Slumgullion

The David Bowie World Fan Convention kicked off today in New York City and will run through Sunday. In addition to featured guests such as Bowie collaborators Carlos Alomar, Tony Visconti, Mike Garson, George Murray and Carmine Rojas, there will be a marketplace offering Bowie memorabilia. The event has been sold out for a while now.

At an unrelated event here in Chicago, the Metropolitan Jazz Octet and jazz singer Paul Marinaro will join together for The Bowie Project, a presentation of jazz-oriented renditions of David Bowie songs at City Winery Chicago on June 27. 

Carlos, a new documentary about legendary guitarist Carlos Santana, will receive its world premiere tomorrow night June 17 at the Tribeca Festival in New York City. The actual release date for Carlos will be revealed at some point in the future.

Personality - The Lloyd Price Musical, which recently opened at the Studebaker Theater, garnered positive reviews today from critics Jack Helbig in the Chicago Sun-Times and Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune. The musical celebrates the amazing talent and accomplishments of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame songwriter The Lloyd Price, who gave us “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Aint It A Shame.”

Global Citizen, a nonprofit organization devoted to fighting climate change, will present a free concert titled Power Our Planet: Live In Paris on June 22. Staged in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower, the event will feature performances by Lenny Kravitz, Finneas, Ben Harper, Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste, Mosimann, and H.E.R.

Tickets went on sale this morning for a special presentation of High Fidelity on November 1 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. John Cusack, who starred in the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Nick Hornby based on Hornby’s popular novel High Fidelity, will be in person at the Auditorium Theatre for the screening and a Question and Answer session.

 

Pete Towshend’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 next Friday, June 23.

Although based in Munster, Indiana, Metropoly is familiar to a number of Chicagoans. That’s due to the band’s inspired tributes to Hole, Liz Phair, and Blondie at Halloweekend, the nomad annual tribute show that’s been staged at various venues over the years, most recently at Montrose Saloon. Metropoly’s founding members Holly Senchak Dausch and Adam Dausch have been creating various artists tribute compilations on Bandcamp for over a decade, with their latest honoring Radiohead. It includes Metropolly’s cover of  “Exit Music . . .  For A Film” along with Radiohead tunes covered by 18 other acts. Be sure to check out the previously released albums honoring Beck, The Doors, The Cure, David Bowie, and Nirvana.

Chicago-based singer-guitarist Phil Angotti would be on solid ground if he ever decided to legally change his middle name to Tributes considering how many famous rock and roll acts he’s covered over the years. He’ll be performing songs from Neil Young’s Harvest, The Byrds’ Younger Than Yesterday, and Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True next Thursday night at Reggies on State Street. Angotti will be joined by Tom Ryan, Casey McDonough, Debbie Kascynski, Todd Rusin, Dan Ingenthron, Kriss Bataille and Jim Barclay.

The online American Songwriter has a penchant for posting lists, including a recent one titled The Top 8 British Invasion Bands Of ‘60s. The Beatles were the obvious choice for number one, followed by The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, The Hollies, Dusty Springfield, The Zombies, and The Yardbirds.

The Neverly Brothers will bring their entertaining mix of live music and rock and roll history to Washington Park in Ottawa tomorrow night. They’ll play Memorial Park in Wheaton on June 23; Orland Hills Community Center on June 24, and Palatine’s Hometown Fest Fourth Of July Celebration.

Peter Asher of Peter And Gordon will join Jeremy Clyde of Chad and Jeremy for a performance on June 23 at The Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago. They’ll perform the hits their duos scored back in the 1960s, and share memories of that era as well. I’ve seen these guys together and separately in the past, and their sense of humor plays a major part in making their shows so entertaining.

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.

Tickets are still available for The Who’s Tommy, which opens at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago next Tuesday, June 13, and has now been extended through July 30.

Graham Nash fans in the 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 State Of Sound exhibit is now open at Navy Pier, This 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.

The Minus Five and The No Ones, both of which feature Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck, are kicking off a U.S./Europe tour tonight with a gig at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon. Bangles drummer Debbie Peterson helped each band on recent recordings, and will be a special guest at Mississippi Studios. The Minus Five and The No Ones will perform at Tractor Tavern in Seattle, Washington tomorrow night. 

  

Things That Fly, the Chicago-based indie rock band led by Heidi Serwer and Karen Salmon, has a record-release show for its self-titled EP at Martyrs’ next Saturday June 24. The event will benefit the charity organization Common Pantry.

Ken Sharp, a gentleman with expertise in performing and writing about power pop music, recently posted on Facebook that he contributed the song “Just A Chance” to an upcoming two-CD release titled Shine On: A Peter Ham Tribute. It will be available on various streaming sites as of June 23. Other artists covering Ham songs on Shine On include Shelby Lynne, Stan Lynch, Dan Baird, Dennis Diken, Melanie, Reckless Eric and Amy Rigby,  and Mary Lou Lord.

Director Balin Scheider recently posted on Facebook that his Out Of Time - The Material Issue Story documentary is now streaming on Night Flight Plus. 

On a sad note, Blackie Onassis (John Rowan) from Urge Overkill recently passed away. Along with Material Issue and Liz Phair, Urge Overkill helped put Chicago on the national rock and roll map back in the early 1990. My condolences to his family, friends, and numerous fans.

The Bric A Brac Record store is holding an outdoor 10th Year Anniversary Party this Sunday from noon to 7:00 pm. Bric A Brac, located at 2845 N. Milwaukee, is a really fun destination for vinyl records, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, and pop culture artifacts. The Anniversary party is being held at 2800 N. Dawson, and will have live music. 

The Northman Riverwalk Beer And Cider Garden, located at 233 E. Riverwalk in downtown Chicago, has a full schedule of late afternoon and early evening live music planned for this summer. Upcoming performances include Magnaphonic on July 15, The Handcuffs on July 20, and The Spindles on July 21.

Rob Schulz, who’s performed at International Pop Overthrow - Chicago numerous times, has a solo acoustic show tomorrow at 4:00 pm at Merkle’s Bar And Grill. Located at 3516 N. Clark Street, the venue would be a convenient stop for fans following the Cubs vs. Orioles game at Wrigley Field.

The Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights is offering a series of free concerts this summer, and this week’s events are Stefan Hillesheim on Friday and Ginger Road on Saturday. Show time for both days is 8:30; reservations are recommended.