Saturday Slumgullion

Photo from the official Spooner Facebook page.

Founding members Duke Erikson, Dave Benton, Joel Tappero, and Butch Vig of the indie rock band Spooner will reunite for a 50th Anniversary show on July 12 at the Atwood Music Hall in their original hometown of Madison, WI. Musicians Pauli Ryan and Alex Drossart will help out, and there will be more special guests. The Sean Michael Dargan Trio show will be the opening act.

Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison with Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz takes place on March 17 at SPACE in Evanston.

Indie label Kool Kat Musik has set a March 18 release date for Pop Aid 2: A Compilation To Benefit Those Affected By Hurricanes Helene & Milton. All net profits from the 23-track CD will go directly to the American Red Cross in its efforts to help people in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Acts who contributed songs to Pop Aid 2 include Mothboxer; Ronnie D’Addario featuring The Lemon Twigs; Vegas With Randolph; The Anderson Council; The Weeklings; Thrift Store Halo; The Grip Weeds, The Successful Failures; and Richard Turgeon. Kool Kat’s first POP AID effort came in 2022 with A Power Pop Compilation to Benefit the Citizens of Ukraine, which has so far generated over $4,000 to help World Central Kitchen in its work.

Panick and The Friars will perform original tunes and a few covers at their March 14 gig at Lizard’s Liquid Lounge on Chicago’s north side.

I recently received the copy of Second Scene Issue 20 I ordered on the Pittsburgh-based alt rock print publication’s Bandcamp page. The indie rock publication sports an eye-catching design and covers acts such as Kaeidoscope; low sunday; Clan Of XYMOX; The Armoires; Vision Video; and Tall Poppy Syndrome.

The Stop Making Sense: A Film By Jonathan Demme And Talking Heads Live Event Hosted By Jerry Harrison event is 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.

The Clinard Dance’s Flamenco Quartet Project, which aims to infuse genres such as jazz, blues, and hip-hop with elements of flamenco, will return to SPACE in Evanston on March 24. Grammy Award nominated blues harmonica player Billy Branch will join jazz vocalist Joan Collaso; rapper King Mossa; flamenco percussionist Diego Alvarez; flamenco singer "Cachito" Jose Diaz; tap artist Jumaane Taylor; guitarist Andrea Salcedo; and flamenco dancer Wendy Clinard at the SPACE performance.

Music industry people across the country have been helping victims of the California wildfires; whether it’s the Good Music To Lift Los Angeles download album; the FireAid Benefit concert in Los Angeles; or t-shirts available from the Consequence and Bandcamp websites. Now, comedians are literally getting in the act with Let’s Get L.Aid - A Night Of Music And Comedy For L.A. Wildfire Relief. The event will be held at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles on March 16. So far, “Weird Al” Yankovic; Al Jardine; Eric Idle; Margaret Cho; Peter Asher; and Rufus Wainwright are among the performers, with more to be added. The Wild Honey Foundation is helping out, so it’s a safe bet some popular musicians will be signing on.

Musicians at work. It was nice to see Facebook posts from the Chicago music acts The Handcuffs and Phil Angotti each stating they’re working on material for new albums.

The 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.

The current issue of the Chicago Reader is devoted to its annual Best Of Chicago awards. Each year, the long-running free publication asks the public to choose the winners in over 300 categories. Congratulations to WBEZ as Best Overall Radio Station (WXRT was First Runner-up); Terri Hemmert as Best Radio DJ; Wrigley Field as Best Sports Facility; Illinoise as Best Musical; Billy Branch And The Sons Of Blues as Best Blues Band; Simon’s Tavern as Best Dive Bar; Local H as Best Rock Band; Jamila Woods as Best Rhythm and Blues Artist; SPACE as Best Suburban Music Venue (FitzGerald’s was First Runner-up); Empty Bottle as Best Venue For Rock Music (Metro was First Runner-up); and Green Mill for Best Venue For Jazz. You can pick up a copy of the Chicago Reader from boxes in downtown Chicago and on the north side, as well as in many music and retail venues. 

