Stop! Stop! Stop! Started It All

Although no one else noticed, two events took place in the short span of December 25, 1966 and January 28, 1967 that would change my life for the better. On Christmas day, I received the Hear! Here! album by The Hollies as an added bonus to the “Stop Stop Stop” 45 rpm single I had wished for from Santa. It was the first album I ever owned and I liked every song on it. A little over a month later, a blizzard blanketed the Chicago area with 23 inches of snow. After earning $3.00 the next day for shoveling a neighbor’s sidewalk, I knew exactly what to do with the money. Buy an album.

To this day, I know people who’ll only purchase greatest hits albums to ensure they’ll like every track. I’ve been more adventurous since that first time I shelled out my own money for an LP. I only knew the title track of Stop! Stop! Stop! by The Hollies (For Certain Because in England) but that didn’t keep me from taking the plunge. Once again, I liked every track, but the major benefit of Stop! Stop! Stop! was that it sparked an interest in the art of songwriting. It was the first album by The Hollies on which every track was composed by band members Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, and Tony Hicks. As much as I had enjoyed Hear! Here!, this was more impressive.

As the liner notes by Richard Oliver on the back cover stated, there was “a blending of moods both in lyric and musical content.” “Clown” and “Crusader” which he credited to Nash, took a more introspective approach, while Hicks underscored the confusion of first love with his catchy “Peculiar Situation.” “What’s Wrong With The Way I Live” celebrated individuality, and The Hollies seemed to be channeling Bob Dylan on “Suspicious Look In Your Eyes” and “Don’t Even Think About Changing.” “Tell Me To My Face” was sheer pop perfection spiced with an exotic arrangement. And then there were the two Top 40 hits “Stop Stop Stop” and “Pay You Back With Interest.”

I not only enjoyed the music on Stop! Stop! Stop!, I developed an awareness of how it was created. I started writing my own lyrics, stories, and parodies. It wasn’t long before I moved on to reviews and feature stories. I’m still hoping to get one of my novels published. It’s been a long ride, and it’s still a great deal of fun.   

Incoming

Heart will be in good company on both sides of the Atlantic during their Royal Flush Tour 2024.  Cheap Trick will be the special guest for the North American concerts and Squeeze will be the special guest for the European concerts. Heart and Cheap Trick have justifiably been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and Squeeze jolly well should be. Squeeze has given the world countless pop music gems, and will embark on a 50th Anniversary Tour with Badly Drawn Boy as their special guest in October and November.

CHIRP Radio 107.1 FM, the Chicago indie station that hosts the CHIRP Record Fair And Other Delights each year, is having a Rock And Bowl! fundraiser from 2:00 to 5:00 pm this Saturday afternoon at the well known Fireside Bowl on Fullerton. A $40 donation will entitle you to two games of bowling, shoe rental, and pizza from Pizza Lobo. There’s also a raffle for three prize packages, each worth more than $500. The email promoting this event states, “There's still time to form a team or sign up on your own and we'll assign you to one.”

Debbi Peterson from The Bangles will join Matthew Sweet when his February tour makes stops in Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Sweet has previously toured with Susanna Hoffs to promote their series of Under The Covers albums, and he co-produced The Bangles’ Sweetheart Of The Sun album with the band.

Chicago-based singer-songwriter David Ashdown will host a combo matinee EP release party/open mic event this Saturday at Montrose Saloon. Ashdown and his longtime friend Tristan Forgus recorded the three-song EP can’t get too high or low under the name dashDown last summer and it’s now available on Spotify, Bandcamp, and other sites. The show will run from 4:00 to to 6:00 pm.

Over the Rhine, the highly regarded Americana band led by Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler, has two performances of Infamous Love Songs: An Over the Rhine Valentine’s Concert coming up in their home state of Ohio. The first is on February 9 at the Lincoln Theatre in Columbus and the second is on February 10 at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton. A recent post on the Over the Rhine Facebook page describes the show as “an evening of love songs in all shapes and sizes. We’ll roll the grand piano and our favorite acoustic instruments out on stage, and share an evening of music and conversation.”

10,000 Maniacs, with lead vocalist and violinist Mary Ramsey back onboard, have shows coming up at City Winery Chicago on February 15, 16, and 17.

Louise Post from Veruca Salt will embark on a four-city tour to promote her Sleepwalker solo album starting at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on March 22. Other stops on the tour are the Troubadour in Los Angeles on April 12; Empty Bottle in Chicago on April 23; Red Flag in St. Louis on April 24; and Blue Room Third Man Studios in Nashville on April.

