Like so many people yesterday, I was shocked to learn that Michael Nesmith had died. I was a loyal fan of The Monkees during its first run on TV, and gladly spent money I earned from my paper route to buy the band’s albums. Many years later, I had the pleasure of seeing Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork perform at the Chicago Theatre. Back in 1960s, I had no idea of the behind-the-scenes battle The Monkees waged with management to gain respect for their musicianship and songwriting. Fortunately, they won out and would enjoy a decades-long career built on their own terms.
Along with all those catchy Top 40 hits, The Monkees were genuinely fun people with distinct personalities. That probably played a role in why they were embraced by some of the biggest names in rock, including The Beatles. Nesmith came across as the most intellectual member, with skills in music and film producing; writing; and performing that would enable him to succeed in a variety of formats. And he had a great sense of humor. Rock In Paradise, Michael and say hi to Peter and Davy.
Great Moments In Vinyl, a rotating collection of area musicians devoted to honoring some of the best records in rock history, will be performing Elvis Costello’s first two albums at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue next Thursday, December 16.
We’ve been down this road a few times during the pandemic, but hopefully 2022 will be the year Record Store Day actually does return in its traditional April format. The official RSD site recently announced it will be celebrating its 15th year of offering limited-edition vinyl releases on Saturday, April 23. For the past two years, the major springtime event has been swapped out for smaller RSD Drops spread across the summer.
There’s a triple bill of The Handcuffs, The Spindles, and Go Time! coming to Montrose Saloon next Saturday night. All three acts have garnered favorable albums reviews here on Broken Hearted Toy, and are well worth seeing in a live performance. The Handcuffs will kick things off at 8:00 pm; followed by The Spindles at 9:00 and Go Time! at 10:00. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose Avenue.
The Regrettes have a tour in the works for 2022 that includes several U.S. stops, as well as one in the U.K. and one in Spain. There’s no Chicago gig as of now but the band has been known to perform at major festivals here in the past. Still, it would be nice to see them in a club setting, like their previous shows at Schubas and House Of Blues.
The recently remodeled Cultural Center in downtown Chicago will present Colescott Night - Comedy And Performances this Monday, December 13 featuring Calvin Evans, WindyIndie, and JustNesh. Curated and hosted by Melissa DuPrey, the free event will run from 6:00 to 9:30 pm.
Several musicians from the rock and country genres, including Ringo Starr; Sheryl Crow; Willie Nelson and John Daly; Guy Clark; Rodney Crowell with Wendy Moten; John Oates and Chely Wright; and Shelby Lynne can be found on Songs From Quarantine Vol. 2. The 15-track album is now available for download on Bandcamp, with all proceeds going to benefit the Music Health Alliance.
Tickets are now available for the Chrissie Hynde and Co. Perform Bob Dylan (And Other Songs) streaming event coming up on December 27. Hyde will performing songs from her Standing In The Doorway album, which was released earlier this year.
The Empty Pockets band have a performance titled An Americana Holiday coming up at City Winery Chicago on December 15; and Michael McDermott will bring Mischief And Mistletoe to that same venue December 20 through 23.
Chicago area fans of cutting-edge English bands will have cause to drop by Beat Kitchen next Friday, December 17 when Primary performs music by The Cure and Still Il covers Morrissey and The Smiths. Beat Kitchen is located at Belmont. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door.
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