Slumgullion

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

This should have been included in yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post: The adventurous band Poi Dog Pondering has a gig tomorrow night at the RiverEdge venue in Aurora, IL.

Guitarist-vocalist Dag Juhlin, who’s one of the multitude of musicians in Poi Dog Pondering, is keeping busy these days. He’s part of the entertainment scheduled for this Sunday night’s tribute to Lin Brehmer at Metro; and the trio Sunshine Boys, which features him; Jackie Schimmel, and Gerald Dowd, will perform next Tuesday at The Gazebo as part of a free outdoors concert series in Welles Park in Chicago.

  

“Casablanca,” an energetic song that immediately catches your ear, is the first single from an upcoming album of new material from Bangles founding member Susanna Hoffs. It’s available to download on various sites; the entire album, titled The List, is due out on September 18.

Vicki Peterson (another Bangles founding member) and John Cowsill of The Cowsills (and later The Beach Boys) have a month-long, six-date tour that will wrap on August 30 with a show at The Rhode Island Folk Festival in Riverside, RI. The duo recently announced three October dates: on the 10th in Port Arkansas, TX; the 11th in Austin, TX; and the 14th at Avenel, NJ.

Vicki Peterson fans can pick up a cool souvenir while helping to support a worthy cause by ordering a limited-edition tumbler she designed for Joey’s Song, an organization that supports epilepsy research. It’s available, along with other special items, on the official Joey’s Song website.

Chicago’s own 21st Century Druid Music / Celtic Blues band whitewolfsonicprincess has a gig coming up a week from tonight at the Picnic Wine And Provisions venue on Sheridan Road on the city’s north side.

Ringo Starr is offering fans an opportunity to win a trip to meet him backstage when he returns to the Forest Hills Stadium in New York for the first time since 1964. Entry for the charity event can be found on the Fandiem website, and the proceeds will go to Starr’s Lotus Foundation, which aims to support social welfare in diverse areas.

Singer-guitarist Scott Niekelski, who’s launched a successful solo career in addition to fronting the popular Go Time! band, has an acoustic show coming up at Buckledown Brewing Lyons, IL on August 22. 

Beatles fans have three versions to choose from if they pre-order the special Rubber Soul rerelease on Amazon. The Super Deluxe 4 CD set is packaged in a 12-inch slipcase, and includes a new stereo mix; sessions and demos; mono versions; and the U.S. version. Plus, there’s a hardback book; photos, album info and track notes. The Special Edition Deluxe 2CD set includes the new stereo mix; demos and sessions highlights; and a 40-page booklet with information and rare photos. The Rubber Soul (Special Edition) [Blu-ray] version includes Atmos mixes; stereo mixes; and two videos each of “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out.” Vinyl fans willing to spend more cash can check out The Beatles USA Store for the Rubber Soul - Special Edition Super Deluxe: 5 LP + 7-Inch  Single Box Set + Posters + Art Cards. All the above choices are due out on October 2.

Singer-songwriter Jules Klee will no doubt perform her new single “He Don’t Know A Thing” when she shares a double bill with the Chicago-based country band Blue Rose at 5:00 pm on August 23 at the Tiny Tapp and Cafe  (55 W. Riverwalk South) in downtown Chicago.

Jeff Tweedy has a third outdoor solo acoustic show coming this fall at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL. He’s now scheduled to perform on September 23, with Max Subar as his special guest. The addition comes after Tweedy sold out his FitzGerald’s gigs on September 24 with special guest Official Claire and September 25 with special guest will be Henry True.

Rock on through the night with four odd-named acts. Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side will offer a quadruple bill of Sleepersound; Slow Teeth; Human Errors; and Phil Yates And The Affiliates on August 28. The music starts at 7:30.

Sleater-Kinney and Fandiem have joined forces to support Sweet Relief, the non-profit organization that helps people in the music business cope with medical, age-related, and other hardships. Fans who donate to Sweet Relief via the official Fandiem website have a chance win a trip to Chicago and see Sleater-Kinney and Liz Phair perform at The Salt Shed on September 17. The prize includes airfare and hotel accommodations, along with meeting the band backstage; having exclusive side stage viewing; and receiving a merch pack. Other stops on the tour include Los Angeles; Denver; Brooklyn; Philadelphia, and Boston.