Zombies Incoming

Sonicbond Publishing, the UK company that consistently lives up to its motto of Beautifully Researched Books For Music Fans, has added The Zombies to its On Track . . . Every Album, Every Song series. I purchased The Hollies book in this series, as well as The Bee Gees book in Sonicbond’s similar Decades series. Most of the pages are devoted to informative and well-written copy, with about 15 pages of photos. Emma Stott, the author of The Zombies book, drew upon archive material and new interviews with founding members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent for a deep dive into what Sonicbond describes as “the band’s complex history.”

Meanwhile, The Zombies have announced the eight cities for their 2024 US Spring Tour, which starts in Annapolis, MD on March 26. The other stops through mid-April are Alexandria, VA; Charlottesville, VA; Durham, NC; Charleston, SC; Atlanta, GA; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and Clearwater, FL. They’ll be promoting their latest album Different Game, and no doubt classic hits such as “Time Of The Season,” “Tell Her No,” and “She’s Not There.” 

Chicago isn’t on this particular Zombies tour, but singer-guitarist Phil Angotti is a big fan and he'll honor them with a tribute show this Sunday (February 4) at the Robert’s Westside venue in Forest Park, IL. He and fellow musicians Casey McDonough, John San Juan, and John Perrin will perform under the name Phil Angotti’s Legendary Long Players, and focus on the Odessey and Oracle album. The tribute starts at 6:30 pm. Angotti described the event in a Facebook post as the start of a new monthly series at a new venue. Robert’s Westside is located 7321 21 Madison Street in Forest Park.

Slumgullion

 

Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy And Friends Play R.E.M.’s Murmur kicks off on February 1 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Jon Wurster; Dag Juhlin; Nick Macri; and Vijay Tellis-Nayak are the above-mentioned friends. Other locations on the short tour include Minneapolis, MN; Athens, GA (which is only fitting); Carrboro, NC; Washington, D.C.; Ardmore, PA; Cambridge, MA; and Brooklyn, NY.

The Chicago-based R.E.M. tribute band Sitting Still IL will perform at Montrose Saloon tonight, along with Joey Acopiado, The Failers, and Saturday June Band.

The Zombies have announced the eight cities for their 2024 US Spring Tour, which starts in Annapolis, MD on March 26. The other stops through mid-April are Alexandria, VA; Charlottesville, VA; Durham, NC; Charleston, SC; Atlanta, GA; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and Clearwater, FL.

Chicago’s always energetic glam-rockers The Artist Formally Known As Vince will be part of a triple bill at the Live Wire Lounge tomorrow night. Stickfight and The Last Real Love are the other acts scheduled to perform.

While on the subject of Chicago area triple bills featuring oddly named acts, Liar’s Club has one coming up next Saturday (February 3) night. It features The Wee-Beasties, a Denton, TX band that’s been known to get rowdy; Outronaut, the impressive guitar-powered instrumental quartet; and Hotlips Messiah, who describe themselves as “Mutant Masters Of Sci-Fi Sleaze!”

 

The three acts on tonight’s triple bill at Liar’s Club, The Josh Caterer Trio, Viceroy, and Hushdrops, aren’t quite so oddly named, but they’re all definitely worth checking out.

Tickets are now on sale for the Trouser Press 50th Birthday Party coming to the Bowery Electric venue in New York on March 16. Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey from The dB’s will be on hand to perform, along with The Shirt Event featuring Dennis Diken from The Smithereens; the Washington, DC alt rock band Dot Dash; and DJ Steve Reynolds. Trouser Press Books will publish a book titled Zip It Up!: The Best of Trouser Press Magazine 1974-1984 in March of 2024. 

Music industry veteran Dean Brownrout has a book titled No Big Deal coming out on October 1 via Guernica Editions. Subtitled Chasing the indie music dream in the last days of the record business, it covers his teenage days as a concert promoter on through founding his independent record label, Big Deal. Brownrout describes it as “a humorous and nostalgic journey through this seminal time in the music industry.” No Big Deal has a Foreword by Ira Robbins of Trouser Press.

I wasn’t aware that the Adler Planetarium on Chicago’s lakefront has a Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon Fulldome Show until I saw a post about it from WXRT DJ Terri Hemmert today on Facebook. According to the official Planetarium website, the presentation “was created and distributed in partnership with the band and the International Planetarium Society (IPS) to honor the 50th anniversary of the album by the same name.” Apparently a complete success, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon Fulldome Show has been extended through 2024.

The Pink Floyd tribute band Eclipse will perform at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine tomorrow night. A message on the Eclipse Facebook page promises, “We’ll be covering classics from Meddle; The Dark Side of the Moon; Wish You Were Here; Animals; The Wall; Momentary Lapse of Reason; Division Bell; and more.” The show starts at 9:00 p.m.

