Slumgullion

The four-day summer music festival Out Of Space kicked off last night at Canal Shores Golf Course in Evanston. Tonight’s performers are Lord Huron with Allie Crowe Buckley and Kara Jackson; tomorrow brings Regina Spektor to the main stage, along with Allison Russell and Elizabeth Moen. Andrew Bird, along with Uwade and Nora O’Connor will wrap up the festival on Sunday, July 30. The event is the work of the City of Evanston, radio station WXRT, the SPACE music venue, and Canal Shores Golf Course. Check the official website for tickets; some shows are already sold out.

Mick Jagger’s birthday was a few days ago, and I wonder if anyone gave him a copy of Elizabeth Winder’s new book Parachute Women as a gift. It honors the women, especially Marianne Faithfull, Marsha Hunt, Bianca Jagger, and Anita Pallenberg that Winder feels had a major and positive influence on the The Rolling Stones. It was released on July 11.

The Los Angeles-based band The Regrettes will be the main act tomorrow night at Wicker Park Fest on Chicago’s north side. Boise, Idaho-based indie rock band Built To Spill was the headline act tonight. The fest is on Milwaukee Avenue from Damen to Paulina. Several other acts are scheduled July 30, and there will be an arts area and food vendors.

International Pop Overthrow, the traveling showcase of power pop and indie rock, returns to its birthplace next Friday for a nine-day run at the Redwood Bar in Los Angeles. Each night will offer at least five (more often six) acts. Some of the familiar names performing include The Jeremy Band; Rick Hromadka; Sparkle*Jets UK; and Plasticsoul. Admission for each show is $10. David Bash staged his very first IPO in L.A. 24 years ago, and has since added visits to Chicago, Liverpool, Boston, Copenhagen, and other cities. The lineup changes for each location.

Freda Love Smith, whose rock and roll career kicked off in the mid-1980s as a member of the Boston-based Blake Babies with Juliana Hatfield and John Strohm, has a book launch for her I Quit Everything memoir on September 19 at Books And Beginnings in Evanston. Love Smith was also a member of the Some Girls trio, and in more recent years joined forces with Dag Juhlin and Jacqueline Schimmel for a successful run on the Chicago club scene as Sunshine Boys. She’ll discuss the book, which is subtitled How One Woman’s Addiction to Quitting Helped Her Confront Bad Habits and Embrace Midlife, with Megan Stielstra. On October 22, Freda Love Smith will join former band mate John Strohm at SPACE in Evanston. That event will celebrate I Quit Everything as well as  the release of Strohm’s new solo effort Something To Look Forward To. There will conversation as well as live music that will include Gerald Dowd and Jake Smith.

A new exhibit titled Tom Petty: Among The Wildflowers is now open at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, FL. It offers a 700 square foot collection of artifacts, including some from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and other exclusive memorabilia. Petty fans across the country can stream the 2021 documentary Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free - The Making of Wildflowers on the Tom Petty YouTube Channel.

Printer’s Row is best known for its annual Lit Fest in September, but this south end area of downtown Chicago has also been staging its impressive Art Fest for five years. It returns on the weekend of August 12 and 13, with 90 juried artists and artisans showcasing their work.

Chicago indie label Pravda Records has a showcase coming up next Friday, August 4, at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn that will feature The Handcuffs, Ivan Julian, and Brian Krumm and His Barfly Friends.

Personality - The Lloyd Price Musical will wrap up its successful run at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building this Sunday. The musical celebrates the amazing career of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame songwriter The Lloyd Price, who gave us “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Aint It A Shame.”

NEO Reunion 2023 takes place tomorrow night at at 7:30 pm at Metro. DJ sets by Suzanne Shelton, Jeff Moyer, Rob Kokot, Glenn Russell and others will no doubt bring back found memories of the iconic new wave club that reigned on Clark Street for so many years. 

Phil Angotti And Friends will continue their Beatles Brunch series at City Winery Chicago this Sunday at 12:00 pm.

Various acts will be performing tomorrow from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm in One Village Circle at the Willow Springs Blues Fest. There will be food vendors, and admission to the Fest is free.

