promoting new material, our highlights below should help navigate some of 2010′s most compelling offerings.

Even though we were more than 1,000 miles away, our hearts were still firmly planted in Chicago, which is why we checked out the Friday night It’s Chicago showcase at The Lodge, featuring Chicago acts Moneypenny, Willy Joy and The Hood Internet mixing hip-hop, classic rock and Rick Astley.

We had a rocking good time checking out day shows from the Chicago-based booking agency Windish, outside Urban Outfitters and at Emo’s. Local Natives played a snappy set of delicately harmonized vocals over downtrodden percussion, strings and keys. Free Energy kept us dancing with their high-energy, carefree rock at multiple locations, including the Rolling Stone and Spin magazine parties. Nostalgic promo cassettes of their current LP, Stuck on Nothing, were a great addition to a set firmly planted in the past and present of rock.

Though we had a good time hanging with rocking dudes, witnessing strong female-led performances by previous Mondayer Marina and the Diamonds (U.S. album release May 25th), Spin starlet Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, and the Elizabeth Harper-fronted Class Actress was the perfect way to close out our Lone Star-tinted week. Jumping from modern pop-rock sensibility to classic Motown sound to synth-soaked 80s throwback kept us on our toes–exactly where we wanted to be. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings new album, I Learned the Hard Way, will be released on April 6, and we can’t wait to relive the moment she taught us how to mashed potato and ride the pony. Class Actress recently released their first EP, Journal of Ardency, in February.

Though we’re glad to be back in Chicago–less so because of the re-freeze of weather–this year’s SXSW captivated and reminded us of all the things we love about Austin: music, good people, and a great time.

by Kevin Sparrow

The sad thing about film festivals is that oftentimes it can be hard to find your favorite films after they’re over. To wrap up our look forward to Reeling 2009, we are going to wallow in self-pity and discuss some of the fantastic dramas being presented this year.

The Filipino film Boy splits its focus between the innocence of first love and the eroticism of desire. The Boy in this case is a thoughtful poet who, when he’s not using his allowance to buy exotic fish to fill his room, spends it at the local male dancer club. He meets Aries there, and as things progress toward New Year’s, The Boy decides to blow his load and take Aries home for the night. There are some very heartfelt and specific character interactions mixed with some standard cliches, especially in the portrayal of the transgender members of the club and shallowness in having such an uncomplicated relationship build. Madeleine Nicolas as Mother brings a lot of credence to her role of a scattershot near-divorcee who has a child with a secret and a husband with another family, and she affects some good performances from the younger cast. The movie is beautifully shot and attempts to overcome its flaws in story with symbolic imagery. (Boy screens at the Landmark Cinema Friday, November 6 at 7:15 PM).

Family is writer-director-actor Faith Trimel’s exploration of the many difficulties faced by women of color in coming out, from trying to keep a career in entertainment and athletics to remaining a vital part of one’s family and community. The lowered quality of certain production values actually highlights much of what is potent about the film, the double discrimination felt by black SGL women. Trimel stars as Felicia, a moderately successful actress who tries to keep her girlfriend in the closet–literally–when her traditional Jamaican mother comes to visit. Felicia’s long-suffering lover tells her they’re through, and Felicia is forced to realize she has to come out. But not without her friends. Felicia dares her five best friends to come out with her within 30 days. Melanie wants to get back the daughter she had been raising with another women who walked out on her, Tonya proposes to her white girlfriend only to be dropped in on with a surprise visit by her judgmental sister, Sabrina is a doctor whose strong ties to her faith keep her from even accepting herself, Idrice is a WNBA star who is worried her career outside the court will not take off if she’s out, and Monifa outs herself only to find that she may not be as over men as she thinks. These six women work together and separately to understand themselves, their lives and their relationships, some rebuilding and some breaking down. (Family screens at Columbia College’s Film Row Cinema on Saturday, November 14 at 2 PM).