The Miki Berenyi Trio, featuring the Lush vocalist-guitarist, along with Siouxsie And The Banshees members Lol Tolhurst and Budgie (Tolhurst was also a member of The Cure) have announced a mini-tour for the United States. It will open on May 29 in Los Angeles, and will also include stops in McGill NV; San Francisco; Portland, OR; Seattle; Denver; Chicago; and New York, NY. The Chicago date is on June 7 at Bottom Lounge. Berenyi promoted her memoir Fingers Crossed - How Music Saved Me From Success in venues and book stores around the U.K., so it will interesting to see if she brings some copies to America.

Long-time, Chicago-based entertainment writer Mark Caro has interviewed several well-known musicians for Caropop podcasts, but he noted on Facebook that his most recent guest was also one of his favorites. Posted yesterday, the Colin Moulding, Pt. 1 episode features the XTC bassist-vocalist discussing some of the best-known songs he wrote for the critically acclaimed U.K. band. Part 2 is destined to be equally rewarding. Caropop can be found on Google and other platforms.

The Sufjan Stevens musical Illinoise—based on his critically acclaimed 2005 album with that name—opens this Sunday at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier and will run through February 18. The production features Stevens’ music and lyrics; story by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibbles Drury; and will be directed and choreographed by Justin Peck.

Prine On Prine - Interviews And Encounters With John Prine, a new book featuring memories of the beloved singer-songwriter from various people who knew him well, is now available. Music critic Holly Gleason, whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, SPIN, Los Angeles Times, and other publications, served as editor for this collection.

March 10 will be the day when the Phil Angotti and Friends Brunch at City Winery will feature songs by Buddy Holly and early Elvis. These guys (Phil and Friends, not Buddy and Elvis) will also be at Simon’s Tavern on February 4 .

U2 has partnered with Fandiem to give fans a chance to win a trip to meet the band at the high-tech venue Sphere in Las Vegas on February 24 by making a donation to The Farmlink Project. Donations need to be received by February 14. The charity organization strives to collect fresh food that would have been trashed and bring it to people who desperately need it.

Chicago-based band Van Go will have six albums worth of well-crafted alt rock music to tap into when it performs on February 2 at Phyllis’ Musical Inn on the city’s north side.

There will be an all-star tribute to Sinead O’Connor and Shane McGowan of The Pogues at Carnegie Hall in New York on March 20. David Gray, Cat Power, Glen Hansard, Amanda Palmer, and Dropkick Murphys have been confirmed as taking part, and other acts are expected to join in. City Winery is holding a contest for fans to win a trip to New York for this event by donating to PEN America. The organization states its mission “is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.”

Over the years, fans of WXRT have admired not only the music its DJs play, but also how often the songs flow together so smoothly. Now the Chicago FM radio station is inviting listeners to flaunt their own segue skills by submitting a five-song set to be played as part of a Select-A-Set Weekend starting February 9. Playlists can be submitted via WXRT’s website or on the station’s Facebook page.

Madness, those English ska lads who gave us the “Our House” hit single and funny video, as well as several nutty treasures on their LPs, will be playing concerts in the U.S.A. for first time in 12 years. Their C’est La Vie In America Tour, which starts in May, will include the Las Vegas Punk Bowling And Music Festival. Sadly, Chicago is not on their schedule.

 

The Pretenders will kick off an eight-city UK Tour in support of their impressive new album Relentless with a sold out show in Gateshead on February 24. Their concerts in Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, and Bristol have also sold out. The other stops on the tour are London, Nottingham, and Birmingham.

Drop by for a glimpse of stocking. Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes opened last Saturday and will run through February 25. The theatre is located at 1016 N. Dearborn in Chicago.

Chicagoan Jon Langford is one of the artist-musicians, along with headliner Joan Baez, whose artwork will be featured at the Sound And Vision exhibit at Mad.Kat Gallery in Rancho Mirage, CA. Other participants include Penelope Houston; Juliana Hatfield; and Steve Wynn. Sound And Vision will run from March 16 through April 21.

Incoming

Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles and singer-songwriter AIJA are the co-hosts for this year’s She Rocks Awards - Honoring Women In Music ceremony, which will take place tomorrow night (January 25) at the Ballroom at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. The 2024 honorees are Debbie Gibson, Lindsey Stirling, Bonnie McIntosh, Britt Lightning, Kelsy Karter, Holly G, Sylvia Massy, Lindsay Love-Bivens, Melinda Newman, Laura Karpman, and Jamie Deering. Check the official She Rocks website for full profiles of all the honorees. Guitarist Jimena Fosado will be the the ceremony’s opening act. Tickets are available to the public, and the She Rocks Awards can be viewed on SPIN magazine’s social channels.

