Slumgullion # 26

Heart On The Line. Record Store Day is reporting on Facebook that Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, who were so impressive at Lilith Fair Chicago, have released a heart-shaped vinyl single with the new song “WTF” and a live recording of “Magic Man.” It’s available at select record stores. That is, if you can find a record store. Or you can order a copy at the band’s website. That’s also where fans can watch a brief video of the Wilsons expressing their love and gratitude for indie record stores for their continued support. Red Velvet Car, Heart’s all-new CD, will be released on August 31st.

Deep Fried Power Curds. Chicago power pop band The Bradburys will travel a bit north tomorrow to perform at The Taste Of Wisconsin in Kenosha. They’ll be on the Snap-On Stage from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

Just The Two Of Us. WhiteWolfSonicPrincess is doing an acoustic show featuring founding members James Moeller on guitar and vocals and Carla Hayden on vocals and shaker at The Upstairs Lounge at The Elbo Room on Lincoln Avenue Saturday night, July 31st. Show starts at 9:00PM.

When The Rain Comes. Beatles fans, don’t forget the American English outdoor concert originally scheduled for the Fred P. Hall Amphitheatre in Palatine this past June, will take place on Tuesday, August 3rd. That is, unless it gets rained out again. Rain won’t be a factor at The Beatles Celebration at the Old Town School of Folk Music tomorrow night. It’s a benefit for the Brendan Hedges Scholarship fund.

Hot Fun In The Summertime. The Handcuffs continue their series of outdoor performances this Sunday, with a 12:30 PM gig at The Lincoln Park Arts & Music Festival, on Racine, between Fullerton and Webster. Drummer Brad Elvis also has some upcoming gigs as a member of The Romantics.

Swirling With The King. Paul Collins’ new effort, The King Of Power Pop, which will be released in August, features Collins, along with Nikki Corvette and Wally Palmar of The Romantics. Five hundred copies of a limited edition will also be released on swirled vinyl. The CD and the record, as well as a CD/record bundle, can be ordered at www.bompstore.com

Nerks On Film. “Either Way,” the catchy title track of the Nerk Twins’ 1997 CD, will be used in the independent film Inventory, which will be released soon and start making the rounds at film festivals. Taking their name from early Beatles lore, The Nerk Twins were comprised of guitarist-vocalist Jeff Murphy of Shoes, and guitarist-vocalist Herb Eimerman, who recorded solo CDs, and is now part of the international power pop trio, The Britannicas.

The 'Zine Scene. The Printers Ball, an annual celebration of indie media, will be held from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM tonight at The Ludington Building at 1104 South Wabash in downtown Chicago. There’s no admission charge for this event, which is sponsored by Poetry magazine, and offers lots of free publications. There will also performances and readings.

Burlington Northern Kept A Rollin’. Braam’s Return, a sort of homecoming gig for the family-named band at The Dark Room on August 12th, is officially back on again. Braam, which includes brothers Scott, Tom, and Mike, and non-related new drummer, Mike Mattner, had temporarily canceled due to a scheduling conflict, but everything has since been ironed out. The group is promoting its new CD, Living Room, which features the single and video, “Burlington Northern.”

Beat On The Street. Congratulations to She-Nannigan’s, the long-time singles bar on Division Street, on 40 years of being in business. I still have fond memories of hanging out there, particularly on summer nights. Until I read Dave Hoekstra’s piece in the July 29th issue of the Chicago Sun-Times, I wasn’t aware that this venue had hosted performances by The Go-Go’s, Matthew Sweet, and Cracker.

Slumgullion #8

Heart will be at Lilith Fair in Chicago. Photo from Heart's official website.

As the weekend arrives, here’s another heaping bowlful of entertainment offerings and oddities.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for Lilith Fair’s July 17th Chicago area stopover at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park. This is a classic example of the glass being half empty or half full. Certainly, we can’t complain about a line-up that includes the Fest’s co-founder Sarah McLachlan, Cat Power, Mary J. Blige, and Heart, but it’s hard not to lament the absence of other Lilith Fair acts like The Bangles, The Go-Go’s, and Metric.

The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame is now selling t shirts and mugs honoring the 2010 Inductees. That’s good news for fans of ABBA, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Stooges, and The Hollies. The mugs are $8.99 and the t shirts, which have the RRHOF logo on the front and the inductees on the back, go for $20.99.

A recent announcement regarding the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), which is coming to Navy Pier April 16th - 18th at Navy Pier, will give Star Wars fans reason to celebrate. Performers from the films, including Carrie Fisher, Ray Park, Daniel Logan, Amy Allen, Orli Shoshan, and Peter Mayhew will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. C2E2 will also have a special BBC America screening of the first two episodes of the latest incarnation of Doctor Who.

Chad and Jeremy are coming to FitzGerald’s in Berwyn on May 7th and will be at SPACE in Evanston on the following night. The British Invasion duo, who had hits with “Yesterday’s Gone” and “A Summer Song,” have seven gigs scheduled through April and May. That includes a May 29th Gordon Waller Tribute at The Cannery Casino in Las Vegas that will also feature Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon, Terry Sylvester of The Hollies, original Moody Blues vocalist and former Wings member Denny Laine, singer-ukulele player Ian Whitcomb, John Walker of The Walker Brothers, and Elvis Presley’s drummer, D.J. Fontana. Admission is free. Chad and Jeremy have recorded three new songs, “You Are She,” “Dragon Wanted,” and “Another Time,” which are available for downloading at Chad & Jeremy’s Digital Store.

Author Clay Eals noticed my item in last week’s Slumgullion about a Chicago post office being named in honor of the late singer-songwriter Steve Goodman. Eals wrote Steve Goodman: Facing The Music, an 880-page bio of Goodman that includes 575 photos, and says his 1,050 sources include Arlo Guthrie, Hilary Clinton, Steve Martin, and Studs Terkel. The book, which sold out its initial run of 5,000 copies, won a 2008 IPPY (Independent Publishers Association” silver medal for biography. It’s now in its second printing.

Another visitor to my blog recommends the co-ed British indie band Burgess & Maclean, whose melodic music can be sampled on its MySpace page. As song titles like “Capitalistic Weekend,” “My Hair My Nude,” and “Little Mermaid Tells A Lie” would suggest, Burgess & Maclean exude a quirky and at times, childlike sense of humor. My favorite track was “Whisper In The Night,” which brings to mind the songs of XTC. Burgess & Maclean’s latest CD is Outtakes In His Sickroom.

31 Songs For Halloween - October 12th: "Magic Man"

Each day this month, I’ll be spotlighting a song that seems particularly appropriate to the season.

When Heart released its debut, Dreamboat Annie back in 1976, Ann and Nancy Wilson often dressed like they’d borrowed their wardrobe from a medieval sorceress. Maybe it was all those nights of covering Led Zeppelin during their bar band days. Their instant FM radio classic, “Magic Man,” describes a young woman’s dream-like encounter on a “cold gray night so long ago” with the blue-eyed mysterious title character, who promises to whisk her off to exotic adventures. Although apprehensive, she feels like she already knows him, and when he offers to “cast my spell of love on you,” she’s hooked. The song, which includes an extended guitar and synthesizer jam, as well as Ann’s impressive vocals, doesn’t mention any tragic consequences. Contrary to her mother's warning, this woman may have found a Magic Man who actually lived up to his promises.