The Power Pop Movie Celebrates The Genre’s Cultural Relevance and Longevity

I’ve recently watched the latest edit of The Power Pop Movie, and have come up with the following review. You can find more information about this documentary at https://powerpopmovie.com 

I’m pretty sure I never heard the term ‘power pop’ until around 1977, when it was used to describe the debut album from the Chicago-based group Pezband. The Who’s Pete Townshend is often credited with coining the term in 1967, but it didn’t catch on until it was applied to 1960s-influenced bands from the 1970s and beyond. Filmmaker Justin Fielding was well-acquainted with power pop’s history and set out to celebrate its appeal and often-poignant stories in a feature-length documentary. The quest has taken longer than Fielding anticipated, but as of now, there’s a good chance he’ll be sharing The Power Pop Movie with the world soon, if he can find studio support for a public release.

Not everyone is an admirer of power pop, and there are musicians who resist having that label applied to their work. Fielding explores their reasons, as well as why it’s sometimes dismissed by critics and record company execs. The Power Pop Movie is a well-crafted, thoroughly researched effort that will please the genre’s dedicated followers and perhaps draw new converts into appreciating the genre and its artists. That’s primarily due to Fielding’s ability to enlist a virtual army of music industry people to offer their stories and feelings about power pop.

The documentary concentrates more on interviews than performance footage, and it hooks viewers with interesting commentary from relevant musicians such as Marshall Crenshaw; Todd Rundgren; REM’s Mike Mills; Peter Holsapple from The dB’s; Big Star’s Jody Stephens; Paul Collins; Peter Case; Mitch Easter; The Bangles’ Vicki and Debbi Peterson; Raspberries’ Eric Carmen, Jim Bonfanti, and Scott McCarl; and The Smithereens’ Jim Babjak and Dennis Diken. Chicago fans will be happy to see Jeff Murphy, John Murphy, and Gary Klebe of Shoes; Material Issue’s Mike Zelenko and Ted Ansani; The Handcuffs’ Brad Elvis; Pezband’s Mimi Betinis; Off Broadway’s Cliff Johnson; and longtime Cheap Trick member Bun E. Carlos offering their thoughts. It would take up too much space to list all the musicians who participated, and while some don’t identify as power pop, the various perspectives are fascinating.

The movie opens by exploring power pop’s connection to the original British Invasion, with a heartfelt tribute to Badfinger, including commentary about them by Zombies founding members Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, and Chris White. Some interviewees describe power pop as The Beatles with harder guitars. This illustrates a conundrum that the general public sometimes resents new bands that strive to sound like the most popular band ever, even when those new bands make records that sound like can’t-miss hits. Fielding also explores how the media has viewed and affected the success of power pop; with commentary from International Pop Overthrow founder David Bash; as well as from authors and journalists, including Ken Sharp; Cary Baker; Moira McCormick; Mary Donnelly; Ira Robbins; Not Lame Recordings’ Bruce Brodeen; John Borack; and Michael Chabon.

Ultimately, The Power Pop Movie makes a valid point that the genre has never left us and retains its lifelong fans while finding new ones in today’s music-streaming era. There’s a shout-out to the Wild Honey Foundation and the charity concerts it often stages in California featuring power pop icons. On a sad note, some of the musicians interviewed for The Power Pop Movie have since passed away. Hopefully, this documentary will spark pleasant memories of how much Badfinger’s Joey Molland; The Muffs’ Kim Shattuck; The Records’ John Wicks; the aforementioned Eric Carmen and Cliff Johnson; Emitt Rhodes; Blondie’s Clem Burke; Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger; Tommy Keene; and others contributed to the music scene.

Slumgullion

George Harrison art from the official My Sweet George Facebook page.

The lineup for the 10th annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday celebration taking place on February 21 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago has been announced. The performers will include Clar & Gigi Monaco; Sandalwood Sitar, Phil Angotti, New Heartaches, Black Friars Social Club, Torpedo Los, Pierce Crask, Frankie B, and The Amazing Johnsons. Organized by Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma, My Sweet George aims to celebrate Harrison’s music, and raise awareness for MusicCares.

Autographed copies of Joe Jackson’s new album Hope And Fury (due out April 10) are available for pre-order from TalkShopLive website. The offer is only available in the USA. Jackson’s extensive 2026 North America Tour kicks off on May 11 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and will include dates at Park West in Chicago on May 19 and 20. The European leg of his tour will start on September 24 in Cork, Ireland. 