The Sufjan Stevens musical Illinoise—based on his critically acclaimed 2005 album with that name—opens this Sunday at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier and will run through February 18. The production features Stevens’ music and lyrics; story by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibbles Drury; and will be directed and choreographed by Justin Peck.

The Miki Berenyi Trio, featuring the Lush vocalist-guitarist, along with Siouxsie And The Banshees members Lol Tolhurst and Budgie (Tolhurst was also a member of The Cure) have announced a mini-tour for the United States. It will kick off on May 29 in Los Angeles, and will also include stops in McGill, NV; San Francisco; Portland, OR; Seattle; Denver; Chicago; and New York, NY. The Chicago date is on June 7 at Bottom Lounge. Berenyi promoted her memoir Fingers Crossed - How Music Saved Me From Success in venues and book stores around the U.K., so it will interesting to see if she brings some copies to America.

The Pink Floyd tribute band Eclipse will perform at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine this Saturday night. A message on the Eclipse Facebook page promises a selection of songs from Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, Momentary Lapse of Reason, Division Bell, and other Floyd material. The show starts at 9:00 p.m.

Incoming

Last December, Trouser Press Books announced plans to celebrate the 50th birthday of Trouser Press magazine by publishing a book titled Zip It Up!: The Best of Trouser Press Magazine 1974-1984 in March of 2024. The monthly publication developed a loyal following by covering the best cutting-edge bands during those years. As a prelude to the book’s arrival, Trouser Press Magazine began sharing the cover of a different issue each day on social media.

Earlier today, the Trouser Press Magazine Facebook page announced that tickets are now on sale for the Trouser Press 50th Birthday Party coming to the Bowery Electric venue in New York on March 16. Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey from The dB’s will be on hand to perform, along with The Shirt Event featuring Dennis Diken from The Smithereens; the Washington, DC alt rock band Dot Dash; and DJ Steve Reynolds. As someone who’s reviewed albums by The Db’s, Dennis Diken, and Dot Dash here on Broken Hearted Toy, the lineup strikes me a a great way for Trouser Press to mark such a momentous occasion.

Happy Birthday to Robin Zander, Cheap Trick’s amazing lead vocalist and occasional solo recording artist. I can’t think of any act other than Cheap Trick that I first saw on a small stage at a Chicago area club before they went on to worldwide acclaim and best-selling albums. Cheap Trick will be the headline act at the International Beatles On The Beach festival taking place in Delray Beach, FL tomorrow through Sunday. Other performers include The Fab Faux; Gregg Bissonette; and The Weeklings. 

Brad Elvis, another widely acclaimed rock musician who started right here in Illinois, announced via a Facebook post today that The Handcuffs recently worked on two new songs at Kingsize Sound Labs. The band’s previous album Burn The Rails, was one of last year’s best efforts. Brad has also been a member of The Romantics, Big Hello, The Elvis Brothers, and Screams.

Music industry veteran Dean Brownrout has a book titled No Big Deal coming out on October 1 via Guernica Editions. Subtitled Chasing the indie music dream in the last days of the record business, it covers his teenage days as a concert promoter through to founding his independent record label, Big Deal. Brownrout describes it as “a humorous and nostalgic journey through this seminal time in the music industry.” No Big Deal has a Foreword by Ira Robbins of Trouser Press.

The Chicago-based R.E.M. tribute band Sitting Still IL will return to Montrose Saloon this Friday after making a strong impression with its performance at the venue’s Halloween tribute festival last October. Joey Acopiado, The Failers, and Saturday June Band are also on the bill this Friday.

Androgynous Mustache, a local collective of musicians that has been behind several impressive tribute shows, will bring their annual Warren Zevon Tribute show to SPACE in Evanston tomorrow night.

Marshall Crenshaw has a gig tomorrow night at City Winery Chicago. He’ll be performing with Derrick Anderson on bass, Mark Ortmann on drums, and Fernando Perdomo on guitar and vocals.

Saturday Slumgullion

U2 has partnered with Fandiem to give people a chance to win a trip to meet the band at the high-tech venue Sphere in Las Vegas by making a donation to The Farmlink Project. The charity organization strives to keep fresh food from being dumped in trash bins and bring it to those who desperately need it. U2’s involvement in this effort comes as no surprise to those of us who’ve read Bono’s Surrender memoir, which describes his lifelong involvement with worthy causes.   

Androgynous Mustache, a local collective of musicians that has been behind several impressive tribute shows, will bring their annual Warren Zevon Tribute show to SPACE in Evanston next Wednesday, January 24. Zevon fans should check out the January issue of the Brit rock magazine MOJO for writer Bob Mehr’s eight-page article on him, as well as photographer Aaron Rapaport’s numerous photos. 

