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.