Shemekia Copeland has a free performance coming up at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park next Monday July 31, at 6:30 pm. DJ James Porter will do a pre-show.

Los Straitjackets will be the main attraction when the Third Coast Surf Fest is held at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine on August 26. There will also be six local bands, including OUTRONAUT and Roger That.

John Mead’s True Believers will perform a mix of acoustic and electric Neil Young songs tomorrow night at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. Mead will be joined by fellow Chicago music scene veterans Steve Dawson, Tommi Zender, Alton Smith, John Abbey, and Gregg Ostrom.

The Who have a 50th anniversary edition of their Who’s Next album coming out on September 14 that will include songs from Pete Townshend’s Life House project. As with most anniversary releases from major acts, Who’s Next - Life House will be available in various formats. They range from a 10 CD set that also includes a Blu-ray, posters, a t-shirt and two books for $305.98 to a single CD with a 12-page booklet for $13.98. All the versions are now available for pre-order on the official Who website.

God Is In The TV, the Cardiff, UK record label and culture webzine, has a put together another multi-act tribute album, and it will be available to download next Friday, August 4. Pictures Of You: A Compilation Of Covers Of Songs By The Cure offers 44 tracks for a mere £5.

Tickets are now on sale for the rescheduled performances by X on August 27 and 28 at The Old Town School Of Folk Music. The pioneering L.A. punk band, which still has all four original members, had to cancel an earlier date at the venue.

YippieFest, the Famous In The Future comedy group’s annual three-day celebration of counter-culture entertainment, returns next weekend, August 4 – 6, at PrideArtsChicago. Modeled after the late Mary-Arrchie Theatre’s long-running Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins festival, YippieFest has done a good job of carrying on that tie-dyed tradition. The people behind it—Frank Carr from the Famous In The Future comedy group, and James Moeller from the whitewolfsonicprincess alt rock band—are Abbie Fest veterans. (Full disclosure: I was a member of Famous In The Future for several years.) Ticket prices $15 for a day pass and $25 for a weekend pass; proceeds will benefit Howard Brown Health, Brave Space Alliance, and Greater Chicago Food Depository. PrideArtChicago is located at 4139 N. Broadway.

Congratulations to Graham Nash on being chosen to receive the John Lennon Real Love Award from the nonprofit organization Theatre Within. According to a recent piece on the Billboard magazine website, the presentation will take place on December 2 at this year’s John Lennon Tribute at Town Hall in New York. This is the 43rd year Theatre Within has staged the tribute, and Yoko Ono has been involved for much of that time. Her cooperation resulted with the Real Love Award being established in 2014. According to the official website, the award acknowledges performers for “for their creative excellence, positive social impact and support of charitable causes.

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.

Incoming

The Regrettes, on a hillside.

First, I’d like to thank everyone who sent me birthday greetings on Facebook yesterday. As I stated in a post late last night, it was amazing to hear from such a variety of wonderful people from so many aspects and years of my life. I wish you all the very best.

Today is Mick Jagger’s birthday. He’s one of rock and roll’s the all-time best performers, as well as the perfect inspiration for how to rebound from major surgery at an advanced age. Jagger’s birthday comes a day after mine (I’m somewhat younger), so I’m surprised he’s never thought of us celebrating together. Happy Birthday, Mick.

The Los Angeles-based band The Regrettes, which has recorded three albums of energetic and catchy songs that mix elements of punk with the 1960s girl group sound, will be the main act this Saturday at the Wicker Park Fest. Boise, Idaho indie rockers Built To Spill will be the headline act on Friday night. The fest is on Milwaukee Avenue from Damen to Paulina. Several other acts are scheduled through July 30, and there will be an arts area and food vendors.

A new exhibit titled Tom Petty: Among The Wildflowers is now open at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, FL. It offers a 700 square foot collection of artifacts, including some from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and other exclusive memorabilia. Petty fans across the country can stream the 2021 documentary Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free - The Making of Wildflowers on the Tom Petty YouTube Channel.

Various acts will be performing this Saturday from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm in One Village Circle at the Willow Springs Blues Fest. There will be food vendors, and admission is free.