Cheap Trick will be the headline act the International Beatles On The Beach festival taking place at the Delray Beach Amphitheater in Delray Beach, FL January 24 – 28. Other performers include The Fab Faux; Gregg Bissonette; and The Weeklings.

Over the years, fans of WXRT have admired not only the music its DJs play, but also how often the songs flow together so smoothly. Now the Chicago FM radio station is inviting listeners to flaunt their own segue skills by submitting a five-song set to be played as part of a Select-A-Set Weekend starting February 9. Playlists can be submitted via WXRT’s website. As someone who has created and still has over 100 mixed cassettes, as well as well as over 40 various-artists playlists on iTunes, I find this opportunity particularly enticing. 

There will be an all-star tribute to Sinead O’Connor and Shane McGowan of The Pogues at Carnegie Hall in New York on March 20. David Gray, Cat Power, Glen Hansard, Amanda Palmer, and Dropkick Murphys have been confirmed as performers, and other acts are expected to take part. City Winery is holding a contest for fans to win a trip to New York for the Sinead O’Connor and Shane McGowan event by donating to PEN America. The organization states its mission “is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.”

Sufjan Stevens’ Illinoise musical, based on his critically acclaimed 2005 Illinoise album, opens at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater next weekend.

Madness, those English ska lads who gave us the “Our House” hit single and funny video, as well as several nutty treasures on their LPs, will be playing concerts in the U.S.A. for first time in 12 years. Their C’est La Vie In America Tour, which starts in May, will include the Las Vegas Punk Bowling And Music Festival. Sadly, Chicago is not on their schedule. 

Rachel Drew, a very active singer-songwriter on Chicago’s music scene, has released a new single titled “If My Heart Was Made For You.” The melodic and somewhat funky tale of unrequited love is available on Bandcamp and other sites.

The Pretenders will kick off an eight-city UK Tour in support of their impressive new album Relentless with a sold out show in Gateshead on February 24. Their concerts in Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, and Bristol have also sold out. The other stops on the tour are London, Nottingham, and Birmingham.

Chicago-based vocalist-guitarist Pierce Crask has a 7:00 pm gig tomorrow night at Montrose Saloon on the city’s north side.

Congratulations to alt rock band Alvvays on its first Grammy Awards nomination. The single “Belinda Says” from their 2022 album Blu Rev, is up for Best Alternative Music Performance. Led by vocalist-guitarist Molly Rankin, Alvvays has released three albums of dreamy and catchy indie rock songs.

Sixteen venues around the city will take part in this year’s Chicago International Puppet Festival, which kicked off yesterday and will run through January 28. Some last-minute changes were recently announced, so it would be a good idea to check the official website before heading out for a performance. In addition to the various shows, the festival will present workshops, symposiums, and exhibitions, along with food and drinks vendors.

The Smithereens’ 2024 Winter Tour with guest vocalist Robin Wilson from The Gin Blossoms kicked off last night at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. They’ll perform at the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA tonight. Other stops on the tour include Annapolis, MD; Nashville, TN; and New York City.

Marshall Crenshaw, who has also served as a guest lead vocalist for The Smithereens, has his own gig coming up on March 24 at City Winery Chicago. He’ll be performing with Derrick Anderson on bass, Mark Ortmann on drums, and Fernando Perdomo on guitar and vocals.

Chicagoan Jon Langford is one of the artist-musicians, along with headliner Joan Baez, whose artwork will be featured at the Sound And Vision exhibit at Mad.Kat Gallery in Rancho Mirage, CA. Other participants include Penelope Houston; Juliana Hatfield; and Steve Wynn. Sound And Vision will run from March 16 through April 21.

Tickets are now on sale for The BoDeans’ concert at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, IL on April 20.

Drop by for a glimpse of stocking. Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes opened last Saturday and will run through February 25. The theatre is located at 1016 N. Dearborn in Chicago.

The Weeklings, a popular act at Fest For Beatles Fans conventions for some time now, recently held a Record Release Party for their new album Raspberry Park at the Stone Pony venue in Asbury, NJ. It was part of a multi-act Light Of Day charity event to raise funds to fight Parkinson’s, ALS and PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy). Other acts on the bill included Dramarama; Joe P; Joe Grushecky And The Houserockers; Joe D’Urso and The Stone Caravan; Ten Ton Mojo; and Midnight Callers. 

Tickets are now on sale for The Rock and Roll Playhouse’s show Plays Music Of David Bowie and More For Kids at SPACE in Evanston on Sunday, February 18. The music starts at 2:00 pm. 

