Incoming

Sending out a heads up to Police fans. Message In A Bottle, Kate Prince’s dance production featuring music by Sting, will be performed at the Cadillac Palace Theater in downtown Chicago this Wednesday through Sunday. The production, which has Sting’s full blessing, has been successfully staged in Europe, Australia, and most recently, Hollywood, CA. I would have never heard of it if not for writer Lauren Warnecke’s interview with Kate Prince in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune.

March 10. That’ll be the day when Phil Angotti And Friends perform a tribute to Buddy Holly at City Winery Chicago. They’ll also tap into the early work of Elvis Presley. The music starts at noon.

The six-piece band Oh Yes! will perform at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights this Wednesday as part of a benefit for Gerry’s Cafe. Also located in Arlington Heights, the cafe operates by the motto Changing Lives One Cup At A Time, and is staffed by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Gerry’s Cafe is among the places my wife Pam and I regularly drop by for hot beverages and friendly service.

As I mentioned in last Friday’s Slumgullion post, Pravda Records was voted as Best Local Label in the Chicago Reader’s recently published annual Best Of Chicago issue. I wasn’t able to mention other winners since I subscribe to the Chicago Reader and hadn’t received my copy in the mail yet. So, congratulations are also in order for Terri Hemmert as Best Radio DJ,  The Who’s Tommy as Best Musical, Greater Chicago Food Depository as Best Charity; Reckless Records as Best Record Store; Chicago Cubs as Best Professional Men’s Sports Team; Chicago Sky as Best Professional Women’s Sports Team; My Block, My Hood, My City as Best Advocacy Organization; Local H as Best Rock Band; Salt Shed as Best Music Venue; WBEZ as Best Overall Radio Station; and Jason Hammel as Best Chef. (My nephew Joe Flamm, was First Runner-up as Best Chef.) There are far too many categories to mention them all here, but congratulations to all the winners. Be sure to pick up a copy of the Chicago Reader. They can be found around downtown and on the north side.

Also, congratulations to Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma on bringing together some of Chicago’s best musicians for another successful My Sweet George George Harrison birthday tribute this past Saturday at Martyrs’on Lincoln Avenue. Even though I was only able to stay for a few hours due to an early-morning commitment on Sunday, it was well worth attending.

A recent post on the The Wild Honey Foundation Facebook page has announced that the 50th Anniversary All-Star Celebration Of The Nuggets Compilation, which was staged at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA last May, is now available to stream for $4.99. All proceeds go to the Wild Honey Foundation for its charitable operations. On a related note, my review of the A 50th Anniversary All-Star Celebration Of The Nuggets Compilation DVD was posted here on February 15.

The Chicago-based, critically acclaimed Trinity Irish Dance Company promises Artistic Director Mark Howard will present two world premieres at its Auditorium performance this Sunday.