Slumgullion

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

Lightning strikes again. Last year, when the Michael Shannon And Jason Narducy And Friends Play R.E.M.’s Murmur tour paid a visit to the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA, members of R.E.M. were in the audience and spent some time onstage. Shannon, Narducy and friends returned to the 40 Watt Club last night with their current Fables Of The Reconstruction tour, and as noted on the Stereogum and Consequence websites, all four R.E.M. members joined in for a rendition of “Pretty Persuasion.” Dag Juhlin, Vijay Tellis-Nayak, John Stirrratt, and Jon Wurster comprise Shannon and Narducy’s backing band.

Many a listener has been left puzzled by lyrics in R.E.M songs, but last Monday’s syndicated Jumble puzzle presented a different challenge for the group’s fans. It pertained to the Michael Shannon - Jason Narducy and friends tour and included a cool illustration of the five musicians onstage. The Jumble format involves solving four smaller puzzles and then finding the final answer. If not for a Facebook post by tour guitarist Dag Juhlin, I probably would have missed it in my copy of the Chicago Tribune. I didn’t see the puzzle answers in the Trib, but I did find them on the Jumble Puzzle Answers website. For those playing along at home, the final answer is Struck A Chord.

 

Long-time entertainment writer Mark Caro (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune) has interviewed several well-known musicians for his Caropop podcast, with the most recent being Mike Mills from R.E.M. It’s available via Apple Podcasts.

Jason Narducy and Dag Juhlin will celebrate Pete Townshend’s birthday on June 21 at the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights, IL. Townshend was born on May 19, which is why this event is being billed as a (Belated) Birthday Bash. But as you can see from the paragraphs above, Narducy and Juhlin have a busy schedule these days.

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.

Tickets are now on sale for Sunny Afternoon at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The play is based on the music of The Kinks, with original story, music, and lyrics by Ray Davies; book by Joe Penhall; and direction by Edward Hall. It will run from March 21 to April 27.

Lorraine Hansberry’s award-winning play A Raisin In The Sun is picking up rave reviews, and has been extended through March 23 at Chicago’s Court Theatre. The venue is located at 5535 S. Ellis.

Patti Smith and her band have added a second concert to their November stop in Chicago. They’re now performing November 17 and 18 at the Chicago Theatre. Smith’s tour celebrates the 50th anniversary of her groundbreaking debut album Horses.

Those of us who became Translator fans almost from the moment we first heard “Everywhere That I'm Not” on FM radio back in 1982 recently received a pleasant surprise. As noted in a Facebook post by musician Steve Barton, he and fellow band members Robert Darlington, Larry Dekker, and David Scheff got together to record two new songs in 2023. They’ll be included as bonus tracks on the Live at the Farm, San Francisco 1986 album. It was recorded at the band’s final live show, and is scheduled for release on May 9. One of those new tracks, “These Days To Come,” can now be heard on YouTube.

McLuhan, the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band inspired by philosopher Marshall McLuhan, continues its first Thursday of the month night residency at Montrose Saloon on March 6. Vinyl copies of McLuhan’s ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly will be available for sale at the show. McLuhan’s residency continues next month on April 3.

Tickets are now on sale today for Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons’ Hot Stove Cool Music at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on April 12. The event will feature Cheap Trick; Greg Hawkes and Eddie Japan performing songs by The Cars; and the Hot Stove All-Stars (Peter Gammons, Theo Epstein, Bill Janovitz, Kay Hanley, Will Dailey, and MLB Legends). 100% of the proceeds will go to the Foundation To Be Named Later Gammons College Scholarships fund.

Two of the best bands from England’s early punk scene will be honored by local musicians next Wednesday at Martyrs’ on Chicago’s north side. London Calling will perform two sets of material by The Clash, and Fiction Romantics will cover The Buzzcocks. Doors open at 7:00 pm, Martyrs’ is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Avenue.

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has joined David Johansen’s daughter Leah Hennessey in a fundraising effort to help the New York Dolls vocalist pay for his brain cancer treatment. Johansen’s condition worsened after he broke his back in a recent fall. Those interested in helping can donate at the Sweet Relief /David Johanson Fund website. 

