Slumgullion

Tickets are now on sale for Glenn Tilbrook’s September 20 and 21 shows at City Winery Chicago. Other upcoming shows at the venue include Karla Bonoff with special guest Nina Gerber on November 1, and The Bodeans on November 25, 26, and 27.

Smashing Pumpkins vocalist/founding member Billy Corgan will host the livestream benefit concert Together And Together Again on YouTube next Wednesday, July 27. As noted in Doug George’s recent Chicago Tribune article and on the local ABC News, the event will raise money for Highland Park Community Foundation’s July 4th Shooting Response Fund. Performers will include Corgan and his Smashing Pumpkins mate Jimmy Chamberlin, as well as a number of special guests. Viewers will be able to buy posters, artwork and t-shirts, which are also available online.

As reported by Goldmine Magazine on Instagram, there was a 25-foot inflatable likeness of Ozzy Osbourne outside the San Diego Convention Center for this year’s San Diego ComicCon. No bats were injured during the event. Goldmine asked if the inflatable Ozzy will “become a piece of pricey memorabilia?” Maybe the better question is whether this trend of giant inflatable rock stars will catch on. I can picture a larger than life Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young hanging around my garden.

The Black Excellence Music Expo, featuring Nola Ade, Naglaa; Timmy F., Jana Ghee, and Graphics. will take place at the Promontory on August 3.

Reason number 6,894 for wanting a transportation device that could whisk me back and forth between the Chicago area and various parts of the U.K.: The Doctor Who Worlds Of Wonder exhibition will be at the National Museum Of Scotland in Edinburg from December 10, 2022 through May 1, 2023. It’s currently housed at the Liverpool World Museum.

Diane Christiansen and Steve Dawson from Dolly Varden, along with keyboards player Alton Smith, will perform two free sets at the Chicago Cultural Center tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon. Christiansen, who’s also an acclaimed artist, is currently being featured with Leslie Baum and Selina Trepp in the An Instrument In The Shape of a Woman exhibition at the Center. 

Chicago Cubs catcher and recent National League All-Star Wilson Contreras has a Meet And Greet coming up this Monday at the Obvious Shirts store at 3776 N. Clark Street. Tickets are available at the store’s website.

Congratulations to Colin Blunstone of The Zombies on being featured on the Grammy Awards website as part of its Living Legends series. I had the honor of doing a telephone interview with Blunstone for the Illinois Entertainer a number of years ago when his solo tour brought him to City Winery Chicago a few years back.

The annual Downtown Mount Prospect Block Party takes place in the northwest suburb this weekend. There will be live performances by blues rockers Kevin Purcell and The Nightburners, the coed teenage band Collision (not the New York heavy metal group), the classic rock covers band Big Brother’s Vinyl, southern rockers Blackberry Jam, Americana/Country band Fletcher Rockwell, and others acts. Admission is free for both days.

Maple Mars, the California-based band known for its catchy pop songs, just released Someone’s Got To Listen, its first album in 12 years, today. Fans can check out the fun and imaginative video for sci-fi song “Silver Craft” on the Big Stir Media YouTube channel. 

The Spindles will be performing their original power pop gems tomorrow night, July 23, at Danny’s On Douglas in Elgin.

Phil Angotti, John San Juan, and Casey McDonough will be in south suburban Blue Island tomorrow (Saturday) night for a 7:00 pm performance titled The Beatles Meet The Rutles at the Blue Island Beer Company. Hopefully, all that silliness won’t keep them out too late with because they’re scheduled to play a Hard Day’s Night/1964 Beatles Brunch (with Tom Ryan and Blair Holmes) at City Winery Chicago at noon on Sunday.

The 8th Annual Irish American Movie Hooley will kick off with a fundraising screening featuring the Preston Sturges written-and-directed political satire The Great McGinty this Sunday, July 24 at the Lake Theatre in Oak Park. There will be cocktails at Victory Italian afterward. The suggested donation is $100.

Sonic45, the relatively new band led by former Chicago Cubs announcer Len Kasper, will return to the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights on Thursday, July 28. In addition to featuring Kasper on guitar, Sonic45 boasts an impressive lineup of Dag Juhlin (Poi Dog Pondering, The Slugs); Gerald Dowd (Robbie Fulks); Liam Davis (Frisbie, Justin Roberts); and Matt Spiegel (Brother Brother, Tributosaurus). Jennifer Hall, who recently released her latest single “Belonging Forever,” will be a special guest that evening. Doors open at 6:30 pm; the music starts at 7:30 pm.

There will be a benefit for veteran Chicago jazz performer Judy Roberts, who’s been battling a rare blood cancer, at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights next Tuesday, July 26. Roberts and her husband, saxophonist Greg Fishman, are expected to be there, and they will be joined by musician friends Petra Van Nuis, Andy Brown, Russ Phillips, Jeannie Lamber and Nick Schneider.