Incoming

Montrose Saloon has done a splendid job hosting the annual International Pop Overthrow - Chicago for a few years now, so it’s no surprise the north-side Chicago venue has come up with its own multi-act festival. The End Of Summer Music Fest will present 15 bands over the course of this Friday and Saturday nights. The participating acts include Kent Rose; Esmerelda’s Boys; Who’s This Mary?; The Bon Mots; Go Time!; The Thin Cherries; and The Spindles.

Best wishes to Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, one of rock and roll’s most inventive and impressive lead vocalists. Have a blast celebrating, Chrissie, and keep all that good music coming.

Eric Clapton’s current tour will bring him to the United Center in Chicago this Friday night. He recently released a remastered expanded edition of the classic Riding With The King - B.B. King And Eric Clapton album that coincides with what would be King’s 100th birthday.

The Evanston Folk Festival will take place this Saturday and Sunday on the lakefront at Dawes Park in Evanston, IL. The performers include Trampled By Turtles; Indigo Girls; Josh Ritter; James McMurtry; Kathleen Edwards; Lucy Wainwright; and a Roses For The Roches tribute featuring Nora O’Connor, Sima Cunningham, and Kelly Hogan. There will be a Fest Kickoff with Punch Brothers on Friday at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston.

Mickey Dolenz is celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Monkees with the release of his six-song EP titled Timeless. It includes songs written by Andy Partridge; Shelby Lynne; Vicki Peterson; and Adam Schlesinger.

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. He’ll perform from 6:00 to 9:00 pm in the lounge at the Chicago Prime Italian steakhouse in Schaumburg, IL this Saturday.

The Roger Daltry - A Great Night Out! North American Tour is now under way and will run through September 29 in Medford, MA.  Fans in the Midwest can choose to see The Who’s dynamic frontman in New Lenox, IL on September 12 or Milwaukee, WI on September 15.

Tony Richards, whose solo jazz guitar performances have gained a loyal following on the Chicago scene, has a gig this Thursday at the Basil Leaf Cafe from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The venue is located at 2465 N. Clark Street.

Pravda Records, Chicago’s longest running independent label, will hold its annual PravdaFest on this Saturday at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL. The impressive lineup features acts who are well known on the local club scene, such as Brian Krumm And His Barfly Friends; Jon Langford; Chris Greene Quartet; The Claudettes; Steve Dawson And The Lucid Dreams; Josh Caterer Trio; Nicholas Tremulis And The Prodigals; The Split Squad; The Imperial Sound; Nathan Graham; The Handcuffs; Nora O’Connor; and Effigies. The event opens at noon with the two hour Wax On! DJs starting with DJ Scott Tomlin. 

Chicago-based prog rock band McLuhan and folk rock trio Esmerelda’s Boys will join forces at Phylliss’ Musical Inn to honor all those we lost in the 9/11attacks. The anniversary event will take place at 8:00 pm on September 11, and include a special guest joining in a rendition of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”

Singer-bassist Herb Eimerman will perform original songs during a solo acoustic set at 3:00 pm at the On The Rocks venue at the Waukegan Harbor in Waukegan, IL this Sunday. The band Hindsight will also perform that afternoon. One of songs Eimerman performs will likely be “Designed By You,” a new single he recorded with his grandson guitarist Gavin Eimerman. It’s now available as a free download on the Egomaniac Music Bandcamp page. By the way, this is Gavin Eimerman’sbirthday. Best wishes for a fun celebration, Gavin.

Billy Idol must have enjoyed his 2025 It’s A Nice Day To . . . Tour Again! gigs because he’s scheduled a bunch of new ones for this fall. The tour kicks off this Thursday in Maryland Heights, MO, followed by a gig on Friday in Grand Rapids, MI. Idol will also stop in Cuyahoga Falls; OH; Kansas City, MO; Dallas, TX; and Tulsa, OK.

The Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights, IL is holding its annual Songwriting Contest this month, with three preliminary rounds, followed by the final round on September 29. The first preliminary round takes place on September 8, with contestants Neal Alger; Josette Kacey; AJ Rosales; Mark Legac; Michael Marsden; Andrew Huber; Despina; Patrick Spiroff; Patrick Frisbie; Joe Dilillo; Karlye Lapetina; and Zahar. The theme for this year’s contest is AI, and how the contestants should not use it for their compositions.