See yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events happening this weekend.
The Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival being held in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, Ireland from May 28 through 31 will feature “Big Top Concerts each night as well as 30 Hours of Open Air Free Gigs on the Rockin’ Streets of Ballyshannon Co.”
As noted by Chicago Sun-Times staff reporter Kaitlin Washburn in this past Monday’s edition, the people at Lollapalooza have donated $1.1 million to Chicago public schools to help expand art education programming. That’s certainly worth a standing ovation. This year’s Lollapalooza festival takes place from July 30 to August 2 at Grant Park in downtown Chicago. The lineup includes Lorde; The Smashing Pumpkins; Sombr; Wet Leg; Suki Waterhouse; and Wolf Alice.
Happy Birthday to musician-artist-promoter Jonathan Lea. I first came across his band The Jigsaw Seen on various artists tribute albums to The Bee Gees, Henry Mancini, The Hollies, and The Left Banke. The group also did well on its own albums of original material, and Lea would later tour with Dave Davies from The Kinks. He’s more recently recorded with the all-star band Tall Poppy Syndrome, and has worked with Carla Olson from The Textones and Allan Clarke from The Hollies.
Rattleback Records, a definitely cool store on Chicago’s far north side, has a three-act showcase of garage rockers Tuff Sudz, power pop/rock quartet A.M. Slingers, and former The M’s leader Josh Chicoine’s new band Cult Canyon coming up on May 29 at the Burlington Bar. A.M. Slingers will be celebrating the release of their second album To The Nines; and Cult Canyon recently released their Smoke Tricks album. Burlington Bar is located at 3425 W. Fullerton.
Joe Algeri and Paul Colombini of the Australian power pop band The Outryders are on the verge of releasing their first album in a few years. The new songs will also feature Illinois native, bass player Herb Eimerman, who has worked with Algeri on several projects, thanks to modern recording technology.
Phil Yates of Chicago-based power pop band Phil Yates And The Affiliates has a solo gig coming up at Uncommon Ground - Lakeview on June 6. The Transference and Joe Dilillo are also on the bill that night.
Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney, women performers who first found fame in the 1990s and have been successful ever since, will join together for The Flannel and the Fury Tour this fall. They’ll perform at The Salt Shed Fairgrounds in Chicago on September 17; other stops on the tour include Los Angeles; Denver; Brooklyn; Philadelphia, and Boston.
Phil Angotti And Friends have performed a number of Beatles Brunches around the Chicago area and they have another one coming up on June 7 at FitzGerald’s On The Patio in Berwyn, IL.
The Rolling Stones recently announced that their new album Foreign Tongues, which is due out on July 10, can now be pre-ordered from Amazon and other sites. A video of the hard-edged first single “In The Stars” on YouTube finds the band at the top of their game.
Chicago-based singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has a performance coming up at the Friendly Bar in Berwyn, IL on May 26. The show is part of the Friendly Community Songwriter Series, and will include Rosales introducing new material that wasn’t on his Phasedrift album or earlier releases. The music starts at 7:00 pm, and there is no cover charge.
The Roger Daltry - A Great Night Out! North American Tour will kick off in Mesa, AZ on August 23 and wrap up on September 29 in Medford, MA. Fans in the Midwest can choose New Lenox, IL on September 12 or Milwaukee, WI on September 15.
As announced by the Chicago-based, multifaceted writer Mark Guarino in a recent Facebook post, the Souvenirs - 80 Years Of John Prine four-day event will kick off October 8 at the Chicago Theatre. Members of Prine’s band will perform, along with Steve Earle; Ratboys; Jon Langford; Kathleen Edwards; Alynda Segarra; Amos Lee; Shemekia Copeland; Josh Ritter; Margo Price; and The Cactus Blossoms. Actor John C. Reilly will serve as host. All proceeds from Souvenirs will benefit the Prine-inspired Hello In There Foundation.
A remastered seven-inch vinyl single of “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” by The Clash, with “Straight To Hell” on the B-side, will be available from various sites starting on June 12.
Congratulations to rock and roll legend Patti Smith on being chosen as the winner of this year’s Harold Washington Literary Award. As noted in Rick Kogan’s article in a recent issue of the Chicago Tribune, the award will be presented to Smith in Chicago on September 10. Her latest book, Bread Of Angels: A Memoir was published last year.
SOLSTICE, which is being described as “A Festival Where Nature Is Not The Backdrop, But The Headliner,” is coming June 19 – 22 to Trematon Castle in Cornwall, England. As noted on the SOLSTICE website, the event will offer live music, dialogue, and workshops centered on the concept of “what a truly nature-centric culture could look like.” Performers include Anna B Savage; Alexis Taylor; Boss Morris; and Chapel Of (Nature) Love. Andy Bell and Deb Grant are among the DJs scheduled.
Chicago-based power trio Triple will be in the middle of a three-act showcase at Liar’s on Chicago’s north side on June 5. Woolworthy gets things rocking at 9:00 pm, followed by Triple at 10:00 pm, and Panther Style at 11:00. Liar’s is located at 1665 W. Fullerton.
Mike Campbell And The Dirty Knobs are coming to The Vic in Chicago on July 9 with special guest Sarah Lee Guthrie. It’s the second date on an upcoming tour that starts two days earlier in Minneapolis. The band has a new album titled Mission Of Mercy coming out on June 12.
International Pop Overthrow regulars (in Chicago and elsewhere) Kerosene Stars will share a triple bill with Kenneth Scott Peters and Lonefeather at the Dan Electro’s venue in Houston, TX on June 6. Kerosene Stars have been releasing power pop albums since their 2014 self-titled effort.
Veteran Chicago band The Claudettes, whose adventurous music challenges critics as well fans to slap a label on it, will release their next album, Garage Glamour, on Pravda Records on June 5.
Toronto indie rock band Metric will kick off a tour with Broken Social Scene and Stars on June 8 in Austin, TX. Metric will be promoting its 10th album Romanticize The Drive. Other cities include Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago (July 24 at Aragon Ballroom), Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.
Montrose Saloon has a Power Pop On Stage event coming on June 7 that will feature The Unswept, Dolph Chaney And The Phins, and Andy Bopp. The music starts at 6:00 pm.
Psychedelic Soul: A Journey Through Rhythm And Time is now open at the Motown Museum in Detroit, MI, and will run through September 27. The website states the exhibit will focus on the years 1967 through 1975, “when the label expanded beyond its signature love songs to embrace experimentation and socially conscious storytelling.”
Chicago indie rock band The Handcuffs have a series of live performances scheduled for the next few months. They’ll be at the Metro Jam Festival with Sonny Landreth in Manitowoc, WI on June 20; Summerfest (as Kim Gordon’s opening act) in Milwaukee, WI on June 25; Mary’s Place in Rockford, IL on June 27; Evanston SPACE with whitewolfsonicprincess on July 28; and PravdaFest at FitzGerald's in Berwyn, IL on September 12. As posted on Facebook today, The Handcuffs have recorded two new songs in the studio for a picture sleeve single to be released some time this summer.
A new music documentary titled Peter Asher Everywhere Man explores the multi-decade career of the English musician and producer. Several major stars are featured in the film, including James Taylor; Linda Ronstadt; Carole King; Paul McCartney; and Robin Williams. Peter Asher Everywhere Man will be shown in select theaters on June 19.
Theater Of The Mind, the imaginative adventure crafted by David Byrne from Talking Heads and writer Mala Gaonkar, has been extended through August 30 at the Reid Murdoch Building at 333 N. LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. Theater Of The Mind, a Goodman Theatre production, has been picking up rave reviews in Chicago newspapers.
