Incoming

20/20 will release its first new album in 25 years this Friday on SpyderPop Records. It’s been even longer since the Los Angeles quartet gave the world a power pop masterpiece with its self-titled debut in 1979. The new Back To California features material co-written by founding members vocalist-guitarist Steve Allen and bassist-vocalist Ron Flynt. The songs “Laurel Canyon” and “Spark,” with their chiming guitars and harmony vocals reminiscent of The Byrds, are particularly impressive.

While on the subject of critically acclaimed power pop bands, let’s lift a toast to vocalist-guitarist Gary Klebe of Shoes on the occasion of this being his birthday. Here he is, singing “Too Late” from the band’s debut Present Tense.

Also, Happy Birthday to actor/director/playwright and former Mary-Arrchie Theatre Artistic Director Richard Cotovsky. A section of West Sheridan Road, where Mary-Arrchie was once located, has been dedicated as Honorary Richard Cotovsky Way. Back when I was a member of the Famous In The Future comedy group, we performed several times at Mary-Arrchie’s Abby Fest, and in 2009, one of my first posts here on BHT was about that annual event.

 

Vocalist Kate Fagan is probably best known for her years fronting the Chicago-based ska band Heavy Manners, but a new single coming out this Friday reaches further back to her early punk days. “Go Faster” bristles with high energy and a rebellious spirit, making it an interesting follow-up to her previous single, the melodic and mid-tempo “2 Good 2 B True.”

The Zombies’ official biographer Robin Platts has written a book titled Times and Seasons - The Rise and Fall and Rise of The Zombies that’s now available for pre-order from HoZac Books. Bangles singer-guitarist and long-time fan Susanna Hoffs wrote the Forward. A recent Facebook post from HoZac Books states 600 copies of a special first edition will ship this month.

McLuhan, the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band inspired by philosopher Marshall McLuhan, will begin a Thursday night residency at Montrose Saloon this Thursday night. Upcoming residency gigs at the north side venue will be March 6 and April 3. Vinyl copies of McLuhan’s ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly will be available for sale at these shows.

Jim Peterik of Ides Of March and Survivor fame will be performing twice this week at the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights, IL. The Jim Peterik And Friends concerts will take place at 7:30 this Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Andrew Robert Palmer, who has released solo albums as ARP! and with his sister Becca Palmer as the Chicago alt rock duo Mother Z’s, released a new solo EP titled Letters to the Moon today. The four-track effort is now available on his Bandcamp page.

Joel Paterson, a guitarist who’s been impressing audiences in Chicago area clubs for a while now, recently recorded an album of rock and country music covers titled Atta Boy Girl with L.A. singer-guitarist Annie Dolan. The duo will perform some of those songs this Wednesday at FitzGerald’s Nightclub in Berwyn, IL. 

Singer-songwriter Coley Kennedy from the Chicago-based alt-rock band Welcome to Ashley and comic alt rock band The Buddies has a solo debut titled Neptune Blue coming out this Friday.

Chicago area Harry Potter fans might wind up cursing themselves if they don’t buy their tickets for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child at the James M. Nederlander Theatre soon. The production, which earned four stars from Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones, will close on February 1.