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.
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.
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.
Sunny Afternoon, the UK play based on the music of The Kinks, continues its run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater through April 27. As I stated in my review here on March 25, cast members Danny Horn, Oliver Hoare, Michael Lepore, and Kieran McCabe consistently impress with their live performance of Kinks songs such as “You Really Got Me,” “Til The End Of The Day,” “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” and “A Rock ’N' Roll Fantasy.”
In other Kinks news, people 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.
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. Asher has performed a similar revue at that venue and at Fest For Beatles Fans in the past, and it’s been very entertaining.
Power pop group Dolph Chaney & The Phins will share a bill with two local indie rock bands: Sonny Veneer, and LaRue DeVille. Longtime fans of the adventurous act Red Wigglers should take note that LaRue DeVille is the name the band goes by these days.
The 41st Chicago Latino Film Festival will continue its run at the Landmark Century Centre Cinemas (2828 N. Clark Street) through Monday. The festival features and shorts from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.
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.
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.
Peter Checksfield, a UK-based music historian/author whose previous efforts have covered The Rolling Stones and Jerry Lee Lewis, released a new book this week titled The Hollies - Elevated Observations: The Graham Nash Years 1963 – 1968. His Facebook post states the book explores “all the singles, albums, outtakes, live recordings, BBC radio, TV shows, cover versions, and much, much more!” It’s available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and kindle versions.
The Phil Angotti Band and Steve Dawson with Lucid Dreams will share a double bill at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL on April 19. Angotti and Dawson are two of Chicago’s best singer-songwriters, and have the albums to prove it. The music starts at 8:30 pm.
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.
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.
Tickets are now on sale for the Sea. Hear. Now. festival taking place in Asbury Park, NJ on September 13 and 14. Participating acts include Inhaler; Hozier; LCD Soundsystem; Alabama Shakes; ZZ Top; De La Soul; UB40; Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue; Blink 182; Lenny Kravitz; Sublime; Public Enemy; Spoon; and 4 Non Blondes.
The recently released single “Bullet Proof” is the first new music we’ve heard from Chicago rock scene veterans Kevin Lee And The Kings since 2022. The hard-edged song takes aim at high society via Lee’s strong vocals and a guitar-driven arrangement. Fans can check it out on Soundcloud.
A recently remastered and expanded version of director Cameron Crowe’s 1982 film Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party can now be viewed via the Paramount+ streaming service. The documentary had previously only been seen once on MTV.
Autographed copies of Mike Campbell’s Heartbreaker memoir are now available for pre-order from the talkshoplive and Premiere Collectibles websites. Campbell was a founding member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, and currently leads the band The Dirty Knobs.
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 on April 25. The Steepwater Band has recorded a series of albums filled with hard-hitting Americana rock.
Shaky Knees - The Music Festival is scheduled to take place at Piedmont Park in in Atlanta, GA from September 19 through 21. Scheduled acts include Lenny Kravitz; Pixies; Spoon; Inhaler; Cage The Elephant; Johnny Marr; The Beaches; Vampire Weekend; Devo; Wet Leg; Franz Ferdinand; and Stereophonics.
The feature-length documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender, which is based on the U2 vocalist’s solo tour for his fascinating memoir, will stream on May 30 on Apple TV. According to an online post from Billboard, director Andre Dominik’s film will include footage of Bono performing some of the songs he’s made famous with U2.
Congratulations to vocalist Gerald McClendon, who’ll receive the Bobby Blue Bland Award when the 25th Annual Jus’ Blues Foundation holds its Night Of The Living Legends event on July 30 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Many of us in Chicago are familiar with McClendon because of his superb performance of “My Sweet Lord” at a number of My Sweet George events at the Martyrs’ venue on Lincoln Avenue.
Chicago-based label Pravda Records will release a remastered, reissue of The Chamber Strings’ 2001 album A Month Of Sundays this summer. Vocalist-guitarist Kevin Junior, who passed away in 2016, was the guiding force on what Pravda describes as, “a beautiful album from a beautiful soul.”
Tickets are now on sale for The Color Purple - The Musical, which 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.
International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 2025 will be held from April 25 through May 3 at Montrose Saloon, and the schedule is now available on the official IPO website. CFO/Founder David Bash has brought his multi-act showcase to a number of Chicago venues over the years, and Montrose Saloon is a particularly good fit. I believe this is its fourth year of hosting. Per tradition, each night will bring a set of at least five acts; and there will be afternoon and evening sets on April 26, 27, and May 3.