Weekend Reminders

Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention, or concert tickets going on sale.

International Pop Overthrow - Los Angeles continues its 2025 run with a five-act showcase tonight at the Redwood Bar. The action switches to the Escondido venue tomorrow night with a six-act showcase and returns to the Redwood Bar for six-act afternoon showcases on Saturday and Sunday. The full schedule can be found on the festival’s official website. The next stop for International Pop Overthrow is San Diego on August on 15 and 16 at the Black Cat Bar.

Depending on when you read this, you could catch the Great Moments In Vinyl Performing Songs By The Police show at at 7:30 pm tonight at SPACE in Evanston. Great Moments In Vinyl is a rotating collection of Chicago area musicians focused on honoring classic rock and roll LPs.

Singer-guitarist Mike Cohen has brought back Everly Hillbillies, the Everly Brothers tribute band he founded with singer-guitarist Jeff Janulis over a decade ago. Now working with Fred Morg, Tim Feil, and Mike Conroy (Janulis is currently leading The Spindles), Cohen will perform the timeless songs of Phil and Don at an outdoor show this Saturday in downtown Arlington Heights. The music starts at 7:00 pm outside the Tuscan Market & Wine Shop, and there is no cover charge.

The 49th Annual Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago starts tomorrow at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and will run through Sunday night. 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.

Madame Zuzu’s Teahouse, the venue and art space run by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and his wife Chloe Mendel, will present this month’s Songwriters In The Round event on Saturday from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. With Stephen Kohler serving as host, local musicians Ian Wisniewski, Jenny Bienemann, Jim Gary, and Neal Rosner will take part in what’s billed as a “stadium-like showdown to play new and original music.” Madame Zuzu’s Teahouse is located in Highland Park, IL and in addition to serving as a cafe, is a vinyl record store.

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 will have vinyl copies of their latest album Burn The Rails for sale, and will likely perform material from all four of their releases, as well as new material. 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.

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.