Slumgullion

Photo from Official Paul McCartney Facebook page.

Today would have been my mother’s 98th birthday. She strongly encouraged me in my writing, and was also the first person I ever heard use the word ‘slumgullion.’ Definitions vary, but the one I prefer is that it’s a type of Irish stew. My mother used ‘slumgullion’ to describe the various dishes she prepared for our family’s Friday night dinners. Which explains its presence here on Broken Hearted Toy as the title of my weekly Friday night column. Happy Birthday, Mom. Thanks for your support and inspiration.

In a move I’d like to believe is in honor of my mother’s birthday (although I know it isn’t), Paul McCartney Photographs 1963 – 64 Eyes Of The Storm opened today at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. The exhibit runs through August 18, and features over 250 photos taken by Paul with his Pentax film camera. Eyes Of The Storm will visit Tokyo, Japan in July, and Portland, OR in September. Fans can also experience those insane days of early Beatlemania by ordering the book 1963 Eyes Of The Storm - Photographs And Reflections By Paul McCartney.

Tonight’s edition of radio station WXRT’s Live From The XRT Archives series will feature a Los Lobos concert that took place at Park West in 1999. The broadcast starts at 9:00 pm; those not in the Chicago area can pick up WXRT available via the Audcacy app.

Today being the first Friday of the month means it’s once again Bandcamp Friday, where Bandcamp waives its revenue and passes “the funds directly to artists and labels.” The tradition started during the pandemic and continues to benefit musicians to this day. Be sure to support your favorite musicians. In related good news, Bandcamp has opened an online store, with a portion of proceeds from select merchandise purchases going to organizations such as MusiCares. I just ordered a t-shirt as I’m typing this.

Fans of catchy, eccentric, and clever rock songs have two opportunities to enjoy a master of the art when Robyn Hitchcock performs at the Old Town School Of Folk Music tonight and tomorrow night. His special guest for each engagement will be comedian Eugene Mirman.

Blondie founding member Chris Stein has a memoir titled Under A Rock coming out on June 11, and it’s available to pre-order from various sites. The book, which features a forward by Debbie Harry, is described by MacMillan Publishers as a “a plunge into the moments that made a giant 1980’s artistic sensation.”

Northeastern Illinois University radio station WZRD Chicago 88.3 will celebrate 50 years of offering freeform radio with a free of charge party tomorrow night, May 4, at Martyrs. There will be live music by Cosmic Bull, Silver Abuse, Sons of Ra, and Charlie Otto. Martyrs’ is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Inanimate will wrap up its run at Theatre Wit tomorrow. Nick Robideau’s play concerns a young woman who’s fallen in love with a neon sign, and Theatre Wit describes it as, “the best (and only!) objectum-sexual dramedy of the year.” The venue is located at 1229 W. Belmont Avenue on the north side.

The Neverly Brothers 20th Anniversary Tour will bring them to the Beverly Arts Center tomorrow (Saturday). It’s located at 2407 W. 111th Street - Chicago, IL. The trio provides a history of rock music dating back to the 1950s by performing artists such as Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and The Kinks.

The Nelikona Cafe in downtown Palatine, IL will present live folk, rock, pop and jazz via Acoustic Guitar And Vocals by Rick And Friends from 2:00 to 4:00 on the first and third Sundays of the month. Admission is free, the venue is located at 45 N. Bothwell Street.

 

Stands For Decibels, the 1981 debut album from the New York indie rock quartet The dB’s, will be reissued on June 7. This remastered edition is coming out on colored vinyl and is available to pre-order on the via the Propeller Sound Recordings website. The first single, “Big Brown Eyes,” is already available on streaming sites. According to the official dB’s website, the band’s second effort, RePercussion, will also be reissued and there are plans for a summer/fall reunion tour.

The Rolling Stones have announced 17 of the 18 support acts for their upcoming Hackney Diamonds US Tour ‘24. (Their May 23 concert in East Rutherford, NJ is still a TBA.)  As for Chicago, it will be Bettye LaVette on June 27 and Lainey Wilson on June 30. 

Congratulations to Stevie Van Zandt and his playwright brother Billy on having a street named for them in their hometown of Middleton, NJ during an official ceremony earlier today. It will be between Cherry Tree farm Road and Wilson Avenue. The honor comes from the New Jersey Hall Of Fame.

