Slumgullion

Chicago indie rock band The Handcuffs have a gig coming up at Liar’s Club on October 19 to promote the vinyl release of their latest album, Burn The Rails. Morgan Fisher from Mott The Hoople will be their guest keyboards player that night. The gatefold LP comes with a seven-inch blue vinyl single featuring the new Handcuffs track “Jubilee” and a cover of the George Harrison/Jackie Lomax song “Sour Milk Sea.” In my review of Burn The Rails back when it was released on Bandcamp, I noted: The Chicago-based indie rock quintet is justifiably praised for its expertise in channeling 1970s glam rock, but that’s just part of the story. As on their previous release, Waiting For The Robot, the new Burn The Rails successfully explores a variety of approaches.

Just a reminder there are few hours left in this month’s Bandcamp Friday. That’s when Bandcamp waives its revenue and passes the funds directly to artists and labels.

The crew behind Record Store Day has just released the list for this year’s Black Friday Record Store Day, and once again, there are vinyl treasures to be found in all genres of music. One of the most fascinating items is the 2-LP set The Byrds/Buffalo Springfield: Live at the Monterey International Pop Festival. Not only were those two of the best bands from that era, but David Crosby performed with each one of them at the festival. As the official RSD site explains, “These sets mark a pivotal moment in Crosby’s career: One of his final performances before leaving The Byrds and, sitting in with Buffalo Springfield at the request of Stephen Stills  . . .”

Other acts on the 2023 RSD Black Friday list include Allman Brothers Band; The Blasters; Sam Cooke; Cypress Hill; The Doors; Echo And The Bunnymen; Billie Eilish; The English Beat; a collection of cover versions by Garbage; Jerry Garcia; Grateful Dead (have they ever not been part of an RSD event?); Herbie Hancock; Jimi Hendrix; B.B. King; Steve Martin; Joni Mitchell; Stevie Nicks; Buck Owens; Pearl Jam; Ramones; The Rolling Stones; Santana; Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson; T-Rex; Tangerine Dream; U2; Van Halen; War; and Yes. Glancing through the descriptions of these releases, you’ll find many of them have interesting background stories.

The David Bowie tribute band Super Creeps has a show coming up next Friday, October 11 at Park West in Chicago.

Congratulations to f News Magazine, published by The School Of The Art Institute, on its 40th Anniversary. The current issue, which I picked up at the Gene Siskel Film Center on State Street, features Kit Montgomery’s A Guide to Live Music Venues in Chicago. Montgomery offers profiles of The Subterranean; Bottom Lounge; Metro; House Of Blues; Auditorium Theater; The Salt Shed; The Aragon Ballroom; Radius; and United Center.

The Englewood Jazz Festival - Three Days Of Free Music In The Community takes place September 19 – 21 at the Hamilton Park and Cultural Center at 513 W. 72nd Street.

October should be an exciting month for film buffs in the Chicago area, with the Destinos 7th Chicago International Theater Festival running from September 30 to November 17; and the 60th Chicago International Film Festival taking place from October 16 through October 27. Both events will have screenings at various locations.

Considering the success of their Play R.E.M.’s Murmur tour earlier this year, it’s no surprise Michael Shannon And Jason Narducy And Friends are planning to hit the road in tribute to another R.E.M. album. Tickets are already on sale for their Celebrate The 40th Anniversary of R.E.M.’s Fables Of The Reconstruction tour kicking off  in Pioneertown, CA on Valentine’s Day 2025. Other cities on the tour include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Chicago. There will be two shows (2/27, 2/28) in Athens, GA, which is where members of R.E.M. dropped by on the Murmur tour. The Chicago date is March 14 at Metro. Dave Hill will be a special guest on the tour.

Susanna Hoffs will soon release The Lost Record, a collection of songs she recorded with Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin from The Go-Go’s in her garage back in 1999. Musicians Bill Bottrell, Brian MacLeod, and Dan Schwartz also contributed to the 10 tracks. The album is due out on October 18.

Smashing Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan and his wife Chloe Mendel are planning a Bozo-themed festival on the weekend of October 18 – 20 at their Madame Zuzu’s restaurant in Highland Park, IL. Tickets are $8.50 for kids, and $14 for grownups.

Tall Poppy Syndrome has followed its March 2024 cover of The Kinks’ “This  Time Tomorrow” with a version of the 1964 Brenda Lee hit “Is It True.” (Apparently, nobody liked question marks back then.) Guest vocalist Carla Olson of The Textones and solo career fame guarantees a faithful take, and Tall Poppy Syndrome regulars Paul Kopf, Vince Maloney Jonathan Lea, Alec Palao, and Clem Burke provide a hard-edged backdrop. Surprisingly, the instrumentation on Brenda Lee’s original also had some bite to it. 

Twisted Dream Machine - The Paisley Underground - California’s Psychedelic Renaissance: 1982-1986 is now available to pre-order as a double-LP or CD Digipak from the Futurismo site. It’s the next volume in Futurismo's Altered Vision compilation series, and features tracks by The Three O’Clock, The Rain Parade, True West, The Bangles, Thin White Rope, Game Theory, The Dream Syndicate, The Long Ryders, Green On Red, 28th Day, The Pandoras, and Wednesday Week.

 

The Zombies’ 2024 Begin Here Festival, which takes place November 8 – 10 in St. Albans in the UK, will include a Tribute To Rod Argent on November 9. The longtime keyboards player/songwriter gave up live performances after recently experiencing a stroke, but will continue to record with the band. The tribute will include special guests Russ Ballard, Tanita Tikaram, Danny Mattin, Millies Riquelme, Hugh Grundy and Chris White.

 

A new album titled Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Live At Fillmore East, 1969, which is being described as “a newly discovered multi-track recording,” will be released in CD and double LP formats on Oct. 25. It’s currently available to pre-order from Rhino Records. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Live At Fillmore East, 1969 will also be available in digital format.

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.

Congratulations to Monty Python members Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam on quickly raising £94,000 of the £120,000 they need in their GoFundMe campaign to finance an effort to erect a statue honoring late Python member Terry Jones on the promenade in his home town of Colwyn Bay in Wales. In a recent email to those who have donated, the funds administrators stated, “We just wanted to say a massive thank you for your donation and that with your help Terry’s statue will be raised!”