Photo from the Record Store Day website.
See yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.
Record Store Day 2025 arrives next Saturday, and once again, the massive selection has something for fans of just about every genre and era. Some of the better known acts involved include David Bowie; Emmylou Harris; The O’Jays; and The Rolling Stones. The list of limited-edition vinyl offerings is available on the official website, and the current issue of the Illinois Entertainer has extensive coverage. Some stores create a party atmosphere around this event and even offer live music.
The Chicago Cubs have teamed up with Motorola Razr in unveiling a new Blues Alternate uniform that will make its first appearance tomorrow at Wrigley Field in a game against the San Diego Padres. The Blues Alternate version is meant to honor the Cubs, as well as our city’s essential role in the history of blues music. There will be a retail venue called Landmark Records offering Blues Alternate clothing and merchandise, as well as limited edition music-related merchandise at Gallagher Way near the ballpark. Landmark Records will occasionally host live performances throughout the 2025 season.
Chicago band Baby No Name has a record release event for its second effort Feral on April 12 at Jarvis Square Pottery on the city’s far north side. The group’s website describes Feral as “surprisingly bad ass, departing wholly from 2021’s exquisitely personal EP, Come Close.” Susan Abelson and Victor Sanders will also perform that night.
Chicago-based, guitar-powered instrumental band Outronaut released an extensive and ambitious new tune titled “Demonic Republic” today. Composer-guitarist Steve Gerlach described it as “Easily the longest OUTRONAUT piece at 6:45” on Facebook today, and added, “It arrives at a point in time where you might need a soundtrack to your own revolution, a recommitment to standing with the most oppressed among us, standing up for human rights.” The single “Demonic Republic” is available on Bandcamp.
The Miki Berenyi Trio, featuring Lush founding member Miki Berenyi along with KJ ‘Moose’ McKillop and Oliver Cherer, released its debut album Tripla today. The atmospheric vocals and arrangements will no doubt appeal to Lush fans, with “Gango,” “Big I Am,” and “Hurricane” particularly standing out. Later this year, the band will kick off a North America Tour that includes an October 17 date at Lincoln Hall in Chicago.
The Cincinnati, OH publisher Ruffian Books has released a new one titled 500 Essential Pop-Punk Albums - From Blondie To blink-182, offering more than 550 pages of famous and lesser known artists. It’s available for $29.95.
Peter Checksfield, a UK-based music historian/author whose previous efforts have covered The Rolling Stones and Jerry Lee Lewis, released a new book this week titled The Hollies - Elevated Observations: The Graham Nash Years 1963 – 1968. His Facebook post states the book explores “all the singles, albums, outtakes, live recordings, BBC radio, TV shows, cover versions, and much, much more!” It’s available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and kindle versions.
Aimee Mann has a 22 1/2 Lost In Space Anniversary Tour with guest Jonathan Coulton coming this summer. It opens on June 5 in Cranston, RI and wraps up at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on June 27.
The Phil Angotti Band and Steve Dawson with Lucid Dreams will share a double bill at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL on April 19. Angotti and Dawson are two of Chicago’s best singer-songwriters, and have the albums to prove it. The music starts at 8:30 pm.
The mysterious Chicago-based alt rock band whitewolfsonicprincess will share a bill with singer-songwriter Hannah Frank at Cary’s Lounge on April 12. The show will run from 4:00 to 7:00 pm; Cary’s Lounge is located at 2251 W. Devon on the far north side.
Long-time entertainment writer Mark Caro (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune) has interviewed several well-known musicians for his Caropop podcast. Caro’s latest podcast finds him touching base with Peter Holsapple from The dB’s and Continental Drifters for a second time. In addition to his work with those two bands, Holsapple talks about his latest solo effort The Face Of 68. Caropop is available via Apple Podcasts.
Looks like I’m not the only one who enjoyed Sunny Afternoon, the UK play based on the music of The Kinks, currently running at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune and Catey Sullivan in the Chicago Sun-Times gave the show positive reviews, although each had a few issues with it. Sunny Afternoon runs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater through April 27.
Garbage, the band that gave us songs such as “Stupid Girl,” “I’m Only Happy When It Rains,” and “I Think I’m Paranoid,” have a Happy Endings tour with special guest Starcrawler coming this fall. It kicks off on September 3 in Orlando, FL, and will include a stop at The Salt Shed in Chicago on September 29. Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, the band’s eighth album, is due out May 30.
