Imagine sitting in your car, turning the key in the ignition and, for no clear reason, nothing happens. That key never starts the car again. That’s one metaphor acoustic guitarist and composer Billy McLaughlin uses to describe “focal dystonia,” a condition which nearly destroyed his career. There’s no clear cause or cure, and there’s relatively little that doctors can do to treat the neuromuscular disorder. Yet, McLaughlin has recently mounted a comeback. That’s the subject of a new documentary called Changing Keys: Billy McLaughlin and the Mysteries of Dystonia. McLaughlin’s also out with a new concert DVD, and he’s an ambassador for the Chicago-based Dystonia Medical Research Foundation.

Event:
Billy McLaughlin
Performs Saturday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m.
Space in Evanston