Slumgullion

Graphic from the Sons Of The Silent Age Facebook page.

Please see yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.

First, a couple of items that should have been in yesterday’s post:

1. Pravda Recording artists and longtime Chicago club favorites The Handcuffs have a show tomorrow (Saturday) night at Mary’s Place in Rockford, IL. MonkeyMind, a band featuring veterans of the local rock scene, is also on the bill and will likely promote their recently released album Deep Red. The music starts at 8:00 pm.

2. Local singer-songwriter Rachel Drew and multi-instrumentalist-songwriter John Szymanski will offer a mix of original songs and cover versions at their performance at the Sketchbook venue in Skokie, IL this Sunday from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

Tickets are now on sale tomorrow for the Sons of the Silent Age Best of David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy + More event coming to Metro on January 6. The band is led by Chris Connelly and Matt Walker, and features other well-known Chicago area musicians. They’ve been impressing audiences with their David Bowie tributes for several years. A portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit cancer patients at NorthShore University HealthSystem's Integrative Medicine Program.

Tickets are now on sale tomorrow for Stewart Copeland’s 2027 Police Deranged Tour coming to several locations in America, Canada, and Australia. The concerts will feature Copeland performing several of the band’s big hits with a full orchestra supporting him. The U.S. tour kicks off in Rancho Mirage, CA on March 13 and will wrap up in San Antonio, TX on Jun 17. Police Deranged comes to The Chicago Theatre in downtown Chicago on April 30.

Joe Walsh And Friends will present VetsAid - The Concert For Our Veterans on January 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Walsh, whose resume includes performing with James Gang; The Eagles; and on his solo recordings, will be joined by special guests Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Other acts helping out include The Killers; The War On Drugs; and St. Vincent.

Poi Dog Pondering, the festive, multi-member band that came together in Hawaii and later settled in Chicago, has upcoming shows in Sonoma, CA on November 20; San Francisco, CA on November 21; and Austin, TX on November 27.

The wolf has definitely survived. Los Lobos, the Grammy Award winning alt rock band from East Los Angeles, is currently celebrating their 50th anniversary. They’ll perform at City Winery Chicago on December 16 and 17; as well as at The Arcada in St. Charles, IL on December 18. The hard-hitting midwest rockers Backyard Tire Fire will be the opening act for all three of these gigs.

The band English Channels will pay tribute to The Cure at the Brewster Street Icehouse in downtown Corpus Christi, TX, on November 27. Lost Control, a band that honors Joy Division, will also perform at Brewster Street Icehouse that same evening.

The Burlington Bar on Chicago’s north side will showcase local recording acts on November 21with the triple bill of Cult Canyon, a new band led by former The M’s leader Josh Chicoine; power pop/rock quartet A.M. Slingers; and “dance music for nature walks” band Wuji Bop.

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 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 FitzGerald’s night club in Berwyn, IL will continue its popular Songwriter Circle series when host Terry White welcomes guests Rick Mosher from The Service and The Imperial Sound bands, along with Al Rose, on November 24.

Cheap Trick only has six dates left on their current All Washed Up Tour before taking some time off from live performances. The upcoming locations are Davenport, IA; La Vista, NE; Milwaukee, WI; Cincinnati, OH; Northfield, OH; and Detroit, MI. As noted in a post on the band’s official Facebook page, “the guys just want a bit of time off after 50 years of performing.” It’s certainly well-deserved.

It will be an eclectic evening of Chicago-based music on November 28 when veteran prog rock band McLuhan; indie rockers The 321’s; and the self-described “psychedelic country and other weirdness” duo Big Hair Big Trouble all perform at Reggie's Music Joint in Chicago.

The Hoodoo Gurus have a live album titled Silk Purse coming out on December 4 that features the Aussie indie rock band performing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. For those of us familiar with The Hoodoo Gurus’s raucous and frequently funny material, this combination is intriguing. “Hearing my songs performed this way was a truly transcendent experience,” band leader Dave Faulkner states on Facebook. “I had the strange feeling of rediscovering my own music in a fresh, new way.”

Long-time Chicago country/rock band Urban Twang will likely perform selections from their modestly titled Greatest Misses album when they perform at Uncommon Ground Lakeview on November 28. Local singer-songwriter Paige Kizer, who recently released her album Unconditional, will open with an acoustic set.

As mentioned in yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post, International Pop Overthrow - Toronto runs this weekend at the Painted Lady venue. The final 2026 International Pop Overthrow showcase will take place at The Square Root venue November 18 – 21 in Boston.

Sunshine Boys, the Chicago-based indie rock trio of Dag Juhlin; Jacqueline Schimmel; and Gerald Dowd, has a gig coming up on November 22 at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL. Sunshine Boys have two superb albums to choose songs from, and will most likely play some new material.

Fire. Aim. Ready., the latest album from Chicago’s long-time, hard-hitting punk band The Effigies, is now available to order from local label Pravda Records on Bandcamp.

Tickets are now on sale for the alt rock showcase of hometown bands Ratboys and Friko, along with the Philadelphia-based group Florry, at the Salt Shed in Chicago on December 19.

Grammy Award winning country and western/rock singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne has a memoir titled Gunpowder due out in December. It will likely offer interesting reflections on her decades-long career.

The annual Chris & Heather's Country Calendar Show will once again feature live performances by local musicians, and take place at the FitzGerald’s venue in Berwyn, IL. Chicago-based musician/artist Heather McAdams creates calendars brimming with cool illustrations of country and rock musicians. This year’s calendar show will take place on December 12.

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

Tickets are now on sale for the Richard Thompson And Band with Clayton Linthicum and Quinn Bachand concert at The Vic Theatre on Chicago’s north side on January 30.