Slumgillion

After reading Joe Marchese’s post on The Second Disc about the upcoming 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young from Rhino and Atlantic, I was drawn to the new CSNY50 website he mentioned. In addition to pre-ordering the box set, I also purchased a Déjà Vu t-shirt and mug. The online store also offers caps, hoodies, bandanas, tote bags, and rolling papers.

The 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Déjà Vu offers 28 previously unreleased tracks, including demos of “Teach Your Children” by Graham Nash and David Crosby; “4 + 20” by Stephen Stills; “Almost Cut My Hair” by Crosby;  “Birds” by Neil Young and Nash; and “Our House” by Joni Mitchell and Nash. It’s available in a $249.98 DC2 Edition with five LPs and a hardcover book in a special box; and a $99.98 Deluxe Retail Edition with four CDs, one LP and a hardcover book. Both versions come with a download code.

Rock Cellar Productions has several well-known musicians and celebrities lined up for its All Together Now L.A. free livestream concert coming tomorrow night, Saturday, March 20. Performers include Nancy Wilson; Alyssa Milano; Jack Black; Sheila E; Paul Rodgers; Jeff “Skunk” Baxter;  Colin Hay and Cecilia  Noël; War; Jess Colin Young; Laurence Juber with T Bear and Tony Braunagel; Strawberry Alarm Clock; The Cowsills; The Empty Hearts and Bootsy Collins. A text-to-donate link will be available throughout the event, with 100% of proceeds going to help homeless families and support first responders, musicians, and venues affected by COVID-19.

It’s nice to see Chicago area music venues getting back in the swing of things. Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue, which has been surviving on outdoor gigs when the weather allowed, live stream concerts, pizza sales, and gofundme donations, recently posted the Facebook message “We are inching our way closer to reopening!” I’m looking forward to it.

Omnivore Recordings has a new release coming out on May 7 that should interest fans of The dB’s, Let’s Active, Don Dixon, and other acts associated with the legendary Winston-Salem, North Carolina indie rock scene. Yesterday’s Tomorrow offers 23 tracks recorded live by Mitch Easter, Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, Will Rigby, and Don Dixon under various band names in 2018 at the Ramkat Club in Winston-Salem. The setlist includes originals such a “Room With A View” and “Every Word Means No,” along with some inspired covers of songs originally done by The Electric Prunes, The Beatles and The Easybeats. The CD comes with a 24-page booklet with anecdotes and photos.

Supergrass has a gig coming up at the South London venue Crystal Palace Bowl on August 20, as part of South Facing Open Air Concert Series.

Wolf Alice has been in a sharing mood lately; releasing its first new song in four years, announcing the arrival of a full album on June 11, and earlier today, revealing the dates and cities for its UK AND IRELAND TOUR 2022. It kicks off on January 7 in Glasgow, and includes stops in Manchester, London, Liverpool, and Dublin. Wolf Alice will mostly likely showcase “The Last Man On Earth” and other tunes from Blue Weekend, as well as its previous two albums at these gigs. It would be great if they followed up with a tour of America.

Congratulations to Kate Lewis on being chosen to participate in the Chicago Cubs’ year-long series of collaborations with artists to create team-inspired, socially aware memorabilia. Lewis is the second artist to be involved, following Nikko Washington. Like Washington’s very cool Ernie Banks t-shirt, the long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts and poster Lewis created are available from the Chicago Cubs online Ivy Shop. All the proceeds from the sale of the Lewis items will go to Girls In The Game, a non-profit dedicated to helping young women develop athletic and life skills. 

A limited edition 180 gram translucent blue vinyl pressing of Donovan’s debut album What’s Bin Did And What’s Been Hid is now available on the Tower Records online store. It features his first hit single “Catch The Wind.” 

The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit at the Lighthouse ArtSpace in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood has been extended through September 6. Organizers have social distancing, along with numerous other health and safety measures in place, so visitors can be surrounded by the world famous artist’s best works for a little over a half hour.

Assembly, a new compilation of Joe Strummer’s solo work, comes out next Friday, March 26 on the newly relaunched Dark Horse Records. The album features covers of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” and three efforts from his days with The Clash, along with some previously unreleased material. The 16 tracks were remastered by renowned musician/studio engineer Paul Hicks, whose Dad is guitarist Tony Hicks from The Hollies.

I received the BluRay/DVD of The Go-Go’s documentary I ordered and had a chance to watch it earlier this week. Directed by Alison Eastwood, it’s an honest portrait from the band’s early days on the Los Angeles punk scene to its recently released single “Club Zero,” an effervescent rock song that also serves as a politically charged protest. Former members are given a chance to express their sense of betrayal at being dumped, and we’re shown times when the core musicians struggled to get along. The film makes a compelling argument that The Go-Go’s should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. They’re still in fifth place in the 2021 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee Voting. Fela Kuti is in first place, followed by Tina Turner, Iron Maiden, and Foo Fighters.