Cult Canyon, the latest band formed by Chicago-based vocalist-guitarist Josh Chicoine, has a show coming up at the G-Man Tavern in Chicago on Feb 13. Chicoine is best known for his work with The M’s, an indie rock band that released a series of albums (2003 – 2008) and built a loyal following via numerous live performances. In more recent years, he led the bands Sabers and Cloudbirds. Cult Canyon’s G-Man Tavern gig will no doubt showcase songs from their Smoke Tricks album, which will be available to download on March 13 via Bandcamp. Rattleback Records on Chicago’s north side will carry a limited-edition vinyl version.

The Desert Rock - A Tribute To The Laurel Canyon Music Scene event is coming February 6 to The Raue Center For The Arts in Crystal Lake, IL. The two-hour multimedia show will celebrate the music of Linda Ronstadt; CSNY; The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield; Loggins And Messina; Poco; JD Souther; Warren Zevon; Lowell George; Tom Waits; Gram Parsons; and others.

It’s always nice to see one of Chicago’s regular club performers make the trek out to Arlington Heights for a gig at Hey Nonny. Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti and his band will be at the venue on February 19. I believe it’s his second show there.

Hey Nonny will stage its Blues Week from February 3 through February 7 with live performances each night. See the venue’s Facebook page or website for the full schedule.

The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles will present a double bill on February 6 featuring the current version of The Lovin’ Spoonful, along with singer-guitarist Terry Sylvester performing hits by The Hollies. Long-time Hollies fans will recognize Sylvester as the musician who replaced Graham Nash in the late 1960s and stayed with them for a few decades.

Ann Wilson from Heart recently posted on Facebook that Heart will have “new music, new shows, and new stories” to share with their fans in 2026. Sounds promising. Heart is the cover story for the winter issue of Goldmine magazine.

Congratulations to The Twigs on the 30th anniversary of their debut album Bring Me the Head of Eternity. The Chicago-based alt rock band, led by fraternal twins Laura and Linda Good, specialized in catchy songs and harmonies. A Facebook post today from The Twigs seemed to suggest there may be some sort of celebration in the works.

GMan Tavern on Chicago’s north side (3740 N. Clark) has announced it will celebrate International Clash Day with the tribute band Guns And Ammunition on February 6. DJ Stevo will provide a pre-show set. On February 20, PureSoul Presents will bring The Smiths cover band The Bomb That Will Bring Us Together to GMan Tavern.

PureSoul Presents will bring A Brief History Of R.E.M. to City Winery Chicago on March 19. As with previous PureSoul events, this concert will feature Chicago area musicians. 

Three new dates have been added to the United States leg of the Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy Celebrate The 40th Anniversary Of R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant Tour. The first new gig is at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, which sounds like a great name for a band but is actually a venue in Maquoketa IA. Next up is The Riviera Theatre on September 25 in Chicago; and finally, The Majestic in Detroit, MI on September 25. As with their other recent tours, Shannon and Narducy will be joined by Dag Juhlin, John Stirratt, Vijay Tellis Nayak and Jon Wurster.

Sideshow Villains’ Deviant Cabaret will present its 7 Deadly Sins Masquerade at the Copernicus Center in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood on February 14. The troupe will offer musical tales of crime set to an adventurous mix of puppetry, vaudeville, and circus acts. Audience members are encouraged to arrive in costume.

Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried of the Hoboken, NJ band The Cucumbers have released a video of “There’s a Crop Circle on My Daddy’s Land,” the quirky, country-flavored song that inspired Fried’s Hello, George novella, as well as the band’s new album As You Heard Me. The novella and album will be simultaneously released on Valentine’s Day; “There’s a Crop Circle on My Daddy’s Land,” is available to watch on YouTube.

10,000 Maniacs have a show coming up at at City Winery Chicago on February 12. The band, which gave us hits such as “Like The Weather,” “Trouble Me,” and “Candy Everybody Wants,” will celebrate their 45th anniversary in 2026 by releasing of box set of material from their Elektra/Rhino Records years, as well as an album of new songs.