Tellin’ Tales Theatre, the Chicago-based theatre group whose mission is “to shatter barriers between the disabled & non-disabled worlds,” needs more kids for an upcoming production of its Six Stories Up series. A recent Facebook post states the theatre is looking for “middle school kids who would like to have a complete theater experience.” Those interested can contact Tellin Tales via tekki@tellintales.org.

Chrissie Hynde: On Canvas, a new exhibition featuring The Pretenders vocalist-guitarist’s paintings, is now open tomorrow at the Harvey And Woodd gallery in Edinburgh, and will run through August 28th.

The Kinks: Brothers, a new exhibition created by Ray and Dave Davies of the band and artist Christian Furr, is now open at London’s Gibson Garage.

Local indie rock band Vinto Van Go will celebrate the release of its new record Charms And Trips on September 29 at Reggie’s Chicago, which is a bit south of the downtown area. Jem Records recording artists The Cynz from New York are also on the bill that night.

U2 has released a video of a new single titled “Street Of Dreams” that’s available to view on the Rock Cellar website. The song is showing up on radio stations such as WXRT in Chicago, and has a classic U2 arrangement and inspirational message about following your dreams. It’s an enticing preview of a full album the band promises will be released in the near future.

Singer-bassist Herb Eimerman will perform original songs during a solo acoustic set at 3:00 pm at the On The Rocks venue at the Waukegan Harbor in Waukegan, IL on September 13. The band Hindsight will also perform that afternoon. One of songs Eimerman performs will likely be “Designed By You,” a new single he recorded with his grandson guitarist Gavin Eimerman. It’s now available as a free download on the Egomaniac Music Bandcamp page.

A trio of UK acts comprising Colin Blunstone of The Zombies; new wave stars The Fixx; and musician/producer Peter Asher will tour America throughout the month of September. The 19 stops will include New York, NY; Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis, MN; and Waukegan, IL.

Los Angeles-based singer Juniper and her radio personality/musician father Michael Shelley have a gig coming up in Tokyo, Japan on August 30. Back in February of 2023, I posted a favorable review of Juniper’s She Steals Candy album, which featured her performing a mix of lost nuggets from the mid-1960s; along with covers of  The Bangles, The Go-Go’s, Amy Rigby, and other artists.

Montrose Saloon has done a splendid job hosting the annual International Pop Overthrow - Chicago for a few years now, so it’s no surprise the north-side Chicago venue has come up with its own multi-act festival. The End Of Summer Music Fest will present 15 bands over the course of two nights—September 11 and 12. The participating acts include Kent Rose; Esmerelda’s Boys; Who’s This Mary?; The Bon Mots; Go Time!; The Thin Cherries; and The Spindles.

Issue #23 of Second Scene includes articles on The Monochrome Set; Joan As Police Woman; The Lemon Twigs; The Dream Syndicate; The Long Ryders, and numerous other bands, is available through its Bandcamp page. Led by editor-in-chief Tim Thomas, the Pittsburgh, PA indie rock music newspaper presents its reviews and articles within a colorful, eye-catching layout.

An impressive variety of acts will be on hand when the Edgewater Music Fest is held on the weekend of August 28 – 30 at Broadway and Thorndale on Chicago’s north side. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists; NNAMDÏ; Maps And Atlases; Spitalfield; Mucca Pazza; Naked Brunch; Cult Canyon; Dianogah; and North By North are among the performers.

Theater Of The Mind, the imaginative adventure crafted by David Byrne from Talking Heads and writer Mala Gaonkar, will run through August 30 at the Reid Murdoch Building at 333 N. LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. Theater Of The Mind is a Goodman Theatre production.

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; record release info; or concert tickets going on sale.

