Slumgullion

Chicago area fans looking to view the iMax version of director Brett Morgen’s new David Bowie immersive film Moonage Daydream can catch it today at AMC Streets of Woodfield in Schaumburg, Regal City North in Chicago, and a number of area locations. The full list for this one-day run in theaters is available online. The film looks like quite an experience; New York Times writer A.O. Scott notes “it’s less a biography than a séance.” According to Amazon, the DVD comes out on November 18 and is already available for pre-order.

Those of us who subscribe to the revived version of Creem received a bonus magazine devoted entirely to David Bowie. I haven’t finished looking through the first issue of Creem (I’m savoring it, not avoiding it) but so far, its photography and graphics are impressive. A two-page vintage color photo of The Who is pretty much worth the price of the magazine alone.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I’ve been collecting mini ‘zines for several years and keep them in a decorative box. Two recent additions came from a trek to see YippieFest on Milwaukee Avenue last month. Their lower case names are arts and culture and flyer and both have this explanation the inside front cover: “We assemble flyers from your favorite music and entertainment venues and present to you in a monthly pocket-sized book.” They’re in full color, and the flyers are well chosen. Check out record stores and venues on the north side if you want a copy. I got mine at Reckless Records and The Den Theatre. 

Singer-songwriter Nora O’Connor, a member of the Chicago-based super group The Flat Five, (and she toured with Iron and Wine) has released a fun video for “My Heart.”   It’s the title track on her new album, which is coming out October 7 on Pravda Records.

The list for this year’s Black Friday Record Store Day is now available on the official website, and as usual, there are limited-edition vinyl treasures to please fans of just about every genre. Releases that caught my eye include the 2 LP 40th Anniversary Edition of Marshall Crenshaw’s self-titled debut; the 2 LP 30th Anniversary of The Cure’s Wish album; the seven-inch single “21st Century” by Dave Davies; the LP Traffic And Weather by Fountains Of Wayne; the Juliana Hatfield/Emma Swift seven-inch split single of Neil Young covers; the LP Jefferson Airplane Live At The International Monterey Pop Festival; the LP 55th Anniversary Mono Edition More Of The Monkees; and the LP self-titled debut from Salvation Army (precursor of The Three O’Clock).

The Destinos International Latino Theatre Festival opened on this past Wednesday and will run through October 16 at several venues around Chicago.

 

Congratulations to Chrissie Hynde on selling out all six locations on a U.K. tour simply billed as Chrissie Hynde And Band Live ‘22. In an official statement released when the tickets went on sale, Hynde noted, “Finally getting to play some of my favourite Pretenders songs in my favourite type venues. Been waiting a long time for this! See you there.”

The Mercury Theatre on Chicago’s north side kicked off its run of the mystery/comedy Clue with a feature presentation and cocktail hour last night. The show will run through January 1, 2023.

The Wild Honey Foundation has put together a stellar lineup for its latest concert. The house band for A 50th Anniversary All-Star Celebration Of Big Star’s #1 Record! includes Big Star musician Jody Stephens; Mike Mills from R.E.M.; Chris Stamey from The dB’s; and Pat Sansone from Wilco. The Lemon Twigs, Jon Auer from The Posies and Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles are listed as special guests. The event will benefit The Autism Healthcare Collaborative, and takes place at Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA on November 5.

The Chicago biweekly free paper The Reader came came out with its 80-page Fall Theater And Arts Preview edition yesterday. If you don’t subscribe, it’s available in newspaper boxes downtown and in various venues on the north side.

The vintage comedy Arsenic And Old Lace continues its run at the critically acclaimed Court Theatre through October 2 on Chicago’s south side. 

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. 

Riot Fest kicked off today and will run through Sunday in Douglas Park. Performers includes My Chemical Romance; The Original Misfits; Alkaline Trio; and Portugal The Man. On Monday, September 19, there’s a Riot Fest sponsored concert by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Metro. It’s another gig to help celebrate Metro’s 40th Anniversary.

It looks like The Lost Album, a collection of tracks The Smithereens recorded but failed to release back in 1993, is actually due out on October 13. It’s 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 Beverly Art Walk takes place tomorrow, 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.

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. Also, Nash mentioned in an Instagram post yesterday that he’s just finished a project that we’ll hear about in January 2023.

Buffalo Creek Brewing, located in the Long Grove Shopping district, will offer an evening of Americana songs with its Pint Of Music - The Rusken Bros. tomorrow night, September 17, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.  

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 starts on September 22 in Manchester, NH before moving on to Boston, New York, Philadelphia and a few other cities. Derrick Anderson, Mark Ortmann, and Fernando Perdomo will be joining him.

The acclaimed musical Cabaret opened at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights yesterday and will run through October 23. It kicks off the theatre’s 2022/2023 season.

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.

Tickets are now on sale for An Acoustic Christmas by Over The Rhine at The Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago on December 4 and Joel Paterson’s Hi-Fi Christmas at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights on November 30.