See yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.
Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s Eternal Flame - The Authorized Biography of the Bangles, published by Hachette Book Group, is now available to pre-order on Amazon.
The Spindles will release their next album in CD, download, and streaming formats on March 7. The Chicago-based band has extensive experience on the local club scene, so fans can expect another collection of well-crafted power pop songs. It’s likely The Spindles will perform some of that new material during their performance at the Indie Music Night at The Arcada in St. Charles, IL on March 18.
Hats off to the numerous well-known acts that performed at the FireAid Benefit Concert at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum in Los Angeles last night. Among them were surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear, whose unscheduled performance included guests Joan Jett, Kim Gordon, St. Vincent, and Grohl’s daughter Violet. FireAid raised funds to help areas that were destroyed by the recent wildfires.
Solo artist and New Pornographers band member Neko Case’s 2025 book tour for The Harder I Fight The More I Love You memoir will include a stop at the Studebaker Theater (in partnership with Exile In Bookville) in Chicago on February 4. It’s an in-conversation event with South African journalist Lior Phillips.
The news that Marianne Faithful has passed away sparked many tributes to the British singer-songwriter across social media, including from Mick Jagger and other famous musicians who collaborated with her over the years. Rock In Paradise, Marianne.
Lorraine Hansberry’s award-winning play A Raisin In The Sun opened tonight at Chicago’s critically acclaimed Court Theatre and will run through March 2. Court Theatre is located at 5535 S. Ellis.
New Jersey-based indie rock act Slow Buildings (AKA Jason Legacy) has released a new album titled Crash Landings, Coincidences, Chaos. Considering that name and song titles such as “Every Day Is Just Like High School” and “Emotional Honesty Gets Me Nowhere,” the emotional lyrics are no surprise, but Legacy’s consistently catchy, inventive arrangements keep things entertaining.
Singer-guitarist Gary Louris, who’s well known for his work with The Jayhawks, as well as his solo efforts, has a gig coming up at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on March 28.
Simple Minds has a U.S. tour starting in mid-May that will include a performance at Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island on June 20. Simple Minds are marking the 40th anniversary their Once Upon A Time album—featuring “Don’t You Forget About Me”—by releasing a nine-track digital edition. A physical version will be out later this year.
Guitarist Tony Richards, who in addition to playing the Chicago music scene, often treats his Facebook followers to performance posts, has released a new album of jazz instrumentals. A Day in January, recorded with double bassist Joe Policastro, is available on Bandcamp. Richards has an album release show coming up on March 1, at a yet-to-be-announced venue.
Congratulations to long-time WXRT radio personality Frank E. Lee on his retirement. If the above comment gives you a sense of deja vu, it might be due to the fact that Lee retired a number of years ago. However, after that adieu, he still helped out at the rock station by filling in when a regular DJ was ill or on vacation. He was also part of the revolving cast of DJs who host Saturday Morning Flashback. But an official announcement from him yesterday noted he’s now fully retired. I still have fond memories of the nights when Lee was the guest DJ at the Erik The Red venue on Chicago’s southwest side back in the early days of punk and new wave. I talked to him when he and PR expert Kristin Kay paid a visit to the Borders book store in Schaumburg, and on a few other occasions. As with each of the WXRT personalities I’ve met over the years, he is genuinely friendly. Have a fun retirement, Frank. I know you’ll still be rocking.
Lauren Mayberry, lead vocalist for the Scottish techno rock trio Chvrches, has embarked on a solo tour and will perform next Wednesday night at Thalia Hall on Chicago’s north side. Her album Vicious Creature was released this past December.
Music On Stage will perform Fiddler On The Roof February 8 – 23 at Cutting Hall in Palatine, IL. The suburban theater company has presented several productions at Cutting Hall over the years.
Young Fresh Fellows recently recorded eleven songs in eight hours at Wilco’s Loft studio, giving them (Young Fresh Fellows) a Live In The Studio vinyl album they’ll be selling exclusively at their upcoming shows.