Eternal Flame - The Authorized Biography of the Bangles is now available, and judging from The Bangles Official Facebook page, the band is thrilled with Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s book and how well it’s selling.

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 available from HoZac Books. Bangles singer-guitarist and long-time fan Susanna Hoffs did a fine job of writing the Forward. I particularly liked this comment regarding the band’s original lineup: “Rod, a choir boy; Hugh, a drummer in the marching band; Chris, who played bass; and Paul, who played guitar — and Colin — played rugby which I can hardly imagine! He had to have been the kindest bloke you could ever knock heads with in a rugby scrum.”

Indie rock acts Doug Gillard and Bunnygrunt have recorded a seven-inch split single titled “A Tribute To Game Theory.” Gillard picked “Dripping With Looks” and Bunnygrunt chose “Together Now, Very Minor,” and both tracks are available on vinyl or as downloads on the Bert Dax Bandcamp page. It’s nice to see the late Scott Miller and his underrated band Game Theory getting some recognition.

The Michael Steven Cohen 100th Show Celebration will take place at Montrose Saloon on April 6 at 6:00 pm. Cohen will unveil a new group called The Everly Hillbillies, and Montrose Saloon honcho/musician Eric Chial will be his special guest. Note: Cohen means 100 shows at Montrose Saloon. Who knows how many thousands of shows he’s done if we count all the venues he’s performed at over the years in various bands?

Translator founding members Steve Barton, Robert Darlington, Larry Dekker, and David Scheff got together in 2023 and recorded two new songs. They’ll be included as bonus tracks on the Live at the Farm, San Francisco 1986 album. It was recorded at the band’s final live show, and is scheduled for release on May 9. One of those new tracks, “These Days To Come,” can now be heard on YouTube.

Chicago-based singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has released his first new music since his 2021 debut Manifestations. Like the songs on that album, his new single “Thunderclouds” could be described as engaging indie rock led by acoustic guitar. Listeners will likely be reminded of vintage Neil Young. Rosales has a full album titled Phasedrift coming out later this year.

According to Jeff Lynne’s official Facebook site, Dhani Harrison will be a special guest at Jeff Lynne’s ELO - The Over And Out Tour on a few dates in the U.K. Those dates will be July 5 and 6 in Birmingham, and July 9 and 10 in Manchester.

Greg Kot, the rock critic and Sound Opinions radio show co-host with Jim DeRogatis, has assembled some of the best articles from his tenure at the Chicago Tribune and published them in a book titled Turn It Up: A Guided Tour Through the Worlds Of Pop, Rock, Rap and More.

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.

Just Like Heaven: A Tribute To The Cure is now available from American Laundromat Records in vinyl format. Participating artists include Dean and Britta; Class Actress; Black Francis +Violet Clark; The Wedding Present; and Tanya Donelly.

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.

Tickets are also 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.

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.

Singer-guitarist Gary Louris, who’s 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.

Slumgullion

See yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.

Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve’s In Concert USA 2025 Tour will now wrap up with a four-day run in Chicago. Those shows are on March 11, 12, 14 and the recently added March 15. In the meantime, fans can catch Costello and Nieve tonight in Woodstock, NY and tomorrow night in Ann Arbor, MI.

Pravda recording artist Nathan Graham is known for mixing classic blues with Americana music, and he’ll likely showcase songs from his Saint Of Second Chances album during his April 4 gig at the Thornton Distilling Co in Thornton, IL. Falling Stars, who gave us catchy indie rock songs on their recent Garden Variety EP, will be the opening act.

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.

Lovely Stuff, the first new studio album from the Chicago-based indie rock band Smoking Popes in seven years, is due out on April 4.

