Slumgullion

FitzGerald’s Outdoors, a summer series the Berwyn music venue describes as “large outdoor concerts with a festival style setup,” is getting off to an impressive start this year. The Big Star Quintet featuring original member Jody Stephens; Jon Auer from The Posies; Chris Stamey from The dB’s; and Pat Sansone and John Stirratt from Wilco will perform on Saturday, July 13. On the next day, X, the band that rose from the Los Angeles punk scene to become a legend, will perform as part of its THE END IS NEAR: Smoke & Fiction Tour. Considering Chicago’s indie rock band The Handcuffs have an On The Patio gig on July 12, that’s three straight nights of rock and roll fun taking place at FitzGerald’s. Note: the Big Star and X tickets are on sale now and are expected to go fast. 

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  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.

Depending on when you read this, you could catch an adventurous triple bill of the guitar-powered instrumental band OUTRONAUT; the self-described “uncouth, lewd and nuts garage punk sleaze band” Depravos De La Mour; and psychedelic rockers Hushdrops at Hideout Inn tonight. Doors open at 8:00 pm, with Depravos De La Mour going on first, followed by Hushdrops at 9:00 pm, and OUTRONAUT at 10:00 pm.

Also tonight: singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen, with bassist Greg Baroni, will be performing Vintage Love Songs from the Great American Songbook from 7:30 to 9:00 pm at the Winestock wine bar and retail shop in Woodstock, IL.

Longtime friends and British Invasion fanatics Phil Angotti and Mario Zavala will perform at The Crow Bar, at 4001 E. 106th Street. Doors open at 7:00 pm.

Happy Birthday to folk rock/pop star Donovan, who gave us classic Top 40 hits such as “Sunshine Superman,” “Mellow Yellow,” and “Wear Your Love Like Heaven,” as well as the (unfortunately still relevant) protest song “Universal Soldier.”

They’re definitely not through being cool. The DEVO - 50 Years Of De-Evolution Tour will make a stop at the Riviera Theatre on Chicago’s north side tomorrow (Saturday) night. It would be fun to hear off-kilter hits such as “Beautiful World” and “Whip It” performed live, not to mention their groundbreaking take on The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

It’s the Time Of The Teasin’ for Zombies. The official social media sites for The Zombies recently promised there will be “some exciting news coming your way next week.” Our only clue is a fab gear line drawing based on how the band looked in the 1960s.

Chicago Chefs Cook, a non-profit that taps into Chicago’s restaurant community to provide humanitarian relief to those in need, has put together a Chicago Chefs Cookbook that will benefit the local organization Chi-Care. Full disclosure: my nephew Joe Flamm, who runs the Rose Mary restaurant, is among the chefs participating. The book arrives in Mariano’s stores all around the city this Monday, and there’s a pre-launch event tomorrow (Saturday) from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Mariano’s store at 3030 N. Broadway. Chefs will be on hand to sign copies, and there will be a representative from ChiCare.

Tickets for Graham Nash’s massive North American Fall Tour are now on sale. The schedule includes Denver, Omaha, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Boston, Quebec City, Ottawa, and two shows at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, IL. The official Graham Nash Facebook page announced today Judy Collins will be joining Nash for a few of those concerts.

Neil Young 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.

Van Go, an indie rock band that’s given us hard-edged, melodic gems such as “Invisible Girls,” “Your Three Minutes Are Up,” “Grim Life,” and “Live Through This” across six albums, will perform at Montrose Saloon tomorrow night. Recent Facebook posts from the band indicate there could be some new songs during the set.

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963 – 64 Eyes Of The Storm opened last Friday 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 with the book 1963 Eyes Of The Storm - Photographs And Reflections By Paul McCartney.

Local power pop band Triple promises to perform “All Killer No Filler” during its gig at the Burlington venue at 3425 W. Fullerton tomorrow (Saturday) night. The music starts at 10:00 pm. 

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.”

Chicago musician Steven Delisi, formerly with the band Phenomenal Cat and a recent performer at International Pop Overthrow - Chicago, is working on a solo effort with a tentative release date of October 18. In the meantime, the first single, a catchy power pop tune titled “Will We Run” will available on June 14.

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

Tickets are now on sale today for the Sons Of The Silent Age - The Cracked Actor Cabaret at City Winery Chicago on July 29. The performance is billed as “the music of David Bowie stripped down and intimate.” Sons Of The Silent Age is led by Chris Connelly from The Revolting Cocks and Ministry and Matt Walker, whose resume includes Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage. The other band members all have extensive experience on the Chicago music scene.

Sons Of The Silent Age also have a June 22 concert coming up at Summeriest in Milwaukee, WI.

The musical Stereophonic, which recently opened at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway in New York, 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.

Chicago: Home Of House, an exhibit honoring the city’s pivotal role in widespread success of house music, opened last week on Navy Pier, and will run through the end of October. As noted by Chicago Sun-Times reporter Erica Thompson, this year brings the 40th anniversary of the genre.

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 Boston. Sadly, Chicago is not on their schedule. C’est La Vie, the band’s latest album, was released late last year.

Warning all folk singers. Cracker, with founding members Johnny Hickmans and David Lowery, will perform at SPACE in Evanston on July 5 and 7. The band is known for FM radio staples such as “Low” and “Get Off This,” as well as “Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now),” which proclaimed, “‘Cause what the world needs now is another folk singer like I need a hole in my head.”

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. 

Purple Reign - A Weekend Celebration For His Royal Badness will feature A Birthday Celebration on June 7 at Joe’s Bar, and A Love Bizarre on June 8 at Logan Square Auditorium. Both locations are in Chicago, and will feature a different set of DJs spinning Prince music each night. Admission is free with an HIV test in advance or on the night of the show. See the Eventbrite listing for full information.

 

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.

Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove will celebrate the arrival of spring with the Germany-inspired MaiFest today and tomorrow (May 10 and 11.) There will be live music, German games, new beer releases, and food trucks. Special beers for sale will include Old Copper and Mutterscholtz, as well as The 13th Poet, which is described as, “our lavender blonde ale inspired by Taylor Swift’s musical genius.” 

It’s touching to see so many posts across social media honoring Chicago-based musician-producer Steve Albini, who recently died at age 61 from a heart attack. Several musicians, radio personalities, journalists, and other entertainment people shared memories that showcased his professional, caring approach to studio work, creating his own music, and helping charitable organizations.