Bonus Slumgullion

Yesterday’s serving of Slumgullion was a bit smaller than usual due to my wife Pam and I heading off to The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL to see The Smithereens with John Cowsill and Vicki Peterson at last night.

The Smithereens have been recording catchy rock and roll for decades, and they were at the top of game last night. With John Cowsill as an impressive guest vocalist, the band roared through “Behind The Wall Of Sleep,” “Top Of The Pops,” “Only A Memory,” “House We Used To Live In,” and several other gems.

Cowsill and his wife Vicki Peterson—the evening’s opening act—showcased songs from their debut album Long After The Fire, along with a few Bangles songs and The Cowsills’ version of “Hair.” After The Smithereens brought down the house with an extended take on “Blood And Roses,” Peterson was invited back to join Cowsill and The Smithereens for an unpredictable and fun set of encores.

Happy Birthday to Jeff Janulis, vocalist, guitarist, and chief songwriter for the Chicago based power pop band The Spindles. Jeff is an avid fan of The Hollies, as evidenced by the faithful cover versions of “Look Through Any Window” and “Bus Stop” on his band’s Past And Present and Wavelength albums respectively. Wavelength was included on a number of websites’ best albums of 2025 lists, by the way. Happy Birthday, Jeff. Have a great time celebrating.

The Bowery Palace in New York, NY will celebrate the late Clem Burke with several performers on March 25 and 26. Both nights are now sold out. Burke is best known for being Blondie’s drummer, and in recent years, he collaborated with several musicians on recordings and live performances. Guest performers at The Bowery Palace event will include Glen Matlock; Steve Wynn; Jesse Malin; Tommy Stinson; Kathy Valentine; Brix Smith; Linda Pitmon; Gail Greenwood; John Easdale; and Michael Giblin.

Cesar Rojas And The Chi-Town Playboys have a gig coming up on March 20 at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL. Rojas, a singer-guitarist and songwriter, is a long-time member of Los Lobos.

Push Puppets will likely showcase songs from their 2025 album Tethered Together when they perform at FitzGerald’s Saturday Night Side Bar in Berwyn, IL on May 2. The Chicago area band specializes in melodic, well-crafted indie rock.

The Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison event will take 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.