Slumgullion

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

XTC: I Am The Audience, a new book from author David Marx about the critically acclaimed English band led by Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, is now available to pre-order on the Sorrento Books UK website. It features multiple interviews with fans and famous musicians, as well as rare photographs.

In related news, this year’s Record Store Day event on April 18 will include the XTC - Live Boots - Live At Emerald City 1981 double album. The songs performed at Emerald City include “Life Begins At The Hop,” “Respectable Street,” “Making Plans For Nigel,” and “Generals and Majors.” Other Record Store Day limited-edition vinyl offerings available this year include artists Chet Baker; David Bowie; Ray Charles; Ziggy Marley; George Harrison; Miles Davis; The Doors; Peter Gabriel; and Grateful Dead.

Cesar Rojas And The Chi-Town Playboys have a gig coming up on March 20 at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL. Rojas, a singer-guitarist and songwriter, is a long-time member of Los Lobos.

As noted in the CELEBRITIES column in today’s Chicago Tribune, a Paul McCartney And Wings exhibit will open on May 15 at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, OH. The memorabilia on display will be centered on McCartney’s days of recording and performing with his wife Linda and Denny Laine, along with his first solo album.

Blues performer Mud Morganfield will honor his father’s legacy with a Mud Morganfield: Celebrates the Birthday of Muddy Waters event at Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL on April 4.

The schedule for this year’s SummerFest in Milwaukee, WI has been announced, with concerts taking place on June 16 – 20; June 25 – 27; and July 2 – 4. Performers include Echo And The Bunnymen; Alejandro Escovedo; Modern English; The Dream Syndicate; The Roots; Kim Gordon; Little Feat; Old 97s; Sons Of The Silent Age; Muse; Spoon; Gin Blossoms; BoDeans; The Jayhawks; Soul Asylum; and Spin Doctors.

Pravda Records recording artists The Handcuffs will have their first gig of 2026 on March 14 at Liar’s Club (1655 W. Fullerton ) on Chicago’s north side. They’ll be part of a triple bill with The Midnight Calls and The Kozmic Kids. The Handcuffs have been busy working on their next album.

The Hollywood Bowl in Southern California has announced its 2026 concert schedule, which kicks off on May 2 with Lewis Capaldi and Joy Crookes and wraps up on October 31 with My Chemical Romance and Thrice. Other acts coming to The Hollywood Bowl this year include Los Angeles Philharmonic; Foo Fighters; Al Green; The Beach Boys; Buddy Guy; Burning Spear; Cheap Trick; De La Soul; The English Beat; Gin Blossoms; Gladys Knight; Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass; Herbie Hancock; Patti Labelle; The Roots; Squeeze; St. Vincent; Ziggy Marley; and ZZ Top.

Tickets are now on sale for the John Doe And Exene Cervenka See How We Are: An Acoustic Show at Old Town Of Folk Music in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area on June 13. The founding members of X will perform songs by the L.A. punk band as a duo.

An official screening of director Jonas Åkerlund’s documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead will take place on March 12 at The Vic Theatre on Chicago’s north side. WDRV The DRIVE on-air personality Janda Lane will host the event.

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Rachel Drew’s A Tribute To Amy Winehouse will take place on April 28 at SPACE in Evanston. Drew will focus on Winehouse’s Back To Black album, and she’ll be supported by musicians John Szymanski; Michael Krayniak; Jason Batch; Kenn Goodman; and the Total Pro Horns.

The Oddball Art Labs will celebrate its 13th anniversary with a Year13 Opening Reception from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on March 6 at the Side Street Studio in Elgin, IL. Oddball Art Labs is devoted to promoting the arts in Chicago area suburbs.

Chicago-based country and western performer Kent Rose has an 11:00 am – 1:00 pm performance coming up at the City News Cafe on March 7, with percussionist David Sims as his special guest.

The Bowery Palace in New York, NY will celebrate the late Clem Burke with several performers on March 25 and 26. Both nights are now sold out. Burke is best known for being Blondie’s drummer, and in recent years, he collaborated with several musicians on recordings and live performances. Guest performers at The Bowery Palace event will include Glen Matlock; Steve Wynn; Jesse Malin; Tommy Stinson; Kathy Valentine; Brix Smith; Linda Pitmon; Gail Greenwood; John Easdale; and Michael Giblin.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago doesn’t start until April 17, but we already know that The Spindles will perform in the 9:00 pm slot on April 24; and Trolley will have the 4:00 pm slot on April 19. Both acts posted their time slot information on their Facebook pages. And both have impressed with recently released albums.

