Slumgullion

The Jeff Beck tribute concerts Eric Clapton is staging at the Royal Albert Hall in London on May  22 and 23 have already sold out. In addition to fellow Yardbird Clapton, Beck will be honored with performances by Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Imelda May, Gary Clark Jr., Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and Joss Stone. They’ll be backed by Beck’s most recent tour musicians Rhonda Smith, Anika Nilles and Robert Stevenson. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Folly Wildlife Rescue.

WXRT radio personality Ryan Arnold will be at Beverly Records on Chicago’s far south side for a t-shirt giveaway tomorrow at noon. It will be one shirt per person, while supplies last. The store is located at 11612 S. Western Avenue. I remember shopping at Beverly Records back in the 1970s when my family lived on the southwest side.

Sonicbond Publishing Ltd, the English company that specializes in detail-oriented, fascinating books about the recording histories of major rock acts, recently released DECADES: The Bee Gees in the 1970s; and On Track . . . Eagles - Every Album, Every Song. I have the previously released DECADES: The Bee Gees in the 1960s and On Track . . . The Hollies - Every Album, Every Song. They’re quite informative and enjoyable. Sonicbond also has books in these same formats on Pink Floyd, Nektar, Green Day, Alice Cooper, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, New Order, and several other recording artists.

As much as I enjoy tribute bands that cover the biggest names in rock history, it’s always a treat when local musicians shine a spotlight on less famous but definitely worthy artists. The Chicago-based Made Of Stone honors The Stones Roses, who emerged from the fertile 1980s scene in Manchester, England. They’ll be part of Jim Ryan’s Classic Albums Night at Reggies Music Joint just south of downtown on May 25. The other acts that night are Charlie Short and Rachel Drew covering Richard and Linda Thompson, and Greg Jacks And Brother Help performing Stax Number Ones. Admission is $10.

Marshall Crenshaw discusses his impressive career with veteran journalist Mark Caro on the latest edition of the Caropop podcast. Caro is a skilled interviewer, and his previous guests have included Colin Blunstone from The Zombies and Debbi Peterson from The Bangles.

Joni Mitchell will receive this year’s Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during a tribute concert tonight in Washington, D.C. The award honors artists who have had a positive influence on music. PBS stations will air the event.

Tekki Lomnicki, a performer/writer/producer who’s well known on the Chicago entertainment scene through her Tellin’ Tales Theatre productions, is offering a free Master Class for people with a disability who’d like to create a one-person performance piece. The workshop will take place on Zoom from April 18 through May 30, and there will be a live show at the Greenhouse Theater Center in early June. Anyone interested can contact Lomnicki (a former co-worker of mine) at tekki@TellinTales.org.

Pete Townshend’s new solo single “Can’t Outrun The Truth,” is now available, and as noted on Townshend’s official Facebook page, “At least 10p from each download to go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.”

Avid fans of 21st Century Druid Music who want to support the genre should check out the whitewolfsonicprincess IndieGoGo campaign. Band members Carla Hayden and James Moeller, who always use their supernatural powers for good, promise some cool perks will be available.

Dag Juhlin and Jason Narducy, two well-known musicians on the Chicago scene, will bring their Pete Townshend’s Birthday Celebration to Hey Nonny on May 19. The Arlington Heights venue describes the evening as a “performance/party” on its website. Townshend turns 76 this year.

The Kinks The Journey Part 1 album was released last Friday, as the first event in the band’s 60th Anniversary celebration. The songs were chosen by Ray and Dave Davies and Mick Avory, and the album is available in double LP and 2-CD formats.

This weekend will be the last chance to catch Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the James M. Nederlander Theatre in downtown Chicago. In related news, Great Moments In Vinyl, a group of Chicago area musicians who frequently stage tribute shows, will perform Tina Turner songs at The Venue in Aurora on May 19. 