The musical Stereophonic, which recently opened at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway in New York, musical provides a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional band (with echoes of The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac) as it struggles to record a new album.

The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition of The Hoodoo Gurus debut album Stoneage Romeos is coming out on May 17, but the bad news is that every one of the 1,984 numbered double CDs have already sold out via pre-orders.

English ska band Madness will be playing concerts in America for first time in 12 years. Their C’est La Vie In America Tour kicks off on May 22 in Seattle, and will also include dates in the Oakland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, and Boston. Sadly, Chicago is not on their schedule. C’est La Vie, the band’s latest album, was released late last year.

Tickets are now on sale for the OHANA Festival taking place on the weekend of September 27 – 29 in Dana Point, CA. The impressive lineup includes Pearl Jam, whose impressive latest album Dark Matter was recently released; Garbage; Crowded House; Neil Young with Crazy Horse; Black Pumas; Jenny Lewis; Cat Power Sings Dylan 66; Alanis Morissette; The Breeders; and Kim Gordon.

 

Pravda Records, Chicago’s longest-running independent label, will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a show at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn on August 31. So far, I haven’t seen any mention of what acts will perform, but Pravda has such an impressive roster, the event is sure to be a blast.

The Handcuffs, who are one of those impressive acts signed to Pravda Records, will release a special vinyl edition of their Burn The Rails album some time this summer. In addition to its gatefold packaging, there will a bonus seven-inch single featuring two previously unreleased songs. This new version will arrive just about two years after the eclectic and impressive Burn The Rails came out in CD and digital formats.

Lost Angel: The Genius Of Judee Sill, a new documentary about the 1970s singer-songwriter who died tragically in 1979, is being released in several theaters around the country, and will be available to stream on Amazon and Apple TV. The film features Linda Ronstadt, Graham Nash, Jackson Brown, David Crosby, David Geffen and other well-known popular music figures.

Writing Day Workshops will offer an in-person conference on June 22 in downtown Chicago. I’ve attended this event a number of times, and have really appreciated the seminars, as well as having the opportunity to schedule a 10-minute pitch to literary agents. There will be Workshops in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, and other cities, as well as a few online versions.

The very first Off North Shore Skokie Music Festival will be held on the Skokie Sports Park on June 21 and 22. Scheduled performers include Mike Campbell and Dirty Knobs; Larkin Poe; The Bones Of J.R. Jones; and The Empty Pockets on day one; and Grace Potter; Donavon Frankenreiter; Jaime Wyatt; and JC Brooks Band on the second night.

Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove will celebrate the arrival of spring with the Germany-inspired MaiFest next Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11. There will be live music, German games, new beer releases, and food trucks. 

007 Science: Inventing The World Of James Bond, a new exhibit that views the popular spy movies from an intellectual but still fun perspective, opened recently at Chicago’s Museum Of Science And Industry, and will run through October 27.

The Sound He Appears To Make

Harm's Way by Ducks Ltd. 

Three new albums to consider.

Ducks Ltd. - Harm’s Way

Vocalist-bassist Tom McGreevy and lead guitarist-drums programmer Evan Lewis of the duo Ducks Ltd. are from Toronto, Canada, but have found a warm welcome since moving to Chicago. That includes their song “Hollowed Out” picking up airplay on WXRT. Several local musicians pitched in during the recording of Ducks Ltd.’s  2023 album Harm’s Way, which evokes vintage R.E.M. and The Cure with melodic, guitar-driven arrangements and mysterious and melancholy lyrics. To quote the Ducks Ltd. Bandcamp page, the music reflects “the near-impossibility of keeping a level head when everything around you seems to be falling apart.” In addition to “Hollowed Out,” highlights include “Train Full Of Gasoline,” “Deleted Scenes,” and “A Girl, Running.”

Aerial - Activities Of Daily Living

Despite being the first album from Aerial since Why Don’t They Teach Heartbreak In School? dropped ten years ago, Activities Of Daily Living finds the Glasgow, Scotland band in top form. The songwriting duo of Colin Cummings and Mackie Mackintosh once again craft clever, off-kilter lyrics set to well-crafted power pop arrangements, particularly on energetic gems such as the title track, “An Encore And A Cover Song,” and “Bad Tattoo.” “I Bet You Know Karate” will have listeners clapping their hands instead of breaking boards, while “Hollywood Ghosts” finds the duo taking a lush sound, melodic approach. 

