Weekend Reminders

The Go-Go’s are among the major acts performing at The Cruel World Fest.

Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention, or concert tickets going on sale.

The Cruel World Festival kicks off this Saturday in Pasadena, CA. Headline acts include New Order; ’til tuesday; The Buzzcocks; Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds; The Go-Go’s; Devo; OMD; Garbage; Alison Moyet, Blancmange; Stereo MC’s; Midge Ure; and Madness.

Tickets are now available for a second Jason Narducy and Dag Juhlin Celebrate Pete Townshend’s (Belated) Birthday performance at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights on June 21. The late show will start at 9:30 pm; tickets for the 7:00 pm show are quickly selling out.

Wolf Alice’s new single “Bloom Baby Bloom” is now available on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, and other streaming sites. The London-based indie rock band, led by vocalist-guitarist Ellie Rowsell, has also released a video for “Bloom Baby Bloom” that can be viewed on YouTube. A collaboration with director Colin Solal Cardo and choreographer Ryan Heffington, it finds Wolf Alice exploring new territory with a Broadway musical approach that might remind some people of Bob Fosse. The band also announced today that a next album, titled The Clearing, is due out August 29.

The 101.7 FM CHIRP Radio Music Film Festival at The Music Box Theatre on Chicago’s north side opened tonight with a 7:00 pm screening of the Brian Eno documentary Eno. The festival runs through Sunday with Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs Of Marc Bolan And T. Rex and Times Square tomorrow night; Lifers: A Local H Movie and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story on Saturday; and Save The Children and I Am Trying To Break Your Heart on Sunday. See the festival website for additional information.

Hung Up On A Dream, director/musician Robert Schwartzman’s 2023 documentary covering The Zombies’ entire career, is now showing in American theaters. It was screened at the AMC theaters in Chicago and suburban Illinois earlier this week; and will be screened tomorrow in New York and Los Angeles. The film features the British Invasion band’s most recent live performances, along with archival footage.

Singer-guitarist Rachel Drew will perform with John Szymanski, Michael Krayniak, and Jason Batchko tomorrow night at FitzGerald’s Sidebar in Berwyn, IL. Drew’s most recent album, Old Sky New, was released in March 2024, and she has a brand new cover of The Replacements’ “Swingin Party” on her Bandcamp page.

Wild Honey Foundation, the California-based a 501(c)(3)non-profit that supports various worthy causes by staging concerts, will join The Zevon Family in presenting Join Me In L.A.: The Songs Of Warren Zevon With The Wild Honey Orchestra on October 24 at the United Center on Los Angeles.

Chicago singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen will perform selections from the Great American Songbook this Saturday night and next Saturday, May 24 at the Chicago Prime Italian restaurant in Schaumburg, IL.

Tellin’ Tales Theatre will present Divercity: Breaking Through this weekend at the Goodman Theatre/Alice Center for Education and Engagement in downtown Chicago. The show will feature solo performances by writers, artists, and advocates with disabilities. Tellin’ Tales Theatre’s mission is “to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story.”

Incoming

Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band’s 2025 tour will include a recently added show at the Chicago Theatre on September 10. Starr’s latest album, Look Up, finds him working in a Country and Western vein, but it’s likely he and his mates will be covering all kinds of music, including Beatles tunes.

Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side has a four-act showcase coming up on May 30 that will feature Falling Stars, Bronco Bama, The Spindles, and Penthouse Sweets.

The Who’s The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour starts August 16 in Sunrise, FL and will finish on September 28 in Las Vegas. The 14-concert tour will include a stop on September 7 at the United Center in Chicago.

Ascendant, the Chicago-based soul band that’s been giving audiences spirited performances for 20 years, will release a new single titled “Love Saved My Life” on May 23. Including alternate versions in an EP format, it’s a follow up to their 2022 critically acclaimed album Illuminate: YELLOW. Ascendant will likely showcase “Love Saved My Life” during its June 11 show at City Winery Chicago.

Wolf Alice’s “Bloom Baby Bloom” single, due out this Thursday, will be the London-based indie rockers’ first new music since their adventurous album Blue Weekend dropped in 2021. Hopefully, “Bloom Baby Bloom” will be soon followed by a full album.

Hung Up On A Dream, director/musician Robert Schwartzman’s 2023 documentary covering The Zombies’ entire career, is coming to American theaters this month. It will be screened at the AMC theaters in Chicago and suburban Illinois tomorrow, and on Friday in New York and Los Angeles. The film features the British Invasion band’s most recent live performances, along with archival footage.

The Cruel World festival kicks off this Saturday in Pasadena, CA. Headline acts include New Order; ’til tuesday; The Buzzcocks; Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds; The Go-Go’s; Devo; OMD; Garbage; Alison Moyet, Blancmange; Stereo MC’s; Midge Ure; and Madness.

Tellin’ Tales Theatre will present Divercity: Breaking Through this weekend at the Goodman Theatre/Alice Center for Education and Engagement in downtown Chicago. The show will feature solo performances by writers, artists, and advocates with disabilities. Tellin’ Tales Theatre’s mission is “to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story.

Sunday Papers

Ellie Rowsell: Who knows what she’ll do next?

Wolf Alice’s “Bloom Baby Bloom” single, due out this Thursday, will be the London-based indie rockers’ first new music since their critically acclaimed album Blue Weekend dropped in 2021. That effort proved once again how emotionally convincing lead vocalist-guitarist Ellie Rowsell can be, whether she sings like an angel or screams like a banshee. Hopefully, “Bloom Baby Bloom” will be soon followed by a full album.

Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti is well known on the Chicago music scene for his tribute shows to Pete Townshend, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, The Zombies, and other worthy acts, but he’s also pretty impressive performing his own material. Angotti recently posted on Facebook that he has a new acoustic album titled Notebook Head coming out soon. As with his previous two releases, it will be available on Bandcamp. 

The Cruel World festival takes place in Pasadena, CA on May 17. Headline acts include New Order; ’til tuesday; The Buzzcocks; Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds; The Go-Go’s; Devo; OMD; Garbage; Alison Moyet, Blancmange; Stereo MC’s; Midge Ure; and Madness.

It’s only fitting that Chicago-based blues singer-guitarist Rob Moore will perform songs from his new album Chicago Dog at the Windy City Hot Dog Fest this year. The album was engineered and mastered by musician/producer Ellis Clark, and features members of Liquid Soul. Moore’s set kicks off on the Community Stage at 6:00 pm on Saturday, May 31. The Windy City Hot Dog Fest runs May 30 – June 1 in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood.

As reported on the Brooklyn Vegan website, Gina Birch from the Brit band The Raincoats has an album titled Trouble coming out on July 11. She’ll be backed by musicians Marie Merlet and Jenny Green. It’s the second solo effort from Birch, who’ll head out on tour with The Miki Berenyi Trio (led by the former Lush founder) this fall. They’ll be in Chicago on October 17 at Lincoln Hall. 

Tellin’ Tales Theatre will present Divercity: Breaking Through on the weekend of May 16 – 18 at the Goodman Theatre/Alice Center for Education and Engagement in downtown Chicago. The show will feature solo performances by writers, artists, and advocates with disabilities. Tellin’ Tales Theatre’s mission is “to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story.

Sony Pictures Classic has announced the critically acclaimed rock and roll documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin will be back on big screens in selected theaters for another limited run. 

The Handcuffs have a gig coming up on June 27 on the Patio at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL. The Chicago-based indie rockers have four albums to draw material from, as well as songs that will be on their next release.

The Smithereens, with guest vocalist Marshall Crenshaw, have a summer-opening gig at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ on June 21. It’s part of the N2S North To Shore Festival.

The Stockport Music Story organization honored the late Eric Haydock—who played bass for The Hollies back in their early years—with a plaque at The Red Bull pub last week. A special poster by artist Vivian Lally commemorating this event will be available from the Stockport Music Story website soon. Stockport is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. Lally has several rock musician portraits available on her Etsy page.

UK-based music historian/author Peter Checksfield’s new book The Hollies - Elevated Observations: The Graham Nash Years 1963 – 1968 is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and kindle versions.

