Slumgullion

Blues great Mavis Staples will headline the Chicago edition of this year’s Hot Stove Cool Music benefit concert event at Metro on July 1. (The Boston version was held earlier.) Other performers scheduled include Juliana Hatfield; Ted Leo; Scott Lucas from Local H; baseball star/guitarist Bernie Williams; broadcaster Peter Gammons; producer/musician Will Dailey; the Chicago and Boston Hot Stove All Stars; Red Sox organist Josh Kantor; and the Chicago Children’s Choir. WXRT air personality Lin Brehmer will once again serve as MC, along with actor Joel Murray. 100% of the proceeds will go to The Foundation To Be Named Later College Scholarships.

Beatles fans will finally be able to buy a DVD or Blu-Ray copy of director Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed documentary The Beatles: Get Back now that whatever issues were complicating things have been worked out. The release date is July 12.

Chicago-based alt rock band whitewolfsonicprincess will be performing its mysterious but always engaging indie rock from 3:00 to 5:00 pm this Sunday at Sketchbook Brewing Company in Skokie. Band member James Moeller posted on Facebook that there may also be a few surprises at this gig.

The long-running British sci-fi TV show Doctor Who has been treating fans to major announcements lately. First, we learned actor Ncuti Gatwa was chosen to portray The Doctor after Jodie Whittaker wraps up her tenure in the role, and more recently, there were Instagram posts showing former Doctor Who stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate filming scenes for a 60th Anniversary special.

Congratulations to Chicago author Dawn Turner on being awarded the Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award by the Newberry Library. Turner received the honor for her Three Girls From Bronzeville novel, which is about two sisters and their friend growing up on Chicago’s south side in the 1970s. This is the first year the Newberry Library has given the Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award.

Tori Amos will no doubt be performing songs from Little Earthquakes during her concert at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago next Wednesday, since 2022 marks what she’s calling “the 30th birthday” of that landmark album. She’s also joined forces with Z2 Comics for a limited-edition graphic novel with 24 stories inspired by Little Earthquakes. It’s due out in September.

The Coco And Blu Cafe in Arlington Heights is staging a Trivia And Concert event with live music and trivia next Wednesday, May 25. Admission is $10 and all proceeds will go to help one an employee who is undergoing cancer treatment. 

Phil Angotti has a record release bash for his new album Once Around Again coming up at Martyrs next Thursday, May 26. Judging from his previous releases, it will be another collection of melodic pop songs with keen observations on human emotions. Joining Angotti and his special guests onstage will be a series of paintings and illustrations created by local artists for each song.

Kevin Lee and The Kings, another veteran Chicago act, also have a new release. The five-song EP Lightning Strikes dropped on May 6 and offers more of the hard-edged and melodic rock sound Lee has specialized in throughout his career. The seductive “Ruby Red Lips” has a tribal beat, while the energetic “Smashed To Pieces” and “Best Is Yet To Come” call to mind Cheap Trick.

Relic, an art exhibition that ‘explores what Black cultural artifacts and emblems of today will be left behind to reflect our time here and inform the future,” will run through May 27 at Arts Incubator, 301 E. Garfield Blvd. in Chicago. Curated by Ciera Alyse McKissick, it features the work of six artists.

Get ready for sugar kisses. Tickets are now on sale for the Echo And The Bunnymen - Celebrating 40 Years Of Magical Songs event at The Vic Theatre on September 7.

 

Little Steven Van Zandt recently announced that Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and The Raiders has been named as the host of the American Revolution radio program on Underground Radio on the Sirius Radio.

The House Theatre Of Chicago is presenting The Tragedy Of King Christophe at the Chopin Theatre through May 29. The play features original text by Aimé Césaire and is directed by Lanise Antoine Shelley.

As mentioned in The Mix column in a recent edition of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Writers Bloc New Plays festival opens this Monday, May 23 at the Raven Theatre and runs through June 14. Tickets are $10.

As noted by long-time Chicago Tribune theatre critic Chris Jones on Facebook, the Court Theatre in the Hyde Park neighborhood just won a Regional Theatre Tony Award. Congratulations.

Pravdafest, a concert event featuring Pravda recording artists Josh Caterer, Steve Dawson, Hushdrops, Boom Hank, The Slugs, The Service, Diplomats Of Sound, and The Handcuffs, takes place on the weekend of  June 24 and 25 at the Sketchbook Brewing Company in Skokie. The event marks the 38th year of Pravda Records releasing indie music albums, and the label released  a new 38-track compilation on Bandcamp that offers material by the above-mentioned acts, plus The Farmers, New Duncan Imperials, The Trypes, The Melismatics, The Goldstars, Susan Voelz, The Lilacs, Sunshine Boys, The Flat Five, The Imperial Sound, Chamber Strings, Jason Batch, and others. The original release dates for these tracks range from 1986 to 2022. All for only $10.

The Chicago Writing Workshop will once again be in a virtual format when it takes place on the weekend of June 11 and 12. I’ve attended live and virtual versions of this annual event, and while I prefer pitching my novel to literary agents in person, the virtual meetings have also been helpful. Wish me luck on finally snagging a deal with an agent. The Workshop also offers a number of informative seminars.

 

Michael Glover Smith’s latest film Relative should make quite an impression in his hometown next month, with VIP World Theatrical Premiere events at Music Box on June 8 and the Gene Siskel Film Center on June 10. The film stars Wendy Robie of Twin Peaks fame, and concerns the complications that arise at family get-together for a college graduation. Including the graduate bringing a last-minute date. Smith specializes in exploring personal relationships, with touching and humorous results. He says people have been telling him this is his best work yet, and he feels that way as well.

The Chicago Blues Festival takes place on the weekend of June 9 through 12, featuring Shemekia Copeland, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials, and several other blues acts.

The annual Long Grove Chocolate Festival takes place tomorrow with performances by 1980s tribute band Sixteen Candles, 1990s tribute band How Rude, along with other acts. It’s always nice to see events going on in the Long Grove Shopping area. The once-bustling retail area has been making a comeback, mostly via popular restaurants and coffee places. 

Pop Aid, the 3-CD benefit album featuring new and previously unreleased tracks from an international cast of power pop bands, will be coming out soon. The album will support World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed people in the Ukraine. Thrift Store Halo and The Walkdown are among the Chicago acts taking part, and there will also be contributions from Arvidson And Butterflies; Jamie Hoover; Joey Molland from Badfinger; Jeremy (with Ken Stringfellow); and several other acts. Look for it to be released on Kool Kat Musik.