The Cyrkle - Revival

Fans of melodic pop tunes from a certain era will be glad to see vocalist-guitarist Don Dannemann and vocalist-keyboards player Mike Losekamp from 1960s hitmakers The Cyrkle have released a new album. Six of the thirteen tracks on Revival were written by either Dannemann or Losekamp, and they get expert assistance from former Ohio Express bassist-vocalist Dean Kastran and three other musician-vocalists. Dannemann’s autobiographical “We Were There” celebrates The Cyrkle’s earliest days, and there’s also a faithful cover of Simon And Garfunkel’s “59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).” “Goin’ Steady With You” and  “Dance With Me Tonight” reach further back for a 1950s vibe, while “We Thought We Could Fly” explores a more psychedelic approach. Revival also includes 21st Century Versions of The Cyrkle hit singles “Turn Down Days” and “Red Rubber Ball.”

Incoming

Photo from Klaus Voorman Facebook page.

Happy Birthday to Klaus Voorman, the German musician-artist who changed the history of rock and roll by introducing The Beatles to long hair and Astrid Kirchherr. He later performed with Manfred Mann and John Lennon, and created the iconic cover art for The Beatles’ Revolver album. I met Voorman at Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago a few years back, while purchasing a copy of his birth of an icon REVOLVER 50 graphic novel, and I can attest to what a cool gentleman he is. Happy Birthday, Klaus. 

 

Shawn Colvin, who’s earned three Grammy Awards and given us emotionally charged folk-rock tales such as “Sunny Came Home,” has been sharing stages with KT Tunstall of “Black Horse And The Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See” fame. Their current tour will make a stop this Friday night at The Des Plaines Theatre in suburban Des Plaines, IL. The venue’s website states Colvin and Tunstall will perform their songs as a duo. That would pretty amazing.

The Martyrs’ music venue on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago will host a Jeff Beck Celebration featuring local musicians this Wednesday, May 1. The lineup will feature guitarists Curt Morrison, Chris Siebold, Grant Tye, Marco Villarreal and Dan Peters; vocalist Rich Parenti; keyboards player Vijay Tellis-Nayak; bassist Jon Paul; and drummer Greg Essig. Tickets are $20, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Folly Wildlife Rescue.

Fans of catchy, eccentric, and clever rock songs have two opportunities to enjoy a master of the art when Robyn Hitchcock performs at the Old Town School Of Folk Music this Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4. His special guest for each night will be comedian Eugene Mirman.

The Rachel Drew Band has an On The Porch performance at Hideout Inn on Chicago’s north side this Wednesday, May 1. Drew will also have Wednesday night On The Porch gigs at the venue on June 5 and August 7. All three start at 6:00 pm.

Northeastern Illinois University radio station WZRD Chicago 88.3 will celebrate 50 years of offering freeform radio with a free of charge party this Saturday, May 4 at Martyrs. There will be live music by Cosmic Bull, Silver Abuse, Sons of Ra, and Charlie Otto. Martyrs’ is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Avenue.

The Neverly Brothers 20th Anniversary Tour will bring them to the Beverly Arts Center this Saturday, May 4. It’s located at 2407 W. 111th Street - Chicago, IL. The trio provides a history of rock music dating back to the 1950s by performing artists such as Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and The Kinks.

Inanimate will wrap up its run at Theatre Wit this Saturday. Nick Robideau’s play concerns a young woman who’s fallen in love with a neon sign, and Theatre Wit describes it as, “the best (and only!) objectum-sexual dramedy of the year.” The venue is located at 1229 W. Belmont Avenue on the north side. 

Slumgullion

Stands For Decibels, the 1981 debut album from the New York indie rock quartet The dB’s, will be reissued on June 7. This remastered edition is coming out on colored vinyl and is available to pre-order the via the Propeller Sound Recordings website. The first single, “Big Brown Eyes,” is already available on streaming sites. According to the official dB’s website, the band’s second effort, RePercussion, will also be reissued and there are plans for a summer/fall reunion tour.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago will wrap up its 2024 run at Montrose Saloon with one showcase tonight, and a pair of showcases tomorrow. Check my previous posts for the breakdown on each of them, or consult the official IPO website for the schedule and links to all the acts. Congratulations to IPO Founder David Bash on another successful visit to our city.