IPO - Liverpool will run May 25 – June 1 at The Cavern. The entire schedule is on the official International Pop Overthrow website, with links to most of the participants. If you can’t be there in person, the website is a convenient way to discover new music.

The feature-length documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender, which is described as The Tall Tales Of A Short Rock Star on the official U2 website, will stream on May 30 on Apple TV. The film is based on the Bono’s solo tour for his fascinating memoir, Surrender - 40 songs, one story.

Billy Idol’s It’s A Nice Day To . . . Tour Again! series of concerts, with special guest Joan Jett, kicked off in Phoenix, AZ and will include a stop at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL on May 20. Other cities scheduled to have a nice day include Houston, Tampa, Nashville, Cincinnati, Toronto, Philadelphia, and New York. The final date is September 25 in Los Angeles.

Tickets are now on sale for the 99 Years Of Rock ’N Roll X And Los Lobos show on October 16 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Each of these Los Angeles groundbreaking bands will feature all original members. The date is part of a tour that kicks off on July 19 in Denver, and includes stops in Salt Lake City, Toronto, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Seattle.

Folk rock legend Paul Simon will perform at the Chicago Symphony Center May 21 – 24.

Kinks fans from around the world get an opportunity to express their admiration for the band in author Chris Kocher’s new book Thank You For The Days: Fans Of The Kinks Share 60 Years Of Stories. Those fans include musicians such as Jonathan Lea, John Wesley Harding, and Ron Sexsmith, along with other professionals who’ve worked with The Kinks over the years. Thank You For The Days is now available on Amazon.

The Chicago Blues Festival, an annual event since 1984 and believed to be the world’s largest blues festival, returns to Millennium Park for the long weekend of June 5 – June 8. Mavis Staples will be among the headliners, and there will be a centennial tribute to the late B.B. King. Opening day will take place at the Ramova Theatre at 3520 S. Halsted and feature performances by Bobby Rush and Billy Branch And The Sons Of The Blues.

The Cincinnati, OH publisher Ruffian Books has released a new one titled 500 Essential Pop-Punk Albums - From Blondie To blink-182, offering more than 550 pages of famous and lesser known artists. It’s available for $29.95.

The always engaging duo Sparks will release a new album titled Mad! on May 23 in vinyl, CD, and cassette fomats. After a world tour that will take them across Japan and Europe, Ron and Russell Mael will arrive in Atlanta, GA on September 5 to kick off an American tour that will include 15 dates. Chicago is not among the cities on the U.S. tour, which is likely to leave fans here, well, Mad!

Online applications are now available for those interested in being part of YippieFest 2025 at Chopin Theatre on Chicago’s north side. The freewheeling, in-person entertainment event will return for its seventh year on the weekend of August 22 – 24. The long-running sketch/musical comedy group Famous In The Future will once again host YippieFest, which is inspired by the annual Abby Fest that was staged by Mary-Arrchie Theatre for several years.

Hung Up On A Dream, director/musician Robert Schwartzman’s 2023 documentary covering The Zombies’ entire career, is coming to American theaters starting May 11. It will be screened at the AMC theaters in Chicago and suburban Illinois on May 13; and on May 16 in New York and Los Angeles. The film features the British Invasion band’s most recent live performances, along with archival footage.

Local publisher Numero Group has released Dante Carfagna’s two-volume, 732-page set Soul Music Of Illinois. The website states Soul Music Of Illinois “chronicles over 3200 artists, 1200 record companies, and 10,000 individual releases between the years of 1960 and 1990.”

Peter Asher, who was half of the popular British Invasion duo Peter and Gordon before moving on to a highly successful career as a producer, also continues to perform music himself. His multimedia show A Musical Memoir of the 60s and Beyond comes to The Old Town School Of Folk Music May 16.

Fans of Chicago rock and roll circa the mid 1960s might have a willingness to check out The New Colony Six on May 23 at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights.

Weekend Reminders

Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention, or concert tickets going on sale.

Pete Townshend released an 8-CD box set titled The Studio Albums a few months back that includes all his solo works. You won’t hear that many of his songs at the Izaak Walton Preserve in Homewood, IL this Saturday night but you’re still bound to have fun. Presented by the Homewood Arts Council, the event celebrates Townshend’s birthday a little over a week early, with four well-known Chicago area musicians providing the entertainment. Phil Angotti, Dolph Chaney, Rick Rizzo and Sam Vicari will each perform a set of solo Townshend and The Who material. The Izaak Walton Preserve is located at 1100 W. Ridge Road in Homewood.

Led by vocalist-guitarist Jay Farrar, alternative rock/country group Son Volt will likely perform songs from its 2023 album Day Of The Doug this Friday and Saturday at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL. Friday’s show is indoors and Saturday’s is outdoors; both are sold out. These guys can also tap into several previous albums, dating back to their 1995 debut Trace.

Chicago singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen will perform selections from the Great American Songbook on consecutive Saturday nights from May 10 through May 24 at the Chicago Prime Italian restaurant in Schaumburg, IL.

Chicago’s multi-faceted and quite often humorous covers band EXPO ’76 has a gig this Saturday night at the Austin Community Tavern in Steger, IL.

It’s a sure sign that warmer weather is on the way when the riverside venues in Chicago start opening. The City Winery Riverwalk opens this Saturday.

I Love A Starman In A Uniform. Super Creeps and Damaged Gods will be paying tribute to David Bowie and Gang Of Four respectively tomorrow night at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. On Saturday night at that same venue, The Power Pop Shoppe radio program will present the Remembering 1975 Live Music Event with local acts Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, Rolling Numbers, The Dry Look, Staff Infexion, Super X, Keke, and Marina performing their favorite songs from 50 years ago.

Translator, the band that gave us the classic indie rock song “Everywhere That I’m Not” in 1982, will release Live at the Farm, San Francisco 1986 tomorrow. The album includes two new songs recorded in 2023 by band members Steve Barton, Robert Darlington, Larry Dekker, and David Scheffin.

Stompin’ Grounds Cafe, the Lake Zurich venue that’s become a favorite morning spot for my wife Pam and me, is presenting an Adopt-a-Latte Puppy And Dog Adoption Event this Saturday from 10:00 am to noon.

Incoming

Congratulations to David Bash on another successful International Pop Overthrow - Chicago at Montrose Saloon this year. As the nine-day festival wrapped up this past Saturday night, I caught the first three acts: Mike Cohen with bassist Rich Williamson and drummer Joe Rossi; 45 Souls; and The Spindles. Each gave an impressive performance, and the party atmosphere was augmented by the camaraderie among so many musicians hanging out at the club. Those vibes were just as strong a week earlier when I caught performances by The Jeremy Band, Monte Carload, The Emily Chloe Quinn Ensemble, and The Band Calderisi. If Montrose Saloon was closer to my home, I would have checked out a lot more bands. That sentiment goes for Montrose Saloon’s schedule in general.

Next up for Mr. Bash is the May 25 – June 1 IPO - Liverpool festival in the UK. The entire schedule is on the official International Pop Overthrow website, with links to most of the participants. If you can’t be there in person, the website is a convenient way to discover new music.

Speaking of England, The Stockport Music Story organization honored the late Eric Haydock—who played bass for The Hollies back in their early years—with a plaque at The Red Bull pub yesterday. “He was one of the first British musicians to have a Fender Bass VI, a six-string bass which he played in Manchester band The Deltas,” the Stockport Music Story noted in a Facebook post. Stockport is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. A special poster by artist Vivian Lally commemorating this event will be available from the Stockport Music Story website soon. Lally has several rock musician portraits available on her Etsy page.

In related news, Peter Howarth, who’s been the lead vocalist for The Hollies since 2004, has a solo show coming up on August 23 at at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton. For those unfamiliar with the English countryside, Sturminster Newton is a town in Dorset, on the River Stour and the Blackmore Vale.

And, just as a reminder, UK-based music historian/author Peter Checksfield’s new book The Hollies - Elevated Observations: The Graham Nash Years 1963 – 1968 is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and kindle versions.