Issue #22 of Second Scene is now available on the indie rock newspaper’s Bandcamp page. Editor-in-chief Tim Thomas is also planning a special issue for this summer that will feature art, short stories, poetry, photography, and lyrics by musicians who have appeared in previous issues.” Second Scene consistently sports an eye-catching layout, so it will be interesting to see what happens when he tosses in some art and literature.

Decoy Prayer Meeting; Everly Hillbillies; Ian McKinley Band; Between Howls; and Rhythm And Twang will join together in a country and western/rockabilly flavored event on March 28 at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. The music starts at 6:30 pm.

The All The Feelings Tour with Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars kicks off on June 8 in Austin, TX, and will make a stop at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on July 24. Other cities include Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Boston, and Washington, D.C. 

On March 19, PureSoul Presents, which has staged several tributes to famous music acts, will bring A Brief History Of R.E.M. to City Winery Chicago.

The Smithereens, who have a show with coming up Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill on March 6 at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL., have just announced new shows in Boca Raton, FL on March 19; Atlantic City, NJ on May 5; Alexandria, VA on June 6; and San Juan, Cap, CA on June 13.

The Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison event will take 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.

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.

The 10th annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday celebration will take place from 7:00 to 11:55 pm this Saturday at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Performers include Clar & Gigi Monaco; Sandalwood Sitar; Phil Angotti; New Heartaches; Black Friars Social Club; Torpedo Los; Pierce Crask; Frankie B; and The Amazing Johnsons. Organizers Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma always make sure My Sweet George is a joyous celebration of Harrison’s music, and this year, it will raise awareness for MusicCares.

Depending on when you read this, you could catch singer-guitarist Phil Angotti and his longtime mates Casey McDonough, Tom Ryan and Blair Holmes performing at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL. Angotti is well known on Chicago’s north side for his tributes to famous bands as well as for shows featuring original material. Tonight’s show, which starts at 7:30, looks like it will lean toward his own stuff, along with “a couple of top secret covers.”

Jim Peterik And Friends will perform tomorrow and Saturday night at Hey Nonny. Peterik, the very first musician I interviewed in my entire life (back when I wrote for the University Of Illinois - Chicago weekly newspaper) is well known for leading The Ides Of March and Survivor, as well as for his work with other famous bands. He’ll be joined by singer-songwriter Megon McDonough.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band at United Center in Chicago on April 29; Patti Smith with Tony Shanahan and Jackson Smith at the Old Town School Of Folk Music on March 10; and Jane Siberry at the Old Town School Of Folk Music on April 3.

As of tomorrow, 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 will be available to order from Beatland Books.

It’s almost as soon as now. PureSoul Presents will bring The Smiths cover band The Bomb That Will Bring Us Together to GMan Tavern on Chicago’s north side tomorrow night.

Nora O’Connor and Casey McDonough, two fifths of Chicago’s acclaimed band The Flat Five, have a 4:00 to 7:00 pm performance this Sunday at Cary’s Lounge. O’Connor and McDonough are known for several other music projects as well. Cary’s Lounge is located at 2251 W. Devon on the city’s far north side.

Chicago punk legends The Effigies have an all-ages show tomorrow night with Poison Hand and The Mighty Deerlick at the X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI.

There will be a Pop Show Opening Reception at the Martin Lawrence Galleries in Woodfield Mall this Saturday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The event will feature pieces that “reimagine legendary figures from film, music, and culture.”

Incoming

Tickets are now on sale for the official screening of director Jonas Åkerlund’s documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead on March 12 at The Vic Theatre on Chicago’s north side. As noted by The Vic Theatre on its official Facebook page, the film covers Idol’s “journey from underground star to pop icon.” WDRV The DRIVE on-air personality Janda Lane will host the event.

It’s gratifying to see popular performers on Chicago’s club scene make the trek out to Arlington Heights for a gig at Hey Nonny. Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, who’s well known on the city’s north side for his tributes to famous bands as well as for shows featuring his own material, will be at the venue this Thursday night.

