Because the night will belong to Patti. Several highly regarded musicians, including Michael Stipe, Matt Berninger, Courtney Barnett, Sharon Van Etten, Alison Mosshart, Kronos Quartet, Ben Harper, Karen O, and Kim Gordon will take part in the People Have The Power - A Celebration Of Patti Smith being held on March 26 at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage At Carnegie Hall. As noted on the official R.E.M. Facebook page, the event is part of the 20th annual Music Of benefit series, and all of net profits will go to fund music education for underserved youth.
Fans who can’t make the trip to New York can get their Patti Smith fix with the recently released book Patti Smith: Before Easter After. Originally released as a limited edition that sold for $1,000, this collection of “hundreds of rarely seen images” taken by critically acclaimed photographer Lynn Goldsmith is now available to the general public for the list price of $65.00.
The 2024 Chris and Heather’s Country Calendar Show at FitzGerald’s In Berwyn, IL will take place on December 21. Andrew Sa; Jodee Lewis; Zachary Stevenson and The Oh Boys; Dave Drazin; Phil Angotti; Nora O’Connor; The Hushdrops; Jane Baxter Miller and Kent Kessler; Casey McDonough; Hillbilly Frolic; Scott Ligon and Kelly Hogan; and The Saturn Kings will be the entertainers joining Chris Ligon and Heather McAdams. Each local act will cover a well-known country or rock act.
Dave Drazin, who’s among the Chris And Heather event performers mentioned above, was a founding member of The Famous In The Future comedy group. FIF 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 a major portion of its weekend shows in 2023 and 2022. Tickets ($22 – $25) are available via the Famous In The Future website. Full disclosure: Like Dave, I was once a member of Famous In The Future.
Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol, currently running at the Studebaker Theater / Fine Arts Building, also offers an adventurous take on a holiday favorite. The plot concerns a widow attempting to carry on her husband’s annual Christmas Carol puppet show, but getting caught up in her own interpretation. The production involves “handmade puppets, immersive sound design, and live music.”
New Zealand masters of melodies and complicated subject matter The Chills will travel back in time for Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs. Scheduled to release on February 25, it’s currently available to pre-order as a download or gold vinyl double LP via The Chills Bandcamp page. Check out the one-song preview “If This World Was Made For Me” and you’ll be hooked.
Fans of The English Beat will no doubt be treated to several irresistible ska songs when the veteran UK band performs at Chicago City Winery this Sunday and Monday nights.Tickets are also on sale for the EXTC - Terry Chambers And Friends show at City Winery Chicago on May 1, 2025. Chambers was the longtime drummer for the critically acclaimed and believe English band XTC.
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.
The Toronto-based co-ed quintet Alvvays has released a 10th anniversary edition of its self-titled debut on Cerulean in Cloudy Clear vinyl that includes the previously unreleased track “Underneath Us.” The album also includes a poster print of hand drawn art by Canadian musician/artist Chad VanGaalen.
Sons Of The Silent Age, Chicago’s impressive David Bowie tribute band, have 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.
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.
Stompin’ Grounds Cafe in Lake Zurich will offer live music by the Face N Time band on December 11 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.
The Mekons recently released a new song titled “You’re Not Singing Anymore” and they have an extensive tour coming in 2025 that will include performances at the Square Roots Festival in Chicago and at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL.
Wisconsin-based Americana rockers The BoDeans have upcoming gigs at The Ames Center in Minneapolis, MN on December 26 and at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL on December 28.
Former Chicago area and now Greenville, SC musician Chris Cerasoli has found success this past year with a pair of melodic, indie rock singles he released as The chrisVandalay Project. His most recent “Your Favorite War” is included on the multi-track Caverns of Gold compilation, which benefits Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. Other artists involved include Left Over Salmon: R.E.M.; North Mississippi Allstars; Luscious Jackson; The Mekons; BoDeans; and The Feelies. The chrisVandalay Project’ early release was “Better Than Before.” Both The chrisVandalay Project songs are available on various streaming sites.
The Bad Examples will return to Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights Saturday, January 4. Lead vocalist-guitarist Ralph Covert has a knack for composing clever, catchy songs that often remind people of Squeeze.
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