Slumgullion

Several of Chicago’s best-known chefs will join together for the Chicago Chefs Cook For Ukraine fundraiser next Wednesday, March 16 at the Navy Pier Ballroom from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Sponsored by Lifeway Foods, the charity event will benefit the World Central Kitchen and be hosted by Chef Tony Priolo, Chef Sarah Stegner, Darren Gest, Eda Davidman, and Green City Market. The list of chefs includes Guiseppe Tentori, Jason Hammel, Joe Flamm, Lee Wolen, and Erick Williams. Tickets range from $150 to $50,000.

Best wishes to music publicist Cary Baker, who recently shut down his Conqueroo PR firm and embraced retirement. I don’t know how many people dream of a career pitching recording artists to the media, but Baker’s decades-long career in the field was truly special. He arrived at IRS Records just in time to introduce R.E.M. and other cutting-edge bands to the world. Before that, he was a midwestern journalist who championed Shoes and Cheap Trick. He probably wouldn’t remember, but I met him once when we were both involved with a NARAS (Grammy Awards) newsletter published by the Chicago chapter. A feature story in Variety online noted that he’s thinking of writing books now that he’s retired. As one rock critic to another, I heartily welcome him to the aspiring author club. 

The Official Online Tom Petty Shop goes well beyond the usual t-shirts/CDs/vinyl merchandise you’ll find on a lot of musicians’ websites, with glassware, prints, ornaments, dinner plates, and even a bamboo water bottle. My favorite though is the Limited Edition Boombox + Cassette with Vintage Stickers set. The Crosley boombox has the band’s heart and flying V guitar logo on it and the blue cassette is a Greatest Hits release.

Lee Ketch from the Chicago alt rock band Mooner is showcasing songs from his debut solo album Someone/Anyone tonight at the Golden Dagger (2447 N. Halsted) venue. The nine-song Someone/Anyone is available on Bandcamp and also features former and current members of Mooner.

By the way, Golden Dagger was the Runner-up in The Best New Bar category in The Reader’s Best Of Chicago 2021 edition. Nobody’s Darling was the winner.

Midge Ure and Howard Jones will bring their All Hail The Science Tour to the Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL on July 2. Jones is best known for the hit singles “What Is Love?” and “New Song” in the 1980s; Ure was the lead vocalist for Ultravox on magnificent tech songs like “Reap The  Wild Wind” and also performed with Visage. Ure was also a key figure behind the fundraising song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” recorded by the supergroup Band Aid.

Chicago’s vocal supergroup The Flat Five will be joined by The Total Pro Horns for two nights at City Winery Chicago on March 18 and 19. They’ll likely be showcasing songs from their two lively and inventive albums.

Congratulation to Durty Nellies in Palatine on its 50th Anniversary. The venue’s original location was closer to my house, but the second—a much more modern building—is still a quick walk away. These days, the venue more often goes by Nellie’s, particularly in regard to the entertainment scheduled there. The venue also has a tradition of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, so there should be a lot fun going there tomorrow.

Tap House Grill in Palatine also has a lot of St. Patrick’s Day activities planned for tomorrow.

The Dropkick Murphys will bring their St. Patrick’s Day celebration to the world via a free live stream performance at the House Of Blues Boston. The concert starts at 9:00 pm EST on March 17, and will find the band entertaining the hometown crowd with songs from their latest album, Turn Up That Dial.

 

For those who celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, be sure to stay safe on whatever day you pick to party.

Expo Chicago - The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art returns to Navy Pier for a long weekend of April 7 through 10. It wasn’t able to attract an in-person audience in 2020 and 2021, but there will over 140 galleries taking part this year.

 

Todd Snider has a gig coming up at the Old Town School Of Folk Music next Saturday, March 19; and Ladysmith Black Mambazo will perform on the following night. Other upcoming shows include David Bromberg on April 2 and Robin Hitchcock April 21.

There’s a Chicago Soul Doubleheader featuring vocalists Gerald McClendon and Theo Huff scheduled for March 18 at SPACE in Evanston.

Fire Shut Up In My Bones, a new opera that incorporates elements of jazz music created by Terrence Blanchard, will have its Chicago premiere on March 24 at the Lyric Opera Of Chicago. The work is based on New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow’s memoir.

Chicago-based alt-rock/Americana band Dolly Varden will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of its Forgiven Now album on May 6 at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn. Singer-songwriter Heidi Serwer, who just released a new album titled Palm Tree On The Drywall, will be the opening act.

The EXTC - XTC’s Terry Chambers And Friends show takes place on March 30 at City Winery Chicago. Chambers was a founding member of the eccentric and beloved British band, and he’s backed by veteran rockers Steve Tilling, Steve Hampton, and Matt Hughes.

Duke Fakir, the last surviving member of The Four Tops, has written a memoir titled I’ll Be There: My Life In The Four Tops. The legendary vocal group scored major hits with “I Can’t Help Myself,”  “Bernadette” and others in the 1960s, and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990.

Chicago’s sometimes-rampaging, always-interesting instrumental rock band Outronaut has a gig scheduled for April 30 at FitzFerald’s in Berwyn. 

Wife Of A Salesman runs through April 3 at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe. As noted by long-time staff writer Mary Houlihan recently in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Eleanor Burgess play was inspired by Arthur Miller’s classic drama Death Of A Salesman and mixes in conversation between two women concerning marriage and infidelity.

The JCC Chicago Jewish Spring Hybrid Film Festival opened yesterday and will present 18 movies over the course of three weekends. Some of the events will be available via streaming, while other will be screened at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, Music Box Theatre, Landmark’s Renaissance Place Cinema, and the Willamette Theatre.

Tickets are now available for Blondie’s August 27 at Chicago Theatre. The iconic new wave band’s special guests will be English punk rockers The Damned.

Brothers’ Field in Love Grove, IL will present Fire And Ice, a choreographed music event featuring the Lake County Symphony Orchestra String Quartet and professional dancers, tomorrow, Saturday, March 12. The 90-minute show will be held in the main ballroom at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio. Tickets are available at the Brothers’s Field website.