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 will be available to order from Beatland Book this Friday.

The 10th annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday celebration will take place this Saturday at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Performers include Clar & Gigi Monaco; Sandalwood Sitar; Phil Angotti; New Heartaches; Black Friars Social Club; Torpedo Los; Pierce Crask; Frankie B; and The Amazing Johnsons. Organizers Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma always make sure My Sweet George is a joyous celebration of Harrison’s music, and this year, it will raise awareness for MusicCares.

Songwriter Circle returns to FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL on February 24 with host Terry White and guests Ike Reilly and son Shane. The 7:00 pm show is free but reservations are recommended. 

An Evening With The Western Elstons will be held on March 13 at SPACE in Evanston. The band members, all well known on the Chicago music scene, perform American roots music and rockabilly.

Chicago punk legends The Effigies have an all-ages show with with Poison Hand and The Mighty Deerlick coming up at the X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI this Friday night.

Tickets recently went on sale for the John Doe And Exene Cervenka See How We Are: An Acoustic Show at Old Town Of Folk Music in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area on June 13. The founding members of X will perform songs by the L.A. punk band as a duo.

There will be a Pop Show Opening Reception at the Martin Lawrence Galleries in Woodfield Mall this Saturday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The event will feature pieces that “reimagine legendary figures from film, music, and culture.”

Nora O’Connor and Casey McDonough, two fifths of Chicago’s acclaimed Flat Five band, have a 4:00 to 7:00 pm performance coming up this Sunday at Cary's Lounge. O’Connor and McDonough are known for their several other music projects as well. Cary’s Lounge is located at 2251 W. Devon on the city’s far north side.

Slumgullion

Photo of Peter Tork from the Official Peter Tork Facebook page.

First, a salute to Peter Tork, who was born on this day in 1942, and left us in 2019. Far more than a funny character on The Monkees TV show, Tork was well known in the New York and Los Angeles music scenes even before he started acting, and went on to decades-long successful career. Happy Birthday, Peter. Keep Rocking In Paradise. 

Tickets are now on sale for Chicago-based singer-songwriter Rachel Drew’s A Tribute To Amy Winehouse taking place on April 28 at SPACE in Evanston. Drew will focus on Winehouse’s Back To Black album, and she’ll be supported by musicians John Szymanski; Michael Krayniak; Jason Batch; Kenn Goodman; and the Total Pro Horns. 

The Asbury Record Show, featuring LPs, 45s, CDs, and cassettes, will be held at the The Stone Pony venue in Asbury Park, NJ on March 1. The event’s Facebook page promises to feature vendors from all over the tri-state area. 

Nora O’Connor and Casey McDonough, two fifths of Chicago’s acclaimed band The Flat Five, have a 4:00 to 7:00 pm performance coming up on February 22 at Cary’s Lounge. Of course, O’Connor and McDonough are known for several other music projects as well. Cary’s Lounge is located at 2251 W. Devon on the city’s far north side.  

The Oddball Art Labs will celebrate its 13th anniversary with a Year13 Opening Reception from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on March 6 at the Side Street Studio in Elgin, IL. Oddball Art Labs is devoted to promoting the arts in Chicago area suburbs.

Decoy Prayer Meeting; Everly Hillbillies; Ian McKinley Band; Between Howls; and Rhythm And Twang will join together in a country and western/rockabilly flavored event on March 28 at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. The music starts at 6:30 pm.

Tickets are now on sale for the All The Feelings Tour with Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars. The tour kicks off on June 8 in Austin, TX, and will include a stop at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on July 24. Other cities include Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Boston, and Washington, D.C. 

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago doesn’t start until April 17, but we already know that The Spindles will perform in the 9:00 pm slot on April 24; and Trolley will have the 4:00 pm slot on April 19. Both acts posted their time slot information on their Facebook pages. And both have impressed with recently released albums.

The Bowery Palace in New York, NY will celebrate the late Clem Burke with several performers on March 25 and 26. Both nights are now sold out. Burke is best known for being Blondie’s drummer, and in recent years, he collaborated with several musicians on recordings and live performances. Guest performers at The Bowery Palace event will include Glen Matlock; Steve Wynn; Jesse Malin; Tommy Stinson; Kathy Valentine; Brix Smith; Linda Pitmon; Gail Greenwood; John Easdale; and Michael Giblin. 