The Hometown Celebration - A Benefit for The Lin Brehmer Scholars Fund will be held this Sunday at Metro in the Wrigleyville neighborhood. The featured acts will be The Linburgers (Tributosaurus members Matt Spiegel & Curt Morrison); Dag Juhlin; Michael McDermott; and Heather Lynne Horton. Brehmer worked at WXRT for several years and will always be remembered as one of Chicago’s best-friendliest and knowledgeable radio personalities, especially for those of us who met him in person.

Jeff Tweedy has a third outdoor solo acoustic show coming this fall at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL. He’s now scheduled to perform on September 23, with Max Subar as his special guest. The addition comes after Tweedy sold out his FitzGerald’s gigs on September 24 with special guest Official Claire and September 25 with special guest will be Henry True.

International Pop Overthrow - Los Angeles is up and running and will continue through this Sunday at the Redwood Bar and Corbin Bowl venues. The entire schedule is available on the official IPO website, and if you follow International Pop Overthrow founder David Bash on Facebook, you can catch his film clips of the various acts performing.

Depending on when you read this, you could still catch LaRue DeVille, an offshoot of long-time Chicago club band Red Wigglers, along with punk rock cover band Horse And Sparrow, in a double bill at Double Clutch Brewery in Evanston. LaRue DeVille goes on 7:00 pm; Horse And Sparrow performs around 8:00 pm, and there’s no cover charge.

On a less fun note, the Kevin Lee And The Kings and Scott Niekelski shows scheduled for tonight at The Dock venue on Chicago’s north side have been cancelled due to stormy weather. 

Also, Big Brother’s Vinyl, a covers act that has a knack for picking songs you know and like but aren’t ones that you’ve heard performed countless times by other local groups, has rescheduled tonight’s show at the Music In The Reserve summer concert series in Elgin, IL due to the weather. The new date is September 24. It looks like tomorrow night’s Big Brother’s Vinyl gig at The Barn (303 E.Kensington Rd.) as part of the Mount Prospect Village Wide Music Fest will go on as planned.

Ralph Covert, the vocalist-guitarist and chief songwriter for Chicago-based band The Bad Examples, will perform with string accompaniment at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL this Saturday. Covert’s clever and catchy songs often call to mind the music of Squeeze, so it should be interesting to see how his material sounds backed by strings.

Outronaut, the Chicago-based instrumental band known for its high-energy performances, has a 5:00 pm show tomorrow as part of the 56 Music Fix event taking place in a tent outside the Mrs. P and Me restaurant in Mount Prospect.

The 2026 Summer Concert Series at the Riverside Park venue in Aurora, IL includes The Beach Boys tomorrow and Poi Dog Pondering on Saturday.

The 9th Annual Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held this Sunday at Buddy Guy’s Legends venue in the south end of downtown Chicago. A post on the official Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame notes that tickets will only be sold in advance.

Custard Flux, AKA musician Gregory Curvey, will weave his prog music magic when he headlines a Chicago Alternafest! event at the Underground Lounge this Saturday. Piper No; Oh My Lover; and Mystic Mulberry will also be on the Alternafest! bill.

Bookclub, an adventurous new addition to Chicago’s entertainment scene, and local singer-guitarist Opal Vinopal will present Foundations - A Songwriters Show In The Round from 2:00 to 4:00 pm this Sunday. Vinopal; Wild Earp; Kelsey Montanez/Channels; Ian Leith; and TAFKAV will be the participants. Bookclub is located at 2871 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Chicago radio station WXRT’s Live From The XRT Concert Archives series continues tomorrow night at 9:00 pm with an April  21, 2002 concert performance by Elvis Costello at the House Of Blues in Chicago. Live From The XRT Concert Archives can be heard on 93.1FM; 93XRT.com; and the Audacy app.

Incoming

Rubber Soul graphic from the official Beatles Facebook page.

