April, Rock She Will

I thought my April, Rock She Will post was a long-running, annual tradition here on Broken Hearted Toy, but it looks like I haven’t done it as often as I thought. At any rate, it’s back for a second straight year, Simon and Garfunkel reference and all. This is meant to provide a sample of the cool things that will happen during this month in Chicago and other places. The bad news is I can’t cover them all; the good news is there’s so much to cover. Support your favorite entertainers.

Speaking of Simon and Garfunkel— one of the first music acts I discovered in my life— director Alex Gibney’s documentary In Restless Dreams - The Music Of Paul Simon is available to watch on MGM+. It explores the legendary singer-songwriter from his earliest days to his most current album, Seven Psalms.

The Chicago Cubs kicked off their first home stand of 2024 today with pitcher Shota Imanaga’s shutout of the Colorado Rockies. The Cubs scored five runs. Earlier in the day, FM radio station WXRT continued its tradition of hosting a 93XRT Opening Day Celebration At Yak-Zies. The venue is located at 3710 N. Clark Street, just down the street from Wrigley Field.

Girlschool, the English all-women hard rock band that was one of the first of its kind back in 1978 and still shakes the rafters, will perform at Thalia Hall tomorrow, April 2. The Chicago appearance is part of the Girlschool’s Final North American Tour. Upcoming stops include Columbus, OH; Pittsburg, PA; Detroit, MI; and London, Ontario.

Green Day will perform a United Nations Human Rights concert at The Fillmore in San Francisco tomorrow night to highlight the need to combat climate change. The alternative rock band Ultra Q is also on the bill.

The Time Machine - A Tribute To The ‘80s recently opened at the Black Ensemble Theatre and will run through April 14. BET is well known for its musical salutes, and this latest one has a sci-fi twist involving a high school senior who travels back to the era when Prince, Sheila E., Al B. Sure, Keith Sweat, and LL Cool J. ruled the charts.

Matthew Sweet is going back on tour with Debbi Peterson from The Bangles, starting in Madison,WI on April 4. They’ll be in Chicago the next day for a concert at Metro on the north side, with Abe Partridge also on the bill.

 

007 Science: Inventing The World Of James Bond, a new exhibit that views the popular spy movies from an intellectual but still fun perspective, opened recently at Chicago’s Museum Of Science And Industry, and will run through October 27.

“You And I Are Stereo,” a new single from Sonic45 will be released exclusively on Bandcamp this Friday, April 5. Led by sports broadcaster/musician Len Kasper, the atmospheric and often eerie alt rock band features Chicago music scene veterans Matt Spiegel (also a sportscaster); Liam Davis; Gerald Dowd; and Dag Juhlin. Sonic45 has finished recording its second full-length album and it will likely be be released this summer.

R.E.M. tribute band Dead Letter Office will share an evening with The B-52’s tribute act Planet Claire at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue this Friday, April 5.

The Irish American Heritage Center on Chicago’s north side will honor the music of folk rock singer John Prine with its first Chicago Prine Fest this Saturday, April 6. Television writer/comedian/musician Rick Woods will serve as host, and there will be performances by Arlo McKinley and The Lawrence Peters Outfit. The Irish American Heritage Center is located at 4626 N. Knox Avenue.

 

Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, who’s well known for his tribute shows on the Chicago club scene, will honor The Kinks via two sets of live music this Sunday at the Robert’s Westside venue in Forest Park. He’ll concentrate on the Something Else album in the first set, and the second will feature classic Kinks songs.

EXPO CHGO - The International Exposition Of Contemporary and Modern Art, will be held on Navy Pier from April 11 through April 14.

The 14th Annual Blue Whiskey Film Festival will run April 14 – 23 at the Classic Cinema in Elk Grove. I remember writing about the first BWiFF on Broken Hearted Roy when the festival was held at Cutting Hall in Palatine. Best wishes for its continued success.

Chicago-based filmmaker Michael Smith’s short film Paper Planes will have its premiere on the weekend of April 15 and 16 at the After Image Film Festival in St. Charles, IL.

The Sound And Vision exhibit, which features artwork by well-know artist-musicians, will run through April 21 at Mad.Kat Gallery in Rancho Mirage, CA. Participants include Joan Baez, Jon Langford, Penelope Houston, Juliana Hatfield, and Steve Wynn.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 2024 will be held from April 19 through April 27 at Montrose Saloon on the city’s north side. CFO/Founder David Bash has brought his multi-act showcase to a number of Chicago venues over the years, and Montrose Saloon is a particularly good fit. I believe this will be its third time hosting. Per tradition, each night will bring a set of at least five acts; and there will be afternoon and evening sets on April 20, 21, and 27.

The Who’s Tommy, which won multiple Jeff Awards for its sold-out run at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago last year, has moved on to New York. Performances will be staged at the at The Nederlander Theatre throughout April, except for Mondays.

Record Store Day takes place on April 20. The list of all the limited-edition vinyl available for just that one day can be viewed on the official RSD website. As usual, major acts in virtually every genre of music will be included. Also, keep an eye out for in-store performances at some of your favorite record stores.

Veruca Salt founding member Louise Post is about to kick off a four-city tour to promote her Sleepwalker solo album, and it’s scheduled to make a stop at Empty Bottle in Chicago on April 23.

 

A Reader Best Of Chicago celebration will take place at 6:30 pm at the Lincoln Park Zoo on April 25. There will be live entertainment and performances by some of the award winners, as well as food and beverage vendors and other activities.

C2E2 will run April 26 – 28 at McCormick Place in Chicago. In addition to having an opportunity to meet with celebrity guests, fans can browse several aisles of toys, t-shirts, gadgets, costumes, etc, inspired by sci-fi, horror, and fantasy media. The cosplay participants and comic artists selling their work are also among the highlights.

Chicago sports fans who’d like to share their vision of what a new home for our football team should like can compete in a city-wide Build-A-Bears-Stadium campaign running through the end of this month. Contestants can choose to create a scale model of a stadium in Arlington Heights; the lakefront; in The 78 area, or next to my house in downtown Palatine. Sorry, I had to work in at least one April Fools Day joke.