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.