 

The Miki Berenyi Trio, led by Lush founding member Miki Berenyi, has its first album Tripla coming out in digital and vinyl formats on April 4. Lush aficionados will also find much to like on the two albums the band’s other founding member Emma Anderson released over the past two years.

Adventurous prog rock musician and The Luck Of Eden Hall founding member Gregory Curvey, AKA Custard Flux, has a new album titled Enter Xenon coming out on June 1. It can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp, and the first three tracks are already available to purchase and download.

Graham Nash fans can enter to win the signed Fender acoustic CD-60 guitar he gave to Fandiem by making a donation to help raise funds to provide relief to musicians and music industry workers affected by the Los Angeles fires. Donations range from $10 to $500, with the highest amount bringing the most amount of entries. The entries must be received by April 21.

 

Former WXRT radio personality Richard Milne will once again book the musical talent for the annual Lakeview East Festival of the Arts. The event takes place on Sept 13 and 14, and as Milne stated in a recent Facebook post, he’s “not looking for tribute or cover bands although covers mixed in with your originals are perfectly acceptable.”

 

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.

This year’s list of IPO Chicago performers includes longtime participants The Spindles, The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, Hannah Frank, The Jeremy Band, The Band Calderisi, Freetoed, Things That Fly, The Sonnets, Einstein’s Sister, Phil Yates and The Affiliates, Golden Richards, The Walkdown, Custard Flux, The Thin Cherries, Who’s This Mary, The 321’s, Mark Watson, Aaron Fox And The Reliables, Michael Steven Cohen, Kerosene Stars, Otter Petter, and The Queue. There will also be several newcomers, so chances are good you’ll discover a new favorite.

Tickets are now on sale today for Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons’ Hot Stove Cool Music event at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on April 12. 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.

Vocalist Gerald McClendon will 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.

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.

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.

Director Bernard McMahon’s Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary presents the first authorized view of the iconic band’s early days, and includes full song performances, never-before-seen footage, and interviews with band members. It’s had special screenings at IMAX venues and is now showing in theaters across America.

Jason Narducy and Dag Juhlin will celebrate Pete Townshend’s birthday on June 21 at the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights, IL. Townshend was born on May 19, which is why this event is being billed as a (Belated) Birthday Bash. Understandable since Narducy and Juhlin have a busy schedule these days.

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.

Tickets are now on sale for Sunny Afternoon at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The play is based on the music of The Kinks, with original story, music, and lyrics by Ray Davies; book by Joe Penhall; and direction by Edward Hall. It will run from March 21 to April 27.

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.

Lorraine Hansberry’s award-winning play A Raisin In The Sun is picking up rave reviews, and has been extended through March 23 at Chicago’s Court Theatre. The venue is located at 5535 S. Ellis.

Patti Smith and her band have added a second Chicago date to their 50th anniversary tour of Smith’s groundbreaking debut album Horses. They’re now performing November 17 and 18 at the Chicago Theatre.

Long-time Chicago-based power pop band Thrift Store Halo will make its 2025 performance debut on March 20 at Montrose Saloon. They’ll be joined by Dolph Chaney and The Phins and Rent Party.

The Chicago Women Of Color Puppetry and Performing Arts Fringe Festival has extended its run at the Zhou B Art Center to March 22. The event is being held on the 4th floor of the Women of Color Theatre and includes performances, workshops, and discussions regarding the artists’ work.

Great Moments In Vinyl, a rotating collection of area musicians devoted to honoring famous LPs and rock and roll artists, will perform the music of The Cars on March 20 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue.

Fans of Chicago rock and roll circa the mid 1960s might have a willingness to check out The New Colony Six on May 23 at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights.

Tickets for the September 9 Supergrass concert at The Riviera in Chicago are now on sale. The Oxford, England trio is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its terrific debut album I Should Coco with concerts in the U.K., North America, and Mexico. Supergrass will perform their entire first album along with other hits.

Weekend Reminders

Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention.

