Slumgullion

GRR Live!, a new DVD and 2-CD set that captures The Rolling Stones performing with special guests at New Jersey’s Prudential Center in 2012, is now available for pre-order from the band’s official online store. The 23 tracks include “Gimme Shelter” with Lady Gaga; “Going Down” with John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr.; “Who Do You Love?” with The Black Keys; “Midnight Rambler” with former band member Mick Taylor; and “Tumbling Dice” with Bruce Springsteen.

Enuff Z’Nuff vocalist Donnie Vie and singer-guitarist PhilAngotti will be performing tomorrow night at Blue Island Beer Co. in Blue Island. It’s a sort of reunion for the Chicago-based musicians since they’ve performed and recorded together various times over the years. Their acoustic show will be followed by a full-band performance with Casey McDonough and John Perrin from NRBQ joining Vie and Angotti. Admission is $25; the 8:30 show will be preceded by a 7:00 pm Meet N’ Greet.

Congratulations are in order for Henry Diltz, the photographer whose portraits of The Doors and  Crosby, Stills and Nash became iconic album covers. He’ll receive a Trustees Award from The Recording Academy (Grammy Awards people) on February 4 for his contributions to the music industry. Diltz also photographed The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, The Hollies, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, and other major artists of the 1960s and ‘70s. CSNY - Love The One You’re With, a 272-page hardbound book featuring 1000 images Diltz took of the super group, will be released by the U.K.-based Genesis Publications in June. 

Veteran Chicago-based journalist Mark Caro has been interviewing celebrities on his engaging Caropop podcast series (I particularly liked his chat with The Zombies vocalist Colin Blunstone) for a while, and now he’s ready to do one before a live audience. His interview with actor/improvisor David Pasquesi will take place on January 18 at SPACE in Evanston. Pasquesi is known for his roles on the TV series Veep and The Book of Boba Fett, as well as for his live TJ and Dave improv shows with T.J. Jagodowski in Chicago and New York. General admission to the SPACE event is $12.

I’m happy to report that the Tom Petty Live At The Fillmore - 1997 box set I gave myself for Christmas is packed with rousing live versions of his own hits, as well as several well-chosen cover versions. This collection a perfect choice to play at parties.

I’m shamefully behind on writing album reviews, so just let me quickly say that last year’s 16-track Phosphorus album from Custard Flux is an imaginative psychedelic adventure. Which is exactly what you’d expect from someone who also performed with The Luck Of Eden Hall. Highlights include the melodic title track and “The Man In Blue Wants Out Of His Suit,” as well as the more energetic “Roses And Wine” and “The Devil May Care/Sifting The Stars.” There are also elements of jazz successfully woven into these tracks.

Other albums I’m really enjoying these days include Punch Drunk by More Kicks, a London-based trio that brings a Buzzcocks energy to the power pop genre; and Blue Rev, which finds the coed group Alvvays once again crafting engaging techno pop similar to Blondie.

Local publications roundup: The December 22 edition of The Chicago Reader has Joe Shanahan sharing 40 years of memories of his Metro and Smart Bar venues with journalist/author/artist Steve Krakow, AKA Plastic Crimewave. This month’s Illinois Entertainer has Best 10 Albums Of The Year lists from staff writers and Lori Vernon’s Best 10 Films of the Year. New City names 50 of the Best Players in comedy, opera, dance, and theater. Probably the only New City list I could be in would be a Top 50 Chicago Fans Of The Hollies. Even then, I’d lose the number one spot to Jeff Janulis of the power pop band The Spindles.

In addition to the previously mentioned Henry Diltz, Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart will receive a special honor when The Grammy Awards ceremony takes place on February 4. Congratulations to the Wilson sisters on their Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy. My very first big-time interview was with Ann Wilson after a Heart concert at Alpine Valley in 1979. She and guitarist-keyboards player Howard Leese were incredibly nice and informative while responding to questions from an immensely inexperienced rock critic. The local free paper my article was intended for went out of business, but luckily, the story ran in The Prairie Sun, which was far superior to my original choice.

Reggies in the south loop has an impressive showcase of four Chicago area acts coming up on January 12. The lineup is Silver Abuse, who describe themselves as “useless wankers intent on scoffing,” the politically oriented punk bands Voice Of Addiction and Vortis (which includes noted rock critic Jim DeRogatis), and The Handcuffs, whose latest release Burn The Rails has been showing up on Best Albums of 2022 lists. Each act will perform a half-hour set.

I’m about half way through Bono’s SURRENDER: 40 Songs, One Story memoir, and it’s interesting and sobering to discover some of the songs he wrote for U2 were fueled by tragic events he witnessed or experienced in Ireland, Africa, and South America. 

The January 19th edition of Chicago Acoustic Underground’s Sing For Your Supper will be held at the Foundation Tavern and Grille on Chicago’s north side. The featured artists will be Hannah Frank, The Sideshowmen, Justin Frosch, Shadowfields, Lance Brown, Patrick Reninger and Jos Davidson. 

Paul Rock’s Wild Honey Foundation, which consistently finds interesting ways to bring musicians together for fundraising events, has another winner coming up for 2023. The Wild Honey Orchestra And Lenny Kaye's 50th Anniversary Celebration of Nuggets takes place on May 19th at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA. Tickets are not available yet.

Having found success with his full-length effort Relative last year, filmmaker Michael Smith is set to co-direct a new short film titled Paper Planes with Alyssa Thordarson later this month. The film is based on Thordarson’s original screenplay, and it will be shot by Pouya Shahbazi.

Chicago-based tribute band Led Zeppelin 2 will perform Led Zeppelin IV (AKA Zoso) with special guests on January 13 at House Of Blues, and come back the next night to honor the 50th anniversary of Houses Of The Holy.

Musician Jason Narducy, musician/actor Michael Shannon, and their friends will perform songs by The Modern Lovers at SPACE on January 19. 

The fourth annual Winter Mini Fringe, an offshoot of the Elgin Fringe Festival, will be staged at the Elgin Public House on January 21. The event features the comedies Party Cops and It’sThat Time Of The Month, along with Cats That I Know presented by Danny Wightkin. Admission is $15 per show or $30 for all three. The event kicks off a 4:00 pm and is being produced by Side Street Studio Arts with support from the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, and Elgin Public House.

The immersive exhibit Bob Marley: One Love Experience, having already made stops in London and Toronto, will come to the Ovation Hollywood venue in Los Angeles on January 27. Its features include photography, music, concert videos, and a One Love Forest.

Tickets are now on sale for The Chicago Independent Venue League’s CIVL Fest coming to various locations around the city February 8 – 26. The event will benefit will help fund Venue Staff and Artist Mental Health Programs; Venue Safety Initiatives; and Equal Access And Equity Campaigns. The full schedule is yet to be worked out, but so far, the venues involved are Beat Kitchen, Berlin, Harold Washington Cultural Center, Metro, Patio Theatre, Reggies, Rosa’s Lounge, and Sleeping Village.

DJ Skid Licious will be spinning all vinyl at the Atomic New Wave Post Punk Synth Wave event next Friday at The Continental at 2801 W. Chicago Avenue.

It’s fun to discover a new shop in my hometown of Palatine, so when I saw the Craft Collective at 19 N. Brockway Street, I decided to check it out. The emphasis is on hand-crafted gifts, and owner Traci Goike welcomes local artisans to sell their work in her store. They can contact her at craftcollectivepalatine@gmail.com for more information.