Incoming

Congratulations to David Bash and Montrose Saloon for staging another entertaining and successful International Pop Overthrow - Chicago festival. I spent a few hours at the north side venue last Friday night instead of putting together my weekly Slumgullion column. Saturday brought a major family celebration, and Sunday is when I do all my household chores. So, it’s on to another Incoming post.

The Greenberry Woods will celebrate the release of It’s All Good, Sugar … on June 5 at The Recher venue in Towson, MD. It’s the Baltimore-based power pop/alt rock band’s first album since Rapple Dapple and Big Money Item sparked a loyal following in the mid-1990s. The current album’s first single, “Whenever You Want Me Too,” has been picking up airplay on several rock stations.

Depending on when you read this, you could still catch Todd Kessler’s album release party tonight at 7:30 pm at Evanston SPACE. The Chicago singer-songwriter explores sensitive subject matter via well-crafted acoustic songs on Here Is All We Have.

The 1960s band Strawberry Alarm Clock, forever known for their “Incense And Peppermints” hit single, have kept recording all this time, according to a positive review of their recent Monster / White Light album in the British rock magazine Shindig. The album is on the Big Stir Records label, and the enchanting new single “The Sky Isn’t Falling” is now available to download on various sites.

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Rachel Drew’s A Tribute To Amy Winehouse takes place tomorrow night at Evanston SPACE. Drew will focus on Winehouse’s Back To Black album, and she’ll be supported by musicians John Szymanski; Michael Krayniak; Jason Batch; Kenn Goodman; and the Total Pro Horns.

On Wednesday night, the self-described “Chicago's twisted sunshine pop super-group” The Flat Five will perform at Evanston SPACE.

Montrose Saloon has a Power Pop On Stage event coming on June 7 that will feature The Unswept, Dolph Chaney And The Phins, and Andy Bopp. The music starts at 6:00 pm.

Chicago-based singer-guitarist Terry White will host another Songwriter Circle tomorrow night at Fitzgerald’s Sidebar in Berwyn, IL This time out, White’s guests will be Andon Davis and Chris Siebold. The event starts at 7:00 pm; admission is free.

Upcoming shows at the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights, IL as this month wraps up include Chris Greene Quartet on Wednesday; and Brett Newski And The Bad Inventions on Thursday.

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 this Saturday. The Chicago area band specializes in melodic, well-crafted indie rock.