The first volume of an enhanced and fully rewritten edition of Doug Hinman’s 2004 book The Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night - The Day-By-Day Story Pt. 1: 1940 - 1971 is now available to pre-order from Beatland Book and is expected to ship on February 20.

The Smithereens have a show coming up on March 6 at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL. Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill, who released the Long After The Fire album together in 2025, will join The Smithereens for that show.

What could be a better time to honor The Belfast Cowboy than on St. Patrick’s Day? Tickets are now on sale for the Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison event taking place on March 17 at SPACE in Evanston, IL.The participants will be Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz.

Tickets are now on sale for an April 10 concert by long-time indie rock band Throwing Muses at Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL. Led by vocalist-guitarist and acclaimed songwriter Kristen Hersh, the band has plenty of material to chose from, but might concentrate on songs from their 2025 album Moonlight Concessions.

Weekend Reminders

Photo from Phil Angotti’s Facebook page.

Weekend Reminders on 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, or concert tickets going on sale.

Depending on when you see this, you could catch the doubleheader Jim Ryan’s Classic Albums Night at Reggies Music Joint in Chicago starting at 7:00 pm tonight. First up, Jim Barclay & Friends will take on the Pat Metheny Group’s self-titled record, and then Phil Angotti And Friends (Casey McDonough, Jim Barclay, Chris Gorcik, and Greg Woods) will perform East Side Story by Squeeze. Reggies is located at 2105 S. State Street.

In related news, Phil Angotti And Friends return to FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL for a noon-time Beatles Brunch this Sunday.

Depending on when you read this, you could catch a flight to Australia, where garage rockers Hoodoo Gurus will be backed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra tonight at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl. In other down under news, Hoodoo Gurus, along with Iggy Pop; Joan Jett And The Blackhearts; and ZED will wrap up their tour in Auckland, New Zealand this Saturday night.

Sons Of The Silent Age, the Chicago-based David Bowie tribute band led by vocalist Chris Connelly, has a tradition of kicking off the new year with a benefit performance at Metro. This Saturday’s event finds Sons Of The Silent Age taking “Our second trip through the Berlin trilogy, consisting of the albums Low, Heroes, and Lodger.” A second set will concentrate on Bowie’s hit singles and well-known material. And, as noted by guitarist Steve Gerlach in a Facebook post, “It’s a benefit for Endeavor Health’s excellent Integrative Medicine program.” Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy will also be on hand, as special guests.

The Buzzcocks’ latest album, the 14-track Attitude Adjustment, will be released tomorrow. Judging from “Queen Of The Scene,” the energetic first single, it should delight the English punk band’s loyal fans. Friday is also when The Buzzcocks embark on a busy year of touring that includes performances in the UK, Europe, and (so far) two gigs in the USA.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for the Thomas Dolby - The Iconic 80s - My Personal Recollections show at House Of Blues Chicago on April 20.

Tickets also go on sale tomorrow for The Wallflowers Bringing Down The Horse 30th Anniversary Tour concert at the Vic Theatre on June 11. The album will be performed in its entirety.

The WXRT Live From The XRT Concert Archives series continues tomorrow night at 9:00 pm with an April 5, 2014 St. Vincent performance at the The Riviera in Chicago. Live From The XRT Concert Archives can be heard on 93.1FM; 93XRT.com; and the Audacy app.

The final week of Buddy Guy’s 16-date January residency at his Legends venue wraps up with shows tonight and tomorrow night. Nicholas Alexander and the Donna Herula Trio will join Guy tonight; and Carlise Guy and Nublu Band, and Studebaker John will join him tomorrow. Legends is located in the south end of downtown Chicago. Congratulations to Buddy Guy on another successful January residency.

Cherry Red Records will release Various Artists: CBGB - A New York City Soundtrack 1975 - 1986 as a 4-CD set tomorrow. The tribute includes songs by Patti Smith; Blondie; The Dictators; Ramones; Television; The Dead Boys; Talking Heads; The dB’s; Genya Ravan; Tuff Darts; The Cramps; Cherry Vanilla; Suicide; Bush Tetras; Mink Deville; Richard Hell and The Voidoids; Tom Verlaine; Richard Lloyd; Sylvain Sylvain; The Bongos; Beastie Boys; Sonic Youth; and Nona Hendryx.

