Slumgullion

The Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66, located at 9 W. Cass Street in Joliet, has an impressive lineup of local acts scheduled for the September 16 VIP Pre-Party to its 3rd Annual Illinois Rock & Roll Museum Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on September 17. The Pre-Party takes place at The Forge venue, which at 22 W. Cass Street, is within walking distance of the Museum. The event will include Shoes, with special guest Leroy; and Phil Angotti from The Idea and Material Reissue playing as a trio with Casey McDonough from NRBQ and The Flat Five, and Brad Elvis from The Handcuffs, The Romantics, the Elvis Brothers and Screams.

Also appearing will be The One Of The Boyzz band featuring Dirty Dan Buck from The Boyzz; Ralph Covert from The Bad Examples and Ralph’s World with special guest Randy Riesen; and the Gen Fuze covers band. The evening will include a tribute to the late Cliff Johnson of Off Broadway, d’Thumbs, USSA, and Pezband fame at 10:00 pm. DJ Louzlounge will fill the time between sets with selections from Illinois-based power pop vinyl records.

There are just a few weeks left to check out the State Of Sound exhibit before its run at Navy Pier ends on Aug. 27. 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.

The sad news that singer-guitarist Robbie Robertson from The Band has passed away brought several posts on social media from fans and musicians who admired his work and engaging personality. The 1978 Martin Scorsese documentary The Last Waltz brought widespread recognition for The Band, but they were critically acclaimed and widely admired by fellow musicians long before that. Rock In Paradise, Robbie.

City Winery Chicago has upcoming shows for The Ides Of March Featuring Jim Peterik on August 17; Bettye LaVette on August 20; Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues on October 22, and Justin Hayward from The Moody Blues on October 23 and 24.

Pictures Of You: A Compilation Of Covers Of Songs By The Cure, another ambitious multi-act tribute album from the UK record label and culture webzine God Is In The TV, is now available to download for a very low price on Bandcamp. The numerous highlights among the 45 tracks include "Let’s Go To Bed" by Hamish Brown and Andrew Eaton-Lewis; separate versions of "Just Like Heaven" by INVESTIGATOR and Kids Love Surf; "Primary" by Charley Stone; "In-between Days" by Good Grief; and "Fire In Cairo" by The Rhumcats.

FAN EXPO CHICAGO, an annual gathering of self-professed nerds, graphic novel readers, art lovers, and anyone who embraces the more adventurous paths of modern culture, returned to the Donald Stephens Center in Rosemont yesterday and will run through Sunday. This year’s celebrity guests include Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Susan Sarandon, Giancarlo Esposito, Henry Winkler, Barry Bostwick, and Katee Sackhoff.

The Tom Petty: Among The Wildflowers exhibit continues its six-month run 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.

Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago kicked off at 6:00 pm today at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemeont and will run through Sunday evening. WXRT radio personality Terri Hemmert will once again serve as Master Of Ceremonies, and the special guests include Patti Boyd; Mark Rivera; Gregg Bissonette; and Lads From Liverpool (Joey Molland from Badfinger; Terry Sylvester from The Hollies and The Swinging Blue Jeans). Performances on the Main Stage include the Beatles tribute band Liverpool all three nights; The Weeklings on Saturday; and local acts My Sweet George and Phil Angotti and Friends tonight.

The documentary Have You Got It Yet? - The Story Of Syd Barrett And Pink Floyd is now being screened at theaters across America. 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.

The Printer’s Row Art Festival returns to the south end of downtown Chicago for its fifth year tomorrow and Sunday. 90 juried artists and artisans showcasing their work.

Neil Young’s Chrome Dreams, often described as his legendary lost album, came out today. 

Chicago-based instrumental band OUTRONAUT  will perform at State and Adams in downtown Chicago this Sunday at 2:00 pm.

The Ripleys will cover songs by well-known rock acts such as The Beatles, Cheap Trick, U2, Elvis Costello at a 9:00 pm Edison Park Fest After Show tomorrow at The Curragh at 6705 Northwest Highway.

The Ugly Things fanzine will celebrate four decades of supporting indie music with a 40th Anniversary Weekender at the Casbah and Whistle Stop venues in San Diego on August 25 and 26.

The Smoking Popes will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their impressive debut Get Fired with a special vinyl reissue to be released next Thursday, August 17. A new album is due out in 2024, and earlier this summer, the Chicago alt-rock band released a revved-up cover of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” and a new single of their own titled “Madison.” The Smoking Pope’s current tour brings them to Riot Fest in Chicago this September.

Chicago radio station WXRT will honor the late Lin Brehmer with a special event at Metro next Saturday, August 19. A Celebration Of Lin Brehmer will feature WXRT DJs Terri Hemmert, Marty Lennartz, Annalisa, Ryan Arnold, Johnny Mars, and Frank E. Lee as hosts; and there will be live performances by Bob Mould, Los Lobos, Jon Langford, Kelly Hogan and Michael McDermot. Brehmer never sounded less than genuine while proclaiming he was everyone’s best friend in the whole world, and enjoyed a decades-long reign as one of the Chicago area’s most popular on-air personalities.

The Chicago Air And Water Show will be held along North Avenue Beach on next weekend, August 19 and 20.

Chicago-based power pop band Thrift Store Halo have just announced they’ll have a new six-song EP titled Back To Good coming out in November. There will be a record release show on December 7 at Ballydoyle in Downers Grove.

The Chicago-based power trio Triple will be among the performers when the 22nd Annual Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest is held next weekend, August 18 through August 20. Triple performs at 5:00 pm on Saturday. The event is free and will feature over 100 artists and live entertainment.

The pioneering L.A. punk band X, featuring all four original members, will perform on August 27 and 28 at The Old Town School Of Folk Music.

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.