Beatles fans have three versions to choose from if they pre-order the special Rubber Soul rerelease on Amazon. The Super Deluxe 4 CD set is packaged in a 12-inch slipcase, and includes a new stereo mix; sessions and demos; mono versions; and the U.S. version. Plus, there’s a hardback book; photos, album info and track notes. The Special Edition Deluxe 2CD set includes the new stereo mix; demos and sessions highlights; and a 40-page booklet with information and rare photos. The Rubber Soul (Special Edition) [Blu-ray] version includes Atmos mixes; stereo mixes; and two videos each of “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out.” Vinyl fans willing to spend more cash can check out The Beatles USA Store for the Rubber Soul - Special Edition Super Deluxe: 5 LP + 7-Inch  Single Box Set + Posters + Art Cards.

All the above choices are due out on October 2, so you could ask someone to buy one for you as an early holiday present. But I doubt you’d able to wait until December to open it.

Ringo Starr is offering fans an opportunity to win a trip to meet him backstage when he returns to the Forest Hills Stadium in New York for the first time since 1964. Entry for the charity event can be found on the Fandiem website, and the proceeds will go to Starr’s Lotus Foundation, which aims to support social welfare in diverse areas.

The Hometown Celebration - A Benefit for The Lin Brehmer Scholars Fund will be held this Sunday at Metro in the Wrigleyville neighborhood. The featured acts will be The Linburgers (Tributosaurus members Matt Spiegel & Curt Morrison); Dag Juhlin; Michael McDermott; and Heather Lynne Horton. Brehmer will always be remembered as one of Chicago’s best-friendliest and knowledgeable radio personalities, especially for those of us who met him in person.

WXRT’s 93XRT Record Release Show for Michael McDermott and The Arsonists’ Flowers From The Graveyard album will take place on tomorrow at GMan Tavern, which is also in Wrigleyville.

Depending on when you read this, you could still catch Clinard Dance — an ensemble based in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood — presenting a Flamenco Quartet Project at Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL tonight at 7:30 pm. 

The 9th Annual Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held this Sunday at Buddy Guy’s Legends venue in the south end of downtown Chicago. A post on the official Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame notes that tickets will only be sold in advance.

Bookclub, an adventurous new addition to Chicago’s entertainment scene, and local singer-guitarist Opal Vinopal will present Foundations - A Songwriters Show In The Round from 2:00 to 4:00 pm this Sunday. Vinopal; Wild Earp; Kelsey Montanez/Channels; Ian Leith; and TAFKAV will be the participants. Bookclub is located at 2871 N. Lincoln Avenue.

LaRue DeVille, an offshoot of long-time Chicago club band Red Wigglers, along with punk rock cover band Horse And Sparrow, will share a double bill at Double Clutch Brewery in Evanston this Thursday. Both bands that night will feature vocalist Erica Loftus, whose impressive resume also includes The Right Tidys and The Collectors. There’s no cover charge.

Kevin Lee And The Kings, long-time masters of melodic, hard-edged rock, will perform at The Dock venue (200 W. Montrose Harbor Drive) on Chicago’s north side this Thursday. Singer-guitarist Scott Niekelski, who’s launched a successful solo career in addition to fronting the popular Go Time! band, will serve as the opening act.

Custard Flux, AKA musician Gregory Curvey, will weave his prog music magic when he headlines a Chicago Alternafest! event at the Underground Lounge this Saturday. Piper No; Oh My Lover; and Mystic Mulberry will also be on the Alternafest! bill.

Upcoming concerts at the 2026 Summer Concert Series at the Riverside Park venue in Aurora, IL include The Beach Boys this Friday; and Poi Dog Pondering on Saturday.

Ralph Covert, the vocalist-guitarist and chief songwriter for Chicago-based band The Bad Examples, will perform with string accompaniment at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL this Saturday. Covert’s clever and catchy songs often call to mind the music of Squeeze, so it should be interesting to see how his material sounds backed by strings.

International Pop Overthrow - Los Angeles is up and running and will continue through this Sunday at the Redwood Bar and Corbin Bowl venues. The entire schedule is available on the official IPO website, and if you follow International Pop Overthrow founder David Bash on Facebook, you can catch his film clips of the various acts performing.

