The 93XRT Opening Day Celebration At Yak-Zies, a Chicago tradition that draws a packed house of Cubs/rock music fans to the Wrigleyville venue, will take place on April 4. Doors open at 7:00 am; DJs will start spinning tunes at 9:00 am; and there will be a set by local band Ratboys at noon. Check out the Ratboys Bandcamp page to get a preview of the catchy, indie rock tunes they’ll be performing. For many WXRT listeners, this event brings back memories of the late Lin Brehmer, our best friend in this world and the next. I like to think he’ll be there in spirit.
Emmylou Harris will share a double bill with Graham Nash at the Tanglewood venue in Lenox, MA on July 29, as well as at the Wolf Trap National Park For The Performing Arts in Vienna, VA on July 31. Each of these artists is supporting the Sweet Relief Natural Disaster Relief Fund’s efforts to assist people impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles. Nash donated a signed Fender acoustic CD-60 guitar; and Harris gave an autographed print of herself taken by photographer Jay Blakesberg.
How Lucky Can One Man Get, the documentary covering John Prine’s 2010 benefit concert at Proviso East, will be screened at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL on April 9. There will be Q and A panel afterward with Fiona Prine, Jason Wilbur, and Lois Baumann. Tickets are $30.
The following Chicago area shows are now on sale: The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse at The Salt Shed Fairgrounds on August 16; Michael Franti and Spearhead with Allen Stone at Inside The Salt Shed on July 23; and Steve Earle 50 Years Of Songs And Stories at Vic Theatre on June 20.
The Cruel World festival will take place in Pasadena, CA on May 17. Headline acts include New Order; The Buzzcocks; Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds; The Go-Go’s; Devo; OMD; Garbage; Alison Moyet, Blancmange; Stereo MC’s; Midge Ure; and Madness. According to a Facebook post from Aimee Mann, members of ’til tuesday will perform together for the first time in 35 years at the Cruel World festival.
Keri Johnsrud and Shawn Maxwell will showcase songs from their 2024 debut album Caffeine on April 8 at City Winery Chicago. As a vocalist and saxophone player respectively, Johnsrud and Maxwell are well known on the Chicago music scene and combined their talents on Caffeine to celebrate the ups and downs of a typical person’s day. They’ll be accompanied by musicians Tom Vaistas on piano, Tim Seisser on bass & Lucas Gillan on drums at the City Winery Chicago gig.
Indie label Kool Kat Musik has released Pop Aid 2: A Compilation To Benefit Those Affected By Hurricanes Helene & Milton. All net profits from the 23-track CD will go directly to the American Red Cross in its efforts to help people in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Acts who contributed songs to Pop Aid 2 include Mothboxer; Ronnie D’Addario featuring The Lemon Twigs; Vegas With Randolph; The Anderson Council; The Weeklings; Thrift Store Halo; The Grip Weeds, The Successful Failures; and Richard Turgeon. Kool Kat’s first POP AID effort came in 2022 with A Power Pop Compilation to Benefit the Citizens of Ukraine, which has so far generated over $4,000 to help World Central Kitchen in its work.
EXPO ’76, which modestly promotes itself as, “Chicago’s favorite band playing the tunes you forgot you always loved,” can return to the local club scene now that member Dag Juhlin has finished working with the Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy And Friends R.E.M.’s Fables Of The Reconstruction tour. EXPO ’76 will be back at one of its favorite joints, Simon’s Tavern on April 9.
The 10cc’s Graham Gouldman and Heart Full Of Songs tour is currently visiting venues in the UK, featuring the well-known songwriter/musician and a “semi-acoustic four-piece band performing songs from his back catalogue.” That includes hits by 10cc, The Hollies, Herman’s Hermits, and The Yardbirds. I’d love to see him come to Chicago with that tour.
The Chicago-based David Bowie tribute band Sons Of The Silent Age has a benefit concert for a close friend coming up on April 13 at Madame Zuzu’s in Highland Park. The music starts at 7:00 pm.
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who runs Madame Zuzu’s with his wife Chloe Mendel, is working with Lyric Opera Of Chicago boss John Mangum to create a piece “based on arranged and orchestrated music” from the Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness album. The Lyric Opera’s upcoming season will include performances of Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness November 21 – 30.
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.
Alejandro Escovedo has April 4 and 5 shows coming up 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. The venue is located at 1200 W. Randolph Street in the West Loop area.
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.
Jazz guitarist Steve Knight has a release party for his For Years Gone album coming up on April 14 at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago’s Printer’s Row area. Working with bassist Justin Peterson and drummer Linard Stroud as an instrumental trio, Knight creates his own compositions and covers well-known artists such as George Harrison, Joni Mitchell, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. The Jazz Showcase is located at 806 S Plymouth Ct.
Super Creeps and Into The Heart, a David Bowie and U2 tribute band respectively will share a Bowie And Bono double bill at the Cubby Bear in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood on April 19.
This year’s Ravinia Festival in Highland Park will run from early June through the end of August, covering just about any genre imaginable. Performers will include Heart; Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe; The Mohan Sisters; The Allman Betts Band and The Record Company; Counting Crows; Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’; The Black Crowes; James Taylor and His All-Star Band; David Foster and Chris Botti, featuring Katharine McPhee; Diana Krall; Lindsey Stirling with Chicago Philharmonic; The Roots; Al Green; “Weird Al” Yankovic; Nas with Chicago Philharmonic; Chicago; Chucho Valdés, Paquito D’Rivera, and Arturo Sandoval; Gershwin’s Concerto in F; Sutton Foster and Kellie O’Hara; Juanes; Beck; Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms; Lang Lang’s The Disney Book; Mogan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience; Train; Earth, Wind and Fire; Laurie Berkner; Cynthia Erivo; Lenny Kravitz; Maren Morris; John Legend; UB40; Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music Sing Along; and Ray Montagne.
Founding members Duke Erikson, Dave Benton, Joel Tappero, and Butch Vig of the indie rock band Spooner will reunite for a 50th Anniversary show on July 12 at the Atwood Music Hall in their original hometown of Madison, WI. Musicians Pauli Ryan and Alex Drossart will help out, and there will be more special guests. The Sean Michael Dargan Trio show will be the opening act.
The Stop Making Sense: A Film By Jonathan Demme And Talking Heads Live Event Hosted By Jerry Harrison is 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.
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?
Translator founding members Steve Barton, Robert Darlington, Larry Dekker, and David Scheff got together in 2023 and recorded two new songs. 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.
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.
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