Finally, Mein Freund Aus Faro (My Friend From Faro) features Melanie, a 22-year-old still figuring out her place in the world, even if she tries to be someone else in it. After hitting Jenny with her car, Melanie offers to take the teen and her friend to a club and is mistaken for a Portuguese boy (she calls herself Miguel) due to her close-cropped hair, small chest and masculine frame. Melanie and Jenny bond at the club, and Melanie begins hitting up the new guy at work, Nuno, to learn more about Portuguese culture. Meanwhile, Melanie’s brother and father are pressuring her about not having a boyfriend, so Melanie pays Nuno to stop by and pretend to be her new boyfriend, Miguel. In a not-so-subtle Shakepearean way, Melanie’s secret lives begin to converge, and when she finds out that Jenny is only 14, things really take a turn for the worse. The film features many grounded performances, particularly from such a young cast, and Melanie’s anguish over not having anything to identify herself as is heartrending. (Mein Freund Aus Faro screens at the Landmark Cinema on Sunday, November 8 at 7:15 PM).

by Kevin Sparrow

The opening night of Reeling 28 will feature the film The Big Gay Musical at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre, which promises to be an outrageous pastiche of musical tropes, camp and heartfelt reverence for one of queerdom’s favorite genre’s. Two other comedy films playing during the festival match the exuberance set forth by this first night.

The Baby Formula is a Canadian mockumentary by director Alison Reid (who also co-stars as the director of the documentary) that posits what would happen if two women decided to make their own biological baby. Lilith and Athena are a happily married Toronto couple who have found a way to have their own kids: genetic testing with stem cells in mice has proven effective in utilizing eggs from one female to create a zygote with an egg from another female. As the first human subject, Athena is excited to become a new mommy, focusing on her own burgeoning belly and needs, leading Lilith to make the decision to be impregnated in the same way without informing her partner. The two reconcile and begin planning for the birth of their daughters, but it’s none too easy with an overly religious mom on Athena’s side, two alcoholic gay fathers on Lilith’s, and a secret to keep about how these babies were conceived. The documentary style creates compellingly natural characters with very distinct personalities and great performances by leads Angela Vint and Megan Fahlenbock and Rosemary Dunsmore as Athena’s mother. The humor is laced in surprising ways, but there are startling moments of poignancy throughout and some tough issues about what it means to accept one’s role as a parent. (The Baby Formula screens at the Landmark Cinema on Friday, November 6 at 9:15 PM).

For fans of early Peter Jackson, you may have found a good ringer in Kevin Hamedani’s ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction. Like all good horror, ZMD bills itself as “a political zomedy” and follows a few liberal-leaning protagonists in a small New England town that just happens to fall under attack by zombies. Frida Abbas has returned home after quitting Princeton, her excuse being to help her father run his restaurant, but all she encounters are neighbors mistaking her for every other identity but Iranian, which ends up even worse when a very Fox News-style channel purports that Muslim terrorists are behind the zombie outbreak. Tom has returned with his partner Lance to finally come out to his mother, only to find her already bitten and becoming zombie. They team up with Cheryl Banks, the ultra-liberal teacher who has put in her bid to run for mayor. Unfortunately, zombies alone aren’t their problem; the close-minded townspeople keep blaming and trying to get these “outsiders” to conform to conservative values. The one-liners are endless, the gore fantastic, and Frida’s theme song will stick with you for weeks. The film’s politics are evident throughout, but it slyly puts into context what it means to be a minority in America today. (ZMD screens at Columbia College’s Film Row Cinema on Friday, November 13 at 9 PM).

by Kevin Sparrow

Our regular weekly news briefs are being replaced by a different look at the world around us: we’re anticipating the opening of the 28th Reeling Film Festival here in Chicago this Thursday, November 5 with a preview of some of the films that will be playing on screens throughout Chicago, from The Music Box to the Landmark to hosts Chicago Filmmakers. Cul de sac’s three-day pre-play begins with a nod to a handful of documentaries that will be screening this year.

City of Borders inundates us in the lives of Palestinian, Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli LGBTs and their struggles with acceptance, especially in proximity to the holy land of Jerusalem. Those taking part in the documentary have found their own having in Shushan, an LGBT bar owned and operated by the first openly gay Israeli council member Sa’ar Netanel. The engaging ensemble story features Palestinian Samira and Israeli Ravit, a lesbian couple who struggle not only with typical problems such as deciding to have children and how working together affects their relationship, but with the present feeling they are sleeping with the enemy; flamboyant Boody is a sometimes drag queen whose mother wants to marry him off to his cousin from America and who is constantly receiving death threats; and Adam and Amit are working to live in the settlement in which Adam grew up and rebuild after a hate crime in which Adam was stabbed during a Pride ceremony. The unquestioning acceptance shown between members of the Palestinian and Israeli LGBT community highlights the doubly compounded hatred they receive from the outside world as identifying as both queer and culturally other. (City of Borders screens at the Landmark Cinema on Tuesday, November 10 at 9 PM).