The Bowery Electric venue in New York, NY will honor the life and music of Scott Kempner on February 5. Kempner, a member of the groundbreaking bands The Dictators and The Del-Lords, passed away last November. The Scott Kempner’s 70th Birthday Celebration will feature performances by The Del-Lords, The Dictators, Willie Nile, Marshall Crenshaw, Dennis Diken from The Smithereens, Syd Straw, and other bands. All proceeds from the event will be donated to The Association For Frontotemporal Degeneration.

Pegasus Theatre Chicago and India Nicole Burton are presenting the 37th Annual Young Playwrights Festival through January 27 at Chicago Dramatists. The event encourages local high school students to create one-act plays, and is the oldest event of its kind in America. Chicago Dramatists is located at 798 N. Aberdeen in Chicago.

Prince’s film Purple Rain is being adapted into a Broadway musical written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz. No date yet on when the production will be ready.

Highway Patrol, a new play by actress Dana Delaney opens tomorrow at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago. It’s inspired by Delaney’s own experiences and is billed as a thriller that combines romance with a ghost story. Highway Patrol will run from January 20 through February 18.

MonaLisa Twins Live At The Cavern Club, an album featuring the Vienna, Austria band performing covers of songs by The Beatles, The Hollies, The Who, The Kinks, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, and others 1960s acts, is now available in CD and download formats. A current offer on the band’s official website, includes Why, the duo’s album of original material for free. 

The 27th Fillet Of Solo festival will continue its run today and tomorrow at Lifeline Theatre and South Of The Border. See the Lifeline Theatre website for the full schedule.

Nelikona Cafe in Palatine will host its next Acoustic Guitar And Vocals with Rick And Friends from 2:00 to 4:00 pm tomorrow. Admission is free.

The Pink Floyd tribute band Eclipse will perform at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine on January 27.

Best wishes to musician/writer Freda Love Smith on her ten-week educational series involving “close reading and exploratory writing.” Those who enroll will read works by Sigrid Nunez, Laura Kipnis, Phillip Lopate, and other contemporary writers before embarking on their own writing assignments. Enrollment will be limited to 12 students. Those interested can message Freda Love Smith on her Facebook page with any questions.

Incoming

As someone who’s always fascinated when rock and roll is combined with art—be it comic books, graphic novels, or paintings—I had to learn more about the Sound And Vision exhibit Jon Langford promoted in a Facebook post today. It will run at Mad.Kat Gallery in Rancho Mirage, CA from March 16 through April 21. Langford is one of the artist-musicians whose artwork will be featured along with headliner Joan Baez. Other participants include Penelope Houston; Juliana Hatfield; and Steve Wynn.

On the musician side of things, Jon Langford and His Fancy Men will be part of a potent triple bill at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL this Friday night. The Handcuffs, whose Burn The Rails is widely recognized as one of the best albums of 2023, will also perform, along with The James Dean Joint, who promise “a weird mix of rockabilly/garage/soul [and] God knows what” for their set.

The Weeklings, a popular act at Fest For Beatles Fans conventions for some time now, have a Record Release Party for their new album Raspberry Park coming up this Friday at the Stone Pony venue in Asbury, NJ. It’s part of a multi-act Light Of Day charity event to raise funds to fight Parkinson’s, ALS and PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy). Other acts on the bill include Dramarama; Joe P; Joe Grushecky And The Houserockers; Joe D’Urso and The Stone Caravan; Ten Ton Mojo; and Midnight Callers.

The Rachel Drew Band with Casey McDonough will perform at the Hideout Inn this Friday.

The Give Peace A Chance - The Art Of John Lennon exhibit opened last Friday at Gallery725 in Jacksonville, FL and will run through this Sunday, January 22. Admission is free, and all the art being exhibited will be available to purchase.

Pegasus Theatre Chicago and India Nicole Burton are presenting the 37th Annual Young Playwrights Festival through January 27 at Chicago Dramatists. The event encourages local high school students to create one-act plays, and is the oldest event of its kind in America. Chicago Dramatists is located at 798 N. Aberdeen in Chicago.

The Celebrities column in today’s Chicago Tribune revealed that a biopic on Linda Ronstadt, with Selena Gomez portraying the legendary vocalist, is in the works. Not much else is known about the project at this time.

Highway Patrol, a new play by actress Dana Delaney opens this Saturday at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago. It’s inspired by Delaney’s own experiences and is billed as a thriller that combines romance with a ghost story. Highway Patrol will run from January 20 through February 18.

Chicago-based singer-guitarist Phil Angotti has a gig this Friday at Goldyburgers in Forest Park.

It’s not clear from his Facebook page if he’ll be performing his own material or covering some of his favorite artists, but either way, it will be a good show.

