Slumgullion

Tickets went on sale today for the U.S. leg of Graham Nash’s More Evenings Of Songs And Stories tour. It kicks off on August 4 at Fort Collins, CO; other cities include Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Omaha. Prior to those dates, Nash will be gigging down under throughout Australia and New Zealand. Check out his official website for the full list and ticket information.

Chicago Psych Fest takes place this weekend at The Hideout on the city’s north side. The acts for tonight are Cabeza De Chivo; Plastic Crimewave Syndicate with Mac Blackout; Satin Banshee; Free Times; and DJ Psychedalex. Tomorrow night’s showcase will feature Who Is The Witness? (Matchess/Jon Mueller/Tim Kinsella/Jenny Pulse); Joshua Abrams; Jake Acosta; Erik Kramer; Omit/Transmit Orchestra and DJ Sara Gosset. The doors open each night at 8:00 pm, with the music starting a half hour later.

One, two, three, four, can we watch The Beatles more? As noted in reporter Jack Coyle’s recent Associated Press article, director Sam Mendes has an ambitious plan to create a series of four biopics about The Beatles. One for each member. And he plans to have all four ready to screen in 2027. Coyle notes that the recent biopics about Queen, Elton John, and Elvis Presley were box office successes. No word yet on when auditions to portray John, Paul, George, and Ringo will take place.

The annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday tribute takes place tomorrow night, at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. The event’s organizers—Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma— have once again recruited some of Chicago’s best musicians to help celebrate, and veteran musician/media personality Ken Mottet will serve as Master Of Ceremonies. If previous years are any indication, the selection of Harrison material performed this Saturday will range from hit singles to deep tracks and rarities. My Sweet George, which once again helps the MusiCares nonprofit charity organization, starts at 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:30 pm.

Phil Angotti and Friends will perform a George Harrison Birthday Show at their Beatles Brunch this Sunday at City Winery Chicago at noon.  

As reported by the Classic Rock Magazine page on Instagram and The Guardian website, a Gibson Garage will have its grand opening in England tomorrow. Jimmy Page and Brian May were among the special guests on hand yesterday for a preview of the American-based guitar manufacturer’s 4,500 square feet store on Eastcastle Street in London. The only other Gibson Garage is located in Nashville, TN.

Chicago-based musician Dolph Chaney is keeping busy these days. In addition to the release of the catchy “Californiagain” single from his latest album Mug, he performs on the one-off “Airwave Hello” single just released by The Electromagnates. “Californiagain” showcases Chaney’s ability to inject humor into guitar-driven pop songs. “Airwave Hello” finds him working with three other artists from the Big Stir indie label roster: Steve Stoeckel of The Spongetones, solo artist Chris Church, and Peter Watts of Spygenius. Working on an original concept by Stoeckel, the song celebrates indie radio stations and DJs.

Vicki Peterson from The Bangles and John Cowsill from The Cowsills will join in the fun tonight when Joe McGinty And The Loser’s Lounge celebrate the music of Neil Young at Joe’s Pub in New York, NY. The event will explore every aspect of Young’s solo career and his contributions to several bands. (CSNY and Buffalo Springfield being the most famous.) There’s also a Joe McGinty And The Loser’s Lounge covering Neil Young event at Joe’s Pub tomorrow night, as well as one at City Winery New York on Monday, but I couldn’t verify if Peterson and Cowsill will be performing at those.

For those of us in Chicago, the real Neil, along with Crazy Horse, will perform at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island on May 23. Other stops on the tour include San Diego, Phoenix, Atlanta, Austin, Toronto, and Queens, NY.

The David Bowie World Fan Convention 2024 will kick off on July 26, a day after the world celebrates my birthday, and run through July 28 at various venues around Liverpool. This year’s special guests are Carlos Alomar; Woody Woodmansey; Ava Cherry; Suzi Ronson; Nacho; Denis O’Regan; Dana Gillespie; Mark Wardel; Marc Riley; Ken Scott; Kevin Armstrong; Kevin Cummings; and Keanan Duffty. In addition to an opportunity to hear those guests share their insight and memories, The David Bowie World Fan Convention promises exhibitions, exclusive merchandise, and live music.  

Civl Fest 2024 wraps up this weekend. The Lagoons at Subterranean, Jamila Woods at The Vic, and Pinsqueege at Metro, all take place tonight; Paul Virzi will be at Den Theatre on Saturday; and Yakuza And Friends at will perform at Thalia Hall on Sunday. Civl Fest aims to help fund mental health, healthcare and health advocate services for 1099/gig workers from Chicago area independent venues.