There’s a four-act showcase coming up this Friday at Montrose Saloon that kicks off with Go Time! at 8:00 pm and winds up at 11:00 pm with The Dyes. In between, The Spindles perform at 9:00 pm and Night Baby goes on at 10:00 pm.

Out Of Space, the four-day summer music festival created by the City of Evanston, radio station WXRT, the SPACE music venue, and Canal Shores Golf Course, opens tomorrow (July 27) with gigs by Dawes, Lucius and Celisse. Lord Huron with Allie Crowe Buckley and Kara Jackson will perform on Friday, and Regina Spektor is the main act on Saturday, preceded by Allison Russell and Elizabeth Moen. Andrew Bird, along with Uwade and Nora O’Connor will wrap up the festival on Sunday, July 30. Check the official website for tickets; some shows are already sold out.

NEO Reunion 2023 takes place at Metro this Saturday night at 7:30 pm. DJ sets by Suzanne Shelton, Jeff Moyer, Rob Kokot, Glenn Russell and others will no doubt bring back found memories of the iconic new wave club that reigned on Clark Street for so many years. 

Phil Angotti And Friends will continue their Beatles Brunch series at City Winery Chicago this Sunday at noon. Doors open at 11:00 pm.

Irish blues singer-guitarist Gráinne Duffy has a gig at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue tomorrow night, along with folk singer Rosa. Cheer-Accident and Outronaut will be there on Friday. On Saturday at Martyrs’, John Mead’s True Believers will perform a mix of acoustic and electric Neil Young songs. Mead will be joined by fellow Chicago music scene veterans Steve Dawson, Tommi Zender, Alton Smith, John Abbey, and Gregg Ostrom.

As noted on Facebook by the esteemed blues radio personality Tom Marker (WJKL, WXRT), Shemekia Copeland has a free performance coming up at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park next Monday July 31, at 6:30 pm. DJ James Porter will do a pre-show.

Slumgullion

Welcome to everyone who’s in Chicago this weekend for The Pitchfork Music Festival. As with Lollapalooza and Riot Fest, I leave it to the daily newspapers and well-informed free publications to offer their recommendations on the best acts to see.

Lenny Kaye has a Nuggets 50th Anniversary celebration coming up next weekend, July 28 and 29, at City Winery New York. Patti Smith, Ivan Julian, Peter Buck, James Mastro, Marshall Crenshaw,  Juliana Hatfield, and Bob Mould are among the performers, and the house band will feature Lenny Kaye—who’s also hosting the event—-Tony Shanahan, Jack Petruzzelli, Glen Burtnik, and Dennis Diken.

DisFest, an event honoring performers with disabilities, will take place from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm tomorrow at The Cultural Center in downtown Chicago. Tellin’ Tales Theatre founder/performer Tekki Lomnicki will serve as emcee, and other participants include A.B.L.E. (Artists Breaking Limits and Expectations) and LaDonna Freidheim, as well as improv, jazz, and hip hop performers. Visitors to DisFest are encouraged to join in the fun. Admission is free, The Cultural Center is located at 78 W. Washington.

The Who have a 50th anniversary edition of their Who’s Next album coming out on September 14 that will include songs from Pete Townshend’s Life House project. As with most anniversary releases from major acts, Who’s Next - Life House will be available in various formats. They range from a 10 CD set that also includes a Blu-ray, posters, a t-shirt and two books for $305.98 to a single CD with a 12-page booklet for $13.98. All the versions are now available for pre-order on the official Who website.

The Dark Room Men will be performing at The Sovereign tonight, along with The Rut, who’ll be playing an acoustic set. The Sovereign, which is said to have a dynamite jukebox featuring mixes compiled by the staff and friends, is located at 6202 N. Broadway.

God Is In The TV, the Cardiff, UK record label and culture webzine, has a put together another multi-act tribute album, and it will be available to download on August 4. Pictures Of You: A Compilation Of Covers Of Songs By The Cure offers 44 tracks for a mere £5.

Tickets are now on sale for the rescheduled performances by X on August 27 and 28 at The Old Town School Of Folk Music. The pioneering L.A. punk band, which still has all four original members, had to cancel an earlier date at the venue.

