Slumgullion

The list of limited-edition vinyl offerings that will be available on April 18 for this year’s Record Store Day is now available on the official website. As always, there’s something for fans of just about every genre and era. If I had to pick a handful from the numerous worthy releases, they would be The Cars - Heartbeat City Live; The dB’s - Cycles Per Second: US Tour 2024; and XTC - Live Boots - Live At Emerald City 1981.

Congratulations to Chicago-based alt rock band Ratboys on the release of their latest album Singin’ To An Empty Chair on Bandcamp today. There’s a two-page profile on them by staff writer Selena Fragassi in today’s edition of the Chicago Sun-Times.

San Francisco-based author Richie Unterberger’s latest book, Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground, is due out via Omnibus Press on May 14 in the UK and in mid-June in America.

Long-time entertainment writer Mark Caro (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, etc.) has talked with several rock musicians on his Caropop podcast, and recently started making those interviews available on his YouTube channel, as well as on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The latest edition offers a fascinating conversation with Dag Juhlin, the Chicago musician whose career spans from founding the The Slugs back in the late 1980s to his current work with Sunshine Boys; Sonic45, EXPO ’76, and Courtesy Patrol. The interview also covers Juhlin being part of the Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy Celebrate The 40th Anniversary Of R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant Tour, and how their two previous R.E.M. tours were embraced by fans and the actual members of R.E.M.

Three new dates have been added to the United States leg of the Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy Celebrate The 40th Anniversary Of R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant Tour. The first new gig is at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, which sounds like a great name for a band but is actually a venue in Maquoketa IA. Next up is The Riviera Theatre on September 25 in Chicago; and finally, The Majestic in Detroit, MI on September 25. As with their other recent tours, Shannon and Narducy will be joined by Dag Juhlin, John Stirratt, Vijay Tellis Nayak and Jon Wurster.

Blues Week at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL wraps up tomorrow night, but there are two blues events well worth checking out next week at the venue. John Primer has a show there on Tuesday night; and Wednesday brings a performance by Corky Siegel and Kalyan.

It’s gratifying to see popular performers on Chicago’s club scene make the trek out to Arlington Heights for a gig at Hey Nonny. Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, who’s well known on the city’s north side for his tributes to famous bands as well as for shows featuring his own material, will be at the venue on February 19. I believe it’s his second show there.

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.

Fans who enjoyed the catchy rock Yipes!created on its 1979 and 1980 albums have reason to cheer now that the Milwaukee-based group has released the Irish Exit EP on its Bandcamp page. A brief note on the Yipes! Bandcamp page states the songs were “recorded during and after the last tours, always intended for the next album, but shit happens.” Regardless of the circumstances, the six songs on Irish Exit are energetic and fun.

Autographed copies of Joe Jackson’s new album Hope And Fury (due out April 10) are available for pre-order from TalkShopLive website. The offer is only available in the USA. Jackson’s extensive 2026 North America Tour kicks off on May 11 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and will include dates at Park West in Chicago on May 19 and 20. The European leg of his tour will start on September 24 in Cork, Ireland. 

Pravda Records recording act The Handcuffs have their first gig of 2026 coming up on March 14 as part of a triple bill at Liar’s Club at on Chicago’s north side. The band will have guitarist Jeffrey Kmieciak—who made quite an impression on their Burn The Rails album—back on board after a two-year absence. The other bands performing with The Handcuffs on March 14 will be The Midnight Calls and The Kozmic Kids.

Ann Wilson from Heart recently posted on Facebook that Heart will have “new music, new shows, and new stories” to share with their fans in 2026. Sounds promising. Heart is the cover story for the winter issue of Goldmine magazine.

Singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen, a former member of the power pop bands The Abbeys and Pop Dollys, has embarked on a successful career playing selections from The Great American Songbook at dinner clubs. He took some time off since his last performance in December, 2025 but will be back at one of his regular haunts, the Tuscan Market And Wine Shop in Arlington Heights, IL, on Valentine’s Day. Cohen will be joined by Edward Hasse on bass.

Liar’s Club will present a matinee double bill of psychedelic rockers Hushdrops and high energy instrumental band Outronaut on March 1. Music starts at 3:00 pm. Liar’s Club is located at 1655 W. Fullerton on Chicago’s north side.

The performers for the 10th annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday celebration, taking place on February 21 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, will include Clar & Gigi Monaco; Sandalwood Sitar, Phil Angotti, New Heartaches, Black Friars Social Club, Torpedo Los, Pierce Crask, Frankie B, and The Amazing Johnsons. Organized by Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma, My Sweet George aims to celebrate Harrison’s music, and raise awareness for MusicCares.

Cult Canyon, the latest band formed by Chicago-based vocalist-guitarist Josh Chicoine, has a show coming up at the G-Man Tavern in Chicago on Feb 13. Chicoine is best known for his work with The M’s, an indie rock band that released a series of albums (2003 – 2008) and built a loyal following via numerous live performances. In more recent years, he led the bands Sabers and Cloudbirds. Cult Canyon’s G-Man Tavern gig will no doubt showcase songs from their Smoke Tricks album, which will be available to download on March 13 via Bandcamp. Rattleback Records on Chicago’s north side will carry a limited-edition vinyl version.

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.

On February 20, PureSoul Presents will bring The Smiths cover band The Bomb That Will Bring Us Together to GMan Tavern. Just about a month later (March 19), PureSoul Presents will bring A Brief History Of R.E.M. to City Winery Chicago.

Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried of the Hoboken, NJ band The Cucumbers have released a video of “There’s a Crop Circle on My Daddy’s Land,” the quirky, country-flavored song that inspired Fried’s Hello, George novella, as well as the band’s new album As You Heard Me. The novella and album will be simultaneously released on Valentine’s Day; “There’s a Crop Circle on My Daddy’s Land,” is available to watch on YouTube.

The Smithereens 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.

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.

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.

Thanks to filmmaker Justin Fielding for sharing a link to my recent post on his upcoming documentary The Power Pop Movie on his Facebook page, and to everyone who gave his post a Like. Also, thanks to those who gave a Like to my Facebook post with a link to my review of the film. 

I just received the latest issue of Shindig! magazine in the mail today. The cover story is titled Powerpop: The Third Wave With The Nerves, The Records, Our Top 1974 – 1981 Top 30 And More! I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it certainly sound interesting.