Saturday Slumgullion

Photo from Sony Pictures Classics Facebook page.

Be sure to check out yesterday’s Heart-Shaped Box Of Chocolates post for more local and global entertainment news.

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.

As someone who’s promoted Go Time! here on BHT for several years now, it was a kick to receive an email from Raymond Gianchetti at Kool Kat Musik heralding the arrival of the Chicago band’s new album 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.

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.

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.

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 on February 25. Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs will no doubt add to Phillipps’ legacy, and it’s currently available to pre-order as a download or gold vinyl double LP via The Chills Bandcamp page.

 

The power pop band Dolph Chaney And The Phins will likely tap into their well-received latest album Mug when they kick off their Third Thursday Of The Month residency at Montrose Saloon on February 20. They’ll be joined by Falling Stars, whose recent EP Garden Variety showcases their knack for catchy indie rock songs; and Vee Sonnets, a performer known for his solo efforts as well as being the leader of The Sonnets. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose Avenue on Chicago’s north side.

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.

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.

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.

On a related note, Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s Eternal Flame - The Authorized Biography of the Bangles, published by Hachette Book Group, is due out February 18, and is available to pre-order on Amazon, Barnes And Noble, and other sites. It would be great to see The Bangles do a book tour to promote this effort. 

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.

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 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.

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.

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?

Inhaler is about to embark 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.

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.

 

Tickets are now on sale today for Patti Smith and her band’s concert on November 17 at the Chicago Theatre. Smith is celebrating the 50th anniversary of her groundbreaking debut album Horses with a world tour that will start in Dublin, Ireland on October 6.