The list of limited-edition vinyl offerings that will be available on April 18 for this year’s Record Store Day is now available on the official website. As always, there’s something for fans of just about every genre and era. If I had to pick a handful from the numerous worthy releases, they would be The Cars - Heartbeat City Live; The dB’s - Cycles Per Second: US Tour 2024; and XTC - Live Boots - Live At Emerald City 1981.

San Francisco-based author Richie Unterberger’s latest book, Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground, is due out via Omnibus Press on May 14 in the UK and in mid-June in America.

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.

It’s gratifying to see popular performers on Chicago’s club scene make the trek out to Arlington Heights for a gig at Hey Nonny. Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, who’s well known on the city’s north side for his tributes to famous bands as well as for shows featuring his own material, will be at the venue on February 19. I believe it’s his second show there.

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 available to pre-order from Beatland Book and is expected to ship on February 20.

Fans who enjoyed the catchy rock Yipes! created on its 1979 and 1980 albums have reason to cheer now that the Milwaukee-based group has released the Irish Exit EP on its Bandcamp page. A brief note on the Yipes! Bandcamp page states the songs were “recorded during and after the last tours, always intended for the next album, but shit happens.” Regardless of the circumstances, the six songs on Irish Exit are energetic and fun.

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.

Pravda Records recording act The Handcuffs have their first gig of 2026 coming up on March 14 as part of a triple bill at Liar’s Club at on Chicago’s north side. The band will have guitarist Jeffrey Kmieciak—who made quite an impression on their Burn The Rails album—back on board after a two-year absence. The other bands performing with The Handcuffs on March 14 will be The Midnight Calls and The Kozmic Kids.

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.

Liar’s Club will present a matinee double bill of psychedelic rockers Hushdrops and high energy instrumental band Outronaut on March 1. Music starts at 3:00 pm. Liar’s Club is located at 1655 W. Fullerton on Chicago’s north side.

The 10th annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday celebration will take place on February 21 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Performers 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.

The Lovin’ Spoonful have a 7-CD box set titled What A Day For A Daydream - The Complete Recordings 1965 - 1969 coming out on March 27 via Strawberry Records.

On February 20, PureSoul Presents will bring The Smiths cover band The Bomb That Will Bring Us Together to GMan Tavern. Just about a month later (March 19), PureSoul Presents will bring A Brief History Of R.E.M. to City Winery Chicago.

Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried of the Hoboken, NJ band The Cucumbers have created another video for a song from the band’s new album As You Heard Me. “One Valentine’s Day” has a homespun, pretty arrangement, and clip’s simple graphics suit it well. As You Heard Me and Fried’s novella Hello, George work hand-in-hand, and were simultaneously released today. “One Valentine’s Day” is available to watch on YouTube.

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.

The Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison event will take 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.

Tim Thomas, editor-in-chief of the indie rock newspaper Second Scene, recently posted on Facebook that Issue #22 will likely be released late next week. He’s also “planning another special issue for the spring that will again feature art and, this time, short stories, poetry, photography, and lyrics by those who have been featured in previous issues.” Second Scene, which is available through its Bandcamp page, consistently sports an eye-catching layout, so it will be interesting to see what happens when he tosses in some art and literature.

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.

Over the Rhine, the critically acclaimed Americana band from Cincinnati, OH, is in the midst of its Infamous Love Songs: An Over The Rhine Valentine’s Concert midwestern mini-tour. Led by the happy couple Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler, Over the Rhine will perform at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre in Bloomington, IN tomorrow; Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL on Saturday; and at City Winery in St. Louis, MO on Sunday.

Journalist/singer-songwriter Hugh Hart of Huge Hart, Wedge, and The Odd fame, has a Valentine’s Day gift for his fans. The new song “Candy Hearts,” which also features guitarist JD Dragus, sets off-kilter lyrics about being in love while being broke to an Americana arrangement. It can be heard at  https://www.hughhart.com/CandyHearts.mp3

Singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen, a former member of the power pop bands The Abbeys and Pop Dollys, has embarked on a successful career playing selections from The Great American Songbook at dinner clubs. He took some time off since his last performance in December, 2025 but will be back at one of his regular haunts, the Tuscan Market And Wine Shop in Arlington Heights, IL, on Valentine’s Day (this Saturday). Cohen will be joined by Edward Hasse on bass.

