Sunday, July 23, 2017

Sunday Papers

Three days of working overtime and one night of freelance work, plus getting a new chapter of my novel ready for my writers meeting wiped out a whole week of blogging. All worthy distractions, but I wanted to explain my absence lest anyone think I’m losing interest in Broken Hearted Toy. I’m not.

Some big names in rock will be in the Chicago area this week; with Paul McCartney playing at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on Tuesday and Wednesday; Stephen Stills and Judy Collins at Ravinia on Wednesday; Graham Nash at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; and Roger Waters on Sunday at the United Center. I’m leaving my schedule open in case any or all these musicians want to get together for my birthday.

Longtime rock critic Greg Kot’s interview with Roger Waters in this past Friday’s Chicago Tribune included this quote from the Pink Floyd veteran about performing “The Wall” on his current tour: “It’s interesting the way it finishes onstage after all the bricks have tumbled down, a symbolic demonstration of what good can come out of a wall coming down as opposed to building one. We’d all stand and grin and bathe in connection, a deeply felt connection with the audience.”

Cliff Johnson and The Raine’s next gig is on Saturday, July 29 at Reggies Music Joint on State Street just south of downtown in Chicago. The Jay Goeppner Band is also on the bill that night.

Tickets went on sale today for The Church and Helio Sequence at Park West on October 6; Flamin’ Groovies at SPACE on October 19; LCD Soundsystem at the Aragon Ballroom on November 6; and James McMurtry at SPACE on November 10.

My wife Pam has embarked on a mission to help save the monarch butterfly population. She brings in eggs she finds on the bottom side of leaves on the milkweed plants in our garden, waits until the caterpillars hatch, and then provides fresh leaves for them to feed on. We now have four butterflies-to-be in the chrysalis stage, and six caterpillars in various sizes.

Two Chicago-based festivals are in the chrysalis stage, and I’ve been tracking their development in the hopes of helping them in my own small way to take flight.

YippieFest, a three-day celebration of theatre, comedy, music, puppets, and other forms of entertainment set for the weekend of August 18 – 21 at Prop Thtr, just extended the deadline for participants to sign up. The cutoff is now Monday, July 24. If the concept sounds like the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins festival Mary-Arrchie Theatre hosted for 30 years, it’s because the people behind YippieFest are vets of The Abbie.

The Kaleidoscope Eye psychedelic music festival is now selling advanced tickets for its debut on September 8 and 9 at the Live Wire Club on. Organizers Tim Ferguson of The Red Plastic Buddha, Gregory Curvey of The Luck Of Eden Hall, and photographer/writer Lee Klawans have lined up several bands to participate.

Here’s hoping YippieFest and Kaleidoscope Eye both become annual events on the Chicago scene.

The second Power Pop Shoppe Showcase will take place on October 20 at The Elbo Room on Lincoln Avenue. That’s the same venue where radio host Kirk Fox hosted the first PPSS, a major success that featured The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, The Sunshine Boys, and Phil Angotti. The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club will once again be part of the lineup, along with The Addison, The Peeves, and Mark Watson Band.

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