Slumgullion

“Queen Of The Scene,” the first single from The Buzzcocks’ upcoming Attitude Adjustment album, sports an energetic, guitar-driven arrangement and Steve Diggle’s unmistakable vocals. The 14-track Attitude Adjustment will be released on January 30, which is also the day The Buzzcocks embark on a busy year of touring that includes performances in the UK, Europe, and (so far) two gigs in the USA.

Two of the Chicago area’s better-known bandleaders will share the stage when the Songs And Stories With Nicholas Tremulis and Frank Orrall After Dark event takes place at the Art Makers Outpost in Evanston on January 25. In a recent Facebook post, Tremulis states that he and the Poi Dog Pondering vocalist will swap songs and stories, and offer other entertaining bits. The swapping and entertaining starts at 6:00 pm; Art Makers Outpost is located at 609 South Boulevard in Evanston.

It looks like Squeeze, a band well known for spinning tales with clever lyrics and irresistible melodies, will explore the seedy side of English nightlife on their upcoming album Trixies. A recent video clip on the Squeeze Facebook page asks, “Who hangs out at Trixies? All the sort of people who carry something lethal.” Still, we can count on founding members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook to work their usual songwriting magic. Trixies is due out in March.

Tickets are now available for the 10th annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday celebration taking place on February 21 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. The event aims to raise awareness for MusicCares, and organizers Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma always recruit some of Chicago’s best musicians to participate as special guests.

Vocalist Deena Shoshkes and guitarist-vocalist Jon Fried of the Hoboken, NJ band The Cucumbers will simultaneously release the Hello, George novella and As You Heard Me album on Valentine’s Day. Fried wrote the book, based on the song “There’s a Crop Circle on My Daddy’s Land” by Shoshkes and Vaughan Daniel, and worked with Shoshkes on what’s being called the novella’s soundtrack. The Cucumbers have been described as a power pop band, but the satiric Hello, George focuses on the ups and downs of a country music star. Each year, I wrap up a series of holiday songs on Broken Hearted Toy by praising the rollicking version of “Auld Lang Syne” The Cucumbers contributed to the Ho Ho Ho Spice various artists charity album.

Ralph Covert, the versatile singer-songwriter for the Chicago-based band The Bad Examples, will tap into his extensive supply of children’s songs with a Ralph’s World Solo Concert at the Oak Park Temple in Oak Park, IL on January 19. The event will support the Glasser Preschool.

Cherry Red Records will release Various Artists: CBGB - A New York City Soundtrack 1975 - 1986 as a 4-CD set on January 30. The tribute includes songs by Patti Smith; Blondie; The Dictators; Ramones; Television; The Dead Boys; Talking Heads; The dB’s; Genya Ravan; Tuff Darts; The Cramps; Cherry Vanilla; Suicide; Bush Tetras; Mink Deville; Richard Hell and The Voidoids; Tom Verlaine; Richard Lloyd; Sylvain Sylvain; The Bongos; Beastie Boys; Sonic Youth; and Nona Hendryx.

Tickets are now on sale for an April 10 concert by long-time indie rock band Throwing Muses at Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL. Led by vocalist-guitarist and acclaimed songwriter Kristen Hersh, the band has plenty of material to chose from, but might concentrate on songs from their 2025 album Moonlight Concessions.

As noted by author/former IRS Records publicist/journalist Cary Baker in a recent post on the Wild Honey Foundation Facebook page, The Lovin’ Spoonful have a 7-CD box set titled What A Day For A Daydream - The Complete Recordings 1965 - 1969 coming out on March 27 via Strawberry Records.

Congratulations to the Milwaukee-based power pop band Trolley on the positive attention their new album A Carnival Of Grey And White received in  the latest issue of the U.K. rock magazine Shindig. There’s an article by Clive Webb on page 16, and reviewer Ben Graham suggests “Trolley could well be the perfect fusion of new-wave and progressive art pop” in his four-star review.

Tim Thomas, editor-in-chief of the indie rock newspaper Second Scene, recently posted on Facebook that he’s “planning another special Issue for the Spring that will again feature art and, this time, short stories, poetry, photography, and lyrics by those who have been featured in previous Issues.” Second Scene, which is available through its Bandcamp page, consistently sports an eye-catching layout, so it will be interesting to see what happens when he tosses in some art and literature.

