Photo of SPIN Magazine cover from SPIN Facebook page.
Please see yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.
U2’s 2027 Greatest Show On Earth World Tour will kick off in Mexico City on February 23 and then move on to South American locations. According to the Spin Magazine Facebook page, later on, the tour “will expand to Europe, North America and Ireland.” Judging from press release material, the tour name is meant to be humorous, and it also references U2’s latest single from their upcoming album. Carnaval De Luz is due out November 13.
Happy Birthday to Johnny Mars, the longtime WXRT DJ who’s a prime example of why the station’s listeners are so loyal. Mars has impeccable taste in choosing songs, is knowledgeable, and comes across as a friend. He’s also been doing a fine job on Saturday Morning Flashback, the weekly program first hosted by Wendy Rice several years ago. And while I’m at it, a tip of the hat to WXRT’s entire staff of DJs.
The official Record Store Day website has posted the list of limited edition vinyl releases that will be offered for this year’s Black Friday Record Store Day. Per tradition, it follows directly after Thanksgiving, and offers treasures across several genres. The list includes releases from The B52’s; Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers; Brides Of Funkenstein; Lindsey Buckingham; Miles Davis; The Doors; The Eagles; Earth, Wind And Fire; Marianne Faithful; Fountains Of Wayne; Grateful Dead; Stan Getz; George Harrison; Billy Idol; INXS; Jefferson Airplane; Noah Kahan; The Knack; Pat Metheny; and Joni Mitchell. That’s just a sample of the records on the first two pages of a four-page list.
The annual Chris & Heather's Country Calendar Show will once again feature live performances by local musicians, and take place at the FitzGerald’s venue in Berwyn, IL. Chicago-based musician/artist Heather McAdams creates calendars brimming with cool illustrations of country and rock musicians. This year’s calendar show will take place on December 12.
The Third Eye, a book of personal photographs George Harrison took of his fellow Beatles in the years 1963 – 1969, is now on sale. It features over 200 photographs compiled and curated by Olivia Harrison, along with her essays, and comments from George.
Local indie psychedelic garage rock band Vinto Van Go has a record release show for their latest album Charms And Trips coming up on October 25 at the LiveWire venue on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. The event will also feature special guests Mike Younger And The Tennessee Trehuggers, Band, who also has a new album on the way.
The Who have released a very fun Acoustic Stripped Mix of their 1975 hit single “Squeeze Box” as a preview of the 50th Anniversary edition of their The Who By Numbers album. Fans can check out the song via an animated video inspired by John Entwistle’s art for the original album cover. The 50th Anniversary Who By Numbers is due out October 30, and is available to pre-order on various sites.
Join together, lend a hand. The Music Moves Mountains Foundation, a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity organization that uses music to assist people experiencing medical issues, will present A Tribute To Keith Moon all ages event on November 1 at Central Machine Brewery Works in Austin, Texas. Special guests will include Gregg Bissonette; Stephen Perkins; Michael Jerome; and Keith’s daughter Mandy Moon. In addition to live performances, there will be a silent auction to benefit the Music Moves Mountains Foundation.
Jim Babjak, lead guitarist/vocalist for The Smithereens, was a recent guest on entertainment writer Mark Caro’s podcast Caropop. Caro has a knack for interviewing rock musicians, and his conversation with Babjak is another gem. Babjak discusses his guitar playing technique; the origins of The Smithereens, the challenge of working with a rotating list of lead vocalists since Pat DiNizio passed away; and the possibility of upcoming releases from The Smithereens.
The Smithereens will perform at the Park West venue in Chicago on November 21. John Cowsill (The Cowsills, Beach Boys, John Cowsill and Vicki Peterson) will be their guest lead singer, and he’s been doing a terrific job in that role for a while now. (Cowsill, Marshall Crenshaw, and Wesley Stace are taking turns in that role on the current tour.)
Artist submissions are now being accepted for the two nights of Jeff Buckley Tributes taking place at Uncommon Ground in Chicago on November 16 and 17. Song demos can be sent to https://www.uncommonground.com/jeff-buckley-tribute. Uncommon Ground is located at 3800 N. Clark Street.
The Zombies’ third annual Begin Here Festival (following ones in 2023 and 2024) will take place from October 30 through November 1 in St. Albans in the UK. It’s described on the band’s Facebook page as “a unique fan experience,” and looking over the various activities, that sounds about right. Lead vocalist Colin Blunstone will be accompanied by composer/musician Dave Bainbridge and Q Strings, as well as special guests in a candlelight concert. There will also be a record signing with Blunstone, Rod Argent, and other band members; Q and A sessions with band members; and a ‘60s-themed dance party.
Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side will offer a potent trio of local bands on October 24. Go Time! will kick things off at 8:30 with their hard-edged power pop, followed by The Spindles and their 1960s-inspired approach to power pop at 8:30. The 321’s, a hard-edged trio that’s been getting positive audience responses since arriving on the Chicago music scene not too long ago, will perform at 10:30.
Gina Schock and Jane Wiedlin, founding members of The Go-Go’s, will perform at The Sands Rocks in Cancun, Mexico from October 20 through 25.
Tommi Zender and Alton Smith, both well known musicians on the Chicago scene, promise they’ll “make pleasant sounds” when they perform at Madame Zuzu’s in Highland Park on November 2. That’s the combination teahouse and record store run by Billy (Smashing Pumpkins) and Chloe Corgan.
The 49th Anniversary Edition of Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True five-CD box set, with 104 tracks—half of them being previously unreleased—is now available. Costello’s groundbreaking debut featured songs such as “Watching The Detectives,” “Miracle Man,” “Alison,” “Less Than Zero,” and “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes.”
The Soul Avengers, a Chicago-based quartet featuring Steve Dawson, Alton Smith, Bill Brickey, and Chris Greene will return to Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL on Halloween night.
Marshall Crenshaw’s Fall 2026 Tour, with special guests Sarah Borges and Eric Ambel, will start October 27 in Toronto, ON and continue through November 23 with a concert in New York, NY. The tour will bring Crenshaw to The Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago on Halloween night.
Temp Wishes, a new band led by the perpetually busy Josh Chicoine of The M’s, have a vinyl release show for their self-titled debut record coming up on November 6 at the Constellation venue on Chicago’s north side. They’ll share the bill with folk singer The Singleton Affair.
Steve Barton from the band Translator will release his latest solo effort, See-Saw Hullabaloo, on October 23. Two days later, he’ll showcase the album at the Alberta Street Pub in Portland, Oregon.
The Second Summer, a Chicago-based alt rock/power pop band, will likely showcase its new single “Underwater” when they perform as part of the local label Hardstop Records’ showcase taking place on November 1 at the Bookclub in Chicago. Label mates Hollow Bastion and The Transference will also be on the bill.
Theater Of The Mind, the imaginative adventure crafted by David Byrne from Talking Heads and writer Mala Gaonkar, has been extended through December at the Reid Murdoch Building at 333 N. LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. Theater Of The Mind is a Goodman Theatre production.