Several music critics have hailed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as Brian Wilson’s finest moment, and tomorrow night’s Pet Sounds LIVE event at Park West in Chicago will celebrate that 1966 album. It’s 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.”

This gig was a complete unknown to me until I recently saw it mentioned in a promo email: a Tributosaurus Becomes Bob Dylan show will take place tomorrow night at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. Tributosaurus is one of Chicago’s best-loved tribute acts.

Tomorrow brings the return of Bandcamp Friday, which is when the Bandcamp music site waives its revenue share, allowing every purchase to go directly to the artists. “Last year, fans like you spent over $3.1 million in a single day!” a recent email stated. “Let’s keep the momentum going and start 2025 off strong.”

Depending on when you read this, you might be able to catch the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band McLuhan continuing its first Thursday of the month residency at Montrose Saloon. Vinyl copies of McLuhan’s ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly will be available for sale at the show. McLuhan’s residency continues next month on April 3.

The WXRT Live From The XRT Concert Archives series continues tomorrow night at 9:00 pm with a performance by Patti Smith during her Easter tour at Park West in Chicago on April 28, 1978. The concert can be heard on  93.1FM; 93XRT.com; and the Audacy app.

Bob Mould’s Here We Go Crazy album is being released tomorrow, along with Jethro Tull’s Curious Ruminant. That info comes from the March issue of the Illinois Entertainer, which also has Ashley Perez-Hollingsworth’s cover story on Smoking Popes. Just a note of thanks to the staff at The Music Room in downtown Palatine for always being friendly when I pop in to pick up a copy of I.E. 

Wavelength, the latest album from Chicago power pop band The Spindles, also comes out tomorrow. See my February 13 post here on BHT for a review of this album.

PureSoul Presents returns to its Soul Brunch format at City Winery Chicago this Sunday at noon, with a Tribute To Legends Of  90s. Alysha Monique, Tony Cazeau, and PureSoul Chicago will perform hits by Aaliyah, TLC, Fugees, En Vogue, Brandy, SWV, Erykah Badu, and more.

Go Time! vocalist-guitarist Scott Niekelski will make an in-studio appearance on tomorrow’s Razor And Die show on Chicago radio station WLUW 88.FM. He'll likely discuss the new X album from Go Time!. (That's X as in the roman numeral.) The program will run from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.

The first-ever Chicago Women Of Color Puppetry and Performing Arts Fringe Festival runs this weekend and will run continue through March 16 at the Zhou B Art Center, 4th Floor Women of Color Theatre. The event will include performances, workshops, and discussions regarding the artists’ work.

The Webstirs have a show coming up this Saturday 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.

Incoming

Two of the best bands from England’s early punk scene will be honored by local musicians this Wednesday at Martyrs’ on Chicago’s north side. London Calling will perform two sets of material by The Clash, and The Fiction Romantics will cover The Buzzcocks. Doors open at 7:00 pm, Martyrs’ is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Graham Nash fans can enter to win the signed Fender acoustic CD-60 guitar he gave to Fandiem by making a donation to help raise funds to provide relief to musicians and music industry workers affected by the Los Angeles fires. Donations range from $10 to $500, with the highest amount bringing the most amount of entries. The entries must be received by April 21.

Go Time! vocalist-guitarist Scott Niekelski will make an in-studio appearance on this Friday’s Razor And Die show on Chicago radio station WLUW 88.FM. The program will run from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.

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.

This year’s list of IPO Chicago performers includes longtime participants The Spindles, The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, Hannah Frank, The Jeremy Band, The Band Calderisi, Freetoed, Things That Fly, The Sonnets, Einstein’s Sister, Phil Yates and The Affiliates, Golden Richards, The Walkdown, Custard Flux, The Thin Cherries, Who’s This Mary, The 321’s, Mark Watson, Aaron Fox And The Reliables, Michael Steven Cohen, Kerosene Stars, Otter Petter, and The Queue. There will also be several newcomers, so chances are good you’ll discover a new favorite.