Back here in Chicago, Alison Moyet will perform at the Vic Theatre on the city’s north side this Wednesday. Moyet started her career as half of Yazoo (known as Yaz in America) and went on to a successful solo career with hits such as “Love Resurrection” and “All Cried Out.”

Chicago’s beloved covers band EXPO ’76 will perform at the Prairie Moon restaurant in Evanston, IL as the venue celebrates its 23rd anniversary this Thursday. There will be drink and dinner specials all night, and the live music starts at 8:00 pm. There’s no cover charge, but reservations are recommended. Two days later, EXPO ’76 will perform at the Austin Community Tavern in Steger, IL.

Translator, the band that gave us the classic indie rock song “Everywhere That I'm Not” in 1982, will release Live at the Farm, San Francisco 1986 this Friday. The album includes two new songs recorded in 2023 by band members Steve Barton, Robert Darlington, Larry Dekker, and David Scheffin as bonus tracks.

Sunday Papers

Bono photo from official U2 website.

The feature-length documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender, which is described as The Tall Tales Of A Short Rock Star on the official U2 website, will stream on May 30 on Apple TV. The film is based on the Bono’s solo tour for his fascinating memoir, Surrender - 40 songs, one story.

EXPO ’76 will perform at the Prairie Moon restaurant in Evanston as the venue celebrates its 23rd anniversary this Thursday. There will be drink and dinner specials all night, and the live music starts at 8:00 pm. There’s no cover charge, but reservations are recommended. Two days later, EXPO ’76 will perform at the Austin Community Tavern in Steger, IL.

Alison Moyet will perform at the Vic Theatre this Wednesday. Moyet started her career as half of Yazoo (known as Yaz in America) and went on to a successful solo career with hits such as “Love Resurrection” and “All Cried Out.”

The 15th Annual Blue Whiskey Film Festival started last week and will run through May 13 at venues in Chicago, Elk Grove, and Downers Grove.

Tickets are now on sale for the Tom Rush July 29 concert at The Old Town School of Folk Music.

Billy Idol’s It’s A Nice Day To . . . Tour Again! series of concerts, with special guest Joan Jett, kicked off this past Wednesday in Phoenix, AZ and will include a stop at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL on May 20. Other cities scheduled to have a nice day include Houston, Tampa, Nashville, Cincinnati, Toronto, Philadelphia, and New York. The final date is September 25 in Los Angeles. 

Tickets are now on sale for the 99 Years Of Rock ’N Roll X And Los Lobos show on October 16 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Each of these Los Angeles groundbreaking bands will feature all original members. The date is part of a tour that kicks off on July 19 in Denver, and includes stops in Salt Lake City, Toronto, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Seattle.

Paul Simon will perform at the Chicago Symphony Center May 21 – 24.

Performers scheduled for this year’s Riot Fest in Chicago range from punk pioneers such as Sex Pistols, The Pogues, Marky Ramone, The Damned, The Effigies, Shonen Knife, and The Buzzcocks to more recently formed acts such as The Linda Lindas and Inhaler. Green Day, Jack White, The Beach Boys, Weezer, The Cribs, Dropkick Murphys, Sparks, and Rilo Kiley are among the other acts coming to Douglass Park on the weekend of September 19 – 21.

Kinks fans from around the world get an opportunity to express their admiration for the band in author Chris Kocher’s new book Thank You For The Days: Fans Of The Kinks Share 60 Years Of Stories. Those fans include musicians such as Jonathan Lea, John Wesley Harding, and Ron Sexsmith, along with other professionals who’ve worked with The Kinks over the years. Thank You For The Days is now available on Amazon. 

The Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello Tour, featuring Costello and The Imposters, is coming to the Chicago Theatre on October 16. The 22-date tour kicks off on September 18 in Bethelem, PA—with American singer-songwriter Charlie Sexton as a special guest—and wraps up in Omaha, NE on October 22.  

The Big Star Quintet has three concerts coming up in July. The lineup comprises original Big Star member Jody Stephens; along with Mike Mills from R.E.M., Jon Auer from The Posies, Pat Sansone from Wilco, and Chris Stamey from the dB’s. They’ll be in Germantown, TN on July 19; Nashville, TN on July 20; Minneapolis, MN on July 23; and at my house on July 25 to celebrate my birthday. Just kidding about that July 25 gig.

Bruce Springsteen plans to release an 83-song collection of previously unreleased material titled Tracks II: The Lost Albums on June 27. Springsteen’s website states the project will be available “in limited-edition nine LP, seven CD and digital formats.” It will also include a 100-page, cloth-bound hardcover book. Springsteen will also release a less ambitious set titled Lost And Found: Selections from The Lost Albums offering 20 highlights on two LPs or one CD. 

The 40th Annual Printer’s Row Lit Fest will take place on September 6 and 7 in the southern area of downtown Chicago. Poet/fiction writer/essayist Sandra Cisneros will this year’s headliner.

The Chicago Blues Festival, an annual event since 1984 and believed to be the world’s largest blues festival, returns to Millennium Park for the long weekend of June 5 – June 8. Mavis Staples will be among the headliners, and there will be a centennial tribute to the late B.B. King. Opening day will take place at the Ramova Theatre at 3520 S. Halsted and feature performances by Bobby Rush and Billy Branch And The Sons Of The Blues.

The Cincinnati, OH publisher Ruffian Books has released a new one titled 500 Essential Pop-Punk Albums - From Blondie To blink-182, offering more than 550 pages of famous and lesser known artists. It’s available for $29.95.

Detroit-based singer-songwriter Jeremy Porter will bring his Spring 2025 Solo-Acoustic Tour to the Lakeview Uncommon Ground venue in Chicago this Wednesday. Porter, whose songs mix catchy melodies with dark humor, will share the bill at Uncommon Ground with Phil Yates and Gary Camaro.

I’m proud to share the news that my nephew Joe Flamm will co-chair this year’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry, along with fellow successful chef Diana Davila, on June 27. The event will be held at Rockwell On The River (3057 N. Rockwell) and feature 50 chefs and mixologists. Several well-known Chicago area restaurants will be involved, including Joe’s Rose Mary and il Carciofo; and Diana’s Mi Tocaya Antojeria. General Admission is $150, while an All Access Pass is $200 

The always engaging duo Sparks will release a new album titled Mad! on May 23 in vinyl, CD, and cassette fomats. After a world tour that will take them across Japan and Europe, Ron and Russell Mael will arrive in Atlanta, GA on September 5 to kick off an American tour that will include 15 dates. Chicago is not among the cities on the U.S. tour, which is likely to leave fans here, well, Mad!

Todd Rundgren’s July 13 concert at The Riviera Theatre in Chicago will be part of his Still Me (Still We) Tour. The 22-date tour kicks off on June 21 in Cranston, RI, and will also include stops in Syracuse, NY; Cincinnati, OH; Kalamazoo, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Cleveland, OH; and Orlando, FL. 

Online applications are now available for those interested in being part of YippieFest 2025 at Chopin Theatre on Chicago’s north side. The freewheeling, in-person entertainment event will return for its seventh year on the weekend of August 22 – 24. The long-running sketch/musical comedy group Famous In The Future will once again host YippieFest, which is inspired by the annual Abby Fest that was staged by Mary-Arrchie Theatre for several years.

Hung Up On A Dream, director/musician Robert Schwartzman’s 2023 documentary covering The Zombies’ entire career, is coming to American theaters starting May 11. It will be screened at the AMC theaters in Chicago and suburban Illinois on May 13; and on May 16 in New York and Los Angeles. The film features the British Invasion band’s most recent live performances, along with archival footage.

Local publisher Numero Group has released Dante Carfagna’s two-volume, 732-page set Soul Music Of Illinois. The website states Soul Music Of Illinois “chronicles over 3200 artists, 1200 record companies, and 10,000 individual releases between the years of 1960 and 1990.”

Peter Asher, who was half of the popular British Invasion duo Peter and Gordon before moving on to a highly successful career as a producer, also continues to perform music himself. His multimedia show A Musical Memoir of the 60s and Beyond comes to The Old Town School Of Folk Music May 16.

