In 2014, Chicago punk musician, writer and editor Jes Skolnik had a vision of opening an accessible, all-ages DIY venue in the city. Some like-minded friends got on board, and together they formed the Pure Joy collective. Four years later, after learning some hard lessons about cutting through the city’s red tape, the non-profit has a renewed focus. While continuing to search for a space, the seven collective members are now putting energy into building collaborative relationships with other radical Chicago organizations by hosting a variety of events - art shows, DJ nights - around town. In doing so, they hope to start fostering the sorts of inclusive, DIY environments they always hoped would flourish at their venue. As a Chicagoan who deeply yearns for this sort of space, I recently met with Skolnik and fellow collective members Isabella Mancini and Sarah Ryczek to talk about Pure Joy and their hopes and dreams for the future. . . .

The Funs live in New Douglas, Illinois at Rose Raft, an artist and musician residency and recording studio they started in an abandoned funeral home. The band is Jessee Rose Crane (also a filmmaker, visual artist and sculptor) and Philip Jerome Lesicko (who also records bands and runs the label Manic Static). Next year, The Funs will have existed as a band for ten years. Next week, Sister Polygon Records will release their new album, ALIENATED. Surrounding its release, we asked Jessee and Philip to interview each other. They also have a new music video out today for their song “Enemy.” . . .