Long-time Chicago-based power pop band Thrift Store Halo will make its 2025 performance debut on March 20 at Montrose Saloon. They’ll be joined by Dolph Chaney and The Phins and Rent Party.

Several music critics have hailed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as Brian Wilson’s finest moment, and there’s an event coming to Park West in Chicago on March 7 that will celebrate that 1966 album. Pet Sounds LIVE is described as a “captivating show [that] combines live music, narration, and multimedia to bring the genius of Brian Wilson and [this] iconic masterpiece to life.”

Great Moments In Vinyl, a rotating collection of area musicians devoted to honoring famous LPs and rock and roll artists, will perform the music of The Cars on March 20 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue.

Young Fresh Fellows recently recorded eleven songs in eight hours at Wilco’s Loft studio, giving them (Young Fresh Fellows) a Live In The Studio vinyl album they’ll be selling exclusively at their upcoming shows.

Greg Kot, the rock critic and Sound Opinions radio show co-host with Jim DeRogatis, has assembled some of the best articles from his tenure at the Chicago Tribune and published them in a book titled Turn It Up: A Guided Tour Through the Worlds Of Pop, Rock, Rap and More.

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.

Tickets for the September 9 Supergrass concert at The Riviera in Chicago are now on sale. The Oxford, England trio is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its terrific debut album I Should Coco with concerts in the U.K., North America, and Mexico. Supergrass will perform their entire first album along with other hits.

The first-ever Chicago Women Of Color Puppetry and Performing Arts Fringe Festival is now underway and will run through March 16 at the Zhou B Art Center, 4th Floor Women of Color Theatre. The event will include performances, workshops, and discussions regarding the artists’ work.

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.

Chicago-based singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has released his first new music since his 2021 debut Manifestations. Like the songs on that album, his new single “Thunderclouds” could be described as engaging indie rock led by acoustic guitar. Listeners will likely be reminded of vintage Neil Young. Rosales has a full album titled Phasedrift coming out later this year.

Singer-guitarist Gary Louris, who’s known for his work with The Jayhawks, as well as his solo efforts, has a gig coming up at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on March 28.

Simple Minds has a U.S. tour starting in mid-May that will include a performance at Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island on June 20. Simple Minds are marking the 40th anniversary their Once Upon A Time album—featuring “Don’t You Forget About Me”—by releasing a nine-track digital edition. A physical version will be out later this year.

Tickets are now available for Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison with Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz on March 17 at SPACE in Evanston.

Tickets are also available for Alejandro Escovedo’s April 4 and 5 shows at City Winery Chicago. In addition to his roots rock solo career, Escovedo found success as a member of Rank And File and True Believers.

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.

Director Bernard McMahon’s Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary presents the first authorized view of the iconic band’s early days, and includes full song performances, never-before-seen footage, and interviews with band members. It’s had special screenings at IMAX venues and is now showing in theaters across America.

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 when tickets have become available for an upcoming event .

But first, a few events you can catch tonight, depending on when you read this: 

Chicago area drummer Jim Barclay will celebrate his birthday in the company of fellow musicians with a Classic Albums Night at Reggies. Three albums will be honored—The Dream Of The Blue Turtles by Sting, Kick by INXS, and Power Station’s self-titled debut—each with a different lineup. Reggies is located at 2105 South State Street, just south of downtown.

 

An event titled Niko And Eric Play New Wave Favourites kicks off at 8:00 pm at Montrose Saloon. Niko being the singer-guitarist from Niko Twist Action and Eric being Eric Chial, who runs the venue, in addition to being a member of several local bands. Judging from the spelling of ‘Favourites,’ the material might trend toward U.K. artists.

 

Dot Dash, an inventive Washington, D.C. band that’s succeeded with a variety of indie rock styles across eight full-length albums since 2011, has an all-ages show at the Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, MD.

And now on to the weekend:

Tickets are now on sale for Sunny Afternoon at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The play is based on the music of The Kinks, with original story, music, and lyrics by Ray Davies; book by Joe Penhall; and direction by Edward Hall. It will run from March 21 to April 27.

Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, one of the musicians slated to help out at the above-mentioned Jim Barclay Birthday bash, has a noon Beatles Brunch this Sunday at noon at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn. He’ll be joined by by his friends Casey McDonough, John San Juan, Carolyn Englemann and John Perrin.

The Chills’ Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs will be available to download via The Chills Bandcamp page tomorrow. It will also be available in CD and vinyl formats, although the gold vinyl double LP option has sold out. Martin Phillipps, the guiding force of the New Zealand band, passed away in July last year.

PureSoul Presents continues its Classic Albums Brunch series this Sunday at City Winery Chicago with a 12:00 pm tribute to Tom Petty’s Wildflowers.

The Chicago Irish Film Festival opens tonight and will run through Sunday at the AMC NewCity Theater at 1500 N. Clybourn. In addition to full-length features such as The Irish Question; Mrs. Robinson; David Keenan - Words On Canvas; and Housewife Of The Year, there will be four Shorts Programs.

As recently noted in the Daily Reader online newsletter (created by the longtime free publication Chicago Reader), a Filmspotting Fest will be held tomorrow through Sunday. Presented by the Filmspotting podcast in honor of its 20th year, there will be four screenings at the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago, and two screenings at the Music Box on the city’s north side. See the official website for schedule information.

Chicago vocalist Erica Loftus has performed with The Right Tidys, The Collection, and Red Wigglers, along with joining Van Go in the recording studio. She’ll be onstage with the punk rock cover band Horse And Sparrow at the Atlantic Bar and Grill tomorrow night. Jan King And Medicine Ball are also on the bill that night. Atlantic Bar and Grill is located at 5062 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Congratulations to Chicago guitarist Tony Richards on selling out this Saturday night’s album release show at the Uncommon Ground Lakeview. A Day in January, his collection of jazz instrumentals, was recorded with double bassist Joe Policastro, and is available on Richards’ Bandcamp page.

Local covers band The Sofa Kings will perform a 21-and-over charity show at the Durty Nellie’s venue in Palatine tomorrow night. The event will benefit Gerry's Cafe, the non-profit coffee shop in Arlington Heights staffed by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Incoming

First, a correction: The Chills’ Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs will be available to download via The Chills Bandcamp page this Friday, February 28. Not February 25, as I mistakenly stated in last Saturday’s post. It will also be available in CD and vinyl formats, although the gold vinyl double LP option has sold out. Martin Phillipps, the guiding force of the New Zealand band, passed away in July last year. Judging by the three songs that are available to preview, the album will be worth the wait.

Chicago area drummer Jim Barclay will celebrate his birthday in the company of fellow musicians with a Classic Albums Night this Thursday at Reggies. Three albums will be honored—The Dream Of The Blue Turtles by Sting, Kick by INXS, and Power Station’s self-titled debut—each with a different lineup. Reggies is located at 2105 South State Street, just south of downtown.

Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, one of the musicians slated to help Jim Barclay perform The Dream Of The Blue Turtles, has a Beatles Brunch coming up this Sunday at noon at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn. He’ll be joined by his friends Casey McDonough, John San Juan, Carolyn Englemann and John Perrin.

The Chicago Irish Film Festival will be held this Thursday through Sunday at the AMC NewCity Theater at 1500 N. Clybourn. In addition to full-length features such as The Irish Question; Mrs. Robinson; David Keenan - Words On Canvas; and Housewife Of The Year, there will be four Shorts Programs.

Chicago vocalist Erica Loftus has performed with The Right Tidys, The Collection, and Red Wigglers, along with joining Van Go in the recording studio. She’ll be onstage with the punk rock cover band Horse And Sparrow at the Atlantic Bar and Grill this Friday. Jan King And Medicine Ball are also on the bill that night. Atlantic Bar and Grill is located at 5062 N. Lincoln Avenue.

As noted in the Daily Reader (an online newsletter created by the longtime free publication Chicago Reader), a Filmspotting Fest will be held this Friday through Sunday. Presented by the Filmspotting podcast in honor of its 20th year, there will be four screenings at the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago, and two screenings at the Music Box on the city’s north side. See the official website for schedule information.