The Color Purple - The Musical is coming to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago starting June 21. The production will be directed by Lili-Anne Brown, with book by Marsha Norman, and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Alee Willis, and Stephen Bray.

Garbage, the band that gave us songs such as “Stupid Girl,” “I’m Only Happy When It Rains,” and “I Think I’m Paranoid,” have a Happy Endings Tour with special guest Starcrawler coming this fall. It kicks off on September 3 in Orlando, FL, and will include a stop at The Salt Shed in Chicago on September 29. Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, the band’s eighth album, is due out May 30.

Chicago-based, guitar-powered instrumental band Outronaut recently released an extensive and ambitious new tune titled “Demonic Republic.” Check it out, along with other previous gems on the Outronaut Bandcamp page.

Aimee Mann has a 22 1/2 Lost In Space Anniversary Tour with guest Jonathan Coulton coming this summer. It opens on June 5 in Cranston, RI and wraps up at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on June 27.

Translator, the band that gave us the classic indie rock song “Everywhere That I'm Not” in 1982, will release Live at the Farm, San Francisco 1986 this Friday. The album includes two new songs recorded in 2023 by band members Steve Barton, Robert Darlington, Larry Dekker, and David Scheffin as bonus tracks.

IPO - Chicago: Second Half Of The Double Bill Finale

Vintage Photo of Mike Cohen and Jeff Janulis Performing as The Abbeys from Mike Cohen’s Facebook page.

One sure thing about Mike Cohen’s set at tomorrow night’s International Pop Overthrow - Chicago  finale at Montrose Saloon is that he won’t have trouble finding the venue. Cohen has literally performed there 100 times as a solo act and as part of various bands. He’s also a Chicago - IPO veteran at its various locations dating back to the days when he led The Abbeys with vocalist-guitarist Jeff Janulis. As to what he’s got planned for tomorrow, here’s a recent Facebook post. “I have played the IPO some 26 times in those long years. Pretty cool. I’ll be joined on bass by Rich Williamson and Joe Rossi will be on the kit. I’m playing a set of my songs. (I don’t get to do that very often.)” He’s done several Songs From The American Songbook gigs in recent years. 45 Souls consistently deliver melodic songs with harmony vocals, whether it’s on an energetic pop tune such as “It’s All Right,” a ballad such as “Lemoncholy Melondrop,” or a country and western number such as “This Is Life At Speed.” They’ve released six EPs over the years, all of which can be enjoyed on their website. The Spindles have spent several years on the Chicago club scene perfecting their British Invasion flavored power pop. Their recently released Wavelength album logically follows the same formula as their successful 2018 effort Past And Present; offering another entertaining mix of originals and well-chosen covers. Vocalist-guitarist Jeff Janulis was a band mate with the above-mentioned Mike Cohen in the power pop band The Abbeys.

Singer-songwriter Finn Swingley has performed as a solo act and in numerous bands over the years. He released the full-length album Pet Hates last year and The Wild Hunt in 2020. His offbeat observations are engaging, whether he’s dealing with a troubled relationship on “Ex-Lovers” or spinning a sailor’s journey on “The Captain.” Several musicians performed with him on those two albums, so it will be interesting to see if he has a full band tomorrow night. Detroit-based Big Stir Records artists The Incurables released their Inside Out And Backwards album of non-stop energetic and often humorous garage rock in 2024. The highlights included “Soda Pop,” a bass-driven tribute to the fizzy beverage, and the hard-edged rejection voiced in “Go Away.” As the title of their 2021 album National Absurdatory suggests, The Embryos view life through satiric glasses. That album had plenty of highlights, and so does their 2024 effort Selling What You Want To Buy. There’s the humorous country weeper “Desiree,” the 1960s flavored silly dance number “Do The Donkey,” and the blistering but catchy satire “He’s A Hypocrite.” Who’s This Mary? has the honor of bringing this year’s IPO - Chicago to a close with their midnight performance. The Chicago scene veterans bill themselves as “celebrated globe-trotting power pop sons,” and place a particular emphasis on Britpop.

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago 2025 schedule. You’ll also find links for most of the acts who’ll be participating this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you even see the band perform.

IPO - Chicago: First Half Of The Double Bill Finale

Photo from Free Joel Facebook page.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago will wrap up its 2025 run at Montrose Saloon with a pair of showcases tomorrow; one in the afternoon, and then the finale at night. Looking at both sets for this last day serves as a reminder of the eclectic approach IPO Founder David Bash takes in choosing the acts he’ll present. This year, I’m breaking Saturday’s sets into two separate posts. Here’s the lowdown on the afternoon acts.

The band Sensational Gnus is a fairly new (or gnu if we’re staying in pun mode) band comprising “two CPS teachers and two CPS middle schoolers, helped out by a ringer violin player and an awesome trumpet player.” Their Facebook page also hints at a connection with the LaRue DeVille band, which features former members of The Red Wigglers. A bit hard to follow, but if they’re as adventurous as The Red Wigglers, this set should be fun. The power pop band The Thin Cherries have released two albums and a few singles dating back to 2017, with material ranging from the mysterious “I Love Your Ghost” to the catchy though still a bit unsettling “Weird World.” The band’s vocalist-guitarist Steven Delisi has released solo music they can also perform. Otter Petter have been releasing music for 15 years, with their latest recording being last summer’s Cobwebs EP. Their melodic and guitar-driven pop songs, such as “The Rest Of The World” and “Surfer Girls” have made them long-time favorites at IPO - Chicago.

Indiana natives Free Joel create hard-edged funk rock originals such as “Another Day” and “Can’t Sleep,” along covers such as The Beatles’ “Yer Blues” and Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out.” They’ve got an energetic stage presence led by vocalist-guitarist Noah Martin, and have released five singles and an EP since 2023. The Indiana talent continues with Status Foe, a quartet that performs hard-edged rock with a message on the Indianapolis music scene. On “Learn It For A Fee,” lead vocalist-guitarist Colby Holmes offers nothing-ventured-nothing-gained advice while the song remains melodic. Other impressive songs in that vein include “Lenses Of Greed,” and “Propagate.” Judging from the Satellite Union Facebook page, tomorrow’s set at IPO - Chicago will be the band’s first 2025 gig. These guys draw on classic rock of years past for melodic and guitar-powered songs such as “Mix Tape,” “Dirt Road” and “Leave My Heart,” so I’m sure they’ll do fine.

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago 2025 schedule. You’ll also find links for most of the acts who’ll be participating this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you even see the band perform.

Weekend Reminders

For information on the artists performing at Friday night’s International Pop Overthrow - Chicago showcase, check out my earlier post today.

Depending on when you read this, you could still catch the EXTC Terry Chambers And Friends show at City Winery Chicago tonight. The show features the longtime drummer for the critically acclaimed and beloved English band XTC, backed by veteran musicians.

Likewise for the Our House - Music Of  CSNY With Family Members Of The Original CSNY - “Live At Fillmore East” concert taking place tonight at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL.

The Stop Making Sense: A Film By Jonathan Demme And Talking Heads Live Event Hosted By Jerry Harrison at the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts in Skokie, IL also takes place tonight. The re-release of Demme’s iconic 1984 concert flick has been restored in 4K, and Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison will provide an introduction, as well comments and a Q&A session afterward.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 am for the 99 Years Of Rock ’N Roll X And Los Lobos show on October 16 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Each of these Los Angeles groundbreaking bands will feature all original members. The date is part of a tour that kicks off on July 19 in Denver, and includes stops in Salt Lake City, Toronto, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Seattle.

Chicago’s legendary folk singer Bonnie Koloc will be right at home when she performs at The Old Town School Of Folk Music tomorrow night, with special guest singer-guitarist Mark Dvorak. The music starts at 8:00 pm. In related news regarding a folk music legend, tickets for the Tom Rush July 29 concert at The Old Town School of Folk Music will go on sale tomorrow.

The New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival ran last Thursday through Sunday, and will run today through this Sunday this week as well.