Neil Young will be this year’s honoree when The Americana Music Association presents its Americana Pre-Grammy Salute this Saturday at the Troubadour venue in West Hollywood. So far, the tribute concert will include Jesse Welles, Margo Price, Rhiannon Giddens, I’m With Her, Maggie Rose, Molly Tuttle and Sierra Hull.

This year’s Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival will wrap up its run at
assorted venues around the city this Sunday. Not all of the productions are designated as family friendly, so choose carefully if bringing the kids. Otherwise, this looks like guaranteed and imaginative fun for adult audiences.

Incoming

Sons Of The Silent Age, the Chicago-based David Bowie tribute band led by vocalist Chris Connelly, has a tradition of kicking off the new year with a benefit performance at Metro. This Saturday’s event finds Sons Of The Silent Age taking “Our second trip through the Berlin trilogy, consisting of the albums Low, Heroes, and Lodger.” A second set will concentrate on Bowie’s hit singles and well-known material. And, as noted by guitarist Steve Gerlach in a Facebook post, “It’s a benefit for Endeavor Health’s excellent Integrative Medicine program.” Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy will also be on hand, as special guests.

Chicago-based singer-guitarist Terry White will return to Fitzgerald’s in Berywn, IL tomorrow night as part of the venue’s Songwriter Circle series. White, a veteran of the bands Modern Day Saints and The Zimmermen, released the You Won’t Have A Name solo album in 2025. His performance, with special guests Andon Davis and Mark Anderson, starts at 7:00 pm, and admission is free.

The Buzzcocks’ latest album, the 14-track Attitude Adjustment, will be released this Friday. Judging from “Queen Of The Scene,” the energetic first single, it should please the English punk band’s loyal fans. Friday is also when The Buzzcocks embark on a busy year of touring that includes performances in the UK, Europe, and (so far) two gigs in the USA.

The final week of Buddy Guy’s 16-date January residency at his Legends venue wraps up with shows this Thursday and Friday. Nicholas Alexander and the Donna Herula Trio will join Guy the first night; and Carlise Guy and Nublu Band, and Studebaker John will join him for the finale. Legends is located in the south end of downtown Chicago. Congratulations to Buddy Guy on another successful January residency.

Neil Young will be this year’s honoree when The Americana Music Association presents its Americana Pre-Grammy Salute this Saturday at the Troubadour venue in West Hollywood. So far, the tribute concert will include Jesse Welles, Margo Price, Rhiannon Giddens, I’m With Her, Maggie Rose, Molly Tuttle and Sierra Hull.

Veteran English guitarist Albert Lee will likely perform songs from his 2024 album Lay It Down at his concert this Wednesday night at Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL. He also has several years of material to choose from, including his Gypsy Man - A Tribute Buddy Holly album.

This year’s Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival will wrap up its run at assorted venues around the city this Sunday. Only four productions are designated as family friendly, so choose carefully if bringing the kids. Otherwise, this looks like guaranteed and imaginative fun for adult audiences.

Australian garage rockers Hoodoo Gurus will be backed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra this Thursday at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl. The listing on the Ticketek site promises the band’s material will be “reimagined on an epic scale, with orchestral arrangements bringing fresh energy and grandeur.” In other down under news, Hoodoo Gurus, along with Iggy Pop; Joan Jett And The Blackhearts; and ZED will wrap up their tour in Auckland, New Zealand tonight January and Saturday night.

Cherry Red Records will release Various Artists: CBGB - A New York City Soundtrack 1975 - 1986 as a 4-CD set this Friday. The tribute includes songs by Patti Smith; Blondie; The Dictators; Ramones; Television; The Dead Boys; Talking Heads; The dB’s; Genya Ravan; Tuff Darts; The Cramps; Cherry Vanilla; Suicide; Bush Tetras; Mink Deville; Richard Hell and The Voidoids; Tom Verlaine; Richard Lloyd; Sylvain Sylvain; The Bongos; Beastie Boys; Sonic Youth; and Nona Hendryx.

Congratulations to my nephew Joe Flamm, Frank Callero, and Steve Zaleski of the Day Off Group  (Rose Mary, il Carrciofo and BLVD Steakhouse) on being chosen as semifinalists in the Outstanding Restaurateur category for this year’s Beard Foundation food award.