The Dallas-based independent record label Hand Drawn Records is seeking submissions from music acts for its Volume 6 Vinyl LP Compilation. As stated on the Hand Drawn website, “Each artist may submit one audio track (.mp3 format under 10mb) with artist name and track title.” The deadline to submit is this Friday. After that, music industry experts will select 20 tracks from those submissions, which in turn will be presented for a popular vote. The top 10 songs will be announced on March 31. See the Hand Drawn Records website for details.

Congratulations to Chicago guitarist Tony Richards on selling out the Uncommon Ground Lakeview album release show for A Day in January. The album, a collection of jazz instrumentals, was recorded with double bassist Joe Policastro, and is available on Bandcamp.

Dot Dash, an inventive Washington, D.C. band that’s succeeded with a variety of indie rock styles across eight full-length albums since 2011, has an all-ages show coming up at the Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, MD this Thursday night.

Local covers band The Sofa Kings will perform a 21-and-over charity show at the Durty Nellie’s venue in Palatine this Friday. The event will benefit Gerry’s Cafe, the non-profit coffee shop in Arlington Heights staffed by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Saturday Slumgullion

Photo from the Official George Harrison Facebook page.

I posted a Slumgullion yesterday. Here’s the Saturday version.

George Harrison’s birthday is next Tuesday, and Chicago area fans will be celebrating tonight at the My Sweet George event Martyrs’ on the city’s north side. See my February 18 post for details. WXRT air personality Terri Hemmert’s Breakfast With The Beatles broadcast tomorrow will be devoted to Harrison, and that can be accessed at 93.1 on the radio dial or via the Audacy app.

Indie rock acts Doug Gillard and Bunnygrunt have recorded a seven-inch split single titled “A Tribute To Game Theory.” Gillard picked “Dripping With Looks” and Bunnygrunt chose “Together Now, Very Minor,” and both tracks are available on vinyl or as downloads on the Bert Dax Bandcamp page. It’s nice to see the late Scott Miller and his underrated band Game Theory getting some recognition.

Local covers band The Sofa Kings will perform a 21-and-over charity show at the Durty Nellie’s venue in Palatine on Friday, February 28. The event will benefit Gerry's Cafe, the non-profit coffee shop in Arlington Heights staffed by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. My wife Pam and I are frequent customers at Gerry’s Cafe because of the good food and beverages, and friendly service.

Martin Phillipps, the guiding force of New Zealand’s evocative indie rock band The Chills, passed away in July last year, but an album of previously unreleased material is coming out next Friday. The 20-song Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs will be available as a download via The Chills Bandcamp page, but the gold vinyl double LP has sold out.

Eternal Flame - The Authorized Biography of the Bangles is now available, and judging from The Bangles Official Facebook page, the band is thrilled with Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s book and how well it’s selling.

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 from HoZac Books. Bangles singer-guitarist and long-time fan Susanna Hoffs did a fine job of writing the Forward. I particularly liked this comment regarding the band’s original lineup: “Rod, a choir boy; Hugh, a drummer in the marching band; Chris, who played bass; and Paul, who played guitar — and Colin — played rugby which I can hardly imagine! He had to have been the kindest bloke you could ever knock heads with in a rugby scrum.” Quite a while ago, I did a telephone interview with Colin Blunstone regarding his solo concert at City Winery Chicago, and found him amazingly friendly.

The Michael Steven Cohen 100th Show Celebration will take place at Montrose Saloon on April 6 at 6:00 pm. Cohen will unveil a new group called The Everly Hillbillies, and Montrose Saloon honcho/musician Eric Chial will be his special guest. Note: Cohen means 100 shows at Montrose Saloon. Who knows how many thousands of shows he’s done if we count all the venues he’s performed at over the years in various bands?

Just Like Heaven: A Tribute To The Cure is now available from American Laundromat Records in vinyl format. Participating artists include Dean and Britta; Class Actress; Black Francis +Violet Clark; The Wedding Present; and Tanya Donelly.