Dead Freddie, the self-described Punk Pop Phenomena, will join fellow Chicago bands Go Time! and The Spindles in a triple bill at the Heroes West Sports Grill in Lemont, IL tomorrow. The music starts at 7:30 pm.

IPO - Chicago: Friday On My Mind

Photo from Ralph Covert Facebook page.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 2025 will wrap things up at Montrose Saloon this weekend with a seven-band showcase on Friday night, and a doubleheader (six sets in the afternoon, seven sets in the evening) on Saturday.

Singer-guitarist Billy Nixon will get things rocking and rolling on Friday at 7:30 pm. Nixon’s October 2023 album Late Fees, like his 2021 effort C’mon Let’s Rattle, evokes sock hops and malt shoppes with catchy and fun arrangements. Kerosene Stars have been releasing power pop albums since their 2014 self-titled effort, and put out the fun “Ants In The Bathroom” single last year. Their set at IPO - Chicago this Friday night will bring a catchy new song titled “Kerosine” (yes, the spelling’s different) that was posted on Bandcamp last Friday. Draped Apes, a self-described art-garage rock band, will travel from Nashville, TN to Chicago this Friday night. They have an official video for their adventurous indie rock song “Say Nothing,” and toured the UK last August.

It doesn’t seem that long ago I was enjoying a performance by Aaron Fox And The Reliables at an International Pop Overthrow - Chicago event. But as the band pointed out in a recent Facebook post about this Friday’s gig, that had to be back in 2014 or earlier. The post states they’re “super excited” to be playing their first show together in 11 years. Here’s what I wrote about the band way back when: Aaron Fox & The Reliables treated the audience to a seven-song preview of their follow up to 2010’s Late Too Soon. The catchy “Unpromised Land” and “What We Think” were immediate grabbers that highlighted the band’s knack for guitar-driven arrangements and impressive harmonies. Ralph Covert has created songs with The Bad Examples across many albums that are reminiscent of the clever and melodic music of Squeeze, and he offers fun musical lessons for kids via Ralph’s World. He’s performed a number of times over the years at IPO - Chicago. As for this Friday’s show, Covert recently posted on Facebook that he’ll offer “a 1/2 hour set of unreleased tunes backed by a killer band including The Bad Examples’ bassist Josiah Bailey, Miguel H Gonzalez on drums, and the amazing trombone of Henry Alden Carpender.”

The Nobodies’ offbeat and satirical lyrics are set to arrangements that range from the garage rock of  “You’re Making Me A Headache” to the country and western twang of  “Drunk Text My Ex.” They’ve also been known to cover The Ramones’ “Beat On The Brat” at their shows. The Minneapolis quartet High On Stress has taken an unpredictable path to creating music since its 2005 debut Moonlight Girls, and has released several singles and full-length albums since. Their songs tap into energetic rock (“Work Release,” “Nothing Can Change You”) country twang (“Leaving MPLS”), and ballads (“Life Can Get So Long”) while spinning tales of unhappy and frustrated characters.

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago 2025 schedule. You’ll also find links for most of the acts who’ll be participating this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you even see the band perform.

IPO - Chicago: Thursday Preview

Thursday night’s showcase at Montrose Saloon on the city’s north side arrives as a new month begins, and brings us to roughly the halfway mark for this year’s nine-day International Pop Overthrow - Chicago  festival.  

The Larvettes’ set will likely feature songs from their Here Come The Larvettes EP, which dropped on April 1. It’s a consistently hard-hitting effort that starts off with a cover of Nashville Teens’ “Tobacco Road,” and offers guitar-driven tracks such as “Russian Roulette” and “Doghouse.” They previously gave us the the ironically titled three-song Happy Go Lucky Times in 2022. Power pop band The Second Summer recently contributed a new song titled “Glimmerglass” to indie label Kool Kat Musik’s Pop Aid 2: A Compilation To Benefit Those Affected By Hurricanes Helene & Milton. It’s one of the many gems on that charitable effort. The Second Summer’s debut album undertow is filled with catchy tunes graced with well-crafted harmony vocals. A Nice Chunk is an appropriate title for The Loan Jetts’ 2024 debut album since there are several catchy, guitar-driven tracks on this effort. “Like A Cherrystone,” “Lost My Mind,” and “Slitherin’ By” are three good examples.

Folk singer Steve Slagg takes an introspective approach on his third album I Don’t Want To Get Adjusted To This World. His extensive, poetic lyrics are set to easy-going arrangements, with the title track, “Heaven (Yet),” and “Outside All The Time” being particularly effective. Named after founding member Jerry Schwartz, The Jerrys have been creating Anglo-influenced, guitar-driven pop since releasing their debut album in 2001. Cover Songs, which came out this past February, finds them performing material by The Beatles, The Kinks, Johnny Rivers, The Ventures, and other 1960s hit makers. Their 2022 release Ready Or Not offered original material. Taking time from its busy schedule on Syracuse, NYmusic scene, the band Modafferi has traveled to Chicago to take part in this year’s IPO festival. They’re a creative bunch who have filmed numerous videos for original indie rock songs such as “Coming Across The Middle,” “The Incident,” and “D.O.A.”

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago 2025 schedule. You’ll also find links for most of the acts who’ll be participating this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you even see the band perform.

Incoming

For information on the artists performing at tomorrow night’s International Pop Overthrow - Chicago showcase, check out the IPO - Chicago Wednesday Preview I posted earlier today. I’m trying to stay at least one day ahead while creating a preview for each showcase through this Saturday night.

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10:00 am for the 99 Years Of Rock ’N Roll X And Los Lobos show on October 16 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Each of these Los Angeles groundbreaking bands will feature all original members. The date is part of a tour that kicks off on July 19 in Denver, and includes stops in Salt Lake City, Toronto, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Seattle.

Chicago’s legendary folk singer Bonnie Koloc will be right at home when she performs at The Old Town School Of Folk Music this Friday, with special guest singer-guitarist Mark Dvorak. The music starts at 8:00 pm. In related news regarding a folk music legend, tickets for the Tom Rush July 29 concert at The Old Town School of Folk Music will go on sale this Friday.

The New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival ran last Thursday through Sunday, and will run Thursday through this Sunday this week as well. Well-known acts from several genres have been taking part.

Terry Chambers And Friends, which features the longtime drummer for the critically acclaimed and beloved English band XTC backed by veteran musicians, takes place this Thursday at City Winery Chicago.

Dead Freddie, the self-described Punk Pop Phenomena, will join fellow Chicago bands Go Time! and The Spindles in a triple bill at the Heroes West Sports Grill in Lemont, IL this Friday. The music starts at 7:30 pm.

The Our House - Music Of  CSNY With Family Members Of The Original CSNY - “Live At Fillmore East” concert takes place at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL this Thursday.

The Stop Making Sense: A Film By Jonathan Demme And Talking Heads Live Event Hosted By Jerry Harrison is this Thursday to the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts in Skokie, IL. The re-release of Demme’s iconic 1984 concert flick has been restored in 4K, and Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison will provide an introduction, as well comments and a Q&A session afterward. Limited meet and greet tickets are available.

IPO - Chicago: Wednesday

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 2025 continues its daily run at Montrose Saloon on the city’s north side through this Saturday, May 3. I’ve been able to post a preview of each showcase so far, and here’s a peek at Wednesday night’s lineup, featuring recording artists from the indie label Big Blast Records.

“Come Out Of The Darkness,” the latest single from the former Belleville, MI now Chicago-based quartet Quasar-Wut Wut, came out in 2022 but these guys have been sporadically giving the world silly indie rock songs since 1990. They’re active filmmakers as well, so it should be interesting to see how they present their adventurous compositions in a live performance. Golden Richards has performed numerous times at IPO - Chicago, as well as at clubs around the city. Their 2024 epic single “Doctor K” adds a rap twist to the band’s usual power pop approach.

