Incoming

The Chicago Blues Festival, an annual event since 1984 and believed to be the world’s largest blues festival, returns this Thursday through Sunday. Mavis Staples will be among the headliners, and there will be a centennial tribute to the late B.B. King. Opening day will take place at the Ramova Theatre at 3520 S. Halsted and feature performances by Bobby Rush and Billy Branch And The Sons Of The Blues.

June has long been a good month for major art events in Chicago, with the Gold Coast Art Fair being a prime example. It returns for its 67th year this Saturday and Sunday in the Butler Field section of Grant Park.

Tourists in town for the Chicago Blues Festival and/or Gold Coast Art Fair might be interested to know the Reckless Records store formerly on Madison has moved to a larger location at 33 S. Wabash. The Sandmeyer’s Bookstore at 714 S. Dearborn is also an interesting cultural destination. If you’re interested in local free papers, the Gene Siskel Film Center at 164 N. State Street has copies of The Chicago Reader, NewCity, and South Side Weekly just inside its doorway on the ground level. Plus, flyers for upcoming screenings at the center.

The quirky and critically acclaimed English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock has a gig coming up this Saturday night at The Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago.

Richard Milne, a long-time favorite radio personality in Chicago via his work on WXRT, will be playing songs as a guest on the indie rock station CHIRP Radio 107.1FM tomorrow from 9:00 am to noon.

New Orleans vocalist Kate Fagan will return to her former hometown of Chicago on August 10 for a showcase of women performers at the Empty Bottle venue. Fagan is still known here for her work with BB Spin and Heavy Manners, so her August 10 show will feature some of that material, as well as her latest single releases. Clickbait, Beastii and DJ Modern Girl will also be on the Empty Bottle bill.

The latest edition of the power pop recording artists Dolph Chaney and the Phins residency at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side comes on June 19. Local trio The Dry Look and the quartet Brother Derek will also perform at Montrose Saloon that night. 

As mentioned here in previous posts, McLuhan has been selling vinyl copies of its ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly at gigs. As of July 25, the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band inspired by philosopher Marshall McLuhan will have CD copies of that album for sale via Think Like A Key Music.

Singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen will return to the Tuscan Market & Wine Shop in Arlington Heights from 7:00 to 9:30 pm on June 13 to perform selections from the Great American Songbook. The evening will also feature Cohen performing as part of the Everly Hillbillies band, which covers hits by the Everly Brothers.