Slumgullion

The Americana Music Association recently announced that Neil Young will be this year’s honoree at the Americana Pre-Grammy Salute on January 31 at the Troubadour venue in West Hollywood. So far, the tribute concert will include Jesse Welles, Margo Price, Rhiannon Giddens, I’m With Her, Maggie Rose, Molly Tuttle and Sierra Hull, with more musicians expected to be added soon.

This should have been in yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post: Van Go, a long-time favorite on the local indie rock scene, will share a double bill with LaRue DeVille (formerly Red Wigglers) tomorrow night at Lizard’s Liquid Lounge on Chicago’s north side.

Ann Wilson from Heart recently posted on Facebook that Heart will have “new music, new shows, and new stories” to share with their fans in 2026. Sounds promising. Heart is the cover story for the winter issue of Goldmine magazine.

Chicago-based singer-guitarist Terry White will return to Fitzgerald’s in Berywn, IL this Tuesday night as part of the venue’s Songwriter Circle series. White, a veteran of the bands Modern Day Saints and The Zimmermen, released the You Won’t Have A Name solo album in 2025. His performance, with special guests Andon Davis and Mark Anderson, starts at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, and admission is free.

As recently noted in an AP article in the Chicago Sun-Times, Green Day will be the major act when the NFL stages Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on February 8.

GMan Tavern on Chicago’s north side (3740 N. Clark) has announced it will celebrate International Clash Day with the tribute band Guns And Ammunition on February 6. DJ Stevo will provide a pre-show set. On February 20, PureSoul Presents will bring The Smiths cover band The Bomb That Will Bring Us Together to GMan Tavern.

PureSoul Presents will bring A Brief History Of R.E.M. to City Winery Chicago on March 19. As with previous PureSoul events, this concert will feature Chicago area musicians.

Three new dates have been added to the United States leg of the Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy Celebrate The 40th Anniversary Of R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant tour. The first new gig is at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, which sounds like a great name for a band but is actually a venue in Maquoketa IA. Next up is The Riviera Theatre on September 25 in Chicago; and finally, The Majestic in Detroit, MI on September 25. As with their other recent tours, Shannon and Narducy will be joined by Dag Juhlin, John Stirratt, Vijay Tellis Nayak and Jon Wurster.

Sideshow Villains’ Deviant Cabaret will present its 7 Deadly Sins Masquerade at the Copernicus Center in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood on February 14. The troupe will offer musical tales of crime set to an adventurous mix of puppetry, vaudeville, and circus acts. Audience members are encouraged to arrive in costume.

“Queen Of The Scene,” the first single from The Buzzcocks’ upcoming Attitude Adjustment album, sports an energetic, guitar-driven arrangement and Steve Diggle’s unmistakable vocals. The 14-track Attitude Adjustment will be released on January 30, which is also the day The Buzzcocks embark on a busy year of touring that includes performances in the UK, Europe, and (so far) two gigs in the USA. 

Long-time entertainment writer Mark Caro (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, etc.) has talked with several famous rock musicians on his Caropop podcast, and recently started making some of those interviews available on his YouTube channel. A recent edition finds him taking a behind the scenes look at the R.E.M. albums Murmur and Reckoning with the guys who co-produced them, Mitch Easter and Don Dixon.

Ratboys have now given those of us who’ve pre-ordered their album Singin’ To An Empty Chair album on Bandcamp a fourth reason to feel good about our decision. The catchy and engaging “The World, So Madly” is the latest song the Chicago-based indie rockers have released, and it’s another winner. Singin’ To An Empty Chair officially comes out on February 6.

It looks like Squeeze, a band well known for spinning tales with clever lyrics and irresistible melodies, will explore the seedy side of English nightlife on their upcoming album Trixies. A recent video clip on the Squeeze Facebook page asks, “Who hangs out at Trixies? All the sort of people who carry something lethal.” Still, we can count on founding members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook to work their usual songwriting magic. Trixies is due out in March. 

Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried of the Hoboken, NJ band The Cucumbers have released a video of “There’s a Crop Circle on My Daddy’s Land,” the quirky, country-flavored song that inspired Fried’s Hello, George novella, as well as the band’s new album As You Heard Me. The novella and album will be simultaneously released on Valentine’s Day; “There’s a Crop Circle on My Daddy’s Land,” is available to watch on YouTube. 