The Mark Watson Band has done well on the Chicago club scene with an energetic power pop approach that draws on Cheap Trick and Fountains Of Wayne. Their catchy single “When Two Still Feels Alone” was included on the 2021 Big Blast Records compilation, and they released the three-song Beautiful EP in 2019. Rolling Numbers plan to showcase songs from their two albums, 2023’s Killer Machines and their self-titled 2022 release. The band’s harmony vocals play a major role on melodic songs such as “Best Of Luck” and “Memories Of You.”

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago 2025 schedule. You’ll also find links for most of the acts who’ll be participating this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you even see the band perform.

IPO - Chicago: Tuesday Night Preview

If International Pop Overthrow founder David Bash doesn’t mind copping a Monty Python catchphrase, he could introduce each of Tuesday night’s acts by saying, “And now for something completely different.” It should be an unusual and entertaining evening. International Pop Overthrow runs through this Saturday, May 3 at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side.

Somerville, MA vocalist-keyboards player Captain Easychord (Tom Despres) appears to have taken his stage name from the title of a 2001 Stereolab EP, and has notched airplay on Tufts University radio station WMFO. Songs such as “I Got My Act Together” and “My Blind Shrink” find him setting humorous observations to easygoing rock arrangements. Eight-member Chicago area band Transference released their debut EP 100 Mirrors a little over a year ago, with vocalist-keyboards player Laura Hollingsworth and bass player MJ Johnson writing all six tracks. Paranormal elements are woven through their indie rock arrangements, along with themes of social justice and environmental preservation. The Oh Boys, whose Facebook page lists their location as Chicago, Philadelphia, and Vancouver, expertly tap into vintage rock and roll, and then tweak that era with their own offbeat sentiments. Countless musicians have promised to love someone forever, but on their 2021 single “The End Of Time,” these guys go into the gruesome details of an apocalypse, alien invasion, and global warming. The Oh Boys’ most recent release was the 2024 retro single single “Dog-A-Bone.” One last interesting note: The Oh Boys’ drummer Kieran McCabe recently spent a little over a month portraying The Kinks drummer Mick Avory in the Chicago Shakespeare Theaters’s production of Sunny Afternoon.

According to a Facebook post, Cigarette Supernova is a new side project from the catchy and humorous IPO - Chicago regulars The Unswept. The post describes the music as fuzzed-out and blissfully loud, and promises, “If you’ve ever wondered what The Pixies meeting Sonic Youth might sound like ... you’re gonna love it.” Channahon, IL quintet Space Age Zeros craft a punk rock power pop blend they correctly believe will appeal to appeal to fans of  “The Ramones, Screeching Weasel, Material Issue, Cheap Trick and beyond.” Their September 2024 full length debut Strange New World features high speed gems such as “Fireworks,” “Jet Lagged,” “I Don’t Wanna Have Fun Anymore,” and a revved-up take on America’s “Sister Golden Hair.”

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago 2025 schedule. You’ll also find links for most of the acts who’ll be participating this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you even see the band perform.

IPO - Chicago: Start The Week Rocking

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago returned this past Friday night for its 22nd year, and its fourth year at Montrose Saloon on the city’s north side. The festival continues each day until its two-part finale next Saturday, April 27. I’ve fallen a bit behind in getting my showcase previews out a few days early, mainly due to my actually attending IPO - Chicago for several hours yesterday. It was definitely a rewarding experience. So, here’s the preview of the four-act, women-focused showcase taking place tomorrow night, April 28.

Singer-guitarist Hannah Frank (pictured above) has become an IPO - Chicago veteran, as well as a popular performer on the local club scene by honing a repertoire of original acoustic compositions such as “Mad Girl’s Diary” and “Is You Mine,” along with unexpected covers such as the 1939 tune “Comes Love.” Her 15 Horses album, originally recorded in 2015, was mixed and updated for a 2023 release. Geez Louise, AKA singer-songwriter Louise Dimiceli-Mitran, aims to explore the conflicting emotions that complicate relationships. Her most recent album, Dancing In The Storm, has drawn praise for songs such as “Being With You,” “Already Gone,” and “Mexico.” Singer-guitarist Kristin Rose Kelly’s performances tend toward hard-edged rock, whether it’s on originals from her recently released Pantyhose album or well-chosen covers such as Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Mrs. Smith And The Present will likely perform their catchy recent singles “Pretty Things” and “Big Man” at tomorrow night’s IPO - Chicago showcase. They also have four solid tunes on their 2024 She’s Right Here EP to choose from.

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago schedule. You’ll also find links for just about all the acts who’ll be participating in Chicago this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you even see the band perform.

Slumgullion

Check out my recent posts for coverage of this weekend’s International Pop Overthrow - Chicago festival at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. As the days pass, I’m hoping to post a preview for each day of the IPO - Chicago schedule. Wish me luck.

Fans of indie and alternative rock seem to find a lot to like about the recently revealed lineup for Chicago’s upcoming Riot Fest, judging from various comments on social media. Performers scheduled for this year’s bash range from punk pioneers such as Sex Pistols, The Pogues, Marky Ramone, The Damned, The Effigies, Shonen Knife, and The Buzzcocks to more recently formed acts such as The Linda Lindas and Inhaler. Green Day, Jack White, The Beach Boys, Weezer, The Cribs, Dropkick Murphys, Sparks, and Rilo Kiley are among the other acts coming to Douglass Park on the weekend of September 19 – 21.

Kinks fans from around the world get an opportunity to express their admiration for the band in author Chris Kocher’s new book Thank You For The Days: Fans Of The Kinks Share 60 Years Of Stories. Those fans include musicians such as Jonathan Lea, John Wesley Harding, and Ron Sexsmith, along with other professionals who’ve worked with The Kinks over the years. Thank You For The Days is now available on Amazon.

The Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello Tour, featuring Costello and The Imposters, is coming to the Chicago Theatre on October 16. The 22-date tour kicks off on September 18 in Bethelem, PA—with American singer-songwriter Charlie Sexton as a special guest—and wraps up in Omaha, NE on October 22. 

Dead Freddie, the self-described Punk Pop Phenomena, will join fellow Chicago bands Go Time! and The Spindles in a triple bill at the Heroes West Sports Grill in Lemont, IL on May 2. The music starts at 7:30 pm. 

The Big Star Quintet has three concerts coming up in July. The lineup comprises original Big Star member Jody Stephens; along with Mike Mills from R.E.M., Jon Auer from The Posies, Pat Sansone from Wilco, and Chris Stamey from the dB’s. They’ll be in Germantown, TN on July 19; Nashville, TN on July 20; Minneapolis, MN on July 23; and at my house on July 25 to celebrate my birthday. Just kidding about that July 25 gig.

Chicago’s legendary folk singer Bonnie Koloc will be right at home when she performs at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on May 2. Coming up later at The Old Town School Of Folk Music, Robin Hitchcock will perform on June 7.

EXPO Chicago, which bills itself as the city’s “premier contemporary and modern art fair,” returned to Navy Pier yesterday and will run through Sunday. Visitors can spend hours admiring paintings, photographs, sculptures, books, and other creative wonders from Chicago and around the world.

Bruce Springsteen plans to release an 83-song collection of previously unreleased material titled Tracks II: The Lost Albums on June 27. Springsteen’s website states the project will be available “in limited-edition nine LP, seven CD and digital formats.” It will also include a 100-page, cloth-bound hardcover book. Springsteen will also release a less ambitious set titled Lost And Found: Selections from The Lost Albums offering 20 highlights on two LPs or one CD.

Several bands will help out when Sketchbook Brewing Company in Skokie, IL, hosts A Night To Remember Cary Greenspon And Benefit Parkinson’s Foundation on May 3. The country and western Kent Rose Trio are among the acts involved. Sketchbook Brewing Company is located at 4901 Main Street.

The 40th Annual Printer’s Row Lit Fest will take place on September 6 and 7 in the southern area of downtown Chicago. Poet/fiction writer/essayist Sandra Cisneros will this year’s headliner. 

Stay tuned. Wolf Alice has a new logo, and possibly some new music on the way, if fans are correctly deciphering clues the U.K. band has been delivering via a series of social media posts. Wolf Alice used a similar teasing approach before releasing the masterful Blue Weekend in 2021.

