Slumgullion

Let my love blow out the candles. Happy Birthday to Pete Townshend of The Who. As the band’s lead guitarist and main songwriter, he’s created some of most emotionally and instrumentally powerful songs in the history of rock and roll. According to The Who’s official Facebook page, Townshend’s 1980 solo album Empty Glass and his 1977 collaboration with Ronnie Lane Rough Mix will be will be released as half-speed vinyl masters on June 23.

Chicago musicians Jason Narducy and Dag Juhlin will be celebrating Townshend’s legacy at their sold out gig at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights tonight. Be careful trying to recreate those windmill guitar moves, lads.

Liz Phair's Guyville Tour, with special guest Blondshell, kicks off on November 7 in El Cajon, California. Phair will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of her groundbreaking Exile In Guyville by performing the entire album, along with some of her best-known songs. She’ll be in her hometown on November 18 for a show at the Chicago Theatre. Other stops on the tour include Los Angeles, Tucson, San Francisco, Nashville, and Washington, D.C.

Big Brother’s Vinyl, a covers band with impeccable taste in classic rock, returns to Madcats in my hometown of Palatine tonight. The music starts at 9:00 pm; Madcats is located in Palatine’s downtown area.

Graham Nash’s new album Now, which he’s described as his most personal work ever, was released today. The CD I pre-ordered from his official website just arrived in the mail about an hour ago. Nash fans in New York can check out his Enduring Images photography exhibit at City Winery NYC through July 11. The photographs can be purchased through the City Winery website.

The TAFKAVINCE Band has a record release party for its A Problematic Opera album coming up at Liar’s Club on May 28. Also known as The Act Formally Known As Vince, these guys are long-time participants at International Pop Overthrow - Chicago, and take a fun, glam approach to rock and roll.

Chris Stamey from The dBs has a new solo effort titled The Great Escape coming out on July 7. According to his website, Stamey had help from fellow dB’s Peter Holsapple and Will Rigby, as well as Don Dixon, Eric Heywood, Caitlan Cary, and other musicians. The Great Escape is being described as a return “to the electric guitar sounds and melodic lyricism that informed his classic '80s solo records.”

Ex Norwegian, a Miami-based band I’ve praised here on various occasions for their knack of mixing power pop and psychedelia on their albums, has a new single coming out June 2. “Real Bad Bunny” is available for pre-order on Bandcamp. Ex Norwegian is one of the numerous acts scheduled for the upcoming International Pop Overthrow - Liverpool festival.

Fly me to saloons and let me play among the bars. Singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen, who’s explored a variety of genres throughout his career, has a Folk Sinatra gig coming up tomorrow at Montrose Saloon. He’ll be performing from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.

The lineup of headline acts for this year’s Riot Fest include The Cure, Foo Fighters, and Death Cab For Cutie. The festival will take place in Douglass Park on the weekend of September 15 – 17, and also feature Kim Gordon, Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton, The Breeders, Warpaint, The Exploited, Tegan And Sara, White Reaper, Screaming Females, and Ani DiFranco.

Brad Elvis and Rob Elvis, two-thirds of legendary 1980s/‘90s outfit The Elvis Brothers, will be joining in on some songs when The Spindles perform at a power pop triple bill that also features Go Time! and Vinto Van Go at The Cubby Bear tomorrow night.

Indie label Big Stir Records has added some impressive acts to its roster with the recent signings of Graham Parker, The Cyrkle, and The Spongetones.

Squeeze and The Psychedelic Furs will tour the U.S.A. together this fall, starting with a concert on September 19 in Durham, NC. They’ll be at The Salt Shed in Chicago on September 23, and other stops include Nashville, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

Vocalist-percussionist Frank Orrall from the adventurous Poi Dog Pondering ensemble will take a different approach for his solo gig tomorrow night at SPACE in Evanston. That performance will find him spinning tales and utilizing video and audio backing tracks. He’ll be joined by fellow Poi Dog Pondering members Paul Von Mertens and Joe Sonnefeldt, as well as singer/musician/dancer Sophia De Leon Sanchez.

Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent of The Zombies are currently on a mini tour of record stores in the U.K., in which they’re performing “intimate stripped back versions” of songs from the band’s new album Different Game.

The Webstirs and Magnaphonic, a pair of Chicago bands long known for creating catchy pop songs, will be performing at The Hideout tomorrow night. The Hideout is located at 1354 W. Wabansia on Chicago’s north side.