If residents of Cheshire are seeing UFOs, it could because The Bluedot Festival is being held in the UK city this weekend. Billed as an “Intergalactic festival of music, science, art, technology and the exploration of space,” it runs through Sunday at the Jodrell Bank Observatory. Pavement and Grace Jones are among the headline acts, and the featured events include 60 Years Of Doctor Who: A Celebration and An Afternoon Of White Rabbit Books Featuring Miki Berenyi In Conversion. Berenyi, the vocalist-guitarist for Lush, recently released a memoir titled Fingers Crossed - How Music Saved Me From Success. 

NEO Reunion 2023 takes place at Metro next Saturday night at 7:30 pm. DJ sets by Suzanne Shelton, Jeff Moyer, Rob Kokot, Glenn Russell and others will no doubt bring back fond memories of the iconic new wave club that reigned on Clark Street for so many years.

Director Greta Gerwig’s off-kilter comedy Barbie, which features Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles, recently received positive reviews from The Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips and The Chicago Sun-Times’ Richard Roeper. 

YippieFest, the Famous In The Future comedy group’s annual three-day celebration of counter-culture entertainment, returns on the weekend of August 4 – 6 at PrideArtsChicago. If you dress up as Barbie, longtime Famous In The Future member/Barbie impersonator Desire Burcum will mostly likely give you a thumbs up. Modeled after the late Mary-Arrchie Theatre’s long-running Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Festival, YippieFest has done a good job of carrying on that tie-dyed tradition. The people behind it—Frank Carr from the Famous In The Future comedy group, and James Moeller from the whitewolfsonicprincess alt rock band—are Abbie Fest veterans. (Full disclosure: I was a member of Famous In The Future for several years.) Ticket prices are $15 for a day pass and $25 for a weekend pass; proceeds will benefit Howard Brown Health, Brave Space Alliance, and Greater Chicago Food Depository. PrideArtChicago is located at 4139 N. Broadway.

Congratulations to Graham Nash on being chosen to receive the John Lennon Real Love Award from the nonprofit organization Theatre Within. According to a recent piece on the Billboard magazine website, the presentation will take place on December 2 at this year’s John Lennon Tribute at Town Hall in New York. This is the 43rd year Theatre Within has staged the tribute, and Yoko Ono has been involved for much of that time. Her cooperation resulted with the Real Love Award being established in 2014. According to the official website, the award acknowledges performers for “for their creative excellence, positive social impact and support of charitable causes.”

This sounds like something you’d peek at from behind your window curtains, but Phil Angotti and The Naughty Neighbors Celebrate Mick Jagger Turning 80 is coming to SPACE in Evanston this Tuesday, July 25. Jagger’s actual birthday is July 26; some other famous person was born on July 25. Five days later on July 30, Phil Angotti And Friends will continue their Beatles Brunch series at City Winery Chicago.

As reported in a recent Associated Press article, the Fender guitar company has opened a three-story flagship store in the swinging Harajuku district in Tokyo, Japan. Writer Yuri Kageyama states, “the flagship store is designed to serve as a kind of museum-cum-amusement park for Fender lovers.”

Built To Spill will be the headline act next Friday night when this year’s Wicker Park Fest kicks off on Milwaukee Avenue from Damen to Paulina. Los Angeles-based The Regrettes, one of the more impressive new acts of the past few years, are the main attraction on Saturday, July 29. Several other acts are scheduled through July 30, and there will be an arts area and food vendors.

John Mead’s True Believers will perform a mix of acoustic and electric Neil Young songs next Saturday at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. Mead will be joined by fellow Chicago music scene veterans Steve Dawson, Tommi Zender, Alton Smith, John Abbey, and Gregg Ostrom. Other upcoming shows at Martyrs’ include Irish blues singer-guitarist Gráinne Duffy and folk singer Rosa on July 27; Cheer-Accident and Outronaut on July 28; and Dead Letter Office performing A Tribute To R.E.M. on August 11.

The Factory Theater’s Lane Call: A Night Of Closing, a workplace comedy set at a department store in the 1970s, continues its run through this Sunday at The Factory Theater.

Congratulations to Chicago author Toya Wolfe on being honored with this year’s Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award for her novel Last Summer On State Street.

