Birthday Cake

It’s my party and I’ll post if I want to. I’d like to thank everyone who sent happy birthday wishes to me on Facebook today. As noted by WXRT DJ Marty Lennartz on the air this morning and by writer/retired PR director Cary Baker on Facebook, today is also the birthday of the late, legendary Chicago folk singer Steve Goodman. Rock In Paradise, Steve. And best wishes to Mick Jagger, who’ll celebrate his birthday tomorrow. With all this merriment going on, today’s post will be shorter than usual, but hopefully I’ll have more to offer over the weekend.

Here’s an event I wasn’t aware of while putting together yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post. Local musicians Scott Tipping,  Packy Lundholm, and John San Juan will perform the entire Jimi Hendrix Experience album Axis Bold As Love live from 7:00 to 9:00 pm this Sunday at The Venue in Aurora. The all-ages show is part of the Album Covers Presents series.

The Wild Honey Foundation will screen a special sneak preview of director Justin Fielding’s long-awaited Power Pop Movie on August 17 at the Wild Honey Backyard Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Musicians featured in the documentary include Marshall Crenshaw, Jody Stephens, Vicki Peterson and John Wicks. The Derrick Anderson Combo will perform a set at 7:00 pm before the film is screened. 

Guitarist-vocalist Dave Davies has a signing event for the recently released album The Kinks - The Journey Vol. 3 coming up at the Barnes & Noble store at 555 Fifth Avenue in New York at noon on August 7th. I bought the double CD version as a birthday present to myself.

Lollapalooza returns to Grant Park July 31 and will run through August 3 with headliners that include Tyler, The Creator; Olivia Rodrigo; Korn; and Sabrina Carpenter. Other notable acts would be Cage The Elephant; Ratboys; Foster The People, and Chicago Youth Symphony. Check the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times in the days preceding Lollapalooza; they usually provide recommendations on the must-see performers.

United Kingdom fans of The Hollies will be able to see three of the band’s most recent members in concert next month. Peter Howarth, who’s done a splendid job as The Hollies’ lead vocalist since 2004, has a show on August 23 at The Exchange venue in Sturminster Newton, Dorset. In addition to Hollies songs, the show will include selections from Only The Lonely - The Roy Orbison Story, a recent stage production in which Howarth played the starring role.

A week later, Rob Davis and Ray Stiles, the surviving members of MUD, will reunite to perform songs by that band at The Exchange. They’ll be joined by Pete Phipps, Keith Read, and Ian Parker. Stiles and Parker are both Hollies veterans. And for something completely different, Monty Python founding member John Cleese will appear at The Exchange on August 8. 

Several well-known acts will perform at the Evanston Folk Festival when it’s held September 6 and 7 at Dawes Park in Evanston, IL. Iron And Wine; Tune-Yards; Margo Price; Loudon Wainwright III; Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen; The Milk Carton Kids; and Ezra Furman are among the scheduled acts. The festival will include three aftershows in nearby locations: Ani DiFranco with special guest Hurray for the Riff Raff at Cahn Auditorium on September 5; Songs Of Bob Dylan featuring Nora O’Connor, Nathan Graham, Steve Dawson, Gerald Dowd, and others at SPACE on September 6; and Roseanne Cash at Cahn Auditorium on September 7.

High Moon Records, which is known for its adventurous series of reissues, has released Sly And The Family Stone - The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967. Available in CD or LP format, it includes a deluxe booklet, interviews with Stone and original band members, rare photos, and memorabilia.

The Lakeview East Festival Of The Arts returns for its 20th year on September 13 and 14, taking place on Broadway, between Belmont and Hawthorne. Over 120 artists will display their work, and performances on the two stages will include Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen; Gerald Dowd; Gerald McClendon; The Band Calderisi; and Kent Rose And The Remedies.

The 60 Years Of Ronnie Wood Fearless Anthology will include his solo work as well as the time he’s spent performing with Rolling Stones, The Faces, Jeff Beck Group, The Birds, The Creation, Rod Stewart, and Ronnie Lane. Available as two LPs or two CDs, it’s due out September 26.

The Color Purple - The Musical will wrap up its successful, critically acclaimed run at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago on August 3. The production is directed by Lili-Anne Brown, with book by Marsha Norman, and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Alee Willis, and Stephen Bray.

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.

International Pop Overthrow returns to Los Angeles—the city of its birth—for the 26th time on August 1. The festival will feature over 60 acts and run through August 10 at the Redwood Bar; with one showcase being held at the Escondido venue on August 8.

Congratulations to vocalist Gerald McClendon, who’ll receive the Bobby Blue Bland Award when the 25th Annual Jus’ Blues Foundation holds its Night Of The Living Legends event on July 30 in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne will kick off his massive Who Is The Sky? Tour with a show in Providence, RI on September 14. The North American dates include October 28, 29, and 31 at The Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, as well as stops in Pittsburgh; Washington, D.C.; New York; Toronto; Denver; Dallas; and Miami Beach. After a few months off, Byrne will launch a series of European concerts on February 12, 2026. His new album Who Is The Sky? will be available in various formats on September 6.