Congratulations to The Spindles on their album Wavelength being named by several websites and blogs as one of 2025’s best albums. The Chicago area power pop band has also garnered kudos for “Getaway” as one of last year’s best singles.

International Pop Overthrow founder David Bash has released his Top 150 Albums of 2025, with UK folk/power pop singer-songwriter Lavinia BlackwAll’s The Making nabbing the number one slot. Other honorees include Trolley; Tchotchke; Juliana Hatfield; the above-mentioned The Spindles; The Grip Weeds; The Len Price 3; Jeremy; Smoking Popes; Chris Stamey; Coke Belda; Tamar Berk; The Webstirs; Guided By Voices; Cheap Trick; Ken Stringfellow; Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill; and 20/20.

10,000 Maniacs have a show coming up at at City Winery Chicago on February 12. The band, which gave us hits such as “Like The Weather,” “Trouble Me,” and “Candy Everybody Wants,” will celebrate their 45th anniversary in 2026 by releasing of box set of material from their Elektra/Rhino Records years, as well as an album of new songs.

Cherry Red Records will release Various Artists: CBGB - A New York City Soundtrack 1975 - 1986 as a 4-CD set on January 30. The tribute includes songs by Patti Smith; Blondie; The Dictators; Ramones; Television; The Dead Boys; Talking Heads; The dB’s; Genya Ravan; Tuff Darts; The Cramps; Cherry Vanilla; Suicide; Bush Tetras; Mink Deville; Richard Hell and The Voidoids; Tom Verlaine; Richard Lloyd; Sylvain Sylvain; The Bongos; Beastie Boys; Sonic Youth; and Nona Hendryx.

The lineup for the 10th annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday celebration taking place on February 21 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue has been announced. The performers will include Clar & Gigi Monaco; Sandalwood Sitar, Phil Angotti, New Heartaches, Black Friars Social Club, Torpedo Los, Pierce Crask, Frankie B, and The Amazing Johnsons. Organized by Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma, My Sweet George aims to raise awareness for MusicCares.

The first volume of an enhanced and fully rewritten edition of Doug Hinman’s 2004 book The Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night - The Day-By-Day Story Pt. 1: 1940 - 1971 is now available to pre-order from Beatland Book and is expected to ship on February 20.

What could be a better time to honor The Belfast Cowboy than on St. Patrick’s Day? Tickets are now on sale for the Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison event taking place on March 17 at SPACE in Evanston, IL.The participants will be Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz.

Tickets are now on sale for an April 10 concert by long-time indie rock band Throwing Muses at Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL. Led by vocalist-guitarist and acclaimed songwriter Kristen Hersh, the band has plenty of material to chose from, but might concentrate on songs from their 2025 album Moonlight Concessions.

The Smithereens, who were recently inducted (along with Darlene Love) into the Count Basie Center Walk Of Fame at the Count Basie Center in Redbank, NJ, have a show coming up on March 6 at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL. Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill, who released the Long After The Fire album together in 2025, will join The Smithereens for that show.

Weekend Reminders

Weekend Reminders on 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, or concert tickets going on sale.

Vicki Peterson from The Bangles and Mixi Demner from the hard rock band Stitched Up Heart will cohost this year’s She Rocks Awards ceremony tomorrow night at the Hilton Hotel Pacific Ballroom in Anaheim, CA. The 14 honorees include Rachel Platten, Carnie Wilson, Judith Hill, Rhonda Smith, Kay Hanley, Michelle Lewis, and Sophie Burrell. The event is sponsored by NAMM, and is open to the public.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for Tori Amos with solo artist Bartees Strange at The Auditorium on August 14; and for The Human League, Soft Cell, and Alison Moyet at the Chicago Theatre on June 23.

Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams’ new album World’s Gone Wrong album is coming out tomorrow. The single “We’ve Come Too Far To Turn Around,” featuring Norah Jones, has been available for a while now.

Acclaimed jazz pianist Tony Richards will join forces with jazz bassist Joe Policastro at Imperial Oak Brewing for their annual Speakeasy Shuffle Event this Saturday.

Two of the Chicago area’s better-known bandleaders will share the stage when the Songs And Stories With Nicholas Tremulis and Frank Orrall After Dark event takes place at the Art Makers Outpost in Evanston on this Sunday. In a recent Facebook post, Tremulis states that he and the Poi Dog Pondering vocalist will swap songs and stories, and offer other entertaining bits. The swapping and entertaining starts at 6:00 pm; Art Makers Outpost is located at 609 South Boulevard in Evanston.

