Slumgullion

U2 has released a video of a new single titled “Street Of Dreams” that’s now available for viewing on the Rock Cellar website. The song has a classic U2 arrangement along with an inspirational message about following your dreams. It’s an enticing preview of a full album the band promises will be released in the near future.

This should have been included this in yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post. Chicago-based band The Bad Examples, whose clever and catchy songs often call to mind the music of Squeeze, will perform at the Moonlight Theatre in St. Charles, IL tomorrow night.

Stewart Copeland Have I Said Too Much? The Police, Hollywood And Other Adventures - An Evening Of Conversation With The Hall Of Fame Rock Star is scheduled at the North Shore Center in Skokie, IL on July 31.

Chicago-based blues legend Buddy Guy’s Celebrate The Legend Tour kicked off two days ago in Toronto, ON, and will run through October 29 with a concert in Memphis, TN. The tour includes a July 25 sold-out show at the Chicago Theatre; and Guy will celebrate his 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden on October 1.

The 9th Annual Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on August 16 at Buddy Guy’s Legends venue in the south end of downtown Chicago. A post on the official Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame notes that tickets will only be sold in advance.

Graham Nash and Emmylou Harris will perform three concerts together next week. The dates are July 23 at Kresge Auditorium in Interlochen, MI; July 24 at Meadow Brook Amphitheater in Rochester Hills, MI; and July 26 at Ravinia in Highland Park, IL. Nash also has a full schedule of shows with his band this year.

Joe Algeri, the multifaceted Australian musician/producer/indie label founder, is keeping busy these days with projects involving his groups The Outryders and The Jangle Band. He’s also working on an album from Chicago musician Herb Eimerman. Hopefully, we’ll hear the results soon.

The Kinks: Brothers, a new exhibition created by Ray and Dave Davies with artist Christian Furr, will open at London’s Gibson Garage on July 24.

Singer-songwriter Stephen Kohler, a long-time participant of the Chicago music scene, has an 11:00 am free brunch show coming up on July 25 at Madame Zuzu's in Highland Park, IL. That’s the combination teahouse and record store run by Billy and Chloe Corgan. Kohler will likely perform his new single titled “Paintbrush,”as well as songs from his 2025 album Anthem.

John Cowsill and Vicki Peterson have a six-date tour that kicks off in Mahomet, IL on July 31 and runs through August 30 with a show at The Rhode Island Folk Festival in Riverside, RI.  Cowsill and Peterson will likely showcase songs from their Long After The Fire album, as well as material from The Bangles and The Cowsills.

LaRue DeVille, an offshoot of long-time Chicago club band Red Wigglers, along with punk rock cover band Horse And Sparrow, will share a double bill at Double Clutch Brewery in Evanston on August 13. Both bands that night will feature vocalist Erica Loftus, whose impressive resume also includes performing with The Right Tidys and The Collectors. There’s no cover charge.

Ivy has added November dates to its Traces Of You Tour, with concerts now scheduled for Berkeley, CA; Seattle, WA; Brooklyn, NY; Boston MA; and Philadelphia, PA. The Ivy - Traces Of You - 2026 Tour is named after a 2025 album of previously unreleased Ivy songs recorded by band members Adam Schlesinger, Andy Chase, and Dominique Durand between 1995 and 2012. Sadly, we lost Adam Schlesinger to COVID-19 in 2020.

Keyon Harrold, the Grammy Award nominated trumpeter, vocalist and producer, has a performance coming up on Sat, July 25 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts on Chicago’s north side.

International Pop Overthrow founder David Bash will serve as Master Of Ceremonies when the 11th Annual Harry Nilsson Sing-A-Long takes place on July 20 at Molly Malone’s in Los Angeles. Several musicians will be paying tribute, including Steve Barton from Translator and solo artist/Maple Mars founding member Rick Hromadka. Admission is $15 for advance tickets and $20 at the door.

In related news, the schedule for International Pop Overthrow - Los Angeles, which will run from August 7 through August 16, is now available on the official IPO website. Several acts, including Plasticsoul; Lori Garrote And The Chaos; Kerosene Stars; The Jeremy Band; the above-mentioned Rick Hromadka, will perform at the Redwood Bar and Corbin Bowl venues. The IPO website is a good way to discover new music since many of the participating acts listed have links to their Bandcamp pages.

This year’s Hometown Celebration - A Benefit for The Lin Brehmer Scholars Fund at Metro will take place on August 16. The featured acts will be The Linburgers (Tributosaurus members Matt Spiegel & Curt Morrison); Dag Juhlin; Michael McDermott; and Heather Lynne Horton. Brehmer will always be remembered as one of Chicago’s best-friendliest and knowledgeable radio personalities, especially for those of us who met him in person. It’s great to see this benefit taking place again.

Temp Wishes, a new band led by the perpetually busy Josh Chicoine of The M’s, will open for veteran guitarist Cory Hanson at The Hideout in Chicago on August 2. Chicoine, along with fellow Temp Wishes members Edward Anderson; Colby Starck; and Glenn Rischke, recently recorded a single titled “Flash Fantasy.”

Theater Of The Mind, the imaginative adventure crafted by David Byrne from Talking Heads and writer Mala Gaonkar, has been extended through August 30 at the Reid Murdoch Building at 333 N. LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. Theater Of The Mind, a Goodman Theatre production, has been picking up rave reviews in Chicago newspapers.

A trio of UK acts comprising Colin Blunstone of The Zombies; new wave stars The Fixx; and musician/producer Peter Asher will tour America throughout the month of September. The 19 stops will include New York, NY; Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis, MN; and Waukegan, IL.

This year’s Lollapalooza festival takes place from July 30 to August 2 at Grant Park in downtown Chicago. The lineup includes Lorde; The Smashing Pumpkins; Sombr; Wet Leg; Suki Waterhouse; and Wolf Alice.

Upcoming concerts at the 2026 Summer Concert Series at the Riverside Park venue in Aurora, IL include UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell on August 9; The Beach Boys on August 14; and Poi Dog Pondering on August 15.

Custard Flux, AKA musician Gregory Curvey, will headline a Chicago Alternafest! event taking place on August 15 at the Underground Lounge. Piper No; Oh My Lover; and Mystic Mulberry will also be on the bill. Enter Xenon, the latest album from Custard Flux, was chosen as one of 2025’s best prog rock albums by the Brit magazines MOJO and Classic Rock. Underground Lounge is located at 952 W. Newport Avenue in Chicago.