Slumgullion

Madness, Noel Gallagher, Roger Daltry, Paul Weller, Chrissie Hynde, and Baxter Dury will celebrate Sir Peter Blake’s 90th Birthday with a performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London on December 2. Tickets are already sold out for the event, which in addition to honoring the noted British artist Blake, is a benefit for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

As reported by Doug George in today’s Chicago Tribune, the renowned iO Theater will spring back to life next Thursday, November 3 with the long-form improv production of Anarchy: The Improvised Rock Opera. Several other productions are on the way. iO had been closed since the summer of 2020.

Heather J. Miller (then known as Heather J. Svoboda) performed at iO and all over the Chicago improv scene some years ago. She’s now marking her 11th year at the Cat Adoption Team cat shelter in Portland, OR. CAT is holding a Whisker Wonderland virtual benefit at 7:00 pm on November 11. Miller suggests making a donation of  “$11 or $111 or $1.1M” (that third figure might be her improvising) to help the shelter continue to save cats’ lives.

Jim Babjak and Dennis Diken of The Smithereens will host an online event on TALKSHOP LIVE on November 8 at 7:00 pm EST. They’ll take questions from fans about how to purchase new releases from the band, as well as an autographed poster. Babjak posted a link to a special message on Facebook regarding the event.

Halloweekend kicked off tonight at Montrose Saloon with six local acts paying tribute to famous musicians. Depending on what time you see this, you might still be able to Dead Freddie as David Bowie and Phil Angotti, with Mike Zelenko, Todd Rusin, and Tom Ryan, as Cheap Trick. Tomorrow’s lineup is Forbidden Kingdom, featuring Eric Chial and Ellis Clark, as The Who; The 321’s as Nirvana; MetroPoly as PJ Harvey; and Rachel Drew as The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Admission for each night is $20.

In a separate event, The Amazing Heeby Jeebies will be performing as The New York Dolls at Cally’s on October 30. The band’s Facebook post promises, “a night of Halloween horror, glam, punk, psychotic inferno fire dancing and old films.” Special guests TBA. Cally’s is located at 1627 W. Howard. 

Battersea Power Station, known to Pink Floyd fans around the globe as the four smokestack building on the band’s Animals album, is now an apartments/shopping complex thanks to a billion dollar rehab. Like they say, money, it’s a hit. No word on whether any of the shops are selling souvenir flying pigs.

Doom Flamingo, the Charleston, SC band that describes itself as “a six-headed synthwave beast with a Jekyll and Hyde element to the songwriting” will be haunting Metro with a midnight 18 and over performance on November 11.

English band The Lightning Seeds have released their first album in 13 years. See You In The Stars features catchy techno-oriented gems such as “Sunshine,” “Emily Smiles” and “Walk Another Mile.” It’s available on Amazon and other sites.

The interactive attraction Harry Potter: Magic At Play will open on November 11 at Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue and run through May14, 2023.

 

The English Beat’s Wine And Grind Tour 2022 will bring them to City Winery Chicago for shows on December 3 and 4. 

Steve Barton and Dave Scheff from Translator recently finished recording a two-sided holiday single with help from Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows. A Facebook post from Buck states the music will be available to stream soon, and will be hopefully be offered on colored vinyl in 2023.

I had a fun time last Saturday at The CHIRP Record Fair and Other Delights; picking up four picture sleeve 45 RPM records and taking in the indie rock atmosphere. It’s entirely possible I’ll be back at Plumber’s Hall in the upcoming months for an entirely different event. There are Randolph Street Holiday Markets scheduled on the weekends of November 12 and 13 and December 17 and 18.

The Bangles are among the music acts reissuing one of their albums on pink vinyl as part of the Ten Bands One Cause annual event staged by Red Door Community (Formerly Gilda’s Club NYC). The other participants are NAS; The Black Keys; Colter Wall; Allman Brothers Band; Judah And The Lion; Senses Fail; The Turnpike Troubadours; JUNGLE FIRE; and BADBADNOT GOOD. The Bangles are reissuing their Ladies and Gentlemen . . . The Bangles! album. All 10 albums are now available to order.

Chicago power pop bands Go Time! and The Spindles will be sharing another bill together, along with The Vin Band, at Q Bar in Darien, IL on November 4. A few weeks later (November 18), The Spindles will be part of a four-band show at Ballydoyle Irish Pub in Downers Grove, with The Embryos, Thrift Store Halo, and Phil Yates and The Affiliates.

Dream Syndicate, one of the prime members of the 1980s Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles, has a Chicago gig coming up at Lincoln Hall on November 11.

Congratulations to Cherie Colyer on the upcoming release of her new Middle Grade novel, Atticus Overheart, Fifth Grade Tutor And Monster Hunter? It will be available to order from Amazon and other sites on October 31. Colyer is a member of the same writers group that I belong to, and has published a number of novels.

The Man Who Fell to Earth: The Official Movie Adaptation hardcover graphic novel is now available from Amazon and other sites. It’s based on the 1976 film starring David Bowie and includes several never-before-seen photos. Bowie fans can also pre-order A Divine Symmetry - An Alternative Journey Through Hunky Dory, which features 48 exclusive, previously unreleased tracks, on vinyl or as a 4-CD/Blu-ray box set from the David Bowie Official Store. It’s due out on November 26.

Peter Asher and Jeremy Clyde were each half of popular British Invasion duos (Peter and Gordon and Chad and Jeremy respectively), so it’s only natural they would be compatible as yet another duo. They done shows in the past and will be together again at the The Old Town School Of Folk Music on December 1. An email from the venue promises Asher and Clyde will present songs and stories their glory days in the 1960s.

The Dungeons And Dragons inspired play The Twenty-Sided Tavern is now running at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place just north of downtown, and will be there through January15.  The show has previously sold out previous engagements in Edinburgh, Pittsburg, and New York.

Mike Skill, a founding member of The Romantics, has recorded a 41st anniversary version of the band’s major hit “What I Like AboutYou” that features Patrick Harwood on harp and current Romantics drummer Brad Elvis. Skill didn’t sing lead when that irresistible single came out in late 1979 (that was original drummer Jimmy Marinos), but he certainly does a nice job on the update.

Congratulations to Ray Gianchetti and the staff at Kool Kat Musik on 25 years of bringing power pop and indie rock recordings to the world.

The Pino Farina Band will return to Durty Nellie’s in Palatine on November 12. The group recently released the funky, guitar-driven single “Microsun.”

The New Cue, a popular U.K. online newsletter, is holding a Read This And Party - A Celebration Of 2022’s Best Music Books event on December 1 at The Social venue in London. Lush guitarist-vocalist Miki Berenyi will be among the writers on hand, and will be signing copies of her recently released memoir Fingers Crossed - How Music Saved Me From Success. A post on the official Lush Facebook page promises DJs, reading, signing, and dancing.

Women’s Fest will take place next Saturday, November 5 from 3:00 to 9:00 pm at the Blue Island Beer Company in Blue Island. The event will be hosted by The Edna White Community Garden, The Bloom Bar, and The B*U*B Cafe. Special guests will include WXRT early morning air personality Emma Mac, The Bourbon Belts,  Beverly Phono Mart, Sharon Baker, and Bridget Cavanaugh. Proceeds will benefit the “Crui de Sheela Scholarship for a Student Who Wants to Study the Arts and Sciences” and The Edna White Community Garden. Admission is $30 pre-sale and $35 at the door; Blue Island Beer Company is located at 13357 Olde Western Avenue.

Noted photographer Lynn Goldsmith’s latest book features portraits she took during a decade that still stands out for its vibrant music and culture. Titled Music In The ‘80s, the 352-page hard-cover book offers shots of The B-52’s, Bob Marley, Adam Ant, Bo Diddley, Bananarama, Bob Dylan, Susanna Hoffs, Aretha Franklin, Bono, Debbie Harry, Ashford and Simpson, and other stars. It’s now available from Rizzoli, Amazon and other sites.

The Who - Concert Memories from the Classic Years 1964 to 1976 by author Edoardo Genzolini with help from editor and contributor Jeremy Goodwin, is now available. The listing on Amazon promises “untold stories, hundreds of previously unpublished photographs, and uncirculated recordings clarifying the misinformation, myths, and legends.” 

Sons Of The Silent Age, the dynamic Chicago-based David Bowie tribute band will be traveling to New York City next June to take part in the second annual David Bowie World Fan Convention. Other performers involve include Bowie collaborators Carlos Alomar, Tony Visconti, Mike Garson, George Murray and Carmine Rojas.

The Chicago Reader will celebrate five decades of being the city’s best-known free paper with a 50ish UnGala at Museum Of Contemporary Art on November 30. The event will take place on three floors, with four stages with live entertainment, food and beverages from the museum’s own catering service, and raffles. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase exclusive “50ish” anniversary merchandise. Tickets start at $25.

Wicked Opossum Records, a Mishawaka, Indiana independent label, will release Starstruck: A Tribute To The Kinks on December 9 on its Bandcamp  page. I can’t say I’m familiar with any of the artists involved, but those who pre-order the album now get a free download of The Fatal Flaw performing “Victoria,” and it’s a worthy effort.

 

Bruce Springsteen has recorded an album with 15 cover versions of classic soul songs from Motown, Stax, and other legendary sources. Only The Strong Survive will be available in CD, vinyl, and digital formats on November 11. 

Penn Gillette’s promotional tour for his new novel Random will bring him to the Harold Washington Chicago Public Library on November 10.

Dragon’s Dream - The Roger Dean Experience, which is being billed as “an immersive high definition 4D audio/video experience” opens on November 12 at Gray Area in San Francisco and will run through January 2023. Dean, of course, is famous for the cover art he created for Yes, Uriah Heep, Badger, and other bands.

The 2022 Aidan Celebration Open House Party will take place on November 19 at the Shea home at 817 S. Fairfield in Elmhurst. The Aidan Shea Foundation  supports the Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern Medicine’s Lefkofsky Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and the University Of Illinois Law School Aidan Shea Memorial Scholarship. Plus, two new programs will benefit from this year’s event—the Illinois-based nonprofit Foster Progress and the 2023 Celtic Irish American Academy in Galway, Ireland. The open house will feature live music by singer-guitarist Scottie Long. https://scottielong.wixsite.com/scottielong