Marie and Rosetta, writer George Brant’s play with music about rock and roll pioneers Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight, recently received a four star review from Catey Sullivan in the Chicago Sun-Times. The show, currently running at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, is directed by E. Faye Butler, and features Bethany Thomas and Alexis J. Roston.

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 94-piece exhibit Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life In Pop continues its run through July at McAninch Arts Center at the Cleve College Of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. 

Personality - The Lloyd Price Musical wraps up its successful run at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building on July 30. The musical celebrates the amazing career of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame songwriter The Lloyd Price, who gave us “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Aint It A Shame.”

Out Of Space, the summer music festival created by the City of Evanston, radio station WXRT, the SPACE music venue, and Canal Shores Golf Course, returns next Thursday, July 27 with performances by Dawes, Lucius and Celisse. The live entertainment continues on July 28 with Lord Huron with Allie Crowe Buckley and Kara Jackson; Regina Spektor with with Allison Russell and Elizabeth Moen on July 29; and Andrew Bird with Uwade and Nora O’Connor on July 30. Check the official website for tickets; some shows are already sold out.

As reported by film critic Michael Phillips in today’s issue of the Chicago Tribune, Pickwick Theatre, the ornate landmark movie house in Park Ridge, will soon offer live entertainment as well as flicks. Bookings will be done by the same team that manages the Copernicus Center in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood. I have no expertise in the business end of all this, but I will say I’m optimistic, based on the quality of acts that have performed at the Copernicus Center over the years. A quick search of Broken Hearted Toy shows the venue has booked Sparks; The Alan Parsons Project; Jackson Browne and Greg Leisz; the Celebrating David Bowie Tour, featuring Adrian Belew, Todd Rundgren, and others; The Monkees Present The Mike Nesmith And Micky Dolenz Show; and Little Steven and The Disciples Of Soul. Chicago’s premier tribute band Tributosaurus has done a number of its ‘Becomes’ shows there. The Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge is a quick Metra ride from those of us in the northwest suburbs as well as people living in Chicago.

Incoming

You could listen to this box set for the next 50 years. The Who have announced a special 50th anniversary edition of their Who’s Next album that will also include songs from Pete Townshend’s ill-fated Life House project. The Second Disc website, pretty much my favorite source for news on upcoming releases, has an informative piece by Joe Marchese that describes all the variations that will be available. They range from a 10 CD set that also includes a Blu-ray, posters, a t-shirt and two books for $305.98 to a single CD with a 12-page booklet for $13.98. All of the versions are now available for pre-order, with the actual release date being September 14.

Chicago’s freewheeling rockabilly/garage rock band Amazing Heeby Jeebies will return to Montrose Saloon tomorrow (Wednesday) night.

The Bluedot Festival, billed as an “Intergalactic festival of music, science, art, technology and the exploration of space” takes place this Friday through Sunday at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, U.K. Pavement and Grace Jones are among the headline acts, and the featured events include 60 Years Of Doctor Who: A Celebration and An Afternoon Of White Rabbit Books Featuring Miki Berenyi In Conversion. Berenyi, the vocalist-guitarist for Lush, recently released a memoir titled Fingers Crossed - How Music Saved Me From Success.

 

Based on Bob Gendron’s review in today’s Chicago Tribune and various Facebook posts, it appears Cheap Trick gave Metro’s 40th Anniversary Celebration a rousing finale this past Sunday night. Congratulations to the venue and the band on their many years of bringing amazing rock and roll to the Chicago area.

I had a great time dropping by The Northman Riverwalk Beer And Cider Garden with a few friends this past Saturday for an early evening gig by Magnaphonic. The veteran Chicago area band played more covers than they normally do, but their choices were inspired and well rendered. Singer-guitarist Eric Chial made a few appearances as a guest vocalist. With the weather cooperating after an earlier spot of rain, the atmosphere at this outdoor venue was perfect for a summer evening. The Handcuffs will perform at The Northman Riverwalk Beer And Cider Garden this Thursday and The Spindles will perform on Friday.