The Webstirs have a show coming up on March 8 at Phyllis’ Musical Inn on Chicago’s north side. The band has been setting clever and humorous lyrics to catchy arrangements for several years now, and has released six albums. Phyllis’ Musical Inn is located at 1800 W. Division.

Inhaler has embarked on a world tour in support of its recently released third album Open Wide. The Irish band has sold out most of its February U.K. dates (some with singer-songwriter Heidi Curtis as the opening act). Inhaler has a dozen shows scheduled for the U.S., including St. Patrick’s Day at the Houston, TX House Of Blues. But nothing in Chicago so far.

Best wishes to the owners of Bookclub, a new Chicago venue that has opened at 2871 N Lincoln Avenue, the former home of the popular Elbo Room club. As noted in a recent article by writer Doug George in the Chicago Tribune, Bookclub will present eclectic and adventurous entertainment seven nights a week.

New Jersey-based indie rock act Slow Buildings (AKA Jason Legacy) has released a new album titled Crash Landings, Coincidences, Chaos. Considering that name and song titles such as “Every Day Is Just Like High School” and “Emotional Honesty Gets Me Nowhere,” the emotional lyrics are no surprise, but Legacy’s consistently catchy, inventive arrangements keep things entertaining.

Chicago vocalist Erica Loftus has performed with The Right Tidys, The Collection, and Red Wigglers, along with joining Van Go in the recording studio. She’ll be onstage with the punk rock cover band Horse And Sparrow at the Atlantic Bar and Grill on February 28. Jan King And Medicine Ball are also on the bill that night. Atlantic Bar and Grill is located at 5062 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand recently released Human Fear, their first album in a while, and will soon kick off a world tour. The American leg of that tour includes an April 5 concert at The Vic in Chicago.

The Experience Hendrix 2025 Tour starts on March 11 in Cincinnati; and will also include Toronto; Milwaukee; Chicago (Chicago Theatre, March 21); Detroit; Atlantic City; and Washington, DC. Performers will include Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Marcus King; Christone Kingfish Ingram; Zakk Wylde; Eric Johnson; Devon Allman; Samantha Fish; David Hildago and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos; Dweezil Zappa; Ally Venable; and Dylan Triplett.

Tickets are now on sale for the Stop Making Sense: A Film By Jonathan Demme And Talking Heads Live Event Hosted By Jerry Harrison event coming on May 1 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.

Music industry people across the country have been helping victims of the California wildfires; whether it’s the Good Music To Lift Los Angeles download album; the FireAid Benefit concert in Los Angeles; or t-shirts available from the Consequence and Bandcamp websites. Now, comedians are literally getting in the act with Let’s Get L.Aid - A Night Of Music And Comedy For L.A. Wildfire Relief. The event will be held at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles on March 16. So far, “Weird Al” Yankovic; Al Jardine; Eric Idle; Margaret Cho; Peter Asher; and Rufus Wainwright are among the performers, with more to be added. The Wild Honey Foundation is helping out, so it’s a safe bet some popular musicians will be signing on.

According to Jeff Lynne’s official Facebook site, Dhani Harrison will be a special guest at Jeff Lynne’s ELO - The Over And Out Tour on a few dates in the U.K. Those dates will be July 5 and 6 in Birmingham, and July 9 and 10 in Manchester.

Fans who miss the blend of atmosphere and melody so entertainingly crafted by the English band Lush should check out the upcoming album from founding member Miki Berenyi’s new band. Tripla by the Miki Berenyi Trio is due out April 4 and is available to pre-order in digital and vinyl formats. Lush aficionados will also find much to like on the two albums the band’s cofounder Emma Anderson released over the past two years.

Slumgullion

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

Those of us who became Translator fans almost from the moment we first heard “Everywhere That I'm Not” on FM radio back in 1982 recently received a pleasant surprise. As noted in a Facebook post by musician Steve Barton, he and fellow band members Robert Darlington, Larry Dekker, and David Scheff got together to record two new songs in 2023. They’ll be included as bonus tracks on the Live at the Farm, San Francisco 1986 album. It was recorded at the band’s final live show, and is scheduled for release on May 9. One of those new tracks, “These Days To Come,” can now be heard on YouTube.

