Saturday Slumgullion

Mr. Wood’s Rolling Stones portrait is available for sale on his website.

Congratulations to musician/artist Ronnie Wood on being honored with the Freedom of the City of London, which recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement. Wood also recently posted on Facebook that he’s been performing with The Rolling Stones for 46 years. And he’s got the paintings  to prove it.

It’s about time. WXRT finally extended the list of years it covers for the weekly Saturday Morning Flashback program to include 2000 and 2001. The Chicago radio station had only been going up to 1999 for quite a while. Air personality Johnny Mars did a fine job ushering in both of the new years in a special combo edition this morning. Mars, Richard Milne, and Frank E. Lee take turns hosting Saturday Morning Flashback, and I would be remiss if I did’t mention that Wendy Rice also did a great job running it for several years before they took over.

Tina, a new documentary about Tina Turner directed by Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin, premiered recently on HBO. According Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper’s three-and-a-half-star review, the film offers a “treasure trove of archival footage, interviews with former backup singers and songwriters and other associates of Tina’s, as well as a series of interviews with Turner.” The documentary will be available on demand via HBO, HBO2, and HBO Latino through May 2.

Morgan Fisher from Mott The Hoople makes a guest appearance as a synthesizer player on the new “She Ain't No Fluffer” single by The Handcuffs. The catchy, ribald tale is one of the two tracks featuring Fisher on the band’s upcoming Burn The Rails album. It will be the Chicago band’s fourth effort.

The 37th Annual Chicago Latino Film Festival opened this past Thursday and will feature a mix of 36 virtual screenings and drive-in screenings at ChiTown Movies at 2348 S. Throop.

Just a heads up to Steve Marriott fans: The April issue of MOJO magazine (with Lana Del Rey on the cover) comes with a free 15-track CD titled Afterglow: Rare! Live! Unreleased! - Steve Marriott - Small Faces - Humble Pie.

Tomorrow, April 11 is the final day to catch a livestream of Sweet Home Chicago Blues - Celebrating 50 Years Of Alligator Records on YouTube. The event features Billy Branch And The Sons Of Blues, along with special guests Shemekia Copeland; Toronzo Cannon; and Lil’ Ed Williams.

It was great to see Miriam Di Nunzio’s article in this past Thursday’s Chicago Sun-Times about the Mercury Theater staging (pun intended) a comeback a year after it announced it had closed for good due to the pandemic. Dancer-choreographer Christopher Chase Carter has been announced as the new Artistic Director. A few years back, my wife Pam and I enjoyed the Mercury Theater’s production of Spamalot so much we came a second time, along with some friends.

Chicago-based, hard-edged power pop band The Viaducts will kick off the month of May with a live gig on Chicago’s north side. More info to come. 

The Illinois Rock And Roll Museum On Route 66 is finally here but will need donations and subscribers to reach its full potential. The museum is housed in a three-story building at 9 West Cass Avenue in Joliet, Illinois, with exhibits that celebrate the history, genres and cultures that have shaped the work of local musicians who went on to become world famous. There will be a stage for live performances, a photo/art gallery, and an educational studio. Those looking to lend their support can sign up at the website.

Garbage is set to release its seventh album—No Gods No Masters—on June 11. A short preview of the song “The Men Who Rule The World” suggests it would be a good segue from Sunshine Boys’ song “Infinity Girl.”

As noted in a recent post on The Second Disc website, several recording artists have joined forces on a tribute album for the late Adam Schlesinger. The Saving For A Custom Van 3-LP set on pink vinyl is due out in September on Vinyl Me Please and will feature cover versions of Schlesinger compositions by Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood; Kay Hanley; Nada Surf; Rachel Bloom; Ted Leo; and others. The material showcases Schlesinger’s impressive work with Fountains Of Wayne and Ivy, as well as on motion picture soundtracks. All proceeds from the album will go to MusicCares COVID-19 Relief.

The Who will present a free livestream of a documentary about the creation its 1967 The Who Sell Out album on nugs.net on April 22. A post on the band’s official Instagram site promises rare archival footages well as new interviews with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry. The Who have a Super Deluxe Edition of The Who Sell Out arriving on April 23 that includes 112 tracks on five CDs and two seven-inch singles.

Stevie Van Zandt has added being an author to his list of entertainment-related activities. His book Unrequited Infatuations is now available for preorder from Hachette Books in print, eBook, and audio formats.

Singer-guitarist Steve Dawson from Dolly Varden and Funeral Bonsai Wedding has co-written an emotionally rich, fairy tale type musical with Bob Drucker that’s titled The Plane That Took A Train. It’s going to be released as a six-part podcast in the near future and features 15 songs.