Two short documentaries focus on the strides made by the LGBT community in the U.S. Out in the Silence is filmmaker Joe Wilson’s response to growing up silently queer in small-town Pennsylvania. After running the announcement of his marriage to another man in his hometown paper and receiving an expected backlash, Wilson is sent a letter by a distraught mother whose son came out and is facing violence and discrimination at school. Wilson takes his camera to Oil Town, PA and connects with 16-year-old C.J., trying to provide him guidance about being out and revisiting his own fears from when he was a teenager. Wilson also interviews Rox and her partner Linda who are battling against zealous Focus on the Family radio host Diane to keep their business restoring an old theater afloat. Wilson captures a good deal of the socioeconomic factors that can lead to a community rejecting LGBT members or denying their existence outright. (Out in the Silence screens at Chicago Filmmakers on Friday, November 13 at 7 PM).

Conversely, Switch: A Community in Transition, focuses much of its attention on the smaller community of family, both blood and chosen. Filmmaker Brooks Nelson’s transition from female-identifying to more masculine is the topic of conversation among his friends and his partner Jeannie’s family, and for good reason: Brooks has asked them to talk about it for the camera. Although it mostly focuses on dialogue and can be a little too intimate to connect to at times, this film is a great conversation starter on why we hold gender identity so close to us and having trouble identifying people gender-neutrally. Even Brooks and Jeannie’s friends, who are predominately butch lesbians, have some discomfort with Brooks’ transition, and a great dialogue about privilege unfolds over the shift in perception of Brooks as a white woman to Brooks as a white man and Brooks’ friend who transitioned from black woman to black man. The film does a great deal to show that people going through transition should not be characterized as “changing;” the perspectives of the people around them should be. (Switch screens at Chicago Filmmakers on Saturday, November 14).

Finally, Fig Trees uses mixed modes to tell the tale of AIDS activists Zackie Achmat of South Africa and Tim McCaskell of Canada. A blend of opera, parody, palindromes and live footage–not always successfully combined but often enthralling–showcases the symbolism of HIV both as a commodity and a commonality between people. You’ll probably never see a better Gertrude Stein impression, and the refreshing perspective that AIDS is something one learns to live beyond rather than learns to accept as a death sentence is especially resonant. (Fig Trees screens at the Landmark Cinema on Wednesday, November 11 at 9 PM).

Located far from the reaches of major labels on the East and West coasts, Chicago relies on independent artists to thrive in providing live performance to its citizens. The yearly Pitchfork Music Festival, held this year from July 17 to July 19, exposes many low-profile Chicago artists to a wider audience by joining them with more recognizable artists. And of course, many of them have a queer pedigree. Cul de sac Magazine will be traveling to the stages between Ashland and Randolph for part of the festival, but make sure to check out some of the artists we’ll really be digging.

Yo La Tengo (Friday, 6:10 PM) – Yo La Tengo’s 24-year history has led to a compelling array of sonic greatness, and their contribution as composer to the soundtrack for the 2006 film Shortbus is indelible.

Final Fantasy (Saturday, 4:15 PM) – The solo work of openly gay arranger and composer Owen Pallett, who has worked with The Arcade Fire, Beirut (who will also be at Pitchfork on Saturday) and many more artists, is masterful. If his win for Canada’s inaugural Polaris Prize and honorary degree for composition that he received in 2002 for composing since the age of 13 are any indication, Pallet is definitely someone to check out.

Ponytail (Saturday, 4:30 PM) – Baltimore group Ponytail have got a lot of verve, much of it coming through queer frontwoman Molly Siegel. The powerful vocals and charged performances will definitely have you dancing.

The National (Saturday, 8:40 PM) – This New York band was part of the Dark Was the Night compilation released last year for HIV/AIDS fundraising organization Red Hot. Two of the band members were producers of that album, which also featured a duet between Feist and Ben Gibbard and original recordings by Antony of Antony and the Johnsons, Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stevens and Yo La Teng

Grizzly Bear (Sunday, 7:25 PM) – The beautiful folk rock of Grizzly Bear will help close out the festival (right before The Flaming Lips rock it out). Led by openly gay Ed Droste, the band’s unique lyricism and understated melodies are essential listening.