The Rolling Stones have announced 17 of the 18 support acts for their upcoming Hackney Diamonds US Tour ‘24. (Their May 23 concert in East Rutherford, NJ is still a TBA.) As for Chicago, it will be Bettye LaVette on June 27 and Lainey Wilson on June 30. The tour kicks off this Sunday in Houston with Gary Clark Jr. as the opener; there’s no support act for May 2 because The Stones will be performing at the NOLA Jazz Fest.

 

The Martyrs’ music venue on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago will host a Jeff Beck Celebration featuring local musicians next Wednesday, May 1. The lineup will feature guitarists Curt Morrison, Chris Siebold, Grant Tye, Marco Villarreal and Dan Peters; vocalist Rich Parenti; keyboards player Vijay Tellis-Nayak; bassist Jon Paul; and drummer Greg Essig. Tickets are $20, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Folly Wildlife Rescue.

Congratulations to Stevie Van Zandt and his playwright brother Billy on having a street named for them in their hometown of Middleton, NJ during an official ceremony earlier today. It’s between Cherry Tree Farm Road and Wilson Avenue. The honor comes from the New Jersey Hall Of Fame.

Fans of catchy, eccentric, and clever rock songs have two opportunities to enjoy a master of the art when Robyn Hitchcock performs at the Old Town School Of Folk Music next Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4. His special guest for each night will be comedian Eugene Mirman.

Over the years, I’ve come to trust Chicago Tribune theatre critic Chris Jones when he recommends a new production. His favorable review in today’s edition concerned the musical Stereophonic, which recently opened at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway in New York. Jones describes the musical as a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional band (with echoes of The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac) as it struggles to record a new album. I’m unable to travel to New York to see Stereophonic, but it sure sounds interesting.

The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition of The Hoodoo Gurus debut album Stoneage Romeos is coming out on May 17, but the bad news is that every one of the 1,984 numbered double CDs have already sold out via pre-orders.

The Rachel Drew Band has an On The Porch performance at Hideout Inn on Chicago’s north side coming up next Wednesday, May 1. Drew will also have Wednesday night On The Porch gigs at the venue on June 5 and August 7. All three start at 6:00 pm.

Madness, those English ska lads who gave us the “Our House” hit single and funny video, as well as several nutty treasures on their LPs, will be playing concerts in the U.S.A. for first time in 12 years. Their C’est La Vie In America Tour, which starts in May, will include the Las Vegas Punk Bowling And Music Festival. Unfortunately, Chicago is not on their schedule. C’est La Vie, the band’s latest album, was released late last year.

There will be a Craft Beer Fest featuring area breweries at Brothers’ Field in Long Grove, IL from 12:00 to 4:00 pm tomorrow afternoon. The ticket price of $60 includes a Long Grove Craft Beer Fest taster glass, unlimited craft beer samples, access to food vendors, and live entertainment by the Fox Crossing Stringband.

 

Tickets are now on sale for the OHANA Festival taking place on the weekend of September 27 – 29 in dana Point, CA. The lineup includes Pearl Jam, whose impressive latest album Dark Matter was released last Friday; Garbage; Crowded House; Neil Young with Crazy Horse; Black Pumas; Jenny Lewis; Cat Power Sings Dylan 66; Alanis Morissette; The Breeders; and Kim Gordon.

Pravda Records, Chicago’s longest-running independent label, will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a show at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn on August 31. So far, I haven’t seen any mention of what acts will perform, but Pravda has such a talented roster, the event is sure to be a blast.

The Handcuffs, who are one of those talented acts signed to Pravda Records, will release a special vinyl edition of their Burn The Rails album some time this summer. In addition to its gatefold packaging, there will a bonus seven-inch single featuring two previously unreleased songs. This new version will arrive just about two years after the eclectic Burn The Rails came out in CD and digital formats.

Lost Angel: The Genius Of Judee Sill, a new documentary about the 1970s singer-songwriter who died tragically in 1979, is being released in several theaters around the country, and will be available to stream on Amazon and Apple TV. The film features Linda Ronstadt, Graham Nash, Jackson Brown, David Crosby, David Geffen and other well-known popular music figures.

Congratulations to author-journalist Mark Guarino on having his book Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival named as “Book of the Year” by the Illinois State Historical Society this past weekend in Springfield.