The 15th Annual Blue Whiskey Film Festival starts this Sunday and will run through May 6 at venues in Chicago, Elk Grove, Downers Grove, and Palatine. This year’s BWiFF will screen six feature films and several shorts.

The Chicago Blues Festival, an annual event since 1984 and believed to be the world’s largest blues festival, returns to Millennium Park for the long weekend of June 5 – June 8. Mavis Staples will be among the headliners, and there will be a centennial tribute to the late B.B. King. Opening day will take place at the Ramova Theatre at 3520 S. Halsted and feature performances by Bobby Rush and Billy Branch And The Sons Of The Blues.

The Cincinnati, OH publisher Ruffian Books has released a new one titled 500 Essential Pop-Punk Albums - From Blondie To blink-182, offering more than 550 pages of famous and lesser known artists. It’s available for $29.95.

The New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival recently opened and will run through May 4, with well-known acts from several genres taking part. This year’s lineup includes Pearl Jam; Lenny Kravitz; Kacey Musgraves; Santana; John Fogerty; HAIM; Cage The Elephant; Patti LaBelle; Gladys Knight; Joan Jett and The Blackhearts; Cheap Trick; Diana Krall; Branford Marsalis; The Wailers Featuring Julian Marley; Taj Mahal And The Phantom Blues Band; Stanley Clarke; Rickie Lee Jones; Shemekia Copeland; and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

Detroit-based singer-songwriter Jeremy Porter will bring his Spring 2025 Solo-Acoustic Tour to the Lakeview Uncommon Ground venue in Chicago on May 7. Porter, whose songs mix catchy melodies with dark humor, will share the bill at Uncommon Ground with Phil Yates and Gary Camaro.

Billy Idol will be joined by Joan Jett on his It’s A Nice Day To . . . Tour Again! series of concerts starting April 30. That includes a stop at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL on May 20.

I’m proud to share the news that my nephew Joe Flamm will co-chair this year’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry, along with fellow successful chef Diana Davila, on June 27. The event will be held at Rockwell On The River (3057 N. Rockwell) and feature 50 chefs and mixologists. Several well-known Chicago area restaurants will be involved, including Joe’s Rose Mary and il Carciofo; and Diana’s Mi Tocaya Antojeria. General Admission is $150, while an All Access Pass is $200.

The always engaging duo Sparks will release a new album titled Mad! on May 23 in vinyl, CD, and cassette fomats. After a world tour that will take them across Japan and Europe, Ron and Russell Mael will arrive in Atlanta, GA on September 5 to kick off an American tour that will include 15 dates. Chicago is not among the cities on the U.S. tour, which is likely to leave fans here, well, Mad.

Todd Rundgren’s July 13 concert at The Riviera Theatre in Chicago will be part of his Still Me (Still We) Tour. The 22-date tour kicks off on June 21 in Cranston, RI, and will also include stops in Syracuse, NY; Cincinnati, OH; Kalamazoo, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Cleveland, OH; and Orlando, FL.

Peter Checksfield, a UK-based music historian/author whose previous efforts have covered The Rolling Stones and Jerry Lee Lewis, has released a new book titled The Hollies - Elevated Observations: The Graham Nash Years 1963 – 1968. It’s available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and kindle versions.

Online applications are now available for those interested in being part of YippieFest 2025 at Chopin Theatre on Chicago’s north side. The freewheeling, in-person entertainment event will return for its seventh year on the weekend of August 22 – 24. The long-running sketch/musical comedy group Famous In The Future will once again host YippieFest, which is inspired by the annual Abby Fest that was staged by Mary-Arrchie Theatre for several years.

Hung Up On A Dream, director/musician Robert Schwartzman’s 2023 documentary covering The Zombies’ entire career, will come to American theaters this May. The film features the British Invasion band’s most recent live performances, along with archival footage.

Peter Asher, who was half of the popular British Invasion duo Peter and Gordon before moving on to a highly successful career as a producer, also continues to perform music himself. His multimedia show A Musical Memoir of the 60s and Beyond comes to The Old Town School Of Folk Music May 16.

The Color Purple - The Musical is coming to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago starting June 21. The production will be directed by Lili-Anne Brown, with book by Marsha Norman, and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Alee Willis, and Stephen Bray.

Garbage, the band that gave us songs such as “Stupid Girl,” “I’m Only Happy When It Rains,” and “I Think I’m Paranoid,” have a Happy Endings Tour with special guest Starcrawler coming this fall. It kicks off on September 3 in Orlando, FL, and will include a stop at The Salt Shed in Chicago on September 29. Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, the band’s eighth album, is due out May 30.

Chicago-based, guitar-powered instrumental band Outronaut recently released an extensive and ambitious new tune titled “Demonic Republic.” Check it out, along with other previous gems on the Outronaut Bandcamp page.

Aimee Mann has a 22 1/2 Lost In Space Anniversary Tour with guest Jonathan Coulton coming this summer. It opens on June 5 in Cranston, RI and wraps up at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on June 27.

Weekend Reminders

Photo from the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention, or concert tickets going on sale.

Where have all the good times gone? Sunny Afternoon, the UK play based on the music of The Kinks, wraps up its run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater this Sunday. If you’ve been meaning to check out this critically acclaimed and thoroughly rocking production, there isn’t much time left.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 2025 kicks off tomorrow night at Montrose Saloon on the city's north side and will run through May 3. Check out my earlier posts this week offering previews of this weekend’s showcases. I’m hoping to continue my previews as the festival progresses.

John Cowsill, who started his career with The Cowsills (“The Rain, The Park, And Other Things”) and recently released an album with his wife Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, will be the guest lead vocalist when The Smithereens perform at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, IL tomorrow night. Chicago’s own and very impressive Sunshine Boys will be the opening act.

Singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks will be showcasing songs from his several critically acclaimed albums when he performs at SPACE in Evanston tomorrow night and Saturday.

EXPO Chicago, which bills itself as the city’s “premier contemporary and modern art fair,” returned to Navy Pier for its annual visit today and will run through Sunday. Visitors can spend hours admiring paintings, photographs, sculptures, books, and other creative wonders from Chicago and around the world. Single admission is $40.

The Effigies, one of Chicago’s first and best known punk bands, have an all ages show (with parent or guardian) coming up tomorrow at The Vixen venue in McHenry. The music starts at 6:30 pm, with Chicago-based punk band Sex Dream as the opening act. The Effigies have classic albums such as For Ever Grounded and Fly On A Wire to choose from, as well as their 2023 effort Burned. Unfortunately, we lost founding member John Kezdy to a fatal accident right around the time of that last effort.

The Handcuffs will likely include a few new songs they’ll be recording soon for their 5th album when they open for fellow Chicagoans The Steepwater Band at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL tomorrow. The Steepwater Band has recorded a series of albums filled with hard-hitting Americana rock.

Big Brother’s Vinyl, a Chicago area band that performs classic rock songs that haven’t been covered endlessly by numerous other local acts, has a gig at Peggy Kinnanes in Arlington Heights tomorrow night.

McLuhan, the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band inspired by philosopher Marshall McLuhan, will perform at the Copper Fiddle Distillery in Lake Zurich this Saturday. Based on its recent series of shows at Montrose Saloon, it seems likely McLuhan will have vinyl copies of its ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly available for sale at this show. Copper Fiddle Distillery is located at 532 W. Il. Route 22, Suite 110.

The Social Act, one of the first local bands I interviewed when I started writing for the Illinois Entertainer back in the mid-1980s, is back in action and has a 7:30 pm gig this Friday at The Liar’s Club on Chicago’s north side. Fans can expect to hear early goth-tinged gems such as “Sally-O,” “Love Hearts Open,” and maybe “Heaven Is Waiting.”

IPO Sunday WIll Never Be The Same

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago starts tomorrow night at Montrose Saloon and will continue at the north side venue through May 3. Most of the acts involved are from the Chicago area, although there are some out-of-state visitors. Traditionally, IPO - Chicago Sunday involved a six-act afternoon showcase and a five-act evening showcase, separated by a short break. But this year, there’s only one Sunday showcase—with seven acts—that starts at 2:00 pm.