For couples who enjoy a bit of intrigue with their Valentine’s Day celebration, Sideshow Villains’ Deviant Cabaret will present its 7 Deadly Sins Masquerade at the Copernicus Center in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood this Saturday. 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.

Depending on when you read this, you might be able to catch the Remembering Roxy Music event starting at 7:00 pm at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side tonight. The Montrose Saloon Facebook page mentions “live renditions.”

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 tomorrow. 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 WXRT Live From The XRT Concert Archives series continues tomorrow night at 9:00 pm with a January 27, 2006 Feist performance at Park West in Chicago. Live From The XRT Concert Archives can be heard on 93.1FM; 93XRT.com; and the Audacy app.

Congratulations to 10,000 Maniacs on having sold out all four of their shows scheduled at City Winery Chicago starting tonight and running through through Sunday. The band, which gave us hits such as “Like The Weather,” “Trouble Me,” and “Candy Everybody Wants,” will celebrate their 45th anniversary this year by releasing of box set of material from their Elektra/Rhino Records years, as well as an album of new songs.

New Colony Six, the Chicago-based band that scored hits such as “I Confess” and “Things I’d Like To Say” in the 1960s, has a gig at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights tomorrow night.

Incoming

The Bowery Palace in New York, NY will celebrate the late Clem Burke with several performers on March 25 and 26. Both nights are now sold out. Burke is best known for being Blondie’s drummer, and in recent years, he collaborated with several musicians on recordings and live performances. Guest performers at The Bowery Palace event will include Glen Matlock; Steve Wynn; Jesse Malin; Tommy Stinson; Kathy Valentine; Brix Smith; Linda Pitmon; Gail Greenwood; John Easdale; and Michael Giblin.

10,000 Maniacs have sold out all four of their shows scheduled at City Winery Chicago this Thursday through Sunday. The band, which gave us hits such as “Like The Weather,” “Trouble Me,” and “Candy Everybody Wants,” will celebrate their 45th anniversary this year by releasing of box set of material from their Elektra/Rhino Records years, as well as an album of new songs.

Tickets are now on sale for the All The Feelings Tour with Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars. The tour kicks off on June 8 in Austin, TX, and will include a stop at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on July 24. Other cities include Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

The Imperial Sound, the Chicago-based sextet that blends jazz, blues, and rock, with a dash of vintage supper club ambience, has a free show coming up this Wednesday at Simon’s Tavern on Chicago’s north side. 5210 N. Clark. The music starts at 8:30 pm.

The Asbury Record Show, featuring LPs, 45s, CDs, and cassettes, will be held at the The Stone Pony venue in Asbury Park, NJ on March 1. The event’s Facebook page promises to feature vendors from all over the tri-state area.

Decoy Prayer Meeting; Everly Hillbillies; Ian McKinley Band; Between Howls; and Rhythm And Twang will join together in a country and western/rockabilly flavored event on March 28 at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. The music starts at 6:30 pm.

Blues Week at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL wrapped up last Saturday, but there are two blues events well worth checking out this week at the venue. John Primer has a show there tomorrow night; and Wednesday brings a performance by Corky Siegel and Kalyan. New Colony Six, the Chicago-based band that scored hits such as “I Confess” and “Things I’d Like To Say” in the 1960s, has a gig at Hey Nonny on Friday.

I may not know where all the good times have gone, but I’m sure there will be some at Montrose Saloon this Wednesday when singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, with special guest guitarist John Szymanski, presents a Ray Davies Night. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose on Chicago’s north side. There is a suggested $10 donation. On Thursday night, Montrose Saloon will screen the Avalon feature film Roxy Music - More Than This at 7:00 pm.

Singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen, a former member of the power pop bands The Abbeys and Pop Dollys, has embarked on a successful career playing selections from The Great American Songbook at dinner clubs. He took some time off since his last performance in December, 2025 but will be back at one of his regular haunts, the Tuscan Market And Wine Shop in Arlington Heights, IL, on Valentine’s Day. Cohen will be joined by Edward Hasse on bass.

For couples who enjoy a bit of intrigue with their Valentine’s Day celebration, Sideshow Villains’ Deviant Cabaret will present its 7 Deadly Sins Masquerade at the Copernicus Center in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood this Saturday. 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.

