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 the legendary band’s original member Jody Stephens; along with Jon Auer from The Posies; Chris Stamey from The dB’s; and Pat Sansone and John Stirratt from Wilco, will perform this Saturday, July 13.
There will be good rocking at FitzGerald’s the night before The Big Star Quintet as well, when Chicago indie rockers The Handcuffs perform an On The Patio gig on July 12. It will be their first live show in three months. The band will release a vinyl version of its Burn The Rails album at some point this summer.
The Zombies are no doubt busy preparing for their second annual Begin Here Festival, which will take place in St. Albans, UK in November, and lead vocalist Colin Blunstone has even more on his plate. He’s lined up concerts in Harpenden on November 8, Milton Keyes on November 12, Bury St Edmunds on November 20, and London on November 25. These dates will mark the first time he’s performed his entire 1971 solo debut One Year, and he’ll be joined by a full band and the Q-Strings quartet. Blunstone will perform selections from his other albums as well.
Nick Nite! will be celebrated this Tuesday at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. Local musicians Tony Nuncio, Eric Chial, Dave Sebastian, and Mike Cohen will be leading the way in a well-deserved tribute to British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe that’s likely to include witty gems such as “Cruel To Be Kind,” “So It Goes,” “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding?” and “I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock ’n' Roll).”
Squeeze recently kicked off a five-month tour that involves traveling back and forth between the UK and USA. After a gig on the Isle Of Man on August 6, the band will fly off a week later for a performance in Eugene OR. Other North American stops include 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 as special guest.
Chicago-based musician Matt Tiegler will likely showcase songs from his recent Hands Free Down Hill album when he’s part of a triple bill coming up at Montrose Saloon on July 16. Penthouse Sweets singer-guitarist Andy Hansen will also perform, along with vocalist Donna Adler. The music starts with Adler’s set at 7:00 pm.
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, a new effort from HBO Documentary Films, recently had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Interviews with several famous musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, help create a full portrait of the the E Street Band member/Sopranos actor/Underground Garage radio host. It’s now available on Max.
Local comedy group Famous In The Future will present its annual three-day celebration of counter-culture entertainment, YippieFest, on the weekend of August 23 – 25 at Chopin Theatre. This will be the sixth in-person staging of the event, which features FIF, along with a variety of acts presenting short plays, improv, monologues, sketch comedy, stand-up, music, performance art, and dance. YippieFest is modeled after the late Mary-Arrchie Theatre’s long-running Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Festival. The lineup will be revealed at some point on the official YippieFest website. Chopin Theatre is located at 1543 W. Division on the city’s north side. Full disclosure: I was a member of Famous In The Future for several years.
The David Bowie World Fan Convention 2024 will kick off on July 26 (the day after the world celebrates my birthday) and run through July 28 at various venues around Liverpool. This year’s special guests are Carlos Alomar; Woody Woodmansey; Ava Cherry; George Murray; Nacho; Denis O’Regan; Dana Gillespie; Mark Wardel; Marc Riley; Spizzenergi; David Buckley; Leah Kardos; Hannah “Lulu” Breschard; and Chris Carter. Events will includes The Bowie Ball, live bands; signing sessions, and a marketplace.
SPACE in Evanston will offer a series of Singer-Songwriter events throughout this month that includes Over The Rhine on Thursday, July 11; Gerald Dowd and Richard Knight, Jr. on July 15; and Phil Angotti and Tommi Zender performing the music of Simon and Garfunkel on July 28.
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.”
Stephanie Kuehnert, the author who garnered national attention with her well-crafted and emotionally charged novels Ballads Of Suburbia and I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, has three events coming up in the Chicago area to promote new memoir Pieces Of A Girl. She’ll join a Punk Rock Book Party at the Independence Branch of the Chicago Public Library this Tuesday, July 9, along with Bianca Xunise, who’ll be promoting her book Punk Rock Karaoke. On July 10, Kuehnert will have a discussion and signing at The Pile Book Store in Berwyn. A day later, Kuehnert will discuss Pieces Of A Girl with Heather Lynn at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Park.
New York indie rock quartet The dB’s recently released their 1981 debut album Stands for deciBels on vinyl for the first time (along with CD and digital formats) and will launch a Reunion Tour in September. It starts with a concert at the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, NC on September 7, and will continue with stops in Washington, DC; Philadelphia; Jersey City; St. Paul; and Chicago. The Chicago gig will be at the Old Town School Of Folk Music on October 12, with Vulgar Boatmen also on the bill.
Chicago-based hard-edged power pop band Go Time! will have several albums to choose songs from when it performs this Friday, July 13 at The Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville. Roundhouser and Dead Freddie are also on the bill that night.
An original concept recording of Ladyship The Musical has an official release date this Friday, July 12. It’s based on the true story of how England shipped women convicts to Australia from 1789 to 1841. The music and lyrics were composed by Linda Good and Laura Good. The sisters first started performing as The Good Twins on the Chicago club scene, and later formed the alt rock band The Twigs.
Ratboys, the Chicago-based indie rock band whose 2023 album The Window made quite an impression, will spend almost the rest of this year out on tour, beginning with a concert in Woodstock, NY. Other stops will include Boise, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Vancouver, and Washington, DC before Ratboys come home to Chicago for a gig at Thalia Hall on November 29.
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 Chicago-based, self-described new wave band Sonic45 has a Record Release Party coming up on Saturday, July 13 at SPACE in Evanston for its second album Supersonic. For a limited time, a violet vinyl copy, complete with a download card with five bonus demo versions, can be ordered from the band’s label Cheap Kiss Records website for only $20. Sonic45 comprises sports broadcaster/musician/songwriter Len Kasper, along with Chicago music scene veterans Matt Spiegel (also a sportscaster); Liam Davis; Gerald Dowd; and Dag Juhlin. Sunshine Boys, the Chicago-based band that released two impressive albums (and also features Juhlin), will be the opening act for that SPACE Record Release Party.
Long-time Arlington Heights venue Jimmy D’s District has an outdoor music event titled Jimmy D’s Fest On The Patio coming up on July 12 and 13. It’s located at 1718 W. Northwest Highway.
Chicago: Home Of House, an exhibit honoring the city’s pivotal role in widespread success of house music, opened 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 musician Matt Johnson will bring his band The The to North America for the first time 25 years to perform several of concerts. An October 25 show at The Salt Shed in Chicago will be part of radio station WXRT’s Fall Jam Series. The The was particularly noteworthy for the singles “This Is The Day” and “Uncertain Smile.”
The Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights will host Dave Rudolf’s British Re-Invasion event this Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30. Rudolf, a veteran singer-songwriter-author who’s toured with several well-known acts, recently released a new album. He’ll be joined by Ryan Rudolf and Thomas Linsk at Hey Nonny.
The Millennium Park 20th Anniversary Celebration takes place July 18 – 21, with unique entertainment being staged each night. ¡Súbelo! will honor Latin culture via performances by Chuwi, Codigo FN, and Fruko y Sus Tesos on July 18; the Grant Park Orchestra will perform Star Wars and other soundtrack selections composed by John Williams on July 19; actor-musician Common will perform with the Grant Park Orchestra on July 20; and The S&S Chicago Experience (Steve “Silk” Hurley and Shannon “Skip” Syas) will delve into the history of House Music on July 21.
This year’s Pitchfork Music Festival takes place July 19 – 21 in Union Park, and will offer Black Pumas, Jai Paul, Carly Rae Jepsen, Alanis Morissette, and Brittany Howard, along with several other acts.
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