The official Moody Blues Facebook page shared the sad news yesterday that founding member, keyboards player Mike Pinder has passed away. “His authentic essence lifted up everyone who came into contact with him,” the site noted. “His lyrics, philosophy, and vision of humanity and our place in the cosmos will touch generations to come.”

Tellin’ Tales Theatre in Chicago will present Diversity: Real Life Stories, its latest production of solo performances by artists, writers, and advocates with disabilities on this weekend at Greenhouse Theater Center.

The Zombies have released a collection of five one-take demos titled less is more on Spotify and Apple Music. 

Journalist-musician Hugh Hart passed along the sad news that vocalist Jo Dare has died. She was probably best known for sharing lead vocals with Queen frontman Freddie Mercury on the 1985 single “Hold On.” Judging from a post on the Freddie Mercury and Queen Facebook page, Mercury was quite impressed with her powerful voice. Before moving to Germany, where she met Mercury, the Texas native spent time in Chicago as a member of Hart’s The ODD alternative rock band. Back then, she was known as Jo Jackson. Rock In Paradise, Jo.

Writing Day Workshops will offer an in-person conference on June 22 in downtown Chicago. I’ve attended this event a number of times, and have really appreciated the seminars, as well as having the opportunity to schedule a 10-minute pitch to literary agents. There will be Workshops in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, and other cities, as well as a few online versions.

Northeastern Illinois University radio station WZRD Chicago 88.3 will celebrate 50 years of offering freeform radio with a free of charge party next Saturday, May 4 at Martyrs. There will be live music by Cosmic Bull, Silver Abuse, Sons of Ra, and Charlie Otto. Martyrs’ is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Avenue.

The Neverly Brothers 20th Anniversary Tour will bring them to the Beverly Arts Center next Saturday, May 4. It’s located at 2407 W. 111th Street - Chicago, IL. The trio provides a history of rock music dating back to the 1950s by performing artists such as Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and The Kinks.

Chicago fans of offbeat theatre will likely enjoy Theatre Wit’s current production of Nick Robideau’s play Inanimate, which runs through next Saturday. The play concerns a young woman who’s fallen in love with a neon sign. Theatre Wit, which is located at 1229 W. Belmont Avenue on the north side, describes the Jeremy Wechsler-directed Inanimate as “the best (and only!) objectum-sexual dramedy of the year.” J.G. Smith stars in the lead role.

The very first Off North Shore Skokie Music Festival will be held on the Skokie Sports Park on June 21 and 22. Scheduled performers include Mike Campbell and Dirty Knobs; Larkin Poe; The Bones Of J.R. Jones; and The Empty Pockets on day one; and Grace Potter; Donavon Frankenreiter; Jaime Wyatt; and JC Brooks Band on the second night.

007 Science: Inventing The World Of James Bond, a new exhibit that views the popular spy movies from an intellectual but still fun perspective, opened recently at Chicago’s Museum Of Science And Industry, and will run through October 27. 

Incoming

Okay, just because I’ve finished my previews for this year’s International Pop Overthrow - Chicago, don’t think the event has ended. There are still five showcases coming up, starting tonight at 7:30 and running through two showcases on Saturday. Check my previous posts for the breakdown on each of them, or check out the official IPO website for the schedule and links to all the acts.

The Reader Best Of Chicago celebration will take place tomorrow from 5:30 to 10:00 pm at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The event will offer live entertainment and performances by some of the award winners, as well as food and beverage vendors and other activities. General Admission tickets are $30.

The Martyrs’ music venue on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago will host a Jeff Beck Celebration featuring local musicians on May 1. The lineup features guitarists Curt Morrison, Chris Siebold, Grant Tye, Marco Villarreal and Dan Peters; vocalist Rich Parenti; keyboards player Vijay Tellis-Nayak; bassist Jon Paul; and drummer Greg Essig. Tickets are $20, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Folly Wildlife Rescue.

Pre-sale tickets will go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 am PT for the OHANA Festival taking place on the weekend of September 27 – 29 in Dana Point, CA. Headline acts include Pearl Jam, whose impressive latest album Dark Matter was released last Friday; Garbage; Crowded House; Neil Young with Crazy Horse; Black Pumas; Jenny Lewis; Cat Power Sings Dylan 66; Alanis Morissette; The Breeders; and Kim Gordon.

