Sunday Papers

Ebet Roberts photo of Michael Stipe from the official R.E.M. Facebook page. 

Happy Birthday to Michael Stipe. His vocals on R.E.M. songs, starting with the spooky Chronic Town EP in 1981 and throughout the Athens, GA band’s successful career, were mesmerizing if not always understandable. He continues to work on fascinating recording projects and worthy causes to this day.

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 album 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 Thomas tosses in some art and literature.

Pegasus Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival, which features four plays written by local high school students, opened this past Thursday at Chicago Dramatists and will continue on each Friday at 7:00 pm and each Saturday at 2:30 and 7:00 pm through January 24. Chicago Dramatist located at 798 N. Aberdeen.

There’s encouraging news for those of us who’ve been looking forward to the release of Justin Fielding’s documentary on the power pop genre. According to Fielding, he pretty much has a complete edit of the approximately 90-movie film, which is now titled Power Pop: No Matter What. He hopes that with industry/financial support, particularly regarding the licensing of music, the film could be released in a few months.

Desiree Burcum and Frank Carr of the Chicago-based Famous In The Future comedy group (I was once a member) have changed the name of their alt-rock side project from The Rut to The Lovely Rut. The band has a gig coming up at Phyllis’ Musical Inn on January 16, so you can judge their appearance for yourself. They’re be joined by local bands Boiaderio and Gunnelpumpers, who will likely be attractive as well. Phyllis’ Musical Inn is located at 1800 W. Division on Chicago’s near north side.

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.

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 will perform at the Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich, RI with Marshall Crenshaw as their guest vocalist on January 9. The band has 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 be join The Smithereens for that show.

Chicago-based indie rockers Local H rang in the new year at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago, and have several shows coming up in 2026 as part of a triple lineup with Filter and Finger Eleven.

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.

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.

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.

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 New York City on January 21; and New Haven, CT on January 26.

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.

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.

Local singer-guitarist Phil Angotti and the Nash String Duo will perform a brunch time tribute to The Beatles at City Winery Chicago on January 18. Having performed Beatles brunches several times at this venue over the years, Angotti has become quite good at it. Looking further down the road, the Phil Angotti Band will be at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights on February 19.

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.”

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.”