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 Webstirs have a show coming up this Saturday 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.

Several music critics have hailed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as Brian Wilson’s finest moment, and the Pet Sounds LIVE event coming to Park West in Chicago this Friday will celebrate that 1966 album. It’s 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.”

McLuhan, the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band inspired by philosopher Marshall McLuhan, continues its first Thursday of the month night residency at Montrose Saloon this Thursday. Vinyl copies of McLuhan’s ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly will be available for sale at the show. McLuhan’s residency continues next month on April 3.

PureSoul Presents has another Soul Brunch coming up this Sunday at noon, with its Tribute To Legends Of 90s. Alysha Monique, Tony Cazeau, and PureSoul Chicago will perform hits by Aaliyah, TLC, Fugees, En Vogue, Brandy, SWV, Erykah Badu, and more.

Sunday Papers

Indie label Kool Kat Musik has set a March 18 release date for Pop Aid 2: A Compilation To Benefit Those Affected By Hurricanes Helene & Milton. All net profits from the 23-track CD will go directly to the American Red Cross in its efforts to help people in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Acts who contributed songs to Pop Aid 2 include Mothboxer; Ronnie D’Addario featuring The Lemon Twigs; Vegas With Randolph; The Anderson Council; The Weeklings; Thrift Store Halo; The Grip Weeds, The Successful Failures;  and Richard Turgeon. Kool Kat’s first POP AID effort came in 2022 with A Power Pop Compilation to Benefit the Citizens of Ukraine, which has so far generated over $4,000 to help World Central Kitchen in its work.

The Webstirs have a show coming up next Saturday 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 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 Andrew Dominik’s film will include footage of Bono performing some of the songs he’s made famous with U2.

The Michael Steven Cohen 100th Show Celebration will take place at Montrose Saloon on April 6 at 6:00 pm. Cohen will unveil a new group called The Everly Hillbillies, and Montrose Saloon honcho/musician Eric Chial will be his special guest. Note: Cohen means 100 shows at Montrose Saloon. Who knows how many thousands of shows he’s done if we count all the venues he’s performed at over the years in various bands?

I was sad to learn that Badfinger founding member Joey Molland has passed away after an extended illness. I saw him perform on a number of occasions at Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago, and he always seemed to be having a great time. Several musicians and fans have posted tributes on social media. In other somber news, former New York Dolls vocalist David Johansen died yesterday, and we recently lost drummer Rick Buckler from The Jam, and vocalist Roberta Flack. Rock in Paradise, my friends.

Panick and The Friars will perform original tunes and a few covers at their March 14 gig at Lizard’s Liquid Lounge on Chicago’s north side.

I recently received the copy of Second Scene Issue 20 I ordered on the Pittsburgh-based alt rock print publication’s Bandcamp page. The indie rock publication sports an eye-catching design and covers acts such as Kaeidoscope; low sunday; Clan Of XYMOX; The Armoires; Vision Video; and Tall Poppy Syndrome.

Best wishes to the owners of Bookclub, a new Chicago venue that has opened at 2871 N Lincoln Avenue, the former home of the popular Elbo Room club. As noted in a recent article by writer Doug George in the Chicago Tribune, Bookclub will present eclectic and adventurous entertainment seven nights a week.

Indie rock acts Doug Gillard and Bunnygrunt have recorded a seven-inch split single titled “A Tribute To Game Theory.” Gillard picked “Dripping With Looks” and Bunnygrunt chose “Together Now, Very Minor,” and both tracks are available on vinyl or as downloads on the Bert Dax Bandcamp page. It’s nice to see the late Scott Miller and his underrated band Game Theory getting some recognition.

Eternal Flame - The Authorized Biography of the Bangles is now available, and judging from The Bangles Official Facebook page, the band is thrilled with Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s book and how well it’s selling.