YippieFest, the annual three-day celebration of offbeat entertainment, returns on the weekend of August 4 – 6 at PrideArtsChicago. Modeled after the late Mary-Arrchie Theatre’s long-running Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Festival, YippieFest has done a good job of carrying on that tie-dyed tradition. The people behind it—Frank Carr from the Famous In The Future comedy group, and James Moeller from the whitewolfsonicprincess alt rock band—are Abbie Fest veterans. (Full disclosure: I was a member of Famous In The Future for several years.) Ticket prices $15 for a day pass and $25 for a weekend pass; proceeds will benefit Howard Brown Health, Brave Space Alliance, and Greater Chicago Food Depository. PrideArtChicago is located at 4139 N. Broadway.

Mount Prospect’s annual Downtown Block Party takes place at Emerson and Busse Avenue this Friday and Saturday. Big Brother’s Vinyl, a band that performs vintage hits that most other covers bands neglect, will kick things off at 4:30 on Friday.

The Factory Theater’s Lane Call: A Night Of Closing, a workplace comedy set at a department store in the 1970s, continues its run through this Sunday at The Factory Theater.

Slumgullion

God Is In The TV, the Cardiff, UK record label and culture webzine, has a put together another multi-act tribute album, and it will be available to download via Bandcamp on August 4. Pictures Of You: A Compilation Of Covers Of Songs By The Cure offers 44 tracks for a mere £5. I’m not familiar with any of the acts involved, but God Is In The TV did so well with the 2021 A Carnival Of Sorts: An R.E.M. Compilation, I’m willing to trust their choices again. “Crush With Eyeliner” by Bugeye is one of my all-time favorite covers.

Two giants of the Chicago rock music scene will combine forces when Cheap Trick headlines Metro’s 40th Anniversary Celebration Finale this Sunday night at 7:00 pm. Congratulations to the venue and the band on their many years of financial and creative success, as well as all the fun they’ve given us. The event, which also features the band Brokeback, has long been sold out.

Congratulations to Graham Nash on being chosen to receive the John Lennon Real Love Award from the nonprofit organization Theatre Within. According to a recent piece on the Billboard magazine website, the presentation will take place on December 2 at this year’s John Lennon Tribute at Town Hall in New York. This is the 43rd year Theatre Within has staged the tribute, and Yoko Ono has been involved for much of that time. Her cooperation resulted with the Real Love Award being established in 2014. According to the official website, the award acknowledges performers for “for their creative excellence, positive social impact and support of charitable causes.”

That’s what friends are for. Chicago radio station WXRT’s upcoming event honoring the late Lin Brehmer sold out shortly after tickets went on sale at noon today. Brehmer, who never sounded less than genuine when proclaiming himself as everyone’s best friend in the whole world, enjoyed a decades-long reign as one of the Chicago area’s most popular on-air personalities. A Celebration Of Lin Brehmer will take place at Metro on August 19, and be hosted by XRT DJs Terri Hemmert, Marty Lennartz, Annalisa, Ryan Arnold, Johnny Mars, and Frank E. Lee. There will be live performances by Bob Mould, Los Lobos, Jon Langford, Kelly Hogan and Michael McDermot. Proceeds from the event will benefit the charity organizations Intonation and Nourishing Hope.

As noted by Vicki Petersen of The Bangles on her Facebook page, Good Vibrations - A Punk Rock Musical is currently making its American debut at the Irish Arts Center in New York. The Lyric Theatre, Belfast Production is an inspiring tale about a record store owner in Belfast during the 1970s. Peterson, who attended the show with her husband John Cowsill of The Cowsills, noted, “The songs and performances were incredible, and the audience was electrified!” 

In related news, Action Skulls, the trio Peterson and Cowsill formed with actor-musician Bill Mumy, recently released a single titled “Find The Good!” It’s available on various streaming sites, and is from their upcoming album From A Running Horse.

Congratulations to Chicago author Toya Wolfe on being honored with this year’s Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award for her novel Last Summer On State Street.

Facets, Chicago’s long-running venue devoted to independent films, is hosting Finntastic: New Films from Finland through this Saturday. The venue’s Facebook page states the event will “focus on a young generation of prize-winning female directors.” Facets is located at 1517 W. Fullerton on the city’s north side.

