Slumgullion

The Zombies are working on a documentary titled Hung Up On A Dream that will cover their entire career. Director/musician Robert Schwartzman (Dreamland) has been shooting the iconic British Invasion band’s current live performances, and the film will also include archival footage. It’s scheduled to be released in the summer of 2023. A recent official email from The Zombies includes a link to a recent article by Manori Ravindran for Variety. The article mentions that fans will soon be able to get special benefits by pre-ordering Hung Up On A Dream at ALTAVOD.com. 

WNUR, Power Pop Shoppe Show, and AK Productions are presenting the I-94 Rock Fest at Montrose Saloon tomorrow night, September 10. Nick Piunti And The Complicated Men, Thrift Store Halo, and Golden Richards will be performing. The rocking starts at 8:00 pm.

Expect to hear plenty of well-written songs this Sunday night during a double bill at the Hideout on the north side. Chicago singer-guitarist Andy Pratt will be celebrating his birthday, as well as the release of his latest album Sweeter Than The Wine. It follows his 2017 effort Horizon Disrupted, which was engineered by famed producer and poker champion Steve Albini. Steve Dawson, joined by Diane Christiansen, Alton Smith, and John Abbey, will perform a set prior to Pratt’s show. Dawson and Christiansen front the critically acclaimed alt rock/Americana band Dolly Varden, and Dawson’s 2021 sole effort At The Bottom Of A Canyon In The Branches Of A Tree garnered several rave reviews.

Now, this don’t make me feel a whole better. The B-52’s are calling it quits after 45 years of fun and otherworldly recordings and performances. Their farewell tour will bring them to Chicago for concerts on October 7 and 8 at The Chicago Theater.

The 17th Annual Lakeview East Festival Of The Arts takes place tomorrow and Sunday (September 10 and 11) and will have 135 juried artists. Along with paintings, sculpture, photography, furniture, and food vendors, the event will feature two stages of live music. And not acts one typically finds at these outdoor festivals. The schedule features Suenos, Outronaut, EXPO ’76, Mooner, The Joel Paterson Band, Gerald Dowd, Elaine Dame, and a number of other interesting choices. A donation of $5 is suggested. The Lakeview East Festival Of The Arts runs along Broadway, from Belmont to Hawthorne.

The Lost Album, a collection of tracks The Smithereens recorded but failed to release back in 1993, is due out on September 23, and is available to pre-order on Amazon. The 12 previously unreleased songs include “Stop Bringing Me Down,” “Pretty Little Lies,” “Out Of This World,” and “I’m Sexy.”

The LiveWire Lounge on Milwaukee Avenue has a triple lineup coming tomorrow night featuring the Chicago acts BambiRaptor and The Handcuffs, along with Vera Bloom from Nashville. The music starts at 8:00 pm. Vera Bloom will be opening for L7 in Nashville on October 3.

Graham Nash will kick off a month-long tour of Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and California on September 29 with a concert in Tacoma, WA. Five of the dates are already sold out.

The 37th Annual Printer’s Row Fest takes place tomorrow and Sunday, September 10 and 11, from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. There will be several speakers and events held on six stages, and throughout the fair, visitors will find publishers, book stores, literary agencies, authors, and food vendors. It’s a great opportunity to communicate with people involved in all areas of the publishing universe, and absorb all that creative energy. The Fest takes place on South Dearborn Street, from Ida B. Wells to Polk Street, admission is free.

It seems like only yesterday when he graduated from the cast of Beatlemania to creating irresistible original pop songs, but Marshall Crenshaw has been performing for 40 years. He’ll mark that anniversary with a tour that so far brings him to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and a few other cities. Derrick Anderson, Mark Ortmann, and Fernando Perdomo will be joining him.

The Beverly Art Walk takes place next Saturday, September 17, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm in Chicago’s south side Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods. The event will feature over 100 artists; the Uprising Craft Market with over 30 artisans; live music, and a food court. Best wishes to my niece Allison Flamm, who’ll be showcasing some of her work at the Heritage Art Gallery.

Tickets are now on sale for the Wild Honey Foundation And Jody Stephens Presents Big Star #1 show at Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA on November 5. The Wild Honey Foundation is a 501(c)(3)non-profit that brings well-known musicians together for events that raise funds for worth charities.

The Destinos International Latino Theatre Festival returns for its fifth year on September 14 and will run through October 16 at several venues around Chicago.

Congratulations to former R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe and artist/musician Beatie Wolfe on the success of their limited-edition, sustainable bioplastic 12-inch single. Side A is Stipe’s “Future If Future” and Side B is Wolfe’s “Oh My Heart.” All 500 copies quickly sold out on the EarthPercent Bandcamp page. Both songs can still be purchased in digital format as part of the EarthPercent X Earth Day Compilation album, which has over 120 tracks. All proceeds, other than Paypal’s processing fees, will go to EarthPercent’s Grantmaking Fund. 

The Renegade Craft Fair returns to Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm tomorrow and Sunday. The outdoor event brings together several unique vendors offering clothing, jewelry, art, pottery, and other creatively fashioned items. There will also be food vendors. The fair is located on Division Street, between and Ashland Avenue and Damen Avenue.

Fans of mystery author Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious series will be glad to learn that Stevie Bell, the young and brilliant sleuth of those books, will return in a new novel titled Nine Liars. This time out, she’ll be investigating a murder in England. It’s due out on December 27. 

Tellin’ Tales Theatre is presenting a trio of solo performances in its production of Auditioning For Life this weekend at the Greenhouse Theater Center. Tekkie Lomnicki, Alison Pohn, and R.C. Riley will each do a piece, and there will be an additional guest performer each night of the run. Green Theater Center is located at 2257 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. 

U2 lead vocalist Bono has a memoir titled Surrender - 40 Songs, One Story coming out at the beginning of November. In addition to his written observations, Bono created 40 original drawings for the book.

We won’t know for a while if the Chicago Bears will move to Arlington Heights, but the acclaimed musical Cabaret will open at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in the northwest suburb on September 15. The production, which kicks off the venue’s 2022/2023 season, will run through October 23. 

Riot Fest Chicago takes place on the weekend of September 16 – 18 in DouglasPark. The headline acts include My Chemical Romance, the original lineup of The Misfits, Alkaline Trio, Portugal The Man, Bauhaus, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ice Cube, and Sleater-Kinney.

The Randolph Street Market, billed as “Chicago’s World-Famous Art, Antiques and Vintage Event,” returns after an absence of three years, on the weekend of September 24 and 25. It will be held at 1341 W. Randolph from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on both days. In addition to independent vendors offering vintage and rare items, there will be food vendors and live music. General admission tickets are $10, and can be used on both days.