Long-time Chicago-based power pop band Thrift Store Halo will make its 2025 performance debut on March 20 at Montrose Saloon. They’ll be joined by Dolph Chaney and The Phins and Rent Party.

Great Moments In Vinyl, a rotating collection of area musicians devoted to honoring famous LPs and rock and roll artists, will perform the music of The Cars on March 20 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue.

Greg Kot, the rock critic and Sound Opinions radio show co-host with Jim DeRogatis, has assembled some of the best articles from his tenure at the Chicago Tribune and published them in a book titled Turn It Up: A Guided Tour Through the Worlds Of Pop, Rock, Rap and More.

Tickets are now on sale today for Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons’ Hot Stove Cool Music at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on April 12. The event will feature Cheap Trick; Greg Hawkes and Eddie Japan performing songs by The Cars; and the Hot Stove All-Stars (Peter Gammons, Theo Epstein, Bill Janovitz, Kay Hanley, Will Dailey, and MLB Legends). 100% of the proceeds will go to the Foundation To Be Named Later Gammons College Scholarships fund.

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.

Tickets for the September 9 Supergrass concert at The Riviera in Chicago went on sale today. The Oxford, England trio is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its terrific debut album I Should Coco with concerts in the U.K., North America, and Mexico. Supergrass will perform their entire first album along with other hits.

The latest issue of Second Scene, the Pittsburgh-based alt rock print publication that carries on the cool tradition free press papers, is now available to order via its Bandcamp page. 

The Dallas-based independent record label Hand Drawn Records is seeking submissions from music acts for its Volume 6 Vinyl LP Compilation. As stated on the Hand Drawn website, “Each artist may submit one audio track (.mp3 format under 10mb) with artist name and track title.” The deadline to submit is February 28. After that, music industry experts will select 20 tracks from those submissions, which in turn will be presented for a popular vote. The top 10 songs will be announced on March 31. See the Hand Drawn Records website for details.

Chicago-based singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has released his first new music since his 2021 debut Manifestations. Like the songs on that album, his new single “Thunderclouds” could be described as engaging indie rock led by acoustic guitar. Listeners will likely be reminded of vintage Neil Young. Rosales has a full album titled Phasedrift coming out later this year.

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has joined David Johansen’s daughter Leah Hennessey in a fundraising effort to help the New York Dolls vocalist pay for his brain cancer treatment. Johansen’s condition worsened after he broke his back in a recent fall. Those interested in helping can donate at the Sweet Relief /David Johanson Fund website.

Lorraine Hansberry’s award-winning play A Raisin In The Sun is picking up rave reviews, and has been extended through March 23 at at Chicago’s Court Theatre. The venue is located at 5535 S. Ellis.

Singer-guitarist Gary Louris, who’s known for his work with The Jayhawks, as well as his solo efforts, has a gig coming up at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on March 28.

Dot Dash, an inventive Washington, D.C. band that’s succeeded with a variety of indie rock styles across eight full-length albums since 2011, has an all-ages show coming up at the Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, MD on February 27.

Guitarist Tony Richards, who in addition to playing the Chicago music scene, often treats his Facebook followers to performance posts, has released a new album of jazz instrumentals. A Day in January, recorded with double bassist Joe Policastro, is available on Bandcamp. Richards has an album release show coming up on March 1, at a yet-to-be-announced venue.

Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and friends will take their 40th Anniversary R.E.M.’s Fables Of The Reconstruction tribute tour across the pond for six concerts in the UK this summer. They’ll have two gigs in London, along with one each in Manchester, Glasgow, Nottingham, and Bristol.

Tickets are now available for Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison with Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz on March 17 at SPACE in Evanston.

Simple Minds has a U.S. tour starting in mid-May that will include a performance at Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island on June 20. Simple Minds are marking the 40th anniversary their Once Upon A Time album—featuring “Don’t You Forget About Me”—by releasing a nine-track digital edition. A physical version will be out later this year.