The Omnivore Recordings website has a special treat for Crosby, Stills and Nash fans with its Stephen Stills Live At Berkeley 1971 album. The 15 tracks include Stills performing “You Don’t Have To Cry” and The Lee Shore” with David Crosby, as well as a “49 Bye-Byes/For What It’s Worth” mashup. It’s available in CD and 2-LP formats.

Out Of Space, the summer music festival created by the City of Evanston, WXRT, the SPACE music venue, and Canal Shores Golf Course, has announced its schedule for this year’s event. Dawes and Lucius will get the long weekend of live entertainment started on July 27. Lord Huron, whose “Mine Forever” was one of the best singles of the past few years, will perform on July 28 with Alice Crow Buckley as their opening act. The quirky and always engaging Regina Spektor plays July 29, along with opener Allison Russell; and the multi-faceted Andrew Bird wraps things up on Sunday, July 30, with Uwade as his opening act. Tickets are available through the official website.

Susanna Hoffs has announced the dates for her upcoming This Bird Has Flown book tour. Some are virtual, such as April 4 via Premiere Collectibles, April 18 via Indigo, and April 26 via Crowdcast. The in-person stops include New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, and an April 13 event at the Chicago Humanities Festival. 

Leroy Bocchieri, a local musician with a history of working with Shoes, enlisted the power pop band’s members to add backing vocals to his new single “Last First Kiss.” Bocchieri currently performs under the name Joywire, and previously recorded as Day One. "Last First Kiss,” an acoustic ballad about the pitfalls of romance, will be available on all streaming platforms on April 28.

Chicago area power pop musician Herb Eimerman once recorded an album with Shoes member Jeff Murphy under the Beatles-flavored moniker Nerk Twins. Gavin Eimerman, Herb’s teenage grandson, recently released his fourth single, “No Reason To Feel.” It packs a harder punch than his previous efforts, with a driving beat carrying troubling lyrics such as “I can’t look at you the same way/Defaced, disgraced, beliefs to defy.” He offers a bit of consolation with “I’ll sing a prayer to the human kind/I’m just an archangel in disguise like a signal.” The single is available on Australian rocker/producer Joe Algeri’s Egomaniac Music Bandcamp page. Algeri and Herb Eimerman, who are members of the international power pop band The Britannicas, help out on drums and bass respectively, but this is definitely Gavin’s showcase.

Paul Rock’s Wild Honey Foundation has staged several multi-artists concerts that benefit worthy causes, and on May 19, the Foundation will join forces with writer/producer Lenny Kaye and Rhino Records to present Nuggets - 1965 – 68 The Autism Benefit at Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA. Kaye, the force behind the iconic Nuggets various artists garage rock album, Rob Laufer, and Andrew Sandoval will lead the Wild Honey Orchestra. As with past Wild Honey events, well-known musicians are lining up to help out; with the most recent being the 1960s garage rock band Count Five with three original members. Other participants include Elliot Easton, Darian Sahanaja, Debbie Shair, Evie Sands, Daryl Hooper, Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, and Peter Case.

The recently formed power pop trio Triple features musicians who formerly performed with Tarpit and SpeedDuster on the indie Crank Records label. Their debut double single of “You’re A Star” and “No” impresses with sparse but energetic arrangements that showcase vocalist-guitarist Tiffany Seybert, bassist-vocalist Chris LeSeueur, and drummer Jackson Wilson. They had a few gigs on the Chicago club scene, so here’s hoping they have more in the near future.

Tickets will go on sale soon for the Chicago Critic Film Festival being held May 5 – 11 at the Music Box Theatre on the city’s north side. In related news, Chicago-based filmmaker Michael Smith’s short film Paper Planes will have its premiere on the weekend of April 15 and 16 at the After Image Film Festival in St. Charles, IL.

Describe The Night, a new time traveling thriller written by Rajiv Joseph continues its run at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and will run through April 9. It’s being directed by Austin Pendleton, who like Joseph, is a Steppenwolf ensemble member.