The aptly named Visitors is a project started by Kyle LaMere (of iShootRockstars) to document the people that visited his home during a one-year period. You show up and he takes your picture. Then, it ends up on the site, and ultimately in the book. With almost everyone from Lost In Concert being a Visitor, this would be cool enough in it’s own right – but there’s more. At the book’s pre-release party, all money raised from the silent auction – along with remaining funding from the book printing – went to the Reason To Give charity. It’s a good cause and an even better reason to party.

The crowd – assembled to drink, raise money for charity and celebrate the upcoming release of Kyle LaMere’s Visitors book – was a veritable who’s who of Chicago designers, musicians, photographers, artists and creatives. Entertainment was provided by friends of the host: DJs Jobot, Kid Color and Matt Roan, along with live performances by The Juliets and The Loneliest Monk. This is our spotlight on The Loneliest Monk, but there are plenty more photos on Flickr.

The Loneliest Monk (if you’re not familiar, you should be) is Michelle Morales (cello, vocals, keyboard) and Miles Benjamin (percussion, vocals, toy piano), rocking the two-piece better than Humphrey Bogart at a masquerade ball. The staccato percussion rhythms mingle with the almost haunting noise of the cello to create an avant-garde musical ballet that is just as riveting to behold as it is to listen to. It’s classical – yet nouveau, disjointed – but deliberate, eclectic – yet familiar, melancholy – yet blithe. In short, The Loneliest Monk is really one of those unique events you have to experience for yourself.

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