Slumgullion

The Pretenders, Hot Chip, and Suede are the headline acts at the ambitious and innovative Kite: A Festival Of Ideas And Music taking place at Kirlington Park, Oxforshire in the U.K. this weekend. Other scheduled acts across the festival’s three stages include Candi Staton, Django Django, and Susanna Hoffs.

The Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights is offering a series of free concerts this summer, and this week’s event is an album tribute double feature. Tomorrow (Saturday) night, The Naomi Ashley Band will perform Lucinda Williams’ entire Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, followed by The Real Pretenders recreating Learning To Crawl by The Pretenders. Show time is 8:30; reservations are recommended.

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.

Material Reissue and Frisbie will perform tomorrow night at Schubas on Chicago’s north side. See this past Tuesday’s post about June 10 activities for more details.

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. I’m not sure why they stopped at eight; surely there could have been at least two more worthy choices. But it’s hard to quarrel with the acts they did honor.

Congo Square Theatre, a Chicago-based ensemble whose productions are frequently met with rave reviews, has a Homecoming 2023 event coming up next Thursday, June 15.

Here’s a friendly welcome to The Cure, who are in town for a concert at the United Center tomorrow night. It’s part of their 2023 Shows Of A Lost World Tour, and will most likely include  classic new wave hits such as “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Just Like Heaven,” and “In Between Days.”

You can wish lead vocalist Ary Paloma a belated Happy Birthday tomorrow night when The Amazing Heeby Jeebies perform as part of a three-act showcase at Montrose Saloon. The Chicago-based quintet’s 2018 debut Bad Feeling combined garage rock and rockabilly while spinning tales of werewolves, mummies, and cannibals. The Metalliques and Feral Faucet will also be on the bill.

The David Bowie World Fan Convention taking place on June 17 and 18 in New York City will feature noted Bowie collaborators Carlos Alomar, Tony Visconti, Mike Garson, George Murray and Carmine Rojas. If you don’t already have tickets, you’re out of luck since the event is sold out.

The 73rd annual Old Town Art Fair, which features over 200 juried artists, live music, and a garden walk, takes place tomorrow and Sunday. The event opens at 10:00 am each day, with main gate being located at Lincoln Avenue and Wisconsin Street. A donation of around $10 is usually suggested. Once you’ve finished, walk a few blocks south and check out the Wells Street Art Fair. This event appeals to a younger audience, with two stages of live rock music, along with all that art and photography. The main entrance is at Wells Street and North Avenue, and a donation policy is involved here as well.

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.

The 2023 Chicago Blues Festival continues through Sunday. Tomorrow’s performers include Sugaray Rayford, Mud Morgenfield, and John Primer with Steve Bell. Sunday’s lineup includes The Bear Williams Band, Gerald McClendon, Lil’Ed And The Blues Imperials, and Los Lobos.

The Andersonville Midsommarfest runs this weekend from Foster to Gregory on Clark Street. Saturday’s schedule includes The Handcuffs, MIRRORS; Neptune’s Core, and Chicago Soul Spectacular. Sunday’s shows include Sam Thousand, the Amy Winehouse tribute act Tears Dry On Their Own, and Tukkiman. The Andersonville Midsommarfest will also feature vendors, artisans, and food. General admission each day is $10.

Tickets are still available for The Who’s Tommy. It opens at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago next Tuesday, June 13, and has now been extended through July 30. I bought a ticket, and I can’t wait to hear those live opening notes of the Tommy overture. 

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.

Tellin’ Tales Theatre’s latest presentation is titled Divercity: Refocusing Disability, and will offer performances by artists, writers, and advocates with disabilities. Directed by founding member Tekki Lomnicki, Divercity: Refocusing Disability will run at the Greenhouse Theater Center on the weekend of June 9 – 11. 

Congratulations to The Neverly Brothers on 20 years of creating an entertaining hybrid of live music and spoken bits of rock and roll history. They have three gigs coming up in June: Washington Park in Ottawa on June 17; Memorial Park in Wheaton on June 23; and the Orland Hills Community Center on June 24. They’ll also be part of the Hometown Fest Fourth Of July Celebration in my humble village of Palatine.

Carlos, a new documentary about the life and multiple achievements of legendary guitarist Carlos Santana, will receive its world premiere on 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.

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