Patti Smith will promote her Bread Of Angels memoir with an event in New Haven, CT next Monday.

Gina Marie, whose versatile singing made quite an impression on the 2024 album Pastures Of Plenty by Gina Marie and The Golden Bucks, has an 8:00 pm performance with the Alan Gresik Swing Orchestra tonight at Chicago’s acclaimed Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.

Week four of Buddy Guy’s 16-date January residency at his Legends venue kicks off tonight with Katie Kaden and Stacy Brooks as his special guests. Guy will also have guests for his Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night gigs, and he’ll be back next week with two shows to wrap up his January residency. Legends is located in the south end of downtown Chicago.

Chicago radio personality Tom Marker recently retired, wrapping up a half-century career that included building loyal followings at WXRT and WDCB. He was a rock and roll DJ for much of that time, but his real love seems to be for the blues. With that in mind, WDCB will stage a Tom Marker 75th Birthday Blues Review at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL tomorrow night. The Dave Specter Band will perform, with many other blues musicians expected to join in the celebration.

Incoming

Three new dates have been added to the United States leg of the Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy Celebrate The 40th Anniversary Of R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant tour. The first new gig is at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, which sounds like a great name for a band but is actually a venue in Maquoketa IA. Next up is The Riviera Theatre on September 25 in Chicago; and finally, The Majestic in Detroit, MI on September 25. As with their other recent tours, Shannon and Narducy will be joined by Dag Juhlin, John Stirratt, Vijay Tellis Nayak and Jon Wurster.

Phil Angotti, one of Chicago’s better-known club acts, will perform a solo show focusing on the Brian Jones Era/Early Rolling Stones Music tomorrow night at Montrose Saloon.

As noted in an AP article in today’s Chicago Sun-Times, Green Day will be the major act when the NFL stages Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on February 8.

This coming Saturday, acclaimed jazz pianist Tony Richards will join forces with jazz bassist Joe Policastro at Imperial Oak Brewing for their annual Speakeasy Shuffle Event.

Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams’ new album World’s Gone Wrong is due out this Friday. The single “We’ve Come Too Far To Turn Around,” featuring Norah Jones, has been available for a while now.

You can start putting money aside for those one-of-kind, one-day-only vinyl treasures now that the date of this year’s Record Store Day has been officially announced as April 18.

Two of the Chicago area’s better-known bandleaders will share the stage when the Songs And Stories With Nicholas Tremulis and Frank Orrall After Dark event takes place at the Art Makers Outpost in Evanston this Sunday. In a recent Facebook post, Tremulis states that he and the Poi Dog Pondering vocalist will swap songs and stories, and offer other entertaining bits. The swapping and entertaining starts at 6:00 pm; Art Makers Outpost is located at 609 South Boulevard in Evanston.

Ann Wilson from Heart posted on Facebook today that Heart will have “new music, new shows, and new stories” to share with their fans in 2026. Sounds promising.

Week four of Buddy Guy’s 16-date January residency at his Legends venue kicks off this Thursday with Katie Kaden and Stacy Brooks as his special guests. Guy will also have guests for his Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night gigs, and he’ll be back next week with two shows to wrap up his January residency. Legends is located in the south end of downtown Chicago.

Patti Smith will continue promoting her Bread Of Angels memoir with events in New York City tomorrow, and at New Haven, CT on January 26. 

Gina Marie, whose versatile singing made quite an impression on the 2024 album Pastures Of Plenty by Gina Marie and The Golden Bucks, will perform with the Alan Gresik Swing Orchestra this Thursday at Chicago’s acclaimed Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.

The Chicago-based power trio Triple will perform with The Feds and Second City Seance at Liar’s Club this Sunday. Liar’s is located at 1665 W. Fullerton on Chicago’s north side.

Chicago radio personality Tom Marker recently retired, wrapping up a half-century career that included building loyal followings at WXRT and WDCB. He was a rock and roll DJ for much of that time, but his real love seems to be for the blues. With that in mind, WDCB will stage a Tom Marker 75th Birthday Blues Review at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL this Friday. The Dave Specter Band will perform, with many other blues musicians expected to join in the celebration.