As reported by long-time theatre critic Jack Helbig in the current issue of the Chicago Reader, the 27th Fillet Of Solo festival ran last Friday through Sunday and will also be held this weekend at Lifeline Theatre and South Of The Border. Helbig describes the event as an “annual festival of solo performers and storytellers.” It was nice to see Tekki Lomnicki, my former co-worker “from corporate life,” as she described it, interviewed for the article. Lomnicki, who’ll perform this Sunday at 4:00 pm, runs the Tellin’ Tales Theatre group and has been part of Fillet Of Solo every year. Other acts still to perform include Sweat Girls; OUTSpoken!; UNHINGED; and GeNarrations. See the Lifeline Theatre website for the full schedule.

Singer-actress Missy Vaughn-Dean and The Love Supreme promise they’ll be “groovin’ all night long” with Jenni Stark; The Telepaths; and It Changes Everything at Montrose Saloon this Thursday night.

Nelikona Cafe in Palatine will host its next Acoustic Guitar And Vocals with Rick And Friends from 2:00 to 4:00 pm this Sunday, January 21. Admission is free.

Slumgullion

Photo from the Official Hollies website.

The Official Hollies Facebook page shared some footage yesterday from YT user Room of Mirrors (ROM) of the current lineup of The Hollies performing last November at the London Palladium. By way of explanation for those who aren’t life-long fans like myself, The Hollies have never broken up from the time they formed in 1962. Drummer Bobby Elliott and lead guitarist-vocalist Tony Hicks have been around almost from the start, while the other current members have been with the band for a fair amount of time. The entertaining, hour-long clip shows the current lineup in top form.

Singer-songwriter Kelly Hogan, along with her special guests Scott Ligon and Joel Paterson, has shows tomorrow and Sunday night at Judson and Moore Distillery on Chicago’s north side.

Vicki Peterson of The Bangles and John Cowsill of The Cowsills are among the acts performing this weekend at the annual 30A Songwriters Festival in Walton County, Fl.

 

Chicago-based David Bowie tribute act Sons Of The Silent Age will perform tomorrow night at Metro. The event, which is titled David Bowie: Future Legend, is a benefit, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the NorthShore HealthSystem Foundation to help people overcome cancer. Actor-musician Michael Shannon will also take part, playing the songs of Brian Eno.

The Bowery Electric venue in New York, NY will honor the life and music of Scott Kempner on February 5. Kempner, a member of the groundbreaking bands The Dictators and The Del-Lords, passed away last November. The Scott Kempner’s 70th Birthday Celebration will feature performances by The Del-Lords, The Dictators, Willie Nile, Marshall Crenshaw, Dennis Diken from The Smithereens, Syd Straw, and other bands. All proceeds from the event will be donated to The Association For Frontotemporal Degeneration.

The 37th Young Playwrights Festival continues at Chicago Dramatists through January 27. Chicago Dramatists is located at 798 N. Aberdeen in Chicago.

As noted in the Celebrities column in today’s Chicago Tribune, Prince’s film Purple Rain is being adapted into a Broadway musical written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz. No date yet on when the production will be ready.

Highway Patrol, a new play by actress Dana Delaney that is billed as a thriller that combines romance with a ghost story, will run from January 20 through February 18 at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago.

MonaLisa Twins Live At The Cavern Club, an album featuring the Vienna, Austria band performing lively covers of songs by The Beatles, The Hollies, The Who, The Kinks, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, and other 1960s acts, is now available in CD and download formats. A current offer on the band’s official website, includes Why, the duo’s latest album of original material for free. 

City Winery Chicago’s monthly Beatles Brunch With Phil Angotti And Friends now rotates with Soul Brunch events presented by Puresoul, as well as brunch events featuring Angotti performing a mix of his favorite covers and original songs. This Sunday brings the first Soul Brunch, which is a Tribute To Tina Turner. There’s a Tribute To 90s Rhythm And Blues coming up on Saturday, January 27. The next Phil Angotti And Friends Beatles Brunch will be a George Harrison Birthday Show on February 25.

In other Phil Angotti news, he has a gig at Goldyburgers in Forest Park, IL on next Friday, January 19.

Best wishes to musician/writer Freda Love Smith on her ten-week educational series involving “close reading and exploratory writing.” Those who enroll will read works by Sigrid Nunez, Laura Kipnis, Phillip Lopate, and other contemporary writers before embarking on their own writing assignments. Enrollment will be limited to 12 students. Those interested can message Freda Love Smith on her Facebook page with any questions.

Local bands The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club; Rolling Numbers; Golden Richards; and Things That Fly will join forces tomorrow night at Montrose Saloon for Rock N’ Roll High School - 50th Year of The Ramones. The live show is being sponsored by WNUR FM radio program The Power Pop Shoppe and will offer a mix of Ramones covers and original songs by the participating acts. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose on Chicago’s north side.