The Bluedot Festival, billed as an “Intergalactic festival of music, science, art, technology and the exploration of space” takes place next Thursday through Sunday at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, U.K. Pavement and Grace Jones are among the headline acts, and the featured events include 60 Years Of Doctor Who: A Celebration and An Afternoon Of White Rabbit Books Featuring Miki Berenyi In Conversion. Berenyi, the vocalist-guitarist for Lush, will be discussing her memoir Fingers Crossed - How Music Saved Me From Success. 

Tickets went on sale today for Lucinda Williams’ Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart concert at the Riviera Theatre on October 13.

The Chicago-based power pop band Magnaphonic will perform cover tunes, as well as catchy originals from 6:00 to 8:00 pm tomorrow at the Northman Riverwalk Beer And Cider Garden (233 E. Riverwalk) in downtown Chicago. Singer-guitarist Eric Chial, who’s a member of Penthouse Sweets, Decoy Prayer Meeting, Bon Mots, and Le Concorde, will join Magnaphonic for a few songs. Upcoming performances at the Northman Riverwalk Beer And Cider Garden include The Handcuffs next Thursday and The Spindles next Friday.

Barbie The Movie, which features Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling inhabiting a life-size Malibu DreamHouse that has since become an Airbnb, opens in theatres next Friday.

Alt rock/country band Dolly Varden will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its For A While album tomorrow night at SPACE in Evanston.

The Millennium Art Fair opened today and will run through Sunday at Lake Street and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.

As reported in a recent Associated Press article, the Fender guitar company has opened a three-story flagship store in the swinging Harajuku district in Tokyo, Japan. Writer Yuri Kageyama states, “the flagship store is designed to serve as a kind of museum-cum-amusement park for Fender lovers.”

Chicago’s freewheeling rockabilly/garage rock band Amazing Heeby Jeebies will return to Montrose Saloon next Wednesday, July 19.

Squaring The Circle (The Story Of Hipgnosis) is a new documentary guaranteed to delight aficionados of album cover art. Directed by Dutch film director-photographer Anton Corbijn and featuring Hipgnosis co-founder (with the late Storm Thorgerson) Anton Corbijn, the film explores some the most dazzling art that graced album covers since the 1970s. Squaring The Circle (The Story Of Hipgnosis) had a recent run at select movie theaters, and will be available on home video soon.

Mount Prospect’s annual Downtown Block Party takes place at Emerson and Busse Avenue next Friday and Saturday. Big Brother’s Vinyl, a band that performs vintage hits that most other cover bands neglect, will kick things off at 4:30 on Friday.

Marie and Rosetta, writer George Brant’s play with music about rock and roll pioneers Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight, has been garnering positive reviews since opening last week at Northlight Theatre in Skokie. The show is directed by E. Faye Butler, and features Bethany Thomas and Alexis J. Roston.

The Factory Theater’s Lane Call: A Night Of Closing is a workplace comedy set at a discount department store several years ago. Venture, to be exact, which was where writers Len Foote and OKen actually worked. It runs through July 22 at The Factory Theater.

I saw The Who’s Tommy last Sunday afternoon and was amazed at how good it is. You can read my review in this past Tuesday’s post. The musical has been extended through August 6 at the Goodman Theatre.

The State Of Sound exhibit continues all through July at Festival Hall A in the lower level lobby 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 major stars of popular music.

The 94-piece exhibit Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life In Pop continues its run through July at McAninch Arts Center at the Cleve College Of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Incoming

WXRT has announced its anticipated celebration of the late Lin Brehmer, one of the Chicago radio station’s all-time most popular on-air personalities. One of the city’s best-known DJs, actually. It will take place at Metro on August 19, and be hosted by XRT DJs Terri Hemmert, Marty Lennartz, Annalisa, Ryan Arnold, Johnny Mars, and Frank E. Lee. Some of Brehmer’s favorite acts—Bob Mould, Los Lobos, Jon Langford, Kelly Hogan and Michael McDermott—will be performing. Understandably, WXRT waited a while before staging this tribute; giving his friends and fans time to process his leaving us. Proceeds from the event will benefit the charity organizations Intonation and Nourishing Hope. One of my first posts on Broken Hearted Toy covered a Lin Brehmer birthday bash at Arlington Park in August, 2009. 