Eric Clapton will be staging two sold out Jeff Beck tribute concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London this Monday and Tuesday, May 22 and 23. 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.

Congratulations to Jeff Tweedy of Wilco on selling out both his Friday and Saturday night shows at The Vic this weekend.

The documentary Have You Got It Yet? - The Story Of Syd Barrett And Pink Floyd opened this week at Everyman Cinemas across the U.K, and is expected to arrive in America sometime this summer. Directed by Roddy Bogawa and Storm Thorgeson, it’s narrated by Jason Issacs and features new interviews with Pink Floyd members Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and Nick Mason regarding their brilliant but troubled former band member.

Decoy Prayer Meeting, the Chicago-based band that specializes in rockabilly and vintage Country and Western music, has an afternoon gig this Sunday from 1:30 to 3:00 pm this Sunday at the FitzGerald’s venue in Berwyn.

“Let It Ride,” the catchy new single from Tall Poppy Syndrome, has been doing well on the indie music chart since its release on Bandcamp. The quintet is made up of pop music veterans Paul Kopf, Jonathan Lea, Vince Melouney, Clem Burke, and Alec Palao.

Phil Angotti and Friends continue their string of Beatles-themed brunches at City Winery Chicago with a Macca And Wings tribute. Only this time, it’s on a Saturday: tomorrow at noon.

Peter Gabriel launched his i/o The Tour this past Thursday in Krakow, Poland. The European tour will also include stops in Milan, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, London, and Manchester. Gabriel will release a new album titled i/o in the near future.

Chicago Zine Fest 2023 will be held tomorrow from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at Plumbers Union Hall. Admission is free, and the event will feature over 100 independent zine creators from around the country. This is the same building where the CHIRP Record Fair And Other Delights is held, at 1340 W. Washington Blvd., just west of downtown Chicago.

The Made Of Stone band, which honors The Stones Roses, will be part of Jim Ryan’s Classic Albums Night at Reggies Music Joint just south of downtown next Thursday, 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.

Best wishes to Paul Rock’s Wild Honey Foundation and writer/producer Lenny Kaye and Rhino Records on tonight’s Nuggets - A 50th Anniversary All-Star Celebration Of The Nuggets Compilation. The Benefit Concert For The Autism Healthcare Collaborative will be held at Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA. Kaye, the force behind the iconic Nuggets compilation, Rob Laufer, and Andrew Sandoval will lead the Wild Honey Orchestra. As with past Wild Honey events, well-known musicians have lined up to help out. According to a Facebook post from Paul Rock, the event will be recorded and later made available on blu-ray, etc.

Fest For Beatles Fans has announced the lineup for its August 11 – 13 event in Chicago. The Fest offers an eclectic mix of live music, interviews, art, photography, contests, merchandise, and a costume party. WXRT radio personality and host of the stations’s weekly Breakfast With The Beatles program, will return as Master Of Ceremonies. Following its tradition of booking guests with close ties to The Beatles, the Fest has lined up Patti Boyd, Mark Rivera, Gregg Bissonette, and The Lads From Liverpool this year.

The Pretenders recently announced they have a new album titled Relentless coming out September 1, and it’s available to pre-order. If the song “Let The Sun Come In,” which can already be streamed on various sites is any indication, the album will pack a wallop just like the band’s 2020 effort Hate For Sale.

Chicago-based filmmaker Micael Glover Smith’s 2022 romantic comedy Relative will be screened at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Monday, May 22.  There will be a live question and answer session afterward with Smith, four cast members, and moderator Lori Felker. The Chicago location for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is at 3519 N. Clark St., Suite C301.

Chicago-based power pop band Thrift Store Halo will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its debut LP World Gone Mad by offering downloads of the 10 songs for 25¢ each on its official website. I still have my copy of the CD, and I recommend checking this album out. Particularly the tracks “Can’t Understand,” “Fly Me Away,” and “Change.”

Gman Tavern on Clark Street in Chicago will celebrate World Goth Day on Tuesday, May 22 with no doubt suitably dark music chosen by DJ Scary Sarah.

The new State Of Sound exhibit now open at Navy Pier  is a pop-up version of the award-winning exhibition that was held at the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, and celebrates Illinois-based stars such as Muddy Waters; Material Issue; Earth, Wind & Fire; Chicago; Chance the Rapper; Wilco; Shoes; and Cheap Trick. Admission is free, and you’ll find the exhibit at Festival Hall A in the lower level lobby of Navy Pier through Aug. 27.

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.