This past Saturday brought one of those rare Record Store Day excursions when I came away empty handed. In fact, I think it’s only happened once before. The staff at Reckless Records on Madison Street in downtown Chicago did a great job assisting customers, but I was disappointed they had already sold out of the Five Live Yardbirds album and the "Atomic City (U2/UV Live At Sphere, Las Vegas)" 10-inch vinyl single I wanted.

I’m sure I’ll have better luck purchasing The Handcuffs’s Burn The Rails album when the Chicago indie rock band releases a special vinyl edition some time this summer. In addition to its gatefold packaging, there will a bonus seven-inch single featuring two previously unreleased songs. This new version will arrive just about two years after the eclectic and impressive Burn The Rails came out in CD and digital formats.

There will be a Craft Beer Fest featuring area breweries at Brothers’ Field in Long Grove, IL from 12:00 to 4:00 pm this Saturday afternoon. The ticket price of $60 includes a Long Grove Craft Beer Fest taster glass, unlimited craft beer samples, access to food vendors, and live entertainment by the Fox Crossing Stringband. 

Congratulations to author-journalist Mark Guarino on having his book Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival named as "Book of the Year" by the Illinois State Historical Society this past weekend in Springfield.

IPO - Chicago: The Double Bill Finale

Photo from the Elephonic Facebook page.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago continues its 2024 run at Montrose Saloon tonight with a six-act showcase. See my 4-19 post here on BHT for all the info.

Looking ahead, IPO - Chicago will wrap up its 2024 run at Montrose Saloon with a pair of showcases this Saturday; one in the afternoon, and then the finale at night. Looking at both Saturday showcases, this last day serves as a prime example of the eclectic approach IPO Founder David Bash takes in choosing the acts. They’re from the Chicago area unless noted otherwise.

The afternoon showcase kicks off with singer-guitarist Steve Delisi, who promises to deliver a batch of new songs from an album due out later this year. Two of those songs, the bluesy “Edinburgh” and mid-tempo, melodic “Will We Run?,” can be found on his Bandcamp page, along with three previous singles. Delisi is one of those adventurous Chicago acts who have travelled across the pond to perform at IPO - Liverpool. Michael Steven Cohen has explored a variety of musical styles throughout his  career; including power pop with The Abbeys, harder-edged pop with Pop Dollys, and Phil and Don covers with the Everly Hillbillies. And then there’s his current solo project of covering vintage love songs and standards. Cohen’s IPO - Chicago performance this Saturday afternoon—his 28th overall—will touch on much of that history, along with a brand new song. San Marcos, CA singer-guitarist Scott Samuels’ IPO - Chicago gig will mark his first visit to his old hometown in several years, and he’ll be backed by his high school bandmates. He’s come up with a few new melodic pop songs to go along with the ones from his most recent EP Sunshine And Starlight and previous releases.  

Detroit-based Big Stir Records artists The Incurables released their Inside Out And Backwards album of non-stop energetic and often humorous garage rock earlier this year. The highlights include “Soda Pop,” a bass-driven tribute to the fizzy beverage, and the hard-edged rejection voiced in “Go Away.” Status Foe has taken its hard-edged, melodic rock to venues around the country, including Nashville and the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. Songs such as “Call It As It Is” and “Peeled And Faded” from their 2022 album Falling Awake have a driving beat and provocative lyrics that are well suited to the ambitious videos the band offers on its website. Chicago power pop band The Second Summer released their debut album undertow this past January, and it’s filled with catchy tunes graced with well-crafted harmony vocals. These guys aim for songs that tell a story without losing the beat. The energetic first track “The Reason” would be a good choice for a single, and other highlights include the likewise energetic “Invisible” and “Wonder Why.”

An hour after this Saturday’s first showcase ends, the International Pop Overthrow - Chicago finale kicks off at 7:30 with Elephonic. The Milwaukee-based septet crafts an appealing power pop sound by adding cello and violin to guitars and drums arrangements. Elephonic’s 2023 self-titled debut album offers melodic gems such as “Until The Sound” and “Rapid Transit.” Longtime IPO fans will be interested to learn this band features guitarist-vocalist Mike Jarvis, formerly of the power pop masters The Lackloves. Deep Cricket Night can often be found performing on the Chicago club scene and has been releasing albums since its self-titled debut in 2006. Songs such as “Sometimes When She Sings” and “Dead Calm” on the band’s 2023 Song Of The Siren Saved album evoke mystery via ornate yet energetic arrangements. Led by vocalist-guitarist Anthony Calderisi, The Band Calderisi offered 11 tracks of catchy power pop music on its most recent album Years Gone By. Highlights from that effort include “Nothing Left To Save” and “Pent Up Frustrations.” They’ll likely perform tracks from Years Gone By, as well as some new music at International Pop Overthrow - Chicago this Saturday night. Anthony Calderisi has also been known to post solo acoustic performances of Beatles songs, such as “I’ll Follow The Sun.” 