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 this Friday. 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.

Slumgullion

The list of limited-edition vinyl offerings that will be available on April 18 for this year’s Record Store Day is now available on the official website. As always, there’s something for fans of just about every genre and era. If I had to pick a handful from the numerous worthy releases, they would be The Cars - Heartbeat City Live; The dB’s - Cycles Per Second: US Tour 2024; and XTC - Live Boots - Live At Emerald City 1981.

Congratulations to Chicago-based alt rock band Ratboys on the release of their latest album Singin’ To An Empty Chair on Bandcamp today. There’s a two-page profile on them by staff writer Selena Fragassi in today’s edition of the Chicago Sun-Times.

San Francisco-based author Richie Unterberger’s latest book, Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground, is due out via Omnibus Press on May 14 in the UK and in mid-June in America.

Long-time entertainment writer Mark Caro (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, etc.) has talked with several rock musicians on his Caropop podcast, and recently started making those interviews available on his YouTube channel, as well as on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The latest edition offers a fascinating conversation with Dag Juhlin, the Chicago musician whose career spans from founding the The Slugs back in the late 1980s to his current work with Sunshine Boys; Sonic45, EXPO ’76, and Courtesy Patrol. The interview also covers Juhlin being part of the Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy Celebrate The 40th Anniversary Of R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant Tour, and how their two previous R.E.M. tours were embraced by fans and the actual members of R.E.M.

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.

Blues Week at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL wraps up tomorrow night, but there are two blues events well worth checking out next week at the venue. John Primer has a show there on Tuesday night; and Wednesday brings a performance by Corky Siegel and Kalyan.

It’s gratifying to see popular performers on Chicago’s club scene make the trek out to Arlington Heights for a gig at Hey Nonny. Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, who’s well known on the city’s north side for his tributes to famous bands as well as for shows featuring his own material, will be at the venue on February 19. I believe it’s his second show there.

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.

Fans who enjoyed the catchy rock Yipes!created on its 1979 and 1980 albums have reason to cheer now that the Milwaukee-based group has released the Irish Exit EP on its Bandcamp page. A brief note on the Yipes! Bandcamp page states the songs were “recorded during and after the last tours, always intended for the next album, but shit happens.” Regardless of the circumstances, the six songs on Irish Exit are energetic and fun.

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. 

Pravda Records recording act The Handcuffs have their first gig of 2026 coming up on March 14 as part of a triple bill at Liar’s Club at on Chicago’s north side. The band will have guitarist Jeffrey Kmieciak—who made quite an impression on their Burn The Rails album—back on board after a two-year absence. The other bands performing with The Handcuffs on March 14 will be The Midnight Calls and The Kozmic Kids.

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.

Singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen, a former member of the power pop bands The Abbeys and Pop Dollys, has embarked on a successful career playing selections from The Great American Songbook at dinner clubs. He took some time off since his last performance in December, 2025 but will be back at one of his regular haunts, the Tuscan Market And Wine Shop in Arlington Heights, IL, on Valentine’s Day. Cohen will be joined by Edward Hasse on bass.

Liar’s Club will present a matinee double bill of psychedelic rockers Hushdrops and high energy instrumental band Outronaut on March 1. Music starts at 3:00 pm. Liar’s Club is located at 1655 W. Fullerton on Chicago’s north side.

The performers for the 10th annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday celebration, taking place on February 21 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, 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.

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 Lovin’ Spoonful have a 7-CD box set titled What A Day For A Daydream - The Complete Recordings 1965 - 1969 coming out on March 27 via Strawberry Records.

On February 20, PureSoul Presents will bring The Smiths cover band The Bomb That Will Bring Us Together to GMan Tavern. Just about a month later (March 19), PureSoul Presents will bring A Brief History Of R.E.M. to City Winery Chicago.

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.

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.

Thanks to filmmaker Justin Fielding for sharing a link to my recent post on his upcoming documentary The Power Pop Movie on his Facebook page, and to everyone who gave his post a Like. Also, thanks to those who gave a Like to my Facebook post with a link to my review of the film. 

I just received the latest issue of Shindig! magazine in the mail today. The cover story is titled Powerpop: The Third Wave With The Nerves, The Records, Our Top 1974 – 1981 Top 30 And More! I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it certainly sound interesting.