Incoming

Duets Special - Chrissie Hynde And Pals, an album featuring The Pretenders lead vocalist pairing up with Lucinda Williams; Julian Lennon; Shirley Manson; k.d. lang; David Gahan; Debbie Harry; Brandon Flowers; Rufus Wainwright and other well-known performers, is due out on October 17. It’s currently available to pre-order from various sites.

Chicago radio station WXRT’s Hometown Celebration: A Benefit for The Lin Brehmer Scholars Fund will take place at Metro this Thursday. The Linburgers, featuring Tributosaurus members Matt Spiegel and Curt Morrison, along with Heather Lynne Horton, Scott Lucas, Michael McDermott, and Eddie “King” Roeser, will perform, and the station’s on-air personalities will also be on hand. Brehmer will always be remembered by his many fans as our “Best Friend In The Whole World.” Metro is located at 3730 N. Clark Street.

Wolf Alice has kept busy with live performances around the globe while fans wait for the UK band’s latest album The Clearing to drop this Friday. Upcoming shows in North America are starting to sell out, including in Washington, DC;  Brooklyn; Toronto; and Chicago (The Vic, September 26).  Autographed copies of The Clearing are available on vinyl and CD on the official Wolf Alice website.

The Chicago House Music Conference and Festival returns to Chicago this Thursday through Sunday, with events scheduled at Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and the Riverwalk. As noted on the Chicago Latino Network Facebook page, the festival with include DJs, live music, dance lessons, and panel discussions. Admission is free.

Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, and Jane Wiedlin from The Go-Go’s will be among the special guests at the Musack Rock n’ Roll Carnival taking place this Saturday in Los Angeles. The exact address will only be revealed to those who purchase tickets. As stated on its official website, “Musack’s mission is to give kids and teens a voice through music by providing guitars, drums, and support for music teachers - wherever the need arises.”

Space in Evanston will continue its Singer-Songwriter Shows series throughout this month, with performances by Sydny August this Friday and Helen Gillet on August 26.

The Smithereens, with John Cowsill as guest lead vocalist, will continue their mini tour of the U.S. with a show at the Music Box venue in Cleveland this Friday night. Other upcoming shows will take place in  Ferndale, MI; Brookville, NY; Old Saybrook, CT; Richmond, VA; and East Greenwich, RI.

Autographed copies of the Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill’s album Long After The Fire can now be ordered via the TalkShopLive website.

This year’s Bucktown Arts Fest will take place at Holstein Park (2200 N. Oakley Avenue in Chicago) this weekend. Admission is free, and as it has done for decades, the Fest will feature artists, photographers, and live music. The enchanting alt rock band whitewolfsonicprincess, whom I’ve mentioned here several times, will perform from 4:00 to 5:00 pm on August 23. Other live acts include Jared Rabin Band; The Midwest Young Artists Conservatory Jazz Combo; Hope Arthur: Ragtime Piano; Daisychain; and Caught Steelin.

The Woggles, the garage rock specialists championed by Little Steven and his Wicked Cool record label, recently embarked on a world tour. One of those dates will bring them to Reggies in Chicago on September 11, with hometown heroes The Handcuffs serving as the opening act. I’m pretty sure the first time I met Handcuffs drummer Brad Elvis was when I noticed him in the audience at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine, IL back when The Woggles were part of a Little Steven’s Underground Garage Tour along with The Zombies, Gore Gore Girls, and other acts. I worked up the nerve to introduce myself as a writer for the Illinois Entertainer. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to Brad, who has also performed with Big Hello, The Romantics, The Elvis Brothers, and Screams, several times since then.

Free spirits can bask in some genuine counter-culture vibes via the Tributosaurus Becomes Woodstock concert coming to FitzGerald’s Outdoors in Berwyn this Saturday. Utilizing a rotating roster of local musicians, Tributosaurus has been one of the Chicago area’s best known tribute acts for several years.

United Kingdom fans of The Hollies can see Peter Howarth, who’s done a splendid job as The Hollies’ lead vocalist since 2004, in a show this Saturday 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.

The Chicago Jazz Festival will be held in Millennium Park on the long weekend of August 28 – 31. This year’s headliners are Esperanza Spalding, Monty Alexander, Kermit Ruffins, and Eliades Ochoa. Admission to the festival is free, and other performers scheduled include Sarah Marie Young, Silvia Marque, Ari Brown, and Patricia Barber.

Congratulations to Maple Mars on its 25th Anniversary. The Los Angeles band, a favorite on the power pop/psychedelic scene, will celebrate with a 7:00 pm show this Saturday at SIR Studios in Hollywood. Maple Mars will release two new songs, “Couldn’t Have Been A Better Time” and “Tidal Wave” on Big Stir Records this Friday.

Chicago’s beloved and frequently funny covers band EXPO ’76 will perform at Fuller’s Pub on the north side for the very first time on September 6. The venue is located at 3203 W. Irving Park Road. In related news, EXPO ’76 with the Total Pro Horns will release an album titled Hot In The Dark on October 24. 

Three Chicago area recording artists with loyal followings on the club scene will join forces at QBar in Darien, IL on September 13. Fans can expect an evening of live power pop and indie rock during separate sets by The Embryos, The Spindles, and Go Time! Doors will open at 7:30 pm.