Saturday Slumgullion

Page spread from Beacon Arts Centre brochure.

Excuses, excuses. I wasn’t able to post Slumgullion last night because my wife Pam and I went out for a Valentine dinner at the Seasons 52 restaurant in Schaumburg. Good food and friendly service. It’s worth mentioning again that I would have never been able to have this blog without my wife Pam setting it up for me over 10 years ago.

Tickets are now on sale for Decemberists and Fruit Bats at the Auditorium Theatre on August 11; Steve Dawson and Funeral Bonsai Wedding with Quartet Parapluie and Louis Bardales at the Old Town School Of Folk Music on May 8; Struts and The Regrettes at the Riviera Theatre on May 29; Heartsfield at FitzGerald’s on April 11; and Portland Cello Project Presents Purple Reign at SPACE on April 2. Yep, that last one is a mix of classical and Prince music, and from the clips I saw on the PCP website, it’s pretty amazing.

I Love Jennifer Eccles – The Hollies Story was performed tonight at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock, Scotland. Presented by Treble Clef Productions, it covered the British Invasion band’s entire career, starting with Graham Nash and Allan Clarke meeting as schoolboys. The Beacon website states, “This highly entertaining show for all ages is packed with hit after hit, performed by a talented young band and hosted by a seasoned narrator.” If the talented young band doesn’t mind flying to Chicago to perform Jennifer Eccles, I could be the seasoned narrator.

Tommi Zender, a singer-guitarist who’s performed with several musicians on the Chicago club scene, will be at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights tomorrow, February 16. He’ll no doubt be showcasing songs from his new album More Songs About Time, an engaging mix of introspective acoustic ballads like “Learn To Be Alone” and more energetic fare like “Echo Chambers In The Hall Of Mirror.” “No Good For Your Health” is a clever message to a woman about the guy she’s dating. Chicago Cubs broadcaster/musician Len Kasper will also be performing at Hey Nonny that night with his band The 45. A recent social media post from Kasper indicates his original tunes will be hard-edged and energetic.

Next Saturday night, several Chicago area musicians will gather at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue for the annual George Harrison Birthday Tribute Concert hosted by Ellis Clark and The Big Parade with Ary Paloma Jeebie. A number of favorites are returning, and there will be some interesting newcomers. If previous years are any indication, the selection of Harrison material will range from hit singles to deep tracks and rarities.

Hello, Cruel World. Several well-known new wave, alt rock, and punk acts will perform on May 2 at the Cruel World Festival on the grounds at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. The lineup includes Morrissey; Bauhaus; Blondie; Devo; Psychedelic Furs; Echo and The Bunnymen, Violent Femmes; The Church; The English Beat; Publice Image Ltd.; Gary Numan; Missing Persons; Berlin; and Marc Almond from Soft Cell. Fans can register for presale tickets on the festival’s website.

Temple Of Geekdom – An Improvised Adventure opens on February 24 at The Second City and will run on Monday nights. According to the post card I picked up at Reckless Records downtown, there will be extra shows during this year’s C2E2 run at McCormick Place on February 28 and 29. Now why they would connect geeks with C2E2?

Actor Matt Smith is catching some flak on social media for cancelling a scheduled appearance at C2E2 for the second year in a row, due to a scheduling conflict. I met Smith at an autograph session at the Ace Comic Con on Navy Pier a few years back (shortly before meeting his Doctor Who co-star Karen Gillan for an autograph—an epic afternoon) and I give him the benefit of the doubt. He called me ‘mate’ and was very open and friendly with the people coming up to his booth. Still, I can relate to the disappointment of those who were looking forward to meeting him at C2E2 these past two years.

It will be a rollicking evening of bluesy and Americana rock and roll tomorrow night (February 16) when Marcia Ball and Sonny Landreth join together for a double bill at FitzGerald’s.

WXRT is bringing another live music event to the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove. This time out, the station is co-sponsoring (with Classic Cinemas) a Poi Dog Pondering concert on February 20.

The Right Tidys were absent from the Chicago club scene for a while, but now they’ve reunited under the abbreviated name Tidy and have a live gig coming up. They’ll be at Montrose Saloon on Monday, March 30, with Erica Loftus in her familiar lead vocalist role.

The House Theater Of Chicago’s production of Verboten continues its run at the Chopin Theatre through March 8. Written by Brett Neveu with original songs by Jason Narducy, Verboten is set in 1983 and concerns a teenage punk band aiming to rock out the Cubby Bear venue. Nathan Allen is the director.

The extremely clever magicians Penn and Teller will host an Aids Walk and Run in Las Vegas on March 20. The event will include a run, a walk, and a festival featuring various acts. Anyone interested in taking part can find info a AFANLV.org.