Back in 2010, I was given the green light from the Illinois Entertainer to write a piece on The Hollies being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I sent an email to their management asking if I could get a few comments from the band, and was pleasantly surprised when Bobby Elliott replied. He said the current lineup would not be able to attend the ceremony. “The venues have been booked for the last year or so and are well sold, so unfortunately it’s not possible to reschedule the dates. Tony and I are happy for Graham [Nash] to collect the awards on our behalf. We consider it a great honor to be part of the RRHOF, and would like to thank all the folks who voted for us.”
The Foundation To Be Named Later, the baseball/entertainment charity organization run by former Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox mastermind Theo Epstein and his brother Paul, is currently holding its ’23 Holiday Auction to raise funds. Bids start at $50, and many items offer the Buy Now option, with prices ranging from $300 to $3,000. Nabbing that $3,000 item will get you VIP tickets for Noah Kahan’s sold out Fenway Park concert on July 18. Other Boston area concert options (with less expensive price tags) include Grace Potter; Jason Mraz; Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins; Dropkick Murphys; Foo Fighters; and the Def Leppard, Journey and Heart concert. There are some Chicago and New York special events to bid on as well.
The Pravda Records Holiday Showcase takes place this Sunday, December 10 at Rattleback Records on Chicago’s north side. The event will feature sets by The Sunshine Boys in a reunion show; singer-guitarist Nathan Graham; Chloe F. Orwell From The Handcuffs, and Steve Dawson from Dolly Varden (he’s also a successful a solo artist.) The live performances will last from 5:00 to 7:00 pm; Rattleback Records is located at 5405 N. Clark Street.
Tickets went on sale this this morning for the Echo And The Bunnymen concert at The Riviera Theatre on May 26.
Fans of Chicago’s music scene were elated to see local guys Jason Narducy, Dag Juhlin, Gerald Dowd, and Eddie Carlson, along with actor Michael Shannon on the NBC show Late Night With Seth Meyers. In addition to his many film appearances, Shannon has deep roots in Chicago theater, and is also an accomplished vocalist who’s done tribute shows at venues such as Metro. The Late Night With Seth Meyers appearance was a preview of an early 2024 tour that will feature him and the above-mentioned Chicago musicians performing R.E.M.’s Murmur album.
As recently reported by Darel Jevens in the Chicago Sun-Times, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins and his wife Chloe Mendel will be among the hosts on Channel 5’s New Year’s Eve coverage.
The critically acclaimed Beautiful: The Carole King Musical runs through December 31 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.
Chicago’s long-running alternative publication The Reader recently announced the list of nominees for its 2023 Best Of Chicago poll in an online newsletter sent out to subscribers. The choices are divided into the seven major categories of Arts And Culture; Buy Local; Cannabis; City Life; Food And Drink; Music And Nightlife; and Sports And Recreation. Each of these is further broken down into several smaller categories. Voting kicks off on December 13 and will continue through January 14.
The Goodman Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol opens tomorrow and will run through December 31
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The Faithful - A Tribute To Marianne Faithful double album from the In The Q record label is now available to stream on Spotify, Tidal, YouTube Music; iHeart Radio, Deezer and Pandora. The album aims to help Faithful deal with complications from Long COVID, and several noted artists have donated their time to the project. Participants include Tracy Bonham; Tanya Donelly and the Tarkington Sisters; Josie Cotton; Bush Tetras; Joan As Police Woman; Lydia Lunch; Donita Sparks; and Cat Power and Iggy Pop. It’s also available to pre-order in a 2-LP format coming out in January.
Montrose Saloon has a four-act showcase coming up next Friday, December 15 starting with a solo show by Dag Juhlin at 8:00 pm. He’ll be followed by The 321’s; The Last Afternoons, and The Buckstops.
Stephane Schuck & Fred Quentin of the Paris-based band The Salt will tour the east coast of America in January with special guests Matthew Caws from Nada Surf; Mitch Easter from Let's Active; Chris Stamey and Gene Holder from The dB’s; Lynn Blakey from Tres Chicas; and Rob Ladd from The Connells. Their opening act will be the reunited Sneakers, a precursor of The dB’s that featured Mitch Easter and Chris Stamey.
Southside Johnny And Asbury Jukes will be performing at City Winery Chicago shows this Monday and Tuesday, December 11 and 12.
Eric M. Shade’s unauthorized biography All Over The Place - The Rise Of The Bangles From The L.A. Underground is now available for pre-order from the Chicago-based Hozac Records And Books website. Due out in a limited run of 600 copies on January 24 softcover, the 438-page book will include a thorough discography, as well as previously unseen photos.
The Songwriters Hall Of Fame has announced its nominees for 2024, and the Performing Songwriters category includes Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke from Blondie; Tracy Chapman; George Clinton; Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart; Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe from R.E.M.; and Donald Fagen and Walter Becker from Steely Dan.
Have yourself a funny little Christmas. Cast member Desiree Burcum’s Judy Garland inspired title character will once again host Famous In The Future’s A Judy Christmas holiday revue next weekend, December 15 – 17 at The Den Theatre. The comedy group, which I was a member of for several years, will likely offer a mix of skits and songs.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2024 Joey’s Song Benefit Concert being held at The Sylvee venue in Madison, Wisconsin on January 6. This year’s format involves a Battle Of The Bands pitting The Know-It-All Boyfriends against The Know-It-All Girlfriends. Participating musicians include Butch Vig and Duke Erikson from Garbage (and as any rock-savvy Wisconsin fan knows, Spooner), Chris Collingwood from Fountains Of Wayne and Freedy Johnson; and Gail Greenwood from Belly, Debbi and Vicki Peterson from The Bangles, and Linda Pitmon from The Minus Five. Joey’s Song is a charity devoted to raising money for epilepsy research and to provide services for children with special needs.
The Mercury Theater’s production of Young Frankenstein runs Wednesday through Sunday until December 31.
The Regrettes will perform their last ever show on December 21 at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. A post on the band’s social media explained it’s a friendly decision that will allow the members to pursue other projects. Still, it’s sad to see a band so adept at combining punk with the 1960s girl group sound, breaking up after a relatively short run.
Great Moments In Vinyl, a rotating collection of Chicago area musicians, will honor The Rolling Stones with a Hits And Highlights From The Past 20 Years show at the Lincoln Avenue venue Martyrs’ next Thursday, December 14.
Next Friday, Rolling Stones fans can celebrate Keith Richards’ birthday a few days early when Androgynous Mustache presents Keith Richards 80th BDay Bash at Reggies with Phil Angotti And The Naughty Neighbors on December 15. The guitarist’s birthday is actually December 18, but I’m sure Keith would prefer people party in his honor during the weekend.
The December issue of longtime free publication Newcity is devoted to the Chicago music scene, in all its numerous genres and facets. In addition to spotlighting 45 individuals for their accomplishments, there’s an extensive profile by John Moss of The Old Town School Of Folk Music that’s enhanced by Donald Colley’s terrific illustrations. Newcity is available in news boxes and retail stores in the downtown and north side areas.
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