Big Brother’s Vinyl, a covers act that has a knack for picking songs you know and like but aren’t ones that you’ve heard performed countless times by other local groups, has two gigs this week. The band will perform as part of the Music In The Reserve summer concert series at 899 Jay Street in Elgin, IL this Thursday night from 7:00 to 8:30 pm, and on Friday night at The Barn (303 E.Kensington Rd.) as part of the Mount Prospect Village Wide Music Fest.

Slumgullion

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

This event should have been included in yesterday’s post: Joe Shanahan, who runs the popular Metro and GMan Tavern venues in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood, will show off his DJ finesse when he spins punk, funk, soul, and a bit of disco from 3:00 to 7:00 pm tomorrow at GMan. In a recent Facebook post, Shanahan noted he’ll have, “plenty of ground to cover as well as a nod to the classics.”

Tickets are now on sale for two Jeff Tweedy outdoor solo acoustic shows at FitzGerald’s Outdoors in Berwyn, IL. On September 24, his special guest will be Official Claire; and on September 25, his special guest will be Henry True.

“Casablanca,” an energetic song that immediately catches your ear, is the first single from an upcoming album of new material from Bangles founding member Susanna Hoffs. It’s available to download on various sites; the entire album, titled The List, is due out on September 18.

Vicki Peterson (another Bangles founding member) and John Cowsill of The Cowsills (and later The Beach Boys) have a month-long, six-date tour that will wrap on August 30 with a show at The Rhode Island Folk Festival in Riverside, RI. The duo recently announced three October dates: on the 10th in Port Arkansas, TX; the 11th in Austin, TX; and the 14th at Avenel, NJ.

Vicki Peterson fans can pick up a cool souvenir while helping to support a worthy cause by ordering a limited-edition tumbler she designed for Joey’s Song, an organization that supports epilepsy research. It’s available, along with other special items, on the official Joey’s Song website.

Amazing Heeby Jeebies, a Chicago-based band that combines garage rock and rockabilly while spinning tales of werewolves, mummies, and cannibals, will get the party started as the first band to perform at 25th Annual Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest. They’ll go on at 6:00 pm on the first night of the August 14 – 16 bash. Other scheduled acts over that weekend include Kid Kingston; Funkadesi; Tennis Court Oath; and Son Monarcas.

This year’s Hometown Celebration - A Benefit for The Lin Brehmer Scholars Fund at Metro will take place on August 16. The featured acts will be The Linburgers (Tributosaurus members Matt Spiegel & Curt Morrison); Dag Juhlin; Michael McDermott; and Heather Lynne Horton.

Local indie rock band Vinto Van Go will celebrate the release of its new record Charms And Trips on September 29 at Reggie’s Chicago, which is a bit south of the downtown area. Jem Records recording artists The Cynz from New York are also on the bill that night.

Sleater-Kinney and Fandiem have joined forces to support Sweet Relief, the non-profit organization that helps people in the music business cope with medical, age-related, and other hardships. Fans who donate to Sweet Relief via the official Fandiem website have a chance win a trip to Chicago and see Sleater-Kinney and Liz Phair perform at The Salt Shed on September 17. The prize includes airfare and hotel accommodations, along with meeting the band backstage; having exclusive side stage viewing; and receiving a merch pack. Other stops on the tour include Los Angeles; Denver; Brooklyn; Philadelphia, and Boston.

Singer-bassist Herb Eimerman will perform original songs during a solo acoustic set at 3:00 pm at the On The Rocks venue at the Waukegan Harbor in Waukegan, IL on September 13. The band Hindsight will also perform that afternoon. One of songs Eimerman performs will likely be “Designed By You,” a new single he recorded with his grandson guitarist Gavin Eimerman. It’s now available as a free download on the Egomaniac Music Bandcamp page.

Los Angeles-based singer Juniper and her radio personality/musician father Michael Shelley have a gig coming up in Tokyo, Japan on August 30. Back in February of 2023, I posted a favorable review of Juniper’s She Steals Candy album, which featured her performing a mix of lost nuggets from the mid-1960s; along with covers of  The Bangles, The Go-Go’s, Amy Rigby, and other artists.

