Saturday Slumgullion

Photo of Mick Jagger and his dog from the official Mick Jagger Facebook page.

Happy Belated Birthday to Mick Jagger, who turned 81 yesterday, and can (literally) run circles around people half his age. Congratulations on another highly successful Rolling Stones tour, Sir Mick.

And congratulations to David Bash, on a quarter of a century of bringing power pop and various forms of indie rock to selected cities around the globe. The 25th Annual International Pop Overthrow Los Angeles opens at the Redwood Bar in L.A. next Friday. Over 50 acts will have performed at the festival by the time it wraps up on Saturday, August 10.

New Record Store Adventures, Part One: While walking up Clark Street last Sunday for a rendezvous with a few friends at the Andersonville Vintage Market, I noticed the Rattleback Records store. Having seen some favorable posts on Facebook about this place, I decided to check it out. (As if I need a reason to visit any record store.) Rattleback has aisles of vinyl records, including picture sleeve 45s, and loads of pop culture collectibles.

New Record Store Adventures, Part Two: On my way to meeting a friend in Des Plaines this past Wednesday, I checked out the Rockstock store on Miner Street. I had been under the impression it was only available to people who attend concerts at the adjacent Des Plaines Theater, but it’s open for business to the general public. There’s an extensive selection of posters, buttons, mugs, decorations, and vinyl; representing world famous acts, including framed autographed photos of artists who’ve performed at Des Plaines Theatre.

Each of the above mentioned record stores had a friendly, helpful clerk. Long live record stores.

The Pretenders concert scheduled for last night at the Chicago Theatre had to be postponed due to an illness in the band. As noted in a Facebook post, the band intends to reschedule the event in the future.

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

Cary Baker’s decades-long writing career in the music industry included being a rock critic for various publications, and later, working in the PR department of IRS Records. He’s kept busy since retiring, and recently announced on Facebook that he has a book coming out in November. Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking & Street Music, which is being published the very rock and roll oriented Jawbone Press, will cover a century of street music. He’s following in the footsteps of veteran journalist Mark Guarino, whose Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival was named as “Book of the Year” by the Illinois State Historical Society; and music industry veteran Dean Brownrout, whose No Big Deal book is coming out October 1 via Guernica Editions.

 

The official Facebook page for The Fest For Beatles Fans announced yesterday that its August 9 – 11 Chicago convention at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare will include Peter Jackson and Michael Lindsay-Hogg appearing via Zoom on Saturday, August 10. In-person guests will include Micky Dolenz from The Monkees; Randy Bachman from The Guess Who and his son Tal; British Invasion singer Billy J. Kramer; lead guitarist Laurence Juber and drummer Steve Holley from Paul McCartney’s Wings; and former Official Beatles Fan Club president Freda Kelly. There will be live performances by Liverpool; The Weeklings; Jeff Lake And Cellophane Flowers; Phil Angotti And Friends; and The Taxmen. WXRT DJ and Breakfast With The Beatles program host Terri Hemmert will return as The Fest’s Master Of Ceremonies, with Tom Francine as Assistant Master Of Ceremonies.

The U.S. leg of Graham Nash’s More Evenings Of Songs And Stories 2024 tour kicks off next Saturday, August 3 in Boulder, CO. Other cities include Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Omaha. Nash won't come to Chicago, but he has shows in neighboring Evanston on October 15 and 16. Check out his official website for the full list and ticket information.

Tickets are now on sale for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, which begins its run at the James M. Nederlander Theatre in downtown Chicago on September 10.

Steve Barton from Translator has a new album titled Time Hard Won coming out on August 8, and he’s already snagged a positive review in the British rock mag MOJO. In a Facebook post, Barton stated he’ll announce some UK concerts soon.

I recently renewed my subscription to MOJO, because it’s my favorite music publication in the world.

Pravda Records, Chicago’s longest-running independent company, has added a few more acts to its PravdaFest event taking place on August 31 at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn. It’s a 40th anniversary celebration that will feature 17 of the label’s acts performing on three stages. The recent additions of The Chamber Strings (paying tribute to founder member, the late Kevin Junior) and Rex Daisy will join Nathan Graham; Steve Dawson; Diplomats Of Solid Sound; The Handcuffs; Ivan Julian with Nick Tremulis; Chris Greene Quartet; Sunshine Boys; The Service; The Slugs; Susan Voelz; Allen Hill; Brian Krumm And His Barfly Friends; Thrift Store Halo and The Swampland Jewels.

Tom Toomey, long-time lead guitarist for The Zombies, has a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the final step of his latest solo album Ice Cube. In a Facebook post, Toomey describes the album as, “a collection of everything from soulful reflection, bumping beats, insane cellos, my signature guitars, and the list goes on.” The pledges range from £12 to £500; with some pretty cool perks to go with them. Ice Cube is scheduled for a November release.

Working For Paper and For Iron – XTC – Roads Girdle The Globe will be staged on October 8 at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. Local power pop singer-songwriter Dolph Chaney recently posted on Facebook that he’s been designated as “the Simpleton Mayor” for this XTC tribute show and is putting together an impressive lineup of acts.

 

Critically acclaimed band NRBQ has a series of dates scheduled for the east coast toward the end of August.

The 10th Annual Super Nova Ska Festival will be held on the weekend of  September 13 – 15 at Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA. British pioneering ska act The Selecter, still led by Pauline Black, will be the main draw with its performance on the last day.  Other acts include Roy Ellis with The Aggrolites; Skavoovie and the Epitones; Five Iron Frenzy; and Catbite. A total of 38 acts, from 8 countries are scheduled to appear.

Blondie founding member Chris Stein’s memoir titled Under A Rock is now available 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: Home Of House, an exhibit honoring the city’s pivotal role in widespread success of house music over the past 40 years, runs through the end of October. 

After a gig on the Isle Of Man on August 6, Squeeze will embark on a U.S. tour a week later. It starts in Eugene OR with other North American stops including Oakland, Costa Mesa, Phoenix, Austin, Nashville, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, New York, and Orlando. Squeeze will return to the UK in early October and continue touring through November. The Squeeze concert on September 5 at the Chicago Theatre will feature The English Beat a the special guest.

Rebel Girl: My Life As A Feminist Punk, a memoir from riot-grrrl band Bikini Kill vocalist Kathleen Hanna is now available from HarperCollins Publishers on various websites and book stores.

The dB’s have announced additional dates for their original lineup reunion tour featuring Chris Stamey, Peter Holsaple, Will Rigby, and Gene Holder. (All these guys have kept busy with other projects over the years.) I’m not sure which of these gigs are new, but the updated list now shows Raleigh, NC; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, PA; Jersey City, NJ; Athens, GA; Asheville, NC; Decatur, GA; Charlotte, NC; Sty. Paul, MN; Chicago, IL; and Milwaukee, WI. The tour follows the first-time release of the group’s 1981 debut album Stands For Decibels.

The North American Tour of Back To The Future - The Musical starts today in Washington, D.C., and will arrive in Chicago on August 13 for just over a two-week run. Other stops for Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and the gang include Minneapolis, St. Louis, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.