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.