Sunday Papers

As I mentioned in this past Thursday’s Weekend Reminders post, the David Bowie tribute band Sons Of The Silent Age will perform a 7:00 pm benefit concert for a close friend of theirs tonight at Madame Zuzu’s in Highland Park. The venue is run by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and his wife Chloe Mendel. I recently discovered that rare Smashing Pumpkins albums and other cool merch items are available for sale on the Madame Zuzu’s website.

Forever Now - A Post Punk, One Day Festival will make its debut on June 22 at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes. The official website states: “A UK sister event of city of the acclaimed US festival Cruel World, it celebrates alternative culture, post-punk music, fashion, and literature.” Participating acts include The The; Johnny Marr; Billy Idol; Kraftwerk; Psychedelic Furs; Berlin; The Motels; and Chameleons.

The Cruel World festival takes place in Pasadena, CA on May 17. Headline acts include New Order; ’til tuesday; 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.

The Chicago radio station WDCB 90.9 Jazz will present guitarist Steve Knight in a release party for his For Years Gone album this Monday 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.

The Pandoras Official Fanpage on Facebook recently announced they have gigs coming up in the near future. “We’re super excited to announce that we will be playing some awesome shows!!” the post read. “It feels incredible to continue playing all our and your favorite tunes!! And we know Paula [Pierce] and Kim [Shattuck] would be so proud and are always with us!

I had forgotten the Chicago area Harry Potter Shop is now open at 676 N. Michigan Avenue until I saw two young women lugging gigantic paper bags with the official logo as they boarded the northwest suburban Metra train yesterday afternoon. Both bags were so full, one of them had a rip on the bottom. Hopefully nothing fell out on the way home. The Harry Potter Shop offers clothing, candy, wands, mugs, books, and something called Hogwarts trunks.

The Minus Five, comprising Linda Pitmon; Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey; Kurt Bloch; and Debbi Peterson, will embark on a short west coast tour in June. Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill will also be on the bill for the first three dates, followed by The Rubinoos in that spot on the next three dates.

Chicago area teenage musician Gavin Eimerman has released a series of singles over the past few years via the Australian indie label Egomaniac Music, and his full-length debut CD To Inherit All Prevalence is coming out April 25. According to a Facebook post, it will offer a mix of indie rock, progressive metal, power pop, and a few acoustic ballads.

Terry Chambers And Friends, which features the longtime drummer for the critically acclaimed and beloved English band XTC backed by veteran musicians, has a May 1 gig coming up at City Winery Chicago.

Adventurous prog rock musician and The Luck Of Eden Hall founding member Gregory Curvey, AKA Custard Flux, has a new album titled Enter Xenon coming out on June 1. It can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp, and the first three tracks are already available to purchase and download.

The annual Old Town School Of Folk Music Record Sale will be held on May 3 and 4 at Music Direct’s warehouse at 1811 W. Bryn Mawr. The official website promises “a diverse array of musical treasures, including thousands of donated LPs, rare 78s, tons of collectable and signed recordings, essential books, CDs, and DVDs, alongside premium records and equipment sourced directly from Music Direct’s warehouse.”

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.

The Jeff Tweedy Annual Benefit Shows will be held at the Vic Theatre on April 18 and April 19. As stated on the Wilco official website, “All proceeds are donated to organizations chosen by the Tweedy family. Past organizations include The Chicago Lighthouse, Be Alright, Direct Effect Charities, One Tail at a Time and Alive Rescue Chicago.”

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.

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. Understandable since Narducy and Juhlin have a busy schedule these days.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.