Marshall Crenshaw is currently celebrating 40 Years In Showbiz with a tour that brings him to SPACE in Evanston tonight (Wednesday) and tomorrow night. His opening act for each show will be a local favorite; Phil Angotti tonight and Dag Juhlin tomorrow. Doors open at 7:00 pm for each night.

David Bowie tribute band Super Creeps will perform “two full sets of Bowie classics and deep cuts” at Montrose Saloon tonight. The music starts at 7:30 pm.

Several musicians will be taking part in the Nilsson Pandemonium Tribute Show at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub in Los Angeles tomorrow. International Pop Overthrow founder David Bash will host the event, which is named after the late Harry Nilsson’s second album Pandemonium Shadow Show. There’s a $15 cover charge.

Facets, Chicago’s long-running venue devoted to independent films, will host Finntastic: New Films from Finland tomorrow through Saturday. The venue’s Facebook page states the event will “focus on a young generation of prize-winning female directors.” Facets is located at 1517 W. Fullerton on the city’s north side.

Graham Parker, whose tuneful though biting new single “We Did Nothing” is now available from Big Stir Records, will perform at The Old Town School Of Folk Music this Friday.

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10:00 am for Lucinda Williams’ Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart concert at the Riviera Theatre on October 13.

Go Time singer-guitarist Scott Niekelski has been doing acoustic solo gigs around the Chicago area for a while now, and he’ll be at Buckledown Brewery in Lyons this Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

Delmark Records, which bills itself as the oldest continuously operating jazz and blues record label in the United States, is sponsoring a free blues concert by the Delmark All Star Band at Horner Park (2741 W. Montrose) on Chicago’s north side this Friday.

It’s been great to see Magnaphonic back on the local club scene again. The Chicago-based power pop band will perform catchy, intriguing originals at a gig this Saturday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Northman Riverwalk Beer And Cider Garden at 233 E. Riverwalk in downtown Chicago. Singer-guitarist Eric Chial, who’s a member of Penthouse Sweets, Decoy Prayer Meeting, Bon Mots, and Le Concorde, as well as the guy who keeps things running at Montrose Saloon, will join Magnaphonic for a few songs. Northman Riverwalk Beer And Cider Garden offers outdoor concerts in the late afternoon and early evening just about every day.

Alt rock/country band Dolly Varden will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its For A While album at SPACE in Evanston this Saturday.

The Millennium Art Fair takes place this Friday through Sunday at Lake Street and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.

Spinning Who Into Wow

Pete Townshend obviously has a vivid imagination, but when The Who released his rock opera Tommy as a double album in 1969, even he couldn’t have anticipated how fabulously it’s being staged at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago. Likewise for when Townshend first collaborated with director Des McAnuff for a stage version of Tommy in 1993. The brand new interpretation Townshend and McAnuff have crafted 30 years later blends live music, theatrical lighting, and graphics for an amazing journey. The opening scene could easily be mistaken as a film until various characters start roaming about the stage.

Not that the performers—most with extensive credentials—are ever overshadowed by special effects. Led by Ali Louis Bourzgui as Tommy; Adam Jacobs as Captain Walker; Alison Luff as Mrs. Walker; Christina Sajous as the Acid Queen; and Bobby Conte as Cousin Kevin, the ensemble brings the title character’s traumatic childhood and eventual redemption to life through first-rate renditions of The Who’s iconic rock songs. Broadway veteran Lorin Latarro’s imaginative choreography consistently embellishes the narrative. The stunning presentation of “Pinball Wizard” just prior to intermission provides a quick peek at the production’s top notch live band.

This staging of Tommy has been given a more upbeat conclusion and social awareness. You won’t find Uncle Ernie, who molested Tommy as a child, guiding anyone to the pinball machines. With a stern look from the adult Tommy, he’s banished from the family. And it sounded like the lines “We forsake you/Gonna rape you” in the angry mob song “We’re Not Gonna Take It” were changed to “We forsake you/Gonna break you.” The most positive message of all, and one that had the audience on its feet and clapping, was the entire cast singing the “See Me, Feel Me” / “Listening To You” (Reprise) / Finale. Tommy runs through August 6 at The Goodman Theatre.