Kevin Lee And The Kings, long-time masters of melodic, hard-edged rock, will perform at The Dock venue (200 W. Montrose Harbor Drive) on Chicago’s north side on August 13. Singer-guitarist Scott Niekelski, who’s launched a successful solo career in addition to fronting the popular Go Time! band, will serve as the opening act.

Chrissie Hynde: On Canvas, a new exhibition featuring The Pretenders vocalist-guitarist’s paintings, is now open tomorrow at the Harvey And Woodd gallery in Edinburgh, and will run through August 28th.

The Kinks: Brothers, a new exhibition created by Ray and Dave Davies of the band and artist Christian Furr, is now open at London’s Gibson Garage.

Montrose Saloon has done a splendid job hosting the annual International Pop Overthrow - Chicago for a few years now, so it’s no surprise the north-side Chicago venue has come up with its own multi-act festival. The End Of The Summer Music Fest will present 15 bands over the course of two nights—September 11 and 12. The participating acts include Kent Rose; Esmerelda’s Boys; Who’s This Mary?; The Bon Mots; Go Time!; The Thin Cherries; and The Spindles.

U2 has released a video of a new single titled “Street Of Dreams” that’s available to view on the Rock Cellar website. The song is showing up on radio stations such as WXRT in Chicago, and has a classic U2 arrangement and inspirational message about following your dreams. It’s an enticing preview of a full album the band promises will be released in the near future.

The Chicago-based Clinard Dance will present its Flamenco Quartet Project, a multi-faceted event that blends history and art within a flamenco format, at Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL at 7:30 pm on August 10.  The performers will include jazz vocalist Joan Collaso, rapper King Mossa, flamenco percussionist Diego Alvarez, and flamenco dancer Wendy Clinard.

Marshall Crenshaw’s Fall 2026 Tour, with special guests Sarah Borges with 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.

An impressive variety of acts will be on hand when the Edgewater Music Fest is held on the weekend of August 28 – 30 at Broadway and Thorndale on Chicago’s north side. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists; NNAMDÏ; Maps And Atlases; Spitalfield; Mucca Pazza; Naked Brunch; Cult Canyon; Dianogah; and North By North are among the performers.

Lenny Kaye, whose impressive resume includes being a member of The Patti Smith Band; a successful producer; and a connoisseur of garage rock, will drop by the Gman Tavern in Chicago on September 18. As noted by Gman Tavern boss Joe Shanahan in a Facebook post, Kaye will promote his debut album and will be joined by onstage by local singer-songwriter Nora O’Connor.

The August issue of the splendid UK rock magazine MOJO (with The Rolling Stones on the cover) features journalist David Fricke’s extensive interview with Lenny Kaye, along with a lot of cool photos.

Chicago-based blues legend Buddy Guy’s massive Celebrate The Legend Tour continues this month with a busy schedule that includes shows in Nashville; Atlanta; New Orleans; San Antonio;and Dallas. Guy will celebrate his 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden on October 1; the tour runs through October 29. 

Issue #23 of Second Scene includes articles on The Monochrome Set; Joan As Police Woman; The Lemon Twigs; The Dream Syndicate; The Long Ryders, and numerous other bands, is available through its Bandcamp page. Led by editor-in-chief Tim Thomas, the Pittsburgh, PA indie rock music newspaper presents its reviews and articles within a colorful, eye-catching layout.

A trio of UK acts comprising Colin Blunstone of The Zombies; new wave stars The Fixx; and musician/producer Peter Asher will tour America throughout the month of September. The 19 stops will include New York, NY; Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis, MN; and Waukegan, IL.

Theater Of The Mind, the imaginative adventure crafted by David Byrne from Talking Heads and writer Mala Gaonkar, will run through August 30 at the Reid Murdoch Building at 333 N. LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. Theater Of The Mind is a Goodman Theatre production.