Slumgullion

If you notice a commotion in Daley Plaza around 2:00 PM today, don’t be afraid to check it out. The Mary-Arrchie Theatre holds a rally there each year around this time to kick off the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins festival. Following the rally, Rich Cotovsky, portraying Abbie Hoffman will lead his followers on a march to The Den Theatre on Milwaukee Avenue. Opening ceremonies (always a highlight of Abbie Fest) are at 7:00 PM, and then the flood gates open for three days of nonstop entertainment. The schedule is now available as a mobile app and a Google Doc on the Mary-Arrchie Theatre wesbsite. 

Northhalsted Market Days takes place this Saturday and Sunday with food, art, crafts, exotically dressed people, and three stages of live music. Andy Bell from Erasure, 10,000 Maniacs, Cherie Currie, Wilson Phillips, and David Cassidy are among the headline acts. The Handcuffs, fronted by lead vocalist-guitarist Chloe F. Orwell and drummer Brad Elvis, will be performing at 3:30 PM Sunday. Other acts include Girlband, Dot Dot Dot, and 7th Heaven.

International Pop Overthrow recently wrapped up a successful visit to Los Angeles, the city of its birth, and has moved on to San Francisco. Lannie Flowers, the six-piece rock/soul outfit Talk Tonight, and a Paris-based mod band called French Boutik are among the artists scheduled to participate this weekend at Hotel Utah Saloon.

Meanwhile, International Pop Overthrow-Chicago veterans Go Time! will be bringing their hard-edged but melodic tunes to the Gallery Cabaret next Saturday, August 18th at 9:00PM. The venue is located at 2020 N. Oakley in Chicago.

Can’t get enough of that Fab Four stuff? On Monday, August 12th, a day after Fest For Beatles Fans-Chicago ends, Phil Angotti will carry the baton as he and some friends perform Paul McCartney’s Band On The Run album at Martyrs on Lincoln Avenue.

This might sound like that 1970s rumor about Alice Cooper being the same guy who played Eddie Haskell on Leave It To Beaver, but according to the Uproxx website, Peter Capaldi, the actor recently selected to portray the 12th generation of The Doctor on Doctor Who, was once in a Scottish punk band called The Dreamboys. The band’s drummer was Late Late Show host and avid Doctor Who fan, Craig Ferguson. 

James Moeller of Black Forest and whitewolfsonicprincess has a new side project called Broken TV. His first song, “Whizzing By” is a terse number featuring only him on vocals and electric guitar. It’s available on BandCamp.