Slumgullion

Photo from The Kinks Official Facebook page.

Whoops, I forgot my own 15th Anniversary. Although I’ve been telling people the very first Broken Hearted Toy post appeared on August 9, 2009, it actually came three days earlier with a modest two-paragraph profile of the Chicago-based covers band The New Invaders. Back then, I stated, “All six band members are accomplished singers, which results in airtight harmonies on covers of Crosby, Stills, & Nash, The Mamas & The Papas, The Byrds, and The Hollies.” Which made sense for a new blog named after a line from an early hit single by The Hollies. Over 2,000 posts later I’m still at it. Thanks to everyone who reads BHT and for all those who keep me informed of their entertainment endeavors. I’m hoping to offer commemorative elements throughout this month.

Speaking of anniversaries, it’s been 60 years since The Kinks released their ground-breaking single “You Really Got Me.” The Brit Invasion band is celebrating with a 7-inch single PYE Records limited edition that’s now available for pre-order. Only 1,964 copies will be created. 

John Abbey, Larry Beers, Jenny Bienemann, Liam Davis, Steve Dawson, Gerald Dowd, Steve Frisbie, and Tommi Zender will be among the numerous musicians honoring the late Ingrid Graudins this Sunday afternoon at Evanston SPACE. Graudins was well known for her extensive charity work, so it’s fitting that proceeds from this event will help local animal shelters. Tickets range from $15 to $25; the benefit starts at 1:00 pm. 

The Green Day Saviors Tour, with special guests Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and Linda Lindas, has a Chicago stop at Wrigley Field this coming Tuesday, August 13.

FAN EXPO Chicago returns to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont next Friday, August 16 and will cast its magical spell throughout the weekend. This annual convention is a major attraction for self-professed nerds, sci-fi devotees, graphic novels readers, art lovers, and anyone who embraces the more adventurous paths of modern culture. This year’s celebrity guests include Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Marisa Tomei, William Shatner, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurie Metcalf, Linda Hamilton, and Kate Mulgrew.

Congratulations to Gerry’s Cafe in Arlington Heights on their first anniversary. The cafe’s motto is Changing Lives One Cup At A Time and is staffed by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. My wife Pam and I added Gerry’s Cafe to our roster of venues for hot beverages.

The Bangles Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits CD/DVD compilation is now available from CDJapan. Longtime Bangles fans will likely already have most of these tracks, but the DVD’s 14 music videos include three world premieres, and there’s also a 56-page booklet with lyrics in English and Japanese.

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

T Bone Burnett now has a pair of shows lined up for The Old Town School Of Folk Music this fall. He’ll perform at the venue on October 19 and October 20. Also at The Old Town School Of Folk Music, there will be a Fretboard Summit - A 3-Day Guitar Extravaganza featuring Blake Mills, Joe Henry, Colin Hay, and Valerie June on August 23 through 25.

International Pop Overthrow - Los Angeles wraps up tomorrow with afternoon and evening showcases at the Redwood Bar. There will be a one-night only IPO - San Diego show on August 17 at The Black Cat Bar.

Fans of Pravda Records can celebrate the Chicago-based independent company’s 40th Anniversary over breakfast with the special mug that’s now available from on its Bandcamp page. Of course, they can also mark the occasion by showing at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn on August 31 and rocking out to several bands on the Pravda roster.

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. 

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.

Marty McFly and Doc Brown are on their way. The North American Tour of Back To The Future - The Musical opens in Chicago on August 13 for just over a two-week run.

Critically acclaimed band NRBQ has nine shows coming up this month on the east coast, starting with an August 21 appearance in Gloucester, MA.

The full schedule of 30-plus participants for YippieFest 2024, which will be staged at Chopin Theatre on the weekend of August 23 – 25, can now be found on the event’s official website. Long-running sketch/musical comedy group Famous In The Future is once again serving as host, and all proceeds will go to charity. YippieFest is modeled after the late Mary-Arrchie Theatre’s long-running Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Festival.  Chopin Theatre is located at 1543 W. Division on the city’s north side.

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.

White Noise And Lightning: The Best Of Continental Drifters will be released in CD and vinyl formats on September 13 via Omnivore Recordings. Fans of the Americana band, which features members of The Cowsills; The Bangles; R.E.M.; The Dream Syndicate; Hootie and the Blowfish; and The dB’s, can also look forward to an authorized biography with that same title written by musician/producer Sean Kelly. The book is due out September 27, and is being marketed alongside We Are All Drifters: A Tribute To The Continental Drifters double CD that includes renditions by Marshall Crenshaw, Debbi Peterson And The Minus 5, Steve Wynn, and Kim Richey.

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. Look for it to arrive on November 7.

Longtime journalist/PR specialist Cary Baker has a book coming out in November. Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking & Street Music is being published by the very rock-and-roll-oriented Jawbone Press, and will cover a century of street music. Baker follows in the footsteps of 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 longtime free paper Chicago Reader has created a Kickstarter campaign for its upcoming book Free Chicago - 50 Years of the Reader. As someone who’s picked up countless issues during that span, I was happy to help out with a $60 pledge. The self-described “big, beautiful coffee table book” is due out in December, which makes it a great option for a holiday gift.