The Pink Floyd tribute band Eclipse will perform at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine on January 27.

The Bowery Electric venue in New York, NY will stage a Women’s History Month event featuring Bush Tetras; Diane And The Gentile Men; Female Genius; Faith NYC; and Ov Stars on March 1. General admission is $20.

Two weeks from tonight, Liar’s Club on Chicago’s north side will serve up the eclectic triple bill of The Josh Caterer Trio, Viceroy, and Hushdrops.

The Give Peace A Chance - The Art Of John Lennon exhibit opened today at Gallery725 in Jacksonville, FL and will run through January 22. Admission is free, and all the art being exhibited will be available to purchase.

The Rachel Drew Band with Casey McDonough will perform at the Hideout Inn next Friday, January 19.

The Madrid-based dance company Compañía Nacional de Danza will pay its first visit to Chicago on February 10 with performances of Passengers Within; Sad Case; and White Darkness at the Auditorium Theatre.

Sleater-Kinney’s Little Rope and Green Day’s Saviors albums are due out next Friday, January 19.

Singer-songwriter Steve Dawson of the Chicago-based bands Dolly Varden and Funeral Bonsai Wedding, will perform with Alton Smith, Brian Wilkie, John Abbey, and Diane Christiansen tomorrow night at Constellation in Chicago.

Tickets are now on sale today for the Teenage Cancer Trust At The Royal Albert Hall in London. The all-star charity event takes place at the esteemed venue March 18 through March 24. The scheduled performances are The Who With Orchestra And Very Special Guests Squeeze on March 18 and 20; Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds With Very Special Guests Blossoms on March 21; Young Fathers Plus Special Guests (TBD) on March 22; The Chemical Brothers Plus DJ Paul Holroyd on March 23; and Ovation, which is described as A Celebration Of 24 Years Of Gigs For Teenage  Cancer Trust With: Roger Daltrey, Kelly Jones, Robert Plant With Saving Grace, Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder, and Paul Weller.

Tickets are on sale now for a February 28 performance by the six-piece band Oh Yes! at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights that will benefit the recently opened Gerry’s Cafe. The cafe’s motto is Changing Lives One Cup At A Time and is staffed by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. My wife Pam and I recently added Gerry’s Cafe is our roster of venues for hot beverages.

Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy And Friends Play R.E.M.’s Murmur kicks off on February 1 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Jon Wurster; Dag Juhlin; Nick Macri; and Vijay Tellis-Nayak are the above-mentioned friends. Other locations on the short tour include Minneapolis, MN; Athens, GA (which is only fitting); Carrboro, NC; Washington, D.C.; Ardmore, PA; Cambridge, MA; and Brooklyn, NY. There are no performances scheduled for Chicago, which is maybe something we should murmur about.

On the local scene, R.E.M. tribute band Sitting Still IL will perform at Montrose Saloon on January 26, along with Joey Acopiado, The Failers, and Saturday June Band.

Singer-actress Missy Vaughn-Dean and The Love Supreme promise they’ll be “groovin’ all night long” with Jenni Stark; The Telepaths; and It Changes Everything at Montrose Saloon on January 18.

Nelikona Cafe in Palatine will host its next Acoustic Guitar And Vocals with Rick And Friends on January 21. Admission is free.

Katherine Yeske Taylor, the long-time music journalist whose articles and interviews have appeared in several national publications, will release her first book on January 16. She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism is due out on January 16 from Backbeat Books. It’s available to pre-order on Amazon, and other sites.

Sufjan Stevens’ Illinoise musical, based on his critically acclaimed 2005 Illinoise album, opens at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on January 28.

FitzGerald’s has an impressive triple bill of The Handcuffs, Jon Langford and His Fancy Men, and The James Dean Joint coming up on January 20.

Country music icon Roseanne Cash has a pair of concerts at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on January 19 and 20.

Big Brother’s Vinyl has a performance coming up at Peggy Kinnane’s in Arlington Heights on January 19. The band has a knack for selecting material that’s well-known to classic rock fans but not often heard on the local club scene. 

Cheap Trick will be the headline act the International Beatles On The Beach festival taking place at the Delray Beach Amphitheater January 24 – 28. Other performers include The Fab Faux; Gregg Bissonette; and The Weeklings.

Androgynous Mustache, a local collective of musicians that has been behind several impressive tribute shows, will bring their annual Warren Zevon Tribute show to SPACE in Evanston on January 24. Zevon fans should check out the January issue of the Brit rock magazine MOJO for writer Bob Mehr’s eight-page article on him, as well as photographer Aaron Rapaport’s numerous photos.