Slumgullion

Graphic from the official Fest For Beatles Fans Facebook page.

The 49th Annual Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago takes place next 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.

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 this coming Tuesday. The music starts at 7:30 pm.

The Carla Olson and Tall Poppy Syndrome single “Is It True,” which was released in digital format in 2024, is now available as a Deluxe CD + download on Bandcamp. The song offers a 1960s arrangement with a harder edge, and features Olson, Clem Burke, Vince Melouney and Jonathan Lea.

Another VU, the Chicago-based band that performs 1969-era Velvet Underground songs, has gigs lined up at Montrose Saloon on August 29 and September 20; and on November 23 at Simon’s Tavern.

Billy Idol’s latest album Dream Into It gives him new songs to perform on his current series of concerts, along with “White Wedding,” Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without A Face,” and other hits. It’s A Nice Day To . . . Tour Again! with Special Guest Joan Jett, has been visiting major cities, and will  drop by The Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL on August 14.

As noted by Mary Houlihan in her column yesterday in the Chicago Sun-Times, Death Cab For Cutie will perform at the Chicago Theatre next Tuesday and Wednesday. The band is currently on a limited tour to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of it debut album Plans.

This year’s Bucktown Arts Fest will take place at Holstein Park (2200 N. Oakley Avenue in Chicago) on the weekend of August 23 and 24. 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 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 the late John Wicks. The Derrick Anderson Combo will perform a set at 7:00 pm before the film is screened.

Dave Suh and The Dirty Wings, the Americana/grunge trio, have a release party for their 10-track album Set To Begin coming up on August 15 at Montrose Saloon. Cisco Pike, Bad Candy and recording artists The Bon Mots will also perform at the venue that night.

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. 

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. 

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.  

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. 

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. 

Indie Rock Night returns to The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL on August 5, and will include singer-songwriter AJ Rosales performing songs from his new album Phasedrift. Rosales specializes in well crafted, melodic acoustic songs. 

Random House will publish a book of personal photographs George Harrison took of his fellow Beatles in the years 1963 –1969. It’s titled The Third Eye and will arrive a little over a year from now. Over 250 color and black and white photographs are being compiled and curated by Olivia Harrison, who will also contribute an essay to her late husband’s book. The website describes the photos as “of the Beatles at work and at play, from Liverpool to Shea Stadium to Adelaide to India, all taken by Harrison.” 

Long-time Chicago comedy group Famous In The Future will have an all-new revue ready to perform when it hosts YippieFest at Chopin Theatre on the weekend of August 15 – 17. The freewheeling festival of the performing arts is inspired by the Abby Fest that was staged for many years by the Mary-Arrchie Theatre company. FIF’s revue is titled Snowflakes In Hell. The full schedule is available on the official YippieFest website. 

Trolley will release A Carnival Of Black And White, its first new album in five years on October 3. In the meantime, the Milwaukee-based power pop band released the catchy title track, and more recently gave us “As Long As I Can Find You.” The latter mixes a hint of Elvis Costello with mid-1960s British rock.

Chicago radio station WXRT’s Hometown Celebration: A Benefit for The Lin Brehmer Scholars Fund will take place at Metro on August 21.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.