Tickets are now available for Alejandro Escovedo’s April 4 and 5 shows at City Winery Chicago. In addition to his roots rock solo career, Escovedo found success as a member of Rank And File and True Believers.

Young Fresh Fellows recently recorded eleven songs in eight hours at Wilco’s Loft studio, giving them (Young Fresh Fellows) a Live In The Studio vinyl album they’ll be selling exclusively at their upcoming shows.

Chicago band Go Time! has a new album titled X. That’s the Roman numeral ten, a reference to how many albums Go Time! has recorded, although this is their first on the noted power pop label Kool Kat Musik. Led by vocalist-guitarist Scott Niekelski’s distinctive, talky delivery, the band specializes in hard-edged, emotional songs that bridge the gap between hard rock and power pop. Prime examples on X include “Complicated Truth,” “Pushing The Limits,” and “Don’t Lose Your Wedding Ring.” Listeners certainly get their money’s worth; there are XVII tracks on this album.

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.

Several music critics have hailed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as Brian Wilson’s finest moment, and there’s an event coming to Park West in Chicago on March 7 that will celebrate that 1966 album. Pet Sounds LIVE is described as a “captivating show [that] combines live music, narration, and multimedia to bring the genius of Brian Wilson and [this] iconic masterpiece to life.”

Director Bernard McMahon’s Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary presents the first authorized view of the iconic band’s early days, and includes full song performances, never-before-seen footage, and interviews with band members. It’s had special screenings at IMAX venues and is now showing in theaters across America.

The first-ever Chicago Women Of Color Puppetry and Performing Arts Fringe Festival is now underway and will run through March 16 at the Zhou B Art Center, 4th Floor Women of Color Theatre. The event will include performances, workshops, and discussions regarding the artists’ work.

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.

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.

Tickets for the September 9 Supergrass concert at The Riviera in Chicago go on sale at 10:00 am tomorrow. The Oxford, England trio is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its terrific debut album I Should Coco with concerts in the U.K., North America and Mexico. Supergrass will perform that entire first album (I’d love to see how they recreate those Smurf-like vocals on “We’re Not Supposed To”), along with other hits. 

Depending on when you read this, you could still catch the power pop band Dolph Chaney And The Phins tonight as they kick off their Third Thursday Of The Month residency at Montrose Saloon. They’ll be joined by Falling Stars, whose recent EP Garden Variety showcases their knack for catchy indie rock songs. And as noted in a Facebook update today, Vee Sonnets will now be joined by the other members of The Sonnets for his performance. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose Avenue on Chicago’s north side.

The annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday tribute takes place this Saturday at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. The event’s organizers—Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma—once again recruited some of Chicago’s best musicians to participate, and as a bonus, Billy J. Kramer will be a special guest. In addition to Clark; Paloma; and host Ken Mottet, the lineup of local performers will includes Pierce Crask; Razor House; Johnny Burnett Band; Phil Angotti; Jay Goeppner; Sandalwood Sitar; Help Desk; Frankie B; Barb & Barrett Tasky; Tom Klein; Heath Chappell; Ryan Tedder; and Andrew Clark.

PureSoul Presents, which has been staging tributes to rhythm and blues artists at City Winery Chicago for a while now, will switch to a different genre this Saturday. That’s when its The Queen Is Dead Live - A Tribute To The Smiths event will feature performers Bob Nanna, Rodrigo Palma, Billy B., and others.

Singer-songwriters Dennis Leise and Phil Angotti will perform at Paul Henry’s Art Gallery in Hammond, IN tomorrow night. The music starts at 7:00 pm; Paul Henry’s Art Gallery is located at 416 Sibley.

Chicago’s long-running free paper The Reader is sponsoring a The Decline of Western Civilization Parts 1 and 2 screening on Sunday at Thalia Hall. In addition to viewing those punk documentaries by Penelope Spheeris, attendees can watch music videos by local artists and have an opportunity to win admission to a Thalia Hall show of their choice. There will also be a pop-up market and free books by local authors, including journalist Jessica Hopper. Tickets for this 17 and older gathering are $20 and $30.