Since forming in 2018, the trio 6Kitty has performed at a number of venues on the Chicago club scene, including Montrose Saloon. Their 2022 album Tux drew inspiration from acts ranging from Courtney Barnett to The Pixies, with hard-edged songs such My World,” “Tidal Wave,”  and “Starfish’r” being among the highlights. High On Stress has released seven albums since 2005, including a Greatest Hits collection and Live At First Avenue. Over the years, the Minneapolis-based quartet has successfully balanced catchy rock songs with Country and Western flavored ballads, predominantly from a workingman’s point of view. Their 2020 effort, Hold Me In, kicks off with the energetic “Work Release” and also gives us the acoustic ballad “Life Can Get So Long.” The Queue will bring this year’s International Pop Overthrow - Chicago to a close late this Saturday night, and they're long-time regulars at this festival. Their 2018 EP Fire And Lies offered the hard-edged pop of “Heart on Fire” and “Take Me Dow” while the “Come On Brother, Come On Sister” single, released last year, matches revolutionary sentiment to a melodic Brit pop arrangement.  

IPO - Chicago: Friday On My Mind

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago just finished a weekend of live music at Montrose Saloon on the city’s north side, but there are still seven showcases to check out this week. See my April 18 post here on BHT for a preview of tonight's lineup.

Looking ahead, IPO - Chicago 2024 will wrap things up at Montrose Saloon this weekend with a six-band showcase on Friday night, and a pair of six-packs (afternoon, and evening) on Saturday. All acts scheduled for Friday are from Chicago unless otherwise noted.

Friday night will kick off with Dolph Chaney And The Phins, most likely playing songs from his latest album Mug. “Californiagain,” the first single, showcases Chaney’s ability to inject humor into guitar-driven, catchy pop songs. He was also a major player on the “Airwave Hello” single recently released by power pop super group The Electromagnates. Custard Flux is an ambitious prog rock project from Gregory Curvey, who is well known for his years with the prog rock band The Luck Of Eden Hall. He’ll perform six of the adventurous songs from his latest album Einsteinium Delirium, including “Right Now Here In Time” and “Peace In Time.” On his Bandcamp page, Curvey states, “This album is a little different than our first four albums. It’s no holds barred electric!” It’s always fun when out-of-town visitors come to Chicago for International Pop Overthrow, and with a high energy album like This Time Next Year . . ., San Francisco garage rockers The Seagulls are certainly welcome. The quartet states their “hook-laden sound draws from S. London,” which might explain why “Coraline” has an energetic ska feel. Other tracks, like “Sunday Afternoon Drinking” and “Big Bad Beautiful World,” offer an overpowering blend of guitars, drums, and organ.

Penthouse Sweets is the first of two bands performing this night that include Montrose Saloon boss Eric Chial in their lineups. (He’s also a founding member of The Bon Mots, who played this past weekend.) They’ve been offering an intriguing blend of country and alt rock during fun and occasionally wild shows on the Chicago rock scene for over 20 years. In The House Of The Penthouse Sweets, the most recent effort among their singles and albums, features gems such as “Shelly Brown” and “Whiskey Winged.” They’ve performed at IPO - Chicago a number of times. Who’s This Mary? define themselves as “celebrated globe-trotting power pop sons” who intend to perform “Britpop powered gems” at Friday’s IPO - Chicago show. Sorry for resorting to quotes, but this is pretty imaginative stuff from their Facebook post. The trio of Niko Twist Action, Tony Long, and Eric Chial specializes in originals and covers of The Cars, The Buzzcocks, and other post-punk and new wave acts. The Pickpockets have two decades of experience playing Brit and American post-punk and indie rock on the Chicago club scene, and released their debut album in 2011. The songs on their 2021 The 1 Dream EP are augmented with horns and strings.

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago schedule. You’ll also find links for just about all the acts who’ll be participating in Chicago this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you've even seen the band play.