Incoming

The latest issue of Vive Le Rock! chooses the 250 Greatest Punk Songs Ever! Judging from the cover, The Damned, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, and The Rut are included. It’s available to order on the counter culture magazine’s website for £6.50 GBP.

Death Cab For Cutie will perform at the Chicago Theatre tomorrow and Wednesday. The band is currently on a limited tour to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of it debut album Plans.

Pravda Records artist singer-songwriter Nathan Graham is known for mixing classic blues with Americana music, and he’ll likely showcase songs from his Saint Of Second Chances album when he performs at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights tomorrow night. The music starts at 7:30 pm.

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 this Thursday at noon.

Indie Rock Night returns to The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL tomorrow night, and will include singer-songwriter AJ Rosales. He’ll likely perform some of the well crafted, acoustic songs from his new album Phasedrift.

On Thursday night at The Des Plaines Theatre, Moody Blues bassist-vocalist and solo artist John Lodge will perform on the main stage.

The 49th Annual Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago takes place this weekend at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. WXRT DJ Terri Hemmert will once again serve as MC; and this year’s special guests include drummer Simon Kirke from Bad Company and Free; Jim McCarty from The Yardbirds and Renaissance; and British Invasion hit maker Billy J. Kramer. 1960s model/author Jenny Boyd and author Yvonne Innes, whose Dip My Brain In Joy: A Life With Neil Innes celebrates her marriage to the late writer-musician-actor, will also be on hand. There will be performances by Liverpool; The Weeklings; The Taxmen; Phil Angotti And Friends, and other bands.

St. Divine will likely showcase songs from its latest album you can’t go forward and you can’t go back  when it performs as part of a particularly adventurous triple bill at The Hideout in Chicago this Saturday. The New York City quintet states its music “blurs the edges of punk, Americana, and garage rock,” which should fit perfectly with the other two acts performing that night. Pravda Records indie/glam rockers The Handcuffs have four well-crafted albums to draw material from, as well as new songs that will be on their next release. Steve Silver, a writer whose numerous years covering the rougher edges of the local music scene no doubt fueled his upcoming book F*ck You, We’re From Chicago, will be the opening act.

Great Moments In Vinyl, a rotating collection of area musicians devoted to honoring some of the best LPs in rock history, will be performing songs by The Police this Thursday at SPACE in Evanston.

New Orleans vocalist Kate Fagan returns to her former hometown of Chicago for an in-store appearance this Saturday at Bric-A-Brac Records, and a performance at the Empty Bottle on Sunday. Fagan is still highly regarded here for her previous work with BB Spin and Heavy Manners. She’ll be at Bric-A-Brac Records from 4:00 to 6:30 pm, and on Sunday, she’ll take part in a showcase of women artists that also features Clickbait, Beastii and DJ Modern Girl. Fagan will likely perform some vintage material, as well as her latest single releases.

International Pop Overthrow - Los Angeles kicked off last Friday, and will run through August 10 at the Redwood Bar; with one showcase being held at the Escondido venue on August 8. IPO founder David Bash has posted a description of each of the 60-plus acts that are taking part in the festival; you can find them on the festival’s official website.

I was saddened to read in today’s newspapers that actress Loni Anderson has died. As an avid fan of WKRP In Cincinnati back when it aired in the late 70s and early 80s, I liked the way the sitcom flipped the dumb blond stereotype by making Anderson’s radio station secretary character Jennifer Marlowe quick-witted and competent. Several years ago, I had a chance to talk to Anderson at what was then called (I believe) Wizard World Comic Con in Chicago. I mentioned that her character was the smartest one on the show. She smiled, and said, “Yes I was, wasn’t I?”