The bouncy and lyrical Lance Drake (I’m quoting his Facebook page) opens Sunday’s showcase, and if my investigative skills are working, he is (was?) a member of the Deep Cricket Night band. If so, the audience will be treated to songs that evoke mystery via ornate yet energetic arrangements. Lead vocalist-guitarist Michael Mazza is a familiar face to IPO - Chicago fans, having led the band Collectors for several years before forming The Walkdown. “The Distance (Gets In The Way),” the first single from The Walkdown, finds Mazza continuing to take a guitar-driven approach. The band contributed a song to the Kool Kat Musik label’s Pop Aid 3-CD that supports World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed people in the Ukraine. Progressive hard rock band Refrestramus will likely showcase songs from its 2024 debut Intourist, and since four vocalists joined the core musicians on that album, it will be interesting to see who handles the singing at IPO - Chicago. Derek Ferguson composes the band’s adventurous material, along with playing drums. Guitarist Zoey Witz will be a special guest at this performance. Freetoed has performed at a number of IPO - Chicago shows in the past, with an alt rock sound that’s influenced by Wilco, Pearl Jam, and Bon Iver. Their latest album, Cure For The Common Sound, is available on Bandcamp.

Chicago music scene veterans Phil Yates and The Affiliates have four albums worth of catchy, guitar-driven pop to draw from for their IPO - Chicago performance. The band moved here from Burlington, VT a while back, and its 2022 effort A Thin Thread is the first to feature the Chicago lineup. Modern Daybreak hopes to have copies of a new live performance CD  available to sell at its IPO - Chicago performance this Sunday. The quartet has created catchy rock with a supportive vibe on its 2024 full-length debut Sound Of Nothing, as well as on single releases and an EP since forming in 2017. Singer-songwriter Joe Wylie’s latest album, Frontal Lobe Development, dropped last October and features melodic acoustic-based songs. He released four singles prior to that, including a Christmas song. He probably won’t include the Christmas song when he wraps up IPO - Chicago Sunday.

Incoming

Check out the IPO - Chicago Saturday Preview in my earlier post today.

Just like watching his very first shows. The Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello Tour, featuring Costello and The Imposters, is coming to the Chicago Theatre on October 16. The 22-date tour kicks off on September 18 in Bethelem, PA—with American singer-songwriter Charlie Sexton as a special guest—and wraps up in Omaha, NE on October 22.

John Cowsill, who started his career with The Cowsills (“The Rain, The Park, And Other Things”) and recently released an album with his wife Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, will be the guest lead vocalist when The Smithereens perform at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, IL this Friday. Chicago’s own Sunshine Boys will be the opening act.

The Social Act, one of the first local bands I interviewed when I started writing for the Illinois Entertainer back in the mid-1980s, is back in action and has a 7:30 pm gig this Friday at The Liar’s Club on Chicago’s north side. Fans can expect to hear early goth-tinged gems such as “Sally-O,” “Love Hearts Open,” and maybe “Heaven Is Waiting.”

Singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks will be showcasing songs from his several critically acclaimed albums when he performs at SPACE in Evanston this Friday and Saturday.

Tickets are now on sale for June 7 concert by Robin Hitchcock at The Old Town School Of Folk Music.

The Handcuffs will likely include a few new songs they’ll be recording soon for their 5th album when they open for for fellow Chicagoans The Steepwater Band at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL this Friday. The Steepwater Band has recorded a series of albums filled with hard-hitting Americana rock.

The Effigies, one of Chicago’s first and best known punk bands, have an all ages show (with parent or guardian) coming up this Friday at The Vixen venue in McHenry. The music starts at 6:30 pm, with Chicago-based punk band Sex Dream as the opening act. The Effigies have classic albums such as For Ever Grounded and Fly On A Wire to choose from, as well as their 2023 effort Burned. Unfortunately, we lost founding member John Kezdy to a fatal accident right around the time of that last effort.

McLuhan, the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band inspired by philosopher Marshall McLuhan, will perform at the Copper Fiddle Distillery in Lake Zurich this Saturday. Based on its recent series of shows at Montrose Saloon, it seems likely McLuhan will have vinyl copies of its ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly available for sale at this show. Copper Fiddle Distillery is located at 532 W. Il. Route 22, Suite 110.

Big Brother’s Vinyl, a Chicago area band that performs classic rock songs that haven’t been covered endlessly by numerous other local acts, has a gig at Peggy Kinnanes in Arlington Heights on April 25.

A Double Dose Of IPO - Chicago This Saturday

Really cool art by The Sonnets from their Facebook page.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago will have its first 2025 showcase this Friday night at Montrose Saloon (see yesterday's post), and will follow that Bash (pun intended) with two separate lineups on Saturday. IPO Founder/CFO David Bash has shows scheduled at Montrose Saloon through May 3. Most of the acts involved are from the Chicago area, although there are some out-of-state visitors.

This Saturday afternoon’s showcase starts with a 2:00 pm set by LaRue DeVille. The band includes four members of The Red Wigglers, who ended their 25-year run a few years back. It will interesting to see if they carry on the original band’s emphasis on adventurous and often funny rock and roll with coed vocals and horn accompaniment. Montrose Saloon regulars Brother Derek are back at IPO - Chicago for the third time. Their latest album Parade Rest features them taking a satirical point of view while exploring various genres. San Marcos, CA singer-guitarist Scott Samuels must have enjoyed performing at the 2024 IPO - Chicago so much he’s back again this year. The former Chicagoan reunited with some local musicians at his previous IPO appearance, and seeing as he’s billed as Scott Samuels And Friends this time out, he’ll likely take the same approach this Saturday. His recent recording Sunshine And Starlight offers a selection of melodic pop songs.

The Einstein’s Sister band has previously performed at IPO Chicago and IPO - Los Angeles. They released their Exit Strategies EP in November, 2023, and this year, they’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Humble Creatures album. Barry And The Fountains, featuring The Voice contestant vocalist-guitarist Barry Fontenot, will perform their new single “The Flow” and other soulful tunes. It looks like this might be their IPO- Chicago debut. The Jeremy Band, led by Kalamazoo, MI vocalist-guitarist Jeremy Morris, traditionally closes out a Saturday afternoon showcase with high-powered, melodic rock, and that’s exactly what will take place this Saturday. His latest album, Opener Of Eyes, once again finds Morris collaborating with Ken Stringfellow of The Posies.

The Saturday evening showcase kicks off with former Grand Prairie, TX native/current Chicago resident Monte Carload. He offers catchy, guitar-driven songs with frequently off-kilter lyrics on his November, 2024 album Hit The Max. David Bash likes to throw the occasional curveball into the IPO - Chicago mix, which is certainly the case with The Emily Chloe Quinn Ensemble. On songs such as “My Own Mountain” and “Belonging,” vocalist-keyboards player Quinn delivers ethereal vocals while she and her fellow musicians embellish well-crafted arrangements with elements of classical music. The Band Calderisi offered 11 tracks of catchy power pop music on its most recent album Years Gone By. Highlights from that effort include “Nothing Left To Save” and “Pent Up Frustrations.” They’ll likely perform tracks from Years Gone By, as well as some new music this Saturday.

Things That Fly is a Chicago-based indie rock band led by Heidi Serwer and Karen Salmon. They served up clever and catchy tunes such as “Lucky Ones” and “Crunch Went The Snow” on their 2023 self-titled EP. Chicago band Night Baby will offer a mix of original songs and covers, with the promise to perform “old songs that sound new again and new songs that you think you’ve heard.” The Sonnets are veterans of the local club scene and specialize in an intriguing mix of glam, mod, power pop, garage, surf, and blues.

Check the official International Pop Overthrow website for the full Chicago schedule. You’ll also find links for just about all the acts who’ll be participating in Chicago this year. Even if you can’t attend in person, it’s a great way to discover new music. Many of the acts have Bandcamp pages, so it’s possible to already have some favorite songs before you even see the band perform.