A Bit Behind My Time, As It Were

Last Friday’s Slumgullion was noticeably skimpy due to my holiday merry-making. As Bob Crachit would say, it’s only once a year, and it won’t be repeated. So here are some additional bits that should have been included.

The Seventh Annual Alex Chilton Birthday Bash takes place tomorrow night, December 28th, at The Empty Bottle in Chicago. In addition to honoring one of power pop’s most influential musicians, the event will benefit The National Association of Free Clinics. The scheduled performers are Adam Fitz, Certain Stars, For Pilots, Gran Prixx, Injured Parties, Jen Saint Stjärna, Khalid Hanifi, Love & Radiation, Michael Heaton, Phil Angotti, Urban Twang, Wells-next-the-Sea and Scott Niekelski of Go Time! There’s an $8 cover charge for all this fun, which gets underway at 8:00 PM. The Empty Bottle is located at 1035 N. Western Avenue.

Go Time! has a record release party for its new 16-song Boneshaker CD coming up on January 21st at The Horseshoe on Lincoln Avenue. Some of the tracks have already been getting airplay on college radio stations.

WhiteWolfSonicPrincess, the alt-rock band fronted by Black Forest Theatre founders James Moeller and Carla Hayden, has a gig at the Red Line Tap on January 6th. There are two other groups on the bill, which is a lot of music for a $5 cover charge. The show starts with Tron Ate My Baby at 9:30, WWSP takes the stage at 10:30, and Somersault Factory wraps things up at 11:30. WhiteWolfSonicPrincess recently completed its latest CD and will be actively promoting it in 2012. Looking forward to hearing it.

Meanwhile, The Telepaths, the more garage rock oriented combo Moeller formed with occasional Black Forest member Pat Über-Critic McDonald, has an “Eve of the Eve of the Eve” gig this Thursday, December 29th, at Ultra Lounge at 2169 N. Milwaukee in Chicago. Doors open at 9:00 PM.

Congratulations to WXRT on selling every last copy of Live From The Archives Volume 13. The Chicago FM radio progressive rock station always warns that procrastinating shoppers could be left out in the cold, but this is the first time I can think of that one of its limited edition collections has sold out so quickly. Was it a particularly strong lineup of artists, or was it the favorable review on Broken Hearted Toy? (See December 8th post.)

The Second Disc online newsletter recently reported that Squeeze member Glenn Tilbrook has just released When Daylight Appears: The Demo Tapes 1985 - 1991. The 20-track CD features stripped-down versions of melodic Squeeze gems like “Hourglass,” “Hits Of The Year,” “The Prisoner,” and “Footprints.” Currently, the only listing I see for it on Amazon is an import.

As someone who’s been known to smirk at the bad grammar and misspellings on Facebook posts, I was particularly embarrassed to discover that I had wished a number of bands a successful 2112. Can’t decide whether my excuse is going to be that I believe these musicians are going to live a very long time, or that they’re all going to record Rush tribute CDs in the coming year.

CD Review: The Bad Examples - Smash Record

Note: This review originally appeared in the Illinois Entertainer. The Bad Examples will be performing at Fitzgerald’s on April 29th.

Smash Record is the first CD of original material from The Bad Examples since Kisses 50 Cents was released in 1995. Still, some of these songs will be familiar to anyone who has seen the reunited band in a live performance over the past few years. Singer-guitarist Ralph Covert might make bigger bucks spinning the whimsical tales of Ralph’s World, but he surely must relish the opportunities The Bad Examples give him to be, well a bad example.

The catchy “Your Ex-Girlfriend” depicts a genuine S.O.B. who taunts his lover’s former beau, all the while protesting, “There’s no reason to get mad at me.” “Your Problem Now” offers the flip side of that situation, while the more somber “You Don’t Understand Me” chronicles a couple splitting apart. Covert, who has lost none of his songwriting edge, evokes Squeeze with the clever lyrics and irresistible melodies of songs like “Pictures Of A Masquerade” and “Jayne Left Behind.” The Bad Examples provide more punch on “Big E Chord” and “Devil Is In The Details,” while “Gets All Messy” closes out this welcome reunion on a lighter, humorous note.

They Did The Monster (Power Pop) Mash

Abbey Pub poster taken from Penthouse Sweets website.

The Abbey Pub on Chicago’s northwest side kicked off its tribute band weekend last night in fine style with six local acts performing in the guise of famous rock bands.

Openers Benge & Short offered a mostly acoustic performance of Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe songs, and their harmonies were perfect. “Cruel To Be Kind” and “(What’s So Funny ‘bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” were particularly memorable. Next up was Chris Dorf and Friends, whose high-energy set of R.E.M. covers like “Radio Free Europe” and “South Central Rain” electrified the audience. The band was basically Skapone with a guest singer who portrayed Michael Stipe with a wig for the older songs and with a shaved head for the newer stuff; and Dorf’s brother, who played guitar and added mandolin to “Losing My Religion.”

Phil Angotti, along with a band that included Ellis Clark on keyboards, offered stellar renditions of vintage Squeeze material like “Black Coffee In Bed,” Tempted,” and “Is That Love?” In addition to Angotti’s strong vocals, there were plenty of strong harmonies. Broken China covered most of The Bangles’ big hits, but it would have been interesting to see them take on Hoffs and company’s less commercial fare like “Hero Takes A Fall” or “Some Dreams Come True.” Still, the audience loved Broken China, holding up lighters during “Eternal Flame” and waving their arms to “Walk Like An Egyptian.”

M. Marlow offered a highly entertaining take on Weezer, from the early “Buddy Holly” to the current “Troublemaker.” Penthouse Sweets captured the belligerent attitude of The Sex Pistols by flashing middle fingers and spraying the audience with beer, while roaring through covers of “Pretty Vacant” and “Anarchy In The U.K.”

All the bands offered great music, and the enthusiastic audience members, many of whom came in costumes, made the evening more fun. The Abbey Pub will be at it again tonight, with an impressive line-up that includes Tomorrow The Moon as The Psychedelic Furs; Androgynous Mustache as The J. Geils Band; The Delafields as The B-52’s; The Webstirs as Fleetwood Mac; and Tiny Speakers as The Everly Brothers. Unfortunately, I can’t make tonight’s show, but I highly recommend it. Hey Abbey Pub, how about making this an annual monster mash?