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.

Congratulations to Pravda Records on being voted as Best Local Label in the Chicago Reader’s recently published annual Best Of Chicago issue. Pravda Records will celebrate its 40th anniversary later this year; its impressive roster includes The Handcuffs; Josh Caterer; The Slugs; The New Duncan Imperials; The Goldstars; Brian Krumm And His Barfly Friends; Susan Voelz; Thrift Store Halo; The Imperial Sound; The Flat Five; Steve Dawson; Nora O’Connor; Hushdrops; Nathan Graham; Sunshine Boys; Cheer-Accident; The Service and The Lilacs. Copies of the Chicago Reader can be found in newspaper boxes around The Loop, as well as in venues downtown and on the north side.

Marc Ribler, whose resume includes performing with Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, as well as Darlene Love, has released a terrific video for his new song “Dick Cavett.” Written by Ribler and Stevie VanZandt, it’s a catchy tribute to the popular talk show host, particularly his late-night run from 1969 to 1975. The clip features Cavett himself, along with Vincent Pastore and Maureen Van Zandt (Little Stevie’s wife) from The Sopranos, and countless snippets of Cavett interviewing rock and roll stars and other celebrities. “Dick Cavett” can be found on Marc Ribler Story Road’s new album Armageddon, and is available on seven-inch vinyl on the Wicked Cool Website.  

Tickets are now on sale for The Bad Examples at the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights on April 20. The Chicago band has a number of albums brimming with clever and melodic songs reminiscent of Squeeze.

Lush vocalist-guitarist Miki Berenyi recently announced on her official Facebook page that her book Fingers Crossed - How Music Saved Me From Success will soon be available in America and Canada. The Miki Berenyi Trio, which includes Siouxsie And The Banshees members Lol Tolhurst and Budgie (Tolhurst was also a member of The Cure) will perform on June 7 at Bottom Lounge in Chicago.

The Chicago-based, critically acclaimed Trinity Irish Dance Company promises Artistic Director Mark Howard will present two world premieres at its Auditorium performance on March 3.

Congratulations to the Brookfield Zoo in suburban Illinois on its 90th Anniversary. The celebration will include a 130-foot Ferris Wheel coming on March 15, with other events to be announced later.

The Kooks have announced an upcoming 16-city tour that will bring them to America for the first time in quite a while. It kicks off in Atlanta on February 29, and includes a stop at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on March 15. The shows will celebrate the 15th anniversary of The Kooks’ debut release Inside In Inside Out, and the band will perform the entire album. A recently released deluxe, double LP edition also marks the occasion.

Vocalist-guitarist Scott Niekelski from the hard-edged power pop band Go Time! has an acoustic solo gig tomorrow night at the Buckledown Brewing venue in Lyons, IL.

An army of well-respected musicians calling themselves Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes have recorded a new version of  “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)” from the Dire Straits guitarist’s 1983 soundtrack album. The song will be available on March 15 and will benefit The Who’s Teenage Cancer Fund. Pre-order from Mark Knopfler’s official online store.

The six-piece band Oh Yes! will perform at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights on February 28 as part of benefit for the 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.

FitzGerald’s has released the schedule for this year’s American Music Festival, which runs July 3 – 6, and as usual, there’s an amazing variety of acts. Nikki Lane and Sierra Hull; The Jayhawks; Old 97’s; Robert Randolph Band; Marcia Ball; Joe Pug; Rhett Miller; Ike Reilly Assassination; Tributaurus; Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel; C.J. Chenier And The Red Hot Louisiana Band; Joel Paterson; The Waco Brothers; and Michael McDermott are among the headline acts.

Plans for a stage version of Prince’s film/album Purple Rain are moving along; according to a recent story the Chicago Tribune. The premiere, with a story by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and direction by Lileana Blain-Cruz, will take place at the State Theatre in Minneapolis Broadway in the spring of 2025.

Chicago-based singer-guitarist Steve Dawson, who’s equally at home with solo efforts or as part of the bands Dolly Varden and Funeral Bonsai Wedding, has a new album titled Ghosts coming out on June 10. Although it’s technically another solo effort, he worked with familiar faces, such as Alton Smith, Gerald Dowd, Brian Wilke, Nora O'Connor, John Abbey, Tommi Zender, Chris Greene, and Dawson’s wife and Dolly Varden co-founder Diane Christiansen.