Tickets are now available for Alejandro Escovedo’s April 4 and 5 shows at City Winery Chicago. In addition to his roots rock solo career, Escovedo found success as a member of Rank And File and True Believers.
Billy Idol will be joined by Joan Jett on his It’s A Nice Day To . . . Tour Again! series of concerts starting April 30. That includes a stop at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL on May 20.
Tickets are now on sale for the Stop Making Sense: A Film By Jonathan Demme And Talking Heads Live Event Hosted By Jerry Harrison event coming on May 1 to the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts in Skokie, IL. The re-release of Demme’s iconic 1984 concert flick has been restored in 4K, and Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison will provide an introduction, as well comments and a Q&A session afterward. Limited meet and greet tickets are available.
Several music critics have hailed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as Brian Wilson’s finest moment, and there’s an event coming to to Park West in Chicago on March 7 that will celebrate that 1966 album. Pet Sounds LIVE is described as a “captivating show [that] combines live music, narration, and multimedia to bring the genius of Brian Wilson and [this] iconic masterpiece to life.”
PureSoul will present Bob Marley’s 80th Birthday Celebration at City Winery Chicago at 7:30 on February 6. The event will celebrate the memory of the legendary Jamaican musician by “pairing PureSoul musicians with some of the greatest reggae masters in Chicago.”
Sly Lives! (AKA The Burden Of Black Genius), a Sly Stone documentary directed by Questlove, was recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival and will be available via Disney+ and hulu on February 13.
Tickets are now on sale for the annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday tribute taking place on February 22 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. If previous years are any indication, the event’s organizers—Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma— will recruit some of Chicago’s best musicians to join the celebration, and the selection of Harrison material performed will range from hit singles to deep tracks and rarities.
Open Wide, the third album from Inhaler, drops on February 7, which is right around the time the Irish band will embark on a world tour. All but two of the February U.K. dates (some with singer-songwriter Heidi Curtis as the opening act) are sold out, as is the opening show of the North America leg in Toronto. Inhaler has a dozen shows scheduled for the U.S., including St. Patrick’s Day at the Houston, TX House Of Blues. But nothing in Chicago so far.
The Experience Hendrix 2025 Tour starts on March 11 in Cincinnati; and will also include Toronto; Milwaukee; Chicago (Chicago Theatre, March 21); Detroit; Atlantic City; and Washington, DC. Performers will include Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Marcus King; Christone Kingfish Ingram; Zakk Wylde; Eric Johnson; Devon Allman; Samantha Fish; David Hildago and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos; Dweezil Zappa; Ally Venable; and Dylan Triplett.
Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights will present its annual Blues Week February 4 – 8. This year’s performers are The Cold Stares; Brother John Band; Joanna Conner; Kevin Purcell; and John Primier.
The New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival will take place from April 24 through May 4, with well-known acts from several genres taking part. This year’s lineup includes Pearl Jam; Lenny Kravitz; Kacey Musgraves; Santana; John Fogerty; HAIM; Cage The Elephant; Patti LaBelle; Gladys Knight; Joan Jett and The Blackhearts; Cheap Trick; Diana Krall; Branford Marsalis; The Wailers Featuring Julian Marley; Taj Mahal And The Phantom Blues Band; Stanley Clarke; Rickie Lee Jones; Shemekia Copeland; and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
The Webstirs have a show coming up on March 8 at Phyllis’ Musical Inn on Chicago’s north side. The band has been setting clever and humorous lyrics to catchy arrangements for several years now, and has released six albums. Phyllis’ Musical Inn is located at 1800 W. Division.
The Zombies’ official biographer Robin Platts has written a book titled Times and Seasons - The Rise and Fall and Rise of The Zombies that’s now available from HoZac Books. Bangles singer-guitarist and long-time fan Susanna Hoffs wrote the Forward.
Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand recently released Human Fear, their first album in a while, and will soon kick off a world tour. The American leg of that tour includes an April 5 concert at The Vic in Chicago.
