Slumgullion

Photo from Official Paul McCartney Facebook page.

Today would have been my mother’s 98th birthday. She strongly encouraged me in my writing, and was also the first person I ever heard use the word ‘slumgullion.’ Definitions vary, but the one I prefer is that it’s a type of Irish stew. My mother used ‘slumgullion’ to describe the various dishes she prepared for our family’s Friday night dinners. Which explains its presence here on Broken Hearted Toy as the title of my weekly Friday night column. Happy Birthday, Mom. Thanks for your support and inspiration.

In a move I’d like to believe is in honor of my mother’s birthday (although I know it isn’t), Paul McCartney Photographs 1963 – 64 Eyes Of The Storm opened today at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. The exhibit runs through August 18, and features over 250 photos taken by Paul with his Pentax film camera. Eyes Of The Storm will visit Tokyo, Japan in July, and Portland, OR in September. Fans can also experience those insane days of early Beatlemania by ordering the book 1963 Eyes Of The Storm - Photographs And Reflections By Paul McCartney.

Tonight’s edition of radio station WXRT’s Live From The XRT Archives series will feature a Los Lobos concert that took place at Park West in 1999. The broadcast starts at 9:00 pm; those not in the Chicago area can pick up WXRT available via the Audcacy app.

Today being the first Friday of the month means it’s once again Bandcamp Friday, where Bandcamp waives its revenue and passes “the funds directly to artists and labels.” The tradition started during the pandemic and continues to benefit musicians to this day. Be sure to support your favorite musicians. In related good news, Bandcamp has opened an online store, with a portion of proceeds from select merchandise purchases going to organizations such as MusiCares. I just ordered a t-shirt as I’m typing this.

Fans of catchy, eccentric, and clever rock songs have two opportunities to enjoy a master of the art when Robyn Hitchcock performs at the Old Town School Of Folk Music tonight and tomorrow night. His special guest for each engagement will be comedian Eugene Mirman.

Blondie founding member Chris Stein has a memoir titled Under A Rock coming out on June 11, and it’s available to pre-order from various sites. The book, which features a forward by Debbie Harry, is described by MacMillan Publishers as a “a plunge into the moments that made a giant 1980’s artistic sensation.”

Northeastern Illinois University radio station WZRD Chicago 88.3 will celebrate 50 years of offering freeform radio with a free of charge party tomorrow night, May 4, at Martyrs. There will be live music by Cosmic Bull, Silver Abuse, Sons of Ra, and Charlie Otto. Martyrs’ is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Inanimate will wrap up its run at Theatre Wit tomorrow. Nick Robideau’s play concerns a young woman who’s fallen in love with a neon sign, and Theatre Wit describes it as, “the best (and only!) objectum-sexual dramedy of the year.” The venue is located at 1229 W. Belmont Avenue on the north side.

The Neverly Brothers 20th Anniversary Tour will bring them to the Beverly Arts Center tomorrow (Saturday). It’s located at 2407 W. 111th Street - Chicago, IL. The trio provides a history of rock music dating back to the 1950s by performing artists such as Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and The Kinks.

The Nelikona Cafe in downtown Palatine, IL will present live folk, rock, pop and jazz via Acoustic Guitar And Vocals by Rick And Friends from 2:00 to 4:00 on the first and third Sundays of the month. Admission is free, the venue is located at 45 N. Bothwell Street.

 

Stands For Decibels, the 1981 debut album from the New York indie rock quartet The dB’s, will be reissued on June 7. This remastered edition is coming out on colored vinyl and is available to pre-order on the via the Propeller Sound Recordings website. The first single, “Big Brown Eyes,” is already available on streaming sites. According to the official dB’s website, the band’s second effort, RePercussion, will also be reissued and there are plans for a summer/fall reunion tour.

The Rolling Stones have announced 17 of the 18 support acts for their upcoming Hackney Diamonds US Tour ‘24. (Their May 23 concert in East Rutherford, NJ is still a TBA.)  As for Chicago, it will be Bettye LaVette on June 27 and Lainey Wilson on June 30. 

Congratulations to Stevie Van Zandt and his playwright brother Billy on having a street named for them in their hometown of Middleton, NJ during an official ceremony earlier today. It will be between Cherry Tree farm Road and Wilson Avenue. The honor comes from the New Jersey Hall Of Fame.

The musical Stereophonic, which recently opened at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway in New York, musical provides a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional band (with echoes of The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac) as it struggles to record a new album.

The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition of The Hoodoo Gurus debut album Stoneage Romeos is coming out on May 17, but the bad news is that every one of the 1,984 numbered double CDs have already sold out via pre-orders.

English ska band Madness will be playing concerts in America for first time in 12 years. Their C’est La Vie In America Tour kicks off on May 22 in Seattle, and will also include dates in the Oakland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, and Boston. Sadly, Chicago is not on their schedule. C’est La Vie, the band’s latest album, was released late last year.

Tickets are now on sale for the OHANA Festival taking place on the weekend of September 27 – 29 in Dana Point, CA. The impressive lineup includes Pearl Jam, whose impressive latest album Dark Matter was recently released; Garbage; Crowded House; Neil Young with Crazy Horse; Black Pumas; Jenny Lewis; Cat Power Sings Dylan 66; Alanis Morissette; The Breeders; and Kim Gordon.

 

Pravda Records, Chicago’s longest-running independent label, will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a show at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn on August 31. So far, I haven’t seen any mention of what acts will perform, but Pravda has such an impressive roster, the event is sure to be a blast.

The Handcuffs, who are one of those impressive acts signed to Pravda Records, will release a special vinyl edition of their Burn The Rails album some time this summer. In addition to its gatefold packaging, there will a bonus seven-inch single featuring two previously unreleased songs. This new version will arrive just about two years after the eclectic and impressive Burn The Rails came out in CD and digital formats.

Lost Angel: The Genius Of Judee Sill, a new documentary about the 1970s singer-songwriter who died tragically in 1979, is being released in several theaters around the country, and will be available to stream on Amazon and Apple TV. The film features Linda Ronstadt, Graham Nash, Jackson Brown, David Crosby, David Geffen and other well-known popular music figures.

Writing Day Workshops will offer an in-person conference on June 22 in downtown Chicago. I’ve attended this event a number of times, and have really appreciated the seminars, as well as having the opportunity to schedule a 10-minute pitch to literary agents. There will be Workshops in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, and other cities, as well as a few online versions.

The very first Off North Shore Skokie Music Festival will be held on the Skokie Sports Park on June 21 and 22. Scheduled performers include Mike Campbell and Dirty Knobs; Larkin Poe; The Bones Of J.R. Jones; and The Empty Pockets on day one; and Grace Potter; Donavon Frankenreiter; Jaime Wyatt; and JC Brooks Band on the second night.

Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove will celebrate the arrival of spring with the Germany-inspired MaiFest next Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11. There will be live music, German games, new beer releases, and food trucks. 

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.