Incoming

Fans of the late indie rock star Kim Shattuck will surely want a copy of the 60-page Melanie + Kim Monday fanzine Melanie Vammen and Music Arkives have put together. It’s now available to pre-order at the Givesmart website. The first 100 copies will be numbered and signed by Vammen, and all proceeds will benefit the ALS Network.

Our House - The Music Of CSNY, which features musicians who are related to or have worked with David Crosby, Neil Young, and Graham Nash, is coming to the Des Plaines Theatre in Illinois this Saturday.

Per The Who’s official website, Pete Townshend and Elton John will collaborate with other musicians, as well as The Royal Philharmonic, on an ambitious interpretation of the Herman Hesse novel Siddhartha. Described as an “illustrated novel and album,” The Seeker will feature music composed by Rachel Fuller, with additional music and lyrics by Townshend. The Seeker is expected to arrive on November 7.

The Northman Riverwalk continues to give tourists and locals an opportunity to enjoy a variety of live music and food outdoors with an impressive view of downtown Chicago. The Riverwalk Beats DJ Series continues this Wednesday with DJ so.crates; and Thursday’s show features River Rising, the folk/Americana duo comprising Tim Hazen and Megan Deiger. Both of these gigs start at 5:00 pm. Friday’s 6:00 pm show will feature the steel drum band Caught Steelin’ bringing elements of calypso, jazz and reggae to pop and rock hit songs. Saturday’s 3:00 pm show will find The Sam Robinson Quintet playing “straight-ahead jazz, mainly from the hard-bop/post-bop era.” The Northman Riverwalk is located on the Chicago River at 233 N. Riverwalk.

 

The 25th Annual International Pop Overthrow Los Angeles opens at the Redwood Bar in L.A. this Friday. Over 50 acts will have performed at the festival by the time it wraps up on Saturday, August 10.

The classy Chicago-based sextet and Pravda Records recording act The Imperial Sound will perform this Friday, August 2, at Hey Nonny’s in Arlington Heights.

Lollapalooza kicks off this Thursday at Grant Park in downtown Chicago and will run through Sunday. As always, I leave any recommendations to those with much better knowledge of all the acts and experience in navigating from stage to stage. Chicago Tribune music writer Britt Julious possesses that expertise, and provided two pages of highlights in yesterday’s edition.

Fans of exquisite pop music were saddened to hear that Martin Phillips, the driving force behind the New Zealand band The Chills, has passed away. I first discovered his amazing talent via the aptly named song “Heavenly Pop Hit” from the band’s 1990 album Submarine Bells. After purchasing it, I discovered other treasures, such as “The Oncoming Day,” “Familiarity Brings Contempt,” and “Effloresce And Deliquesce.” Rock In Paradise, Mr. Phillips. Now you’re an angel.