Slumgullion #22

Godzilla art from G-Fest website.

Oh No, There Goes Tokyo: If people in the Chicago area are hearing the stomping of huge feet, it might be because of the G-Fest XVII Godzilla Convention, which is running from Friday through Sunday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Subtitled The Return To Monster Island, the fest will feature Q & A sessions with some of the actors and crew from the big guy’s films, as well as a dealers room, and fan presentations on various topics. Admission is $25 per day or $40 for the whole weekend. Visitors are encouraged to come in Godzilla or Raymond Burr costumes.

Beatles Day Tripper: Members Of The British Beatles Fan Club, a group on Facebook, has a report on what Mike Badger, who formed the short-lived and much-missed English pop band The La’s, has been up to lately. According to writer Mark Sumner on the Internet site Click Liverpool, Badger was commissioned by the Cavern Walks shopping center in Liverpool to create a sculpture honoring The Beatles for the city’s third annual Beatles Day on July 10th. The result is an intriguing piece titled “Musical Composition” that will be comprised of Badger’s own Zenith guitar (the sort Paul McCartney often played) and other musical instruments. Music wise, Sumner reports that Badger is currently working on a solo career.

Hello Again, Goodbye Girl: Squeeze has just uploaded three songs from its upcoming CD Spot The Difference to its MySpace page. The new CD features the band playing new versions of some of its best-loved tunes, like “Goodbye Girl,” “Pulling Mussels (From A Shell),” and “Loving You Tonight.” Squeeze will be performing with Cheap Trick at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park tomorrow (July 10th) night.

Believe It Or Not: Bass player Mike Galassini of the Chicago bands The Valley Downs and 92 Degrees, will be performing with yet another combo, The Ripleys, at Navy Pier on Saturday from 5:00PM to 7:00PM in the Beer Garden. This one’s a cover band that plays songs by The Beatles, Matthew Sweet, and Cheap Trick, among others. Meanwhile, The Valley Downs have created a video for the ironically titled “Lucky Day,” a catchy, C&W flavored tune with lines like, “You leave me in the dirt, the dirt is where I’ll stay.” It’s from their latest, self-titled EP. The clip features footage from the band’s performances in Liverpool, Nashville, London, and New York, and can be seen on The Valley Downs MySpace page, and on YouTube.

Y’all Come Back Now, Little Susie: Guitarist-vocalist Mike Cohen, who was impressive with The Pop Dollys and The Abbeys at this year’s International Pop Overthrow in Chicago, has a side project called The Everly Hillbillies. As the name suggests, they cover a lot of Phil & Don material, plus some originals. The Everly Hillbillies will be performing at Willow Stream Park in Buffalo Grove this coming Tuesday, July 13th, starting at 7PM.

Ten-hut! Freewheeling rockers Genral Patton & His Privates will be performing from 6:00PM to 7:00PM tomorrow night at the Gallery Cabaret, as part of the Gallery Block Party celebration of food and music. Admission is free.

Rockin’ In Palatine: The American English concert, which would have kicked off the suburb’s outdoor concert series this past June had it not been rained out, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, August 3rd, at 8:00PM. American English covers the entire career of The Beatles, from the early days to the Let It Be era.

Would You Like Some Handcuffs With Those Fries? Indie rock band The Handcuffs will be performing at the Roscoe Village Burger Fest 2010 in Chicago at the Damen and Belmont Stage from 6PM to 7PM tomorrow night. The Handcuffs have been slaving away on their third CD. Also performing at Burger Fest 2010 will be 10,000 Maniacs, Liquid Soul, Dot Dot Dot, and Gin Blossoms.