Slumgullion #97

Sure looks like a young Teri Hatcher. Photo cropped from official Hoodoo Gurus website.

Lucky Butterflies. The Luck Of Eden Hall has a CD release party for the massively psychedelic Butterfly Revolutions Volume 2 (which I'll be reviewing here soon) tonight at the Abbey Pub on Chicago’s northwest side.

Our Best Friend In The Whole World. Congratulations to Lin Brehmer on 20 years of being WXRT’s morning man. During that time, he has rarely indulged in the cheap shots and low humor too often found on FM rock stations in that time slot. His comments between songs, repartee with news anchor Mary Dixon, and twice weekly Lin’s Bin segments rely instead on wit and a vast knowledge of pop culture. This approach has won over listeners, and though he jokes he only has two of them, there are plenty more and they’re fiercely loyal. WXRT will honor Brehmer with an special celebration that can be streamed from the station’s website tomorrow, Saturday, January 21st, from noon until 2:00 PM.

Gabba Gabba Happy Birthday. Hired Goons will bring their Ramones style energy and off-the-wall humor to Mt. Prospect tomorrow night for a gig at Ye Olde Town Inn. It’s a birthday bash for some of the band’s friends. The show starts at 7:00 PM.

Walk Like A Guy Who’s Played With The Egyptians. Bangles vocalist-guitarist Susanna Hoffs, who recently celebrated her 19th birthday, will be part of a double bill with Robyn Hitchcock at McCabe’s in Santa Monica, CA tomorrow night.

Magic Bus. There’s a circus coming to town, and it’s not one that harms animals. The critically-acclaimed Cirque Du Soleil is sending a bus to Whole Foods stores in the Chicago area to promote its Quidam show. Customers will be able to view behind the scenes videos; have Quidam related photos taken using green screen technology, and receive Quidam related items.

There will also be chances to win tickets to see Quidam. The Cirque Du Soleil bus will visit Whole Foods stores in Wheaton (151 Rice Lake Square) on Monday January 23rd from 3-5pm; Naperville (2607 West 75th St.) on Wednesday January 25th from 11am-1pm; Palatine (1331 North Rand Rd.) on Thursday January 26th from 3-5pm; and Schaumburg (750 Martingale Rd.) Sunday January 29th from 11am-2pm.

Growing Up Fab. Stockwood, the Beatles tribute band that started as tykes playing at The Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago a few years back, are now young lads. They’ll be doing a free show at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine on Saturday, February 11th. Doors open at 6:00 PM.

Watch Out! Australia’s perennially fun power pop band, The Hoodoo Gurus are celebrating their 30th Anniversary with a remodeled website, a CD called Gold Watch: 20 Golden Greats, and some major concert events. Signed copies of the greatest hits collection are available for pre-order at JB Hi-Fi and will include an enhanced version of “Use-By-Date,” a song that was previously only available as a download. So far, Dig It Up! - The Hoodoo Gurus Invitational tour, which will find them performing with some of their favorite bands, is limited to Australia. It would be great to see them back to the States.

Sounds Sexy. Recent Los Angeles transplants The Violet Lights are set to release their debut EP Sex & Sound in April, and are making the title track available as a free download on their website. That song, along with the other four tracks, has an atmospheric quality featuring adventurous vocals from singer-guitarist Joel Nass and keyboards-singer Amber Garvey. The Violet Lights’ extensive North American tour brings them to Reggie’s in Chicago on February 13th.

Thanksgiving Leftovers. Sopro has just posted a photo gallery from its 2011 Thanksgiving Blues Revue. Funny, Sopro founder Bud Monaco doesn’t look any older from the days when I used to see him at the Harlows/Pips/Haywire club back in the 1980s. Sopro has an Easter Blues Revue coming up on April 7th at Phil McCracken’s Night Club in Worth, Illinois.

You'll Like This. The melodic rock trio This Is This has a 7:30 PM gig next Saturday night at the Newport Coffee House in Bannockburn.

Some Time In New York City. Fest For Beatles Fans has announced its guest list for the New York convention, which runs March 22nd -25th at the NJ Crowne Plaza Meadowlands Hote; Secaucus in New Jersey. The celebrities on hand will be Peter Asher, Micky Dolenz, original Wings members Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell, Mark Hudson, and the Beatles cover band, Liverpool.

On A Sad Note. Sherman Shoemaker, an actor who was extensively involved in the Chicago theatre scene, has passed away. There will be a memorial celebration of his life and many accomplishments next Saturday, January 28th, at the Dolce Casa Cafe on north Damen Avenue in Chicago.

Love Those New Shoes. When Mary E. Donnelly says she’s excited about an upcoming CD from Shoes, I’m inclined to believe her. She’s a regular contributor to the Power Pop blog, and is finishing up Boys Don't Lie: A History Of Shoes, a book about the Zion, IL power pop band. She has interviewed its members, and in her January 16th post, Donnelly described hearing demo mixes for the entire new CD. She predicts Shoes fans are going to be extremely happy.

Sound & Vision. The Postelles have announced upcoming gigs in March for Allston, MA, Washington, DC, and Atlanta GA. They’ve made a video for the song, “Sound The Alarms” that features footage from their tour.

Nerds Rule. Congratulations to the cast and crew of The Big Bang Theory on airing its 100th episode yesterday. Who would have thought they could keep finding humor in the lives of four science nerds for this long.