The critically acclaimed (Downbeat magazine, Chicago Reader) Joe Policastro Trio will likely showcase songs from their recent Mending Wall album during an upcoming performance at Merriman’s Playhouse, Inc. in South Bend, IN on January 14. Bass player Policastro, along with guitarist Dave Miller and drummer Mikel Avery, is known for adding adventurous touches to traditional jazz music.

The Smithereens, who were recently inducted (along with Darlene Love) into the Count Basie Center Walk Of Fame at the Count Basie Center in Redbank, NJ, have a show coming up on March 6 at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL. Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill, who released the Long After The Fire album together in 2025, will join The Smithereens for that show.

Gina Marie and The Golden Bucks, a Chicago-based Americana sextet whose 2024 album Pastures Of Plenty offers several examples of authentic country and swing, can just as easily slip into genuine blues. “Without That Man,” the latest single from Pastures Of Plenty, employs a slow, slinky arrangement to capture the sense of loss singer Ruth Etting brought to the original 1931 version.

As noted in the British rock magazine Shindig No. 169 (for some reason they don’t go by month), 1960s psychedelic rockers The Strawberry Alarm Clock have released a new album on the Big Stir label. Reviewer Andy Morten gave Monster / White Light four stars, while declaring The Strawberry Alarm Clock “refuse to play the oldies game, instead writing new material that’s as inquisitive and exploratory as their 1967 gear.” Morten also points out the band still has five original members.

Australian garage rockers Hoodoo Gurus will be backed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on January 29 at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl. The listing on the Ticketek site promises the band’s material will be “reimagined on an epic scale, with orchestral arrangements bringing fresh energy and grandeur.” In other down under news, Hoodoo Gurus, along with Iggy Pop; Joan Jett And The Blackhearts; and ZED will share a tour in Auckland, New Zealand on January 23, 26, and 31.

What could be a better time to honor The Belfast Cowboy than on St. Patrick’s Day? Tickets are now on sale for the Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison event taking place on March 17 at SPACE in Evanston, IL.The participants will be Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz.

The first volume of an enhanced and fully rewritten edition of Doug Hinman’s 2004 book The Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night - The Day-By-Day Story Pt. 1: 1940 - 1971 is now available to pre-order from Beatland Book and is expected to ship on February 20.

Sons Of The Silent Age, the Chicago-based David Bowie tribute band led by vocalist Chris Connelly, has a tradition of kicking off the new year with a benefit performance at Metro. The January 31, 2026 event finds Sons Of The Silent Age taking “Our second trip through the Berlin trilogy, consisting of the albums Low, Heroes, and Lodger.” A second set will concentrate on Bowie’s hit singles and well-known material. And, as noted by guitarist Steve Gerlach in a Facebook post, “It’s a benefit for Endeavor Health’s excellent Integrative Medicine program.”

What’s The Big Idea - 30 Great Concept Albums, a new book from author Bill Kopp, is now available from HoZac Books for $21.99. Kopp’s exploration of musical storytelling includes an interview with concept album master Pete Townshend, and a foreword by Let’s Active founder and critically acclaimed producer Mitch Easter.

Congratulations to Custard Flux, AKA musician Gregory Curvey, on his latest album Enter Xenon coming in at number 8 on MOJO’s Top 10 Prog albums of 2025 and grabbing the number 2 spot for the Top 5 Prog Albums in Classic Rock. Seems like these UK rock magazines really like his music. Curvey is a veteran of the Chicago-based prog rock band The Luck Of Eden Hall, and is noted for creating adventurous albums and graphics.

Patti Smith will continue promoting her Bread Of Angels memoir with events in New York City on January 21; and New Haven, CT on January 26.

Autographed copies of musician Melissa Auf der Maur’s upcoming book Even the Good Girls Will Cry are available to pre-order from the TalkShopLive! website. Auf der Maur, who’s known for performing with Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, describes her book as “part rock memoir, part travel diary, [and] part psychedelic scrapbook.”