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 available from HoZac Books. Bangles singer-guitarist and long-time fan Susanna Hoffs did a fine job of writing the Forward. I particularly liked this comment regarding the band’s original lineup: “Rod, a choir boy; Hugh, a drummer in the marching band; Chris, who played bass; and Paul, who played guitar — and Colin — played rugby which I can hardly imagine! He had to have been the kindest bloke you could ever knock heads with in a rugby scrum.”

Just Like Heaven: A Tribute To The Cure is now available from American Laundromat Records in vinyl format. Participating artists include Dean and Britta; Class Actress; Black Francis +Violet Clark; The Wedding Present; and Tanya Donelly.

Inhaler has embarked on a world tour in support of its recently released third album Open Wide. The Irish band 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.

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.

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.

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.

Music industry people across the country have been helping victims of the California wildfires; whether it’s the Good Music To Lift Los Angeles download album; the FireAid Benefit concert in Los Angeles; or t-shirts available from the Consequence and Bandcamp websites. Now, comedians are literally getting in the act with Let’s Get L.Aid - A Night Of Music And Comedy For L.A. Wildfire Relief. The event will be held at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles on March 16. So far, “Weird Al” Yankovic; Al Jardine; Eric Idle; Margaret Cho; Peter Asher; and Rufus Wainwright are among the performers, with more to be added. The Wild Honey Foundation is helping out, so it’s a safe bet some popular musicians will be signing on.

According to Jeff Lynne’s official Facebook site, Dhani Harrison will be a special guest at Jeff Lynne’s ELO - The Over And Out Tour on a few dates in the U.K. Those dates will be July 5 and 6 in Birmingham, and July 9 and 10 in Manchester.

Fans who miss the blend of atmosphere and melody so entertainingly crafted by the English band Lush should check out the upcoming album from founding member Miki Berenyi’s new band. Tripla by the Miki Berenyi Trio is due out April 4 and is available to pre-order in digital and vinyl formats. Lush aficionados will also find much to like on the two albums the band’s cofounder Emma Anderson released over the past two years.

Slumgullion

See yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.

Lightning strikes again. Last year, when the Michael Shannon And Jason Narducy And Friends Play R.E.M.’s Murmur tour paid a visit to the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA, members of R.E.M. were in the audience and spent some time onstage. Shannon, Narducy and friends returned to the 40 Watt Club last night with their current Fables Of The Reconstruction tour, and as noted on the Stereogum and Consequence websites, all four R.E.M. members joined in for a rendition of “Pretty Persuasion.” Dag Juhlin, Vijay Tellis-Nayak, John Stirrratt, and Jon Wurster comprise Shannon and Narducy’s backing band.

Many a listener has been left puzzled by lyrics in R.E.M songs, but last Monday’s syndicated Jumble puzzle presented a different challenge for the group’s fans. It pertained to the Michael Shannon - Jason Narducy and friends tour and included a cool illustration of the five musicians onstage. The Jumble format involves solving four smaller puzzles and then finding the final answer. If not for a Facebook post by tour guitarist Dag Juhlin, I probably would have missed it in my copy of the Chicago Tribune. I didn’t see the puzzle answers in the Trib, but I did find them on the Jumble Puzzle Answers website. For those playing along at home, the final answer is Struck A Chord.

 

Long-time entertainment writer Mark Caro (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune) has interviewed several well-known musicians for his Caropop podcast, with the most recent being Mike Mills from R.E.M. It’s available via Apple Podcasts.

Jason Narducy and Dag Juhlin will celebrate Pete Townshend’s birthday on June 21 at the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights, IL. Townshend was born on May 19, which is why this event is being billed as a (Belated) Birthday Bash. But as you can see from the paragraphs above, Narducy and Juhlin have a busy schedule these days.

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.

Tickets are now on sale for Sunny Afternoon at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The play is based on the music of The Kinks, with original story, music, and lyrics by Ray Davies; book by Joe Penhall; and direction by Edward Hall. It will run from March 21 to April 27.

