Incoming

Chicago area fans of high-energy, indie rock with irresistible melodies are in for a double treat when The Handcuffs open for The Smithereens at Park West on November 21. The Smithereens call New Jersey home, but have built a loyal following throughout Illinois over numerous decades. The Handcuffs, led by Brad Elvis and Chloe F. Orwell, are long-time regulars on the local scene and have released four impressive albums. The Park West website notes tickets are going fast for this event.

The Smithereens’ performance at the Park West will feature John Cowsill (The Cowsills, Beach Boys, John Cowsill and Vicki Peterson) as their guest lead singer. He’s been doing a terrific job in that role for a while now. (Cowsill, Marshall Crenshaw, and Wesley Stace are taking turns in that role on the current tour.)

The 25th Annual International Pop Overthrow - New York will run this Thursday through Sunday at the Parkside Lounge in New York City. Over 35 acts are scheduled to perform, including Wednesday Week; The Grip Weeds; Allie Kenny; The Wag; and Zombies Of The Stratosphere. International Pop Overthrow has two more showcases left for this year; November 13 – 15 in Toronto, and November 18 – 21 in Boston.

Temp Wishes, a new band led by the perpetually busy Josh Chicoine of The M’s, have a vinyl release show for their self-titled debut record coming up this Friday at the Constellation venue on Chicago’s north side. They’ll share the bill with folk singer The Singleton Affair. 

Josh Caterer from The Smoking Popes has an in-store performance coming up at the Rediscover Records store in Elgin, IL this Saturday. Admission is $15 at the door, the music starts at at 7:00 pm.

Read ‘em and keep Part One: I’m an avid collector of rock and roll publications, including those that are based in the UK, and show up in larger American bookstores such as Barnes And Noble. Or you can subscribe to them, which is what I do with MOJO and Shindig. It’s always interesting when they cover events here in the American midwest. The November issue of MOJO includes writer Andy Fyfe’s full-page article on the recent 80th Birthday celebration organized by Mark Guarino for the late John Prine at the Chicago Theatre. Later in that same issue, there’s a profile on Irving Place Records in Milwaukee, WI, which is managed by Terry Hackbarth, the bass player-vocalist for the power pop band Trolley.

Read ‘em and keep Part Two: I also received the latest issue of the British ‘zine Dedicated Follower. I’d never heard of until I saw it mentioned on a Facebook post (possibly related to The Kinks) and decided to order copy from their website.  (www.dedicated-follower.co.uk) Dedicated Follower had a successful run in the 1980s, and has published 17 issues since making a comeback in a few years ago. It’s much smaller than MOJO, with less pages, but still a worthy purchase. David Bowie is the cover story, and there are also pieces on producer Mike Vernon; The Kinks; Keith Moon; Patti Boyd; and Marianne Faithful.