Weekend Reminders

Photo of Nick Lowe from his official Facebook page. 

Weekend Reminders on Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention, or concert tickets going on sale.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for singer, guitarist and quite witty English songwriter Nick Lowe at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on July 13. It will be the first in a series of concerts that month that also feature Lowe’s buddies, the guitar-driven instrumental band Los Straitjackets. Other stops on the July tour include Minneapolis; Milwaukee; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Toronto; and Washington, DC.

Singer-guitarist (and avid Nick Lowe fan) Michael Steven Cohen will perform selections from The Great American Songbook at the Tuscan Market And Wine Shop in Arlington Heights, IL tomorrow night at 7:00 pm.

Depending on when you read this, you could still catch an ambitious triple bill at Reggie’s Music Joynt in the south Loop area. The Chicago-based prog rock band McLuhan recently released the single “The Fireman and The Dragon,” and will likely perform it tonight. The other two acts are the always fun rockabilly/garage rockers The Jeebies and the recently formed but quickly building a following indie rock trio The 321s. The music starts at 8:00 pm.

Gary Klebe from the band Shoes has a solo album titled Out Loud coming out tomorrow. Judging by the preview singles he’s already released, it’s sure to please loyal Shoes fans. Klebe recently took part in a fascinating discussion about the album and Shoes in general with entertainment writer Mark Caro on Caro’s Caropop podcast. Caropop is available on YouTube, as well as on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Lizard’s Liquid Lounge on Chicago’s north side (3058 W. Irving Park Road) has long been embraced by patrons as well as performers, but unfortunately is closing. Several local acts will give the venue an impressive sendoff starting tonight at 7:00 pm. The tributes continue tomorrow at 6:00 pm; Saturday at 1:30 pm; and Sunday at 3:00 pm. See the official Lizard’s Liquid Lounge Facebook page for the list of the participating acts.

Chicago radio station WXRT’s Live From The XRT Concert Archives continues tomorrow night at 9:00 pm with an October 26, 1998 performance by hometown hero Liz Phair at The Vic in Chicago. Live From The XRT Concert Archives can be heard on 93.1FM; 93XRT.com; and the Audacy app.

The Robyn Hitchcock Live And Electric - Full Band Show is coming to the Athenaeum Center For Thought And Culture in Chicago tomorrow night. Hitchcock, an eccentric and forever young English performer/songwriter has influenced countless musicians since his days with The Soft Boys in the mid-1970s.

Long-time indie rock band Throwing Muses will perform at Evanston SPACE in Evanston, IL tomorrow night. Led by vocalist-guitarist and acclaimed songwriter Kristen Hersh, the band has years of material to chose from, but might concentrate on songs from their 2025 album Moonlight Concessions.

Joe Jackson’s new album Hope And Fury arrives due tomorrow. His 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 BoDeans’ 40th Anniversary Tour will make a stop at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL this Saturday. The Wisconsin alt rock/Americana band has given us gems such as “Closer To Free,” “Fadeaway,” and “Good Things.”

OUT HERE, a musical celebrating a family’s journey to finding unity and happiness, opens April 10 at the Court Theatre. The venue is located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue.