Slumgullion

The official schedule for this year’s Halloweekend has been announced, and once again the lineup features local musicians paying tribute to an eclectic selection of world famous acts. The event was staged at various Chicago venues for the better part of this century before finding a home at Montrose Saloon in 2018. Halloweekend 2024 will run on October 25 and 26, with long-time participants such as Rachel Drew; Phil Angotti; Metropolly; Androgynous Mustache; and Dead Freddie scheduled to appear. If some of the other band names seem unfamiliar, keep in mind musicians sometimes craft a one-off identity strictly for this event.

I was happy to receive an update from the people working on the Melanie And Kim Monday fanzine that’s due out soon via the GiveSmart Fundraise campaign. Pre-orders are now closed for the limited-edition, 60-page tribute to musicians Melanie Vammen and the late Kim Shattuck, and it’s now in the process of being printed. All proceeds from the fanzine will benefit the ALS Network.

Prog rock master and The Luck Of Eden Hall founding member Gregory Curvey, AKA Custard Flux, will open for vocalist-guitarist Jane Getter and her Jane Getter Premonition band at Reggies Shack in Chicago’s south loop next Thursday, October 17. The date is part of Jane Getter Premonition Division World Tour 1st Leg.

I just received my copy of Issue 19 of the Second Scene alt rock newspaper, and once again, it’s filled with eye-catching graphics, along with news and reviews. Readers won’t find much copy here on big-name acts, other than a profile on the legendary KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer. But, much like MOJO magazine promotes Brit musicians many of us in the States are unfamiliar with, Second Scene introduces us to indie acts worth checking out. Issues can be ordered from the Second Scene Bandcamp page.

The Creston Illinois Acoustic Music Festival will be held at the Opera House on October 19. Cornelius And The Sleddogs; Mark Walters; Wesley Carr; Peter Irving; Josiah Simon; The Woodruffs; Nik Person; Joel La Vaughn; and Beaverhead are scheduled to perform. The event starts at 3:00 pm; Creston is located approximately 80 miles west of Chicago and 30 miles south of Rockford.

 

Tickets are now available for the Joey’s Song Freezing Man Festival taking place January 8 – 11, 2025 at the Majestic Theater in Madison, WI. Several well-known acts will take part in the charity event, which raises funds to help find treatments and cures for epilepsy. This year’s performers are Debbi and Vicki Peterson, Jane Wiedlin, Tracy Bonham, Belly, The Know-It-All Boyfriends, Cory Chisel, Letters To Cleo, Look Park, John Cowsill, Garbage, Against Me!, Kenny Hoopla, Freedy Johnstone, Portugal. The Man, Silversun Pickups, Heather Porcaro, Steve Porcaro, The Goo Goo Dolls, Sierra Swan, The Nielsen Trust, and Gina Volpe.

Sonic45, the self-proclaimed “Chicago-based new-wave quintet” led by sports broadcaster/musician/songwriter Len Kasper, will return to the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights on November 24. The band’s second album, SuperSonic, has several standout songs, such as “You And I Are Stereo,” “Flying Away,” and the quite unnerving “The Phantom.” In addition to Kasper, the band features Matt Spiegel, Dag Juhlin, Gerald Dowd, and Liam Davis—all veterans of critically acclaimed Chicago area acts. Tickets for the Hey Nonny November 24 gig will be available soon.

Fans of The dB’s will be happy to know a new version of “Ask For Jill” is now available as a single on various streaming sites. The song is one of the many catchy gems on the band’s 1981 album Repercussion, which will be released in a remastered format on October 18 from Propeller Sound Recordings. 

Record Store Day has released the list for this year’s Black Friday Record Store Day, and per tradition, there are vinyl treasures to be found in all genres of music.

“Revelation Blues,” the first single from whitewolfsonicprincess' upcoming album, Love Without Fear, is now available to stream on Spotify and Bandcamp. Guitarist-vocalist James Moeller describes it as, “a bit Celtic blues, a bit wild-fire.” The band has a record release party for Love Without Fear coming up on Halloween night at Evanston SPACE.

Tickets are now on sale for Stevie Wonder’s tour, which opened in Pittsburgh on October 8. Its slogan, Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Heart, is inspired by Wonder’s call for peace and unity on his new single “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart?” New York City; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Greensboro; Atlanta; Detroit; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Grand Rapids; and Chicago are the other stops on the tour.

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.”

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.

 

Vinto Van Go has a gig coming up on October 18 at the LiveWire Lounge on Chicago’s north side. In the meantime, the Chicago band’s REMIX Single “Comeuppance” is now available “everywhere in every way.”

Susanna Hoffs will 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 on October 18.

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.

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.

The Destinos 7th Chicago International Theater Festival continues its run through November 17; and the 60th Chicago International Film Festival opens on October 16 and will run through October 27. Both events will have screenings at various locations.

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.” 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.

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. 

Twisted Dream Machine - The Paisley Underground - California’s Psychedelic Renaissance: 1982-1986 is now available to preorder 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.

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.