Sunday Papers

Graham Nash will wrap up his series of five sold-out concerts at The Old Town School Of Folk in Chicago tonight. When I caught his Wednesday night gig, I was glad to find him still working with guitarist-vocalist Shane Fontayne and keyboards player-vocalist Todd Caldwell. The trio has developed a great chemistry over the past few years, in the studio and on the road. Wednesday’s show included superb renditions of Nash’s own material, as well as hits from the various formations of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

The pairing of “Find The Cost Of Freedom” with “Military Madness” was dedicated to the people of Ukraine, and “To The Last Whale: Critical Mass/Wind On The Water” was, as always, gorgeous and touching. The trio also performed “Buddy’s Back,” a fun look at the earliest days of The Hollies, and the influence Buddy Holly had on them. Nash wrote the song for his former fellow Hollie Allan Clarke’s new album I’ll Never Forget, and it's one of several tracks on which he harmonizes with Clarke. “Buddy’s Back” will also be on Nash’s upcoming Now album.  

I wasn’t able to post a Slumgullion this week due to my self-appointed task of creating previews for each night of International Pop Overthrow - Chicago. I was glad to do it since I’ve become familiar with several of the acts over the years, and I pretty much always discover new ones while researching via band websites and Bandcamp pages. Luckily, I had a light week of freelance work, or the IPO coverage might have been up for grabs as well. Congratulations to CFO/Founder David Bash and Montrose Saloon on a another successful festival. Thanks to David for mentioning me at yesterday’s afternoon showcase, and in a Facebook post today.

When I caught the first 2023 IPO - Chicago showcase a week ago Friday, I enjoyed seeing some  musicians whose work I admire, and having a chance to talk to them. Not only the ones scheduled to go on stage that night, but musicians who came out to show their support. There are several strong bonds among the bands on the local club scene, particularly those who work the north side circuit.

Go Time! and The Spindles, two of the veteran IPO - Chicago acts, will share a double bill at The Cubby Bear on May 20.

Continental Drifters, the critically acclaimed alt rock/country band whose members include Peter Holsapple, Susan Cowsill, and Vicki Peterson, will perform at The New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival on May 7. It would be nice to see a new album from these guys at some point.

Speaking of acclaimed alt rock/country bands, Dolly Varden, led by the married couple of vocalist-guitarist Steve Dawson and vocalist-artist Diane Christiansen, will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its For A While album at SPACE in Evanston on July 15.

A Malibu Barbie Cafe pop-up restaurant/store will open on June 7 at a top secret location in Chicago, and tickets ($35 for kids, $50 for adults) are now available via bucketlisters.com. The cafe will promote the Barbie film, which is coming out July 21. 

Chicago’s David Bowie tribute band Sons Of The Silent Age will celebrate a decade of performing terrific shows around town and elsewhere with a 10th Anniversary Show on May 13 at Metro. The venue recently announced a July 16 concert by Cheap Trick that’s being billed as Metro’s 40th Anniversary Finale.

Cash For Kids - Chicago’s Only Johnny Cash Festival will take place Saturday, May 6 at the Irish American Heritage Center on the northwest side. The charitable event will feature performances by Iron Horse, Hayden Thompson, The Hoyle Brothers, Eddie Clendening, The Blue Ribbon Boys, Hodie Snitch, The Amazing Heeby Jeebies, The Ramblin’ Redeemed, Stephen Davern, John Kimler, Geneieve Hayward, and Wild Earp and The OK Chorale. Admission is $20 presale, $25 at the door. The music starts at 3:00 pm. Proceeds benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

Robin Taylor Zander, son of Cheap Trick’s vocalist Robin Zander and an occasional fill-in for the band, has a new album out titled The Distance. It’s available on various streaming sites. The younger Zander cites his Dad’s group as a major influence, as well as The Who, The Beatles, David Bowie, T.Rex, and Elliot Smith.

Local alt rock/avant-garde band whitewolfsonicprincess will bring its self-described 21st Century Druid music to Montrose Saloon as part of a three-act showcase with Model-K and Justin Sconza this Friday, May 6.

Earth/Percent, whose mission is to act as “a charity providing a simple way for the music industry to support the most impactful organisations addressing the climate emergency,” has launched a major fundraiser. The Earth/Percent X Earth Day Compilation Album features new/exclusive/unreleased material from 60 artists from around the endangered globe, and is available as a digital album for £25. A vinyl version is also now available. The artists involved include Michael Stipe featuring Gaelyn Lea; Cvurches And Robert Smith; Nile Rodgers And Chic; Brian Eno; and Coldplay X Her.

 

You really got me on the bus. As part their 60th Anniversary celebration, The Kinks are offering 

The Journey bus tour, which takes passengers “back to the Davies’ home turf; the parks they played on, the houses they lived in, the school they attended and the pub where they played their first ever gig.” The 90-minute tour ends with a visit to the location of the band’s Muswell Hillbillies album photo session. This is reason number 4,653 why I want to visit England again.

Susanna Hoffs’ The Deep End is now available on CD and streaming sites. The album finds her covering “Under My Thumb” by The Rolling Stones, “Black Coffee In Bed” by Squeeze, and other other hit songs.

Natalie Merchant will be showcasing songs from her album Keep Your Courage when she performs at The Chicago Theatre on May 19. 

Last Night And The Night Before, written by Donnetta Lavinia Grays and directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, opened yesterday at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and will run through May 14.

The Chicago Critic Film Festival opens this Friday, May 5, and will run through May 11 at the Music Box Theatre on the city’s north side.

Also, just a quick note about leaving Comments for posts on Broken Hearted Toy. I greatly appreciate people taking the time to make a Comment, and I apologize for not noticing them for quite a long while. This was an oversight on my part and not intentional.