Slumgullion

Check out yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.

For a band that broke up over 10 years ago, R.E.M. continues to receive a lot of attention. This past Sunday’s Chicago Tribune included critic John Warner’s positive take on writer Peter Ames Carlin’s new book The Name Of This Band Is R.E.M.; Jason Narducy and Michael Shannon will bring their  Celebrate The 40th Anniversary of R.E.M.’s Fables Of The Reconstruction tribute tour to several cities next year; and the band itself pulled off a one-song surprise reunion at this year’s Songwriters Hall Of Fame event. Tonight, WXRT will broadcast a 1984 concert by R.E.M. recorded at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom as part of its Live From The XRT Archives series. WXRT is available through the Audacy app.

The Atlantic Bar on Chicago’s north side has a power pop double bill coming up tomorrow night with our own Dolph Chaney and The Phins, along with the Boston-based Kid Gulliver. Chaney’s latest album Mug gave us the energetic travelogue single “Californiagain” and other gems; while Kid Gulliver’s latest single is a revved-up take on The Bee Gees’ “I Started A Joke.” A few years back, Kid Gulliver recorded “Susie Survived Chemotherapy,” a song that should inspire any audience to laugh, cheer, and pogo dance.

The Kooks and lovelytheband have collaborated on a melodic and soulful new single titled “Jeanie” and it’s now available on streaming sites. A post on The Kooks Official Facebook page today notes, “‘Jeanie’ is about all the unknown legends. She’s not asking for forgiveness or appreciation from the world, just getting on everyday, looking after her people and living in the moment.” Earlier, The Kooks posted, “We're so happy we got to collaborate on the track with lovelytheband, it’s been a beautiful experience.”

The traveling indie rock/power pop festival International Pop Overthrow will wrap up its 2024 run on the weekend of November 22 – 24 at The Painted Lady venue in Toronto. Previous stops this year (there’s a different lineup for each city) included New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Liverpool, and Chicago.

Marshall Crenshaw’s 40+ Years In Showbiz! tour made a stop at City Winery Boston this past Wednesday, and upcoming dates include New York, Philadelphia, and Asbury Park. Crenshaw is performing with Fernando Perdomo, Derrick Anderson, and Mark Ortmann.

Mike Steven Cohen just returned from a European vacation, and is already performing songs from The Great American Songbook on the Chicago area club scene again. He’s at Tuscan Market in Arlington Heights tonight, and he’ll perform at Chicago Prime Italian in Schaumburg tomorrow night and on November 23.

City Winery Chicago has announced a number of upcoming shows, including EXTC - Terry Chambers And Friends on May 1, 2025. Chambers was the longtime drummer for the critically acclaimed and believe English band XTC.

Congratulations to The Spindles on being chosen as the first act to perform at the Des Plaines Theatre’s new Indie Rock Night series. That show will take place on December 17. The Arcada in St. Charles, IL will also have Indie Rock nights. An earlier announcement from both venues (they’re under the same management) stated acts should have 30 minutes of original indie, alternative, folk, or country to be considered.

This past Tuesday brought the official release of journalist/public relations specialist Cary Baker’s first book, Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking & Street Music. It’s available from Jawbone Press.

 

Sons Of The Silent Age, Chicago’s impressive David Bowie tribute band, have announced a Celebrating 50 Years Of David Bowie’s Young Americans And More show coming to Metro on January 11, 2025. Critically acclaimed actor Michael Shannon, who frequently shares a bill with Sons Of The Silent Age, will perform that night as John Lennon. Tickets are now on sale. Metro is located at 3730 N. Clark Street.

Pravda Records has a 40th Anniversary Showcase and Whiskey Rye Release event coming up on December 7 at the Judson & Moore venue. Pravda label mates Steve Dawson and The Handcuffs will share a bill that kicks off at 8:00 pm. Judson & Moore is located at 3057 N. Rockwell in Chicago.

The Handcuffs have been busy on the club scene lately, promoting the new vinyl edition of their 2022 album Burn The Rails. They’ll perform at Mary’s Place in Rockford, IL on November 22. The band The SIT UP straights will also be on the bill that night at Mary’s Place.

The Lost Record, a collection of songs Susanna Hoffs recorded with Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin from The Go-Go’s in her garage back in 1999, is now available on Bandcamp, Amazon, and other streaming sites. (Musicians Bill Bottrell, Brian MacLeod, and Dan Schwartz also contributed to the 10 tracks.)

Author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s book Eternal Flame - The Authorized Biography Of The Bangles, which is due out in February 2025, is now available for pre-order on various sites.

The 30th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival continues at the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago and will run through November 21.

Todd Leiter-Weintraub, a veteran of International Pop Overthrow - Chicago events with his quirky and catchy band Hop On Pop, will perform for the first time in a while on November 20 gig at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. Welcome back.

The members of Queen have released a remixed, remastered and expanded version of their 1973 debut Queen I. Apparently, they were not amused by how it was produced back in the day. Now it’s a 6-CD+1LP box set with 63 tracks and 43 brand new mixes.

Vocalist Kate Fagan’s long career on the Chicago alt rock scene started with BB Spin although she’s better known for fronting the ska band Heavy Manners. She also recorded the popular single “I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool.” She’s still active these days, as demonstrated by her latest release “2 Good 2 B True.” Co-written by Fagan and guitarist Jeremy Joyce, the song sets reflections on a romance gone sour to an engaging, mid-tempo arrangement.

Singer-guitarist Joe Di Zillo, whose recent album Bringing It Back earned praise here on BHT for its catchy, energetic arrangements and clever lyrics, has a free, all-ages show coming up on December 6 at Sketchbook Brewing in Skokie.

The Famous In The Future comedy group will present A Judy Christmas on the weekend of December 20 – 22 at The Den Theatre in Chicago. The parody of vintage TV holiday specials is back for its third year, having sold out weekend shows in 2023 and 2022. Tickets ($22 – $25) are available via the Famous In The Future website. Full disclosure: I was a member of Famous In The Future for several years.

Tickets are still available for the Sonic45 show at the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights on November 24. The atmospheric and often eerie alt rock band features sports broadcaster/musician/songwriter Len Kasper backed by music scene veterans. Sonic45 will likely include songs from its impressive new album SuperSonic.

A low ticket alert has been issued for the BoDeans annual post Thanksgiving shows on the weekend of November 29 – December 1 at City Winery Chicago. A post on the Wisconsin-based Americana rockers’ Facebook page notes these holiday gigs sell out every year. Tickets are available at the venue.

The Babes With Blades Theatre Company is presenting A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Edge Theatre (5451 N. Broadway) through November 23. The production is directed by Lauren Katz, with fight direction by Jillian Leff. Babes With Blades is a women-focused company that has been on the Chicago theatre scene for several years.

A charity event titled To Find A Friend: An Evening of Tom Petty Music for Hurricane Relief will take place at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL on November 23. Several local acts will perform Petty songs, and proceeds will benefit the North Carolina Arts Disaster Fund.

Chicago: Home Of House, an exhibit honoring the city’s pivotal role in the widespread success of house music, has been extended on Navy Pier through December 15. Admission is free.