Lorraine Hansberry’s award-winning play A Raisin In The Sun is picking up rave reviews, and has been extended through March 23 at Chicago’s Court Theatre. The venue is located at 5535 S. Ellis.

Patti Smith and her band have added a second concert to their November stop in Chicago. They’re now performing November 17 and 18 at the Chicago Theatre. Smith’s tour celebrates the 50th anniversary of her groundbreaking debut album Horses.

Those of us who became Translator fans almost from the moment we first heard “Everywhere That I'm Not” on FM radio back in 1982 recently received a pleasant surprise. As noted in a Facebook post by musician Steve Barton, he and fellow band members Robert Darlington, Larry Dekker, and David Scheff got together to record two new songs in 2023. They’ll be included as bonus tracks on the Live at the Farm, San Francisco 1986 album. It was recorded at the band’s final live show, and is scheduled for release on May 9. One of those new tracks, “These Days To Come,” can now be heard on YouTube.

McLuhan, the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band inspired by philosopher Marshall McLuhan, continues its first Thursday of the month night residency at Montrose Saloon on March 6. Vinyl copies of McLuhan’s ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly will be available for sale at the show. McLuhan’s residency continues next month on April 3.

Tickets are now on sale today for Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons’ Hot Stove Cool Music at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on April 12. 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.

Two of the best bands from England’s early punk scene will be honored by local musicians next Wednesday at Martyrs’ on Chicago’s north side. London Calling will perform two sets of material by The Clash, and Fiction Romantics will cover The Buzzcocks. Doors open at 7:00 pm, Martyrs’ is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Avenue.

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has joined David Johansen’s daughter Leah Hennessey in a fundraising effort to help the New York Dolls vocalist pay for his brain cancer treatment. Johansen’s condition worsened after he broke his back in a recent fall. Those interested in helping can donate at the Sweet Relief /David Johanson Fund website. 

Long-time Chicago-based power pop band Thrift Store Halo will make its 2025 performance debut on March 20 at Montrose Saloon. They’ll be joined by Dolph Chaney and The Phins and Rent Party.

Several music critics have hailed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as Brian Wilson’s finest moment, and there’s an event coming 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.”

Great Moments In Vinyl, a rotating collection of area musicians devoted to honoring famous LPs and rock and roll artists, will perform the music of The Cars on March 20 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue.

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.

Greg Kot, the rock critic and Sound Opinions radio show co-host with Jim DeRogatis, has assembled some of the best articles from his tenure at the Chicago Tribune and published them in a book titled Turn It Up: A Guided Tour Through the Worlds Of Pop, Rock, Rap and More.

Fans of Chicago rock and roll circa the mid 1960s might have a willingness to check out The New Colony Six on May 23 at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights.

Tickets for the September 9 Supergrass concert at The Riviera in Chicago are now on sale. The Oxford, England trio is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its terrific debut album I Should Coco with concerts in the U.K., North America, and Mexico. Supergrass will perform their entire first album along with other hits.

The first-ever Chicago Women Of Color Puppetry and Performing Arts Fringe Festival is now underway and will run through March 16 at the Zhou B Art Center, 4th Floor Women of Color Theatre. The event will include performances, workshops, and discussions regarding the artists’ work.

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.

Chicago-based singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has released his first new music since his 2021 debut Manifestations. Like the songs on that album, his new single “Thunderclouds” could be described as engaging indie rock led by acoustic guitar. Listeners will likely be reminded of vintage Neil Young. Rosales has a full album titled Phasedrift coming out later this year.

Singer-guitarist Gary Louris, who’s 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.

Tickets are now available for Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison with Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz on March 17 at SPACE in Evanston.

Tickets are also 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.

Director Bernard McMahon’s Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary presents the first authorized view of the iconic band’s early days, and includes full song performances, never-before-seen footage, and interviews with band members. It’s had special screenings at IMAX venues and is now showing in theaters across America.