Slumgullion

See yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.

“It’s Been Too Long,” the first single from Ringo Starr’s next album, is now available to stream on various sites. The album is titled Long Long Road and will feature collaborations with T Bone Burnett; Sheryl Crow; Billy Strings; Molly Tuttle; Sarah Jarosz; and St. Vincent. It’s due out April 24.

A Paul McCartney And Wings exhibit will open on May 15 at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, OH. The memorabilia on display will be centered on McCartney’s days of recording and performing with his wife Linda and Denny Laine, along with his first solo album. In the meantime, fans can stream the Paul McCartney and Wings - Man On The Run documentary on Amazon Prime.

Outronaut, the instrumental band known for its high-energy performances on the Chicago club scene, released a seven-minute, more introspective song titled “The Magnificent Defeat” on Bandcamp today. This is Bandcamp Friday, where the money goes directly to the artists and labels, so Outronaut has decided to donate 100% of the revenues to The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

The Psychedelic Furs with special guests We Are Scientists tour begins on May 12 in Minneapolis and ends on June 14 in Rocklin, CA. There’s a stop at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, IL on May 15.

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. After a short time off, Cohen is back to performing regular gigs and will be at the Tuscan Market And Wine Shop in Arlington Heights, IL, on March 13.

Paul Weller’s upcoming release Weller At The BBC Vol. 2 is now available to pre-order in 3-LP or 3-CD formats from his official website. The album is due out on April 24.

As noted in the March edition of the Illinois Entertainer, today’s new releases include Make-up Is A Lie by Morrissey and Trixies by Squeeze. Later this month, we’ll see PLAY ME by Kim Gordon and A Pound Of Feathers by The Black Crowes on March 13; Paradises by Ladytron on March 20; and Creature Of Habit by Courtney Barnett and The Former Site Of by The New Pornographers on March 27. That same issue features Media columnist Rick Kaempfer’s tributes to Chicago radio personalities he rightfully believes deserve to be honored by The National Radio Hall Of Fame. His suggestions include Lin Brehmer; Ron Britain; Roy Leonard; Mitch Michaels; Bob Sirott; and Bobby Skafish.

The Homegrown Arts And Music Festival is looking for bands and acoustic artists to perform at its 14th annual event on July 25 in Lisle, IL.

The Zombies plan to release their first album Begin Here as a remastered in the original 1965 mono mix version on April 17. Available in LP, CD, and digital formats, it will combine all the tracks from the English and American original versions and be released on their own Beechwood Park Records label. The first single “The Way I Feel Inside” is already out, and the album can be pre-ordered in various adventurous options.

International Pop Overthrow has been bringing indie rock/power pop festivals to cities around the world for quite a few years, and will begin its 2026 season with a nine-day visit to Chicago from April 17 to 25. Founder/CEO David Bash recently posted the full schedule on Facebook, and it includes several long-time favorites. IPO will also make stops in Liverpool, Stockholm, Glasgow, Los Angeles, and New York this year.

Upcoming shows at Evanston SPACE include The Flat Five on April 29; the Neil Young: 80 Years On Planet Earth Celebration with Steve Dawson, Tommi Zender, Gerald Dowd, Alton Smith and John Abbey on May 4; and Soul Asylum with Jason Narducy on May 15 and 16.

Tickets are now on sale for the Santana And The Doobie Brothers Oneness 2026 Tour, which will run from mid-June through the end of August. Fans in the Chicago area will get the first look at this USA tour, since it kicks off on June 13 in Tinley Park, IL. Other stops include Cincinnati, St. Louis, Toronto, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Dallas. Santana’s 2025 album Sentient features his collaborations with Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Smokey Robinson, and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels. 

Prog rock band McLuhan and folk rock trio Esmerelda’s Boys must be kindred souls by now, considering they have another double bill coming up. They’ll be at Phyllis’ Musical Inn on March 12, with Esmerelda’s Boys kicking things off at 8:00 pm and McLuhan performing at 9:00 pm. Both acts have been performing on the Chicago scene more and more lately; and McLuhan has two new singles to showcase. Phyllis’ Musical Inn is located at 1800 W. Division.

XTC: I Am The Audience, a new book from author David Marx about the critically acclaimed English band led by Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, is now available to pre-order on the Sorrento Books UK website. It features multiple interviews with fans and famous musicians, as well as rare photographs.

In related news, this year’s Record Store Day event on April 18 will include the XTC - Live Boots - Live At Emerald City 1981 double album. The songs performed at Emerald City include “Life Begins At The Hop,” “Respectable Street,” “Making Plans For Nigel,” and “Generals and Majors.”

The Wailers will celebrate the anniversary of the Rastaman Vibration album they released with Bob Marley 50 years ago, in a 7:00 pm concert at The Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago on April 24. The recently added 9:30 pm concert that same night will feature The Wailers performing their 1977 album with Marley, Natural Mystic.

FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL has revealed the acts who’ll perform at its 43rd Annual American Music Festival taking place July 2 – 5. The extensive list includes The Heavy Heavy, Spin Doctors; Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore; CJ Chenier And The Red Hot Louisiana Band; Nicholas Tremulis And The Prodigals; Michael McDermott; and Mud Morganfield.

Singer-songwriter Phil Angotti and his band will showcase a video for the song “Eye For An Eye” from his Once Around Again album on April 2 at the G-Man Tavern. It will be part of a video release party/show with two sets of live music. G-Man Tavern is located at 3740 N Clark Street. Angotti is well known in Chicago for his tribute shows to acts such as The Beatles, The Zombies, and Bee Gees, but as a recent performance at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights demonstrated, he’s quite impressive with his own material as well.

Pravda Records recording artists The Handcuffs will have their first gig of 2026 on March 14 at Liar’s Club (1655 W. Fullerton ) on Chicago’s north side. They’ll be part of a triple bill with The Midnight Calls and The Kozmic Kids. The Handcuffs have been busy working on their next album.

The schedule for this year’s SummerFest in Milwaukee, WI has been announced, with concerts taking place on June 16 – 20; June 25 – 27; and July 2 – 4. Performers include Echo And The Bunnymen; Alejandro Escovedo; Modern English; The Dream Syndicate; The Roots; Kim Gordon; Little Feat; Old 97s; Sons Of The Silent Age; Muse; Spoon; Gin Blossoms; BoDeans; The Jayhawks; Soul Asylum; and Spin Doctors.