Tickets are now on sale for the Sea. Hear. Now. festival taking place in Asbury Park, NJ on September 13 and 14. Participating acts include Inhaler; Hozier; LCD Soundsystem; Alabama Shakes; ZZ Top; De La Soul; UB40; Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue; Blink 182; Lenny Kravitz; Sublime; Public Enemy; Spoon; and 4 Non Blondes.
The Regrettes, a Los Angeles quartet that impressed critics as well as numerous fans over the course of three albums, broke up a little over a year ago. Former lead vocalist and main songwriter Lydia Night recently sent out an email stating she’s finished recording a solo album that will be released soon. It’ll be interesting to see if Night continues The Regrettes’ formula of mixing punk energy and alienation, flavored with bits of Motown and the 1960s girl groups sound.
Congratulations are in order for music industry veteran Dean Brownrout, whose No Big Deal nabbed a bronze medal in the Memoir/Biography category at the recent Axiom Business Book Awards. Brownrout has described No Big Deal as “a humorous and nostalgic journey through this seminal time in the music industry.”
A recently remastered and expanded version of director Cameron Crowe’s 1982 film Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party can now be viewed via the Paramount+ streaming service. The documentary had previously only been seen once on MTV.
Autographed copies of Mike Campbell’s Heartbreaker memoir are now available for pre-order from the talkshoplive and Premiere Collectibles websites. Campbell was a founding member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, and currently leads the band The Dirty Knobs.
The recently released single “Bullet Proof” is the first new music we’ve heard from Chicago rock scene veterans Kevin Lee And The Kings since 2022. The hard-edged song takes aim at high society via Lee’s strong vocals and a guitar-driven arrangement. Fans can check it out on Soundcloud.
The Handcuffs will likely include a few new songs they’ll be recording soon for their 5th album when they open for for fellow Chicagoans The Steepwater Band at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL on April 25. The Steepwater Band has recorded a series of albums filled with hard-hitting Americana rock.
Chicago-based label Pravda Records will release a remastered, reissue of The Chamber Strings’ 2001 album A Month Of Sundays this summer. Vocalist-guitarist Kevin Junior, who passed away in 2016, was the guiding force on what Pravda describes as, “a beautiful album from a beautiful soul.”
Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons’ annual Hot Stove Cool Music is set for April 12 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. The event will feature Cheap Trick; Greg Hawkes and Eddie Japan performing songs by The Cars; and the Hot Stove All-Stars (Peter Gammons, Theo Epstein, Bill Janovitz, Kay Hanley, Will Dailey, and MLB Legends). 100% of the proceeds will go to the Foundation To Be Named Later Gammons College Scholarships fund.
Tickets are now on sale for The Color Purple - The Musical coming to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago starting June 21. The production will be directed by Lili-Anne Brown, with book by Marsha Norman, and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Alee Willis, and Stephen Bray.
Shaky Knees - The Music Festival is scheduled to take place at Piedmont Park in in Atlanta, GA from September 19 through 21. Scheduled acts include Lenny Kravitz; Pixies; Spoon; Inhaler; Cage The Elephant; Johnny Marr; The Beaches; Vampire Weekend; Devo; Wet Leg; Franz Ferdinand; and Stereophonics.
International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 2025 will be held from April 25 through May 3 at Montrose Saloon, and the schedule is now available on the official IPO website. CFO/Founder David Bash has brought his multi-act showcase to a number of Chicago venues over the years, and Montrose Saloon is a particularly good fit. I believe this is its fourth year of hosting. Per tradition, each night will bring a set of at least five acts; and there will be afternoon and evening sets on April 26, 27, and May 3.
The feature-length documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender, which is based on the U2 vocalist’s solo tour for his fascinating memoir, will stream on May 30 on Apple TV. According to an online post from Billboard, director Andre Dominik’s film will include footage of Bono performing some of the songs he’s made famous with U2.
Congratulations to vocalist Gerald McClendon, who’ll receive the Bobby Blue Bland Award when the 25th Annual Jus’ Blues Foundation holds its Night Of The Living Legends event on July 30 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Many of us in Chicago are familiar with McClendon because of his superb performance of “My Sweet Lord” at a number of My Sweet George events at the Martyrs’ venue on Lincoln Avenue.