Slumgullion #92

The birthday boy, with drummer Bobby Elliott. Photo from Bobby Elliott’s book,

The Hollies Through The Ages Volume One.

You Say It's His Birthday. Best wishes to Tony Hicks on his birthday. Tony has served as lead guitarist and harmony vocalist for The Hollies for almost the entire 50 years (in 2112) the band has been around. He’s the bloke who came up with the idea for “Stop Stop Stop,” the 1966 hit single that features his distinctive banjo playing. Once again, I highly recommend the recently released DVD Look Through Any Window The Hollies 1962 - 1975. Tony, along with Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, and Bobby Elliott, provides running commentary throughout this entertaining documentary, and demonstrates some of the more interesting riffs he’s played over the years.

No Cover For Covers. There’ll be no admission fee when The Beatle Brothers perform at the Countryside Saloon tonight. The group has been covering the fab four and other 1960s bands for 25 years. Countryside Saloon is located at 2501 Ballard Road in Des Plaines. Show time is 9:00 PM.

Wonder If Julianna Hatfield Knows About This. The Del Fuegos, the critically acclaimed 1980s garage rock band who were mentioned in Hatfield’s “My Sister,” have a brief reunion tour coming up next year. It kicks off on February 22nd in Boston, and includes gigs in New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. They have a date at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on February 25th. It would be great to hear some of those classic tracks like “Nervous And Shakey,” “Backseat Nothing,” and “Mary Don’t Change” performed live.

The Beat Is Back. Another guitar-driven band that got its start a few decades ago, The Paul Collins Beat, is coming back to Chicago with a gig at Ultra Lounge on Milwaukee Avenue on February 3rd. Collins has been on a roll since releasing one of the better power pop CDs of 2010 with King Of Power Pop.

Pants On Fyre. Happening Magazine, an offshoot of the groovy neo-1960s publication, Shindig, reported in a recent email that another legendary garage rock band, The Lyres have resurfaced in London. The Boston-based group that gave us classics like “I Want Help You Ann” as well as a letter-perfect cover of The New Colony Six nugget, “I Confess,” is on a European tour that takes them to the 93 Feet East club on February 13th. Prior to that, they’ll be playing gigs in Italy.

It’s Beginning To Rock A Lot Like Christmas. The syndicated radio show Underground Garage is always worth checking out, but it’s even more fun when host Little Steven Van Zandt unpacks all his favorite holiday songs on the annual Christmas Special. Not sure if this year's party will be a two-part event, as it has been in the past. Underground Garage airs on WXRT each Sunday from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Mania And Monroes. The Melismatics, the Minneapolis-based alt rock band that has its next CD, Mania, coming out on Pravda Records in January, just announced on Facebook that it’s also working on a CD with Tony Ortiz, the former singer of The Monroes. “Missing Man,” a song from the collaboration is up on YouTube and sounds pretty intriguing.

Let’s Paint Their Smiles On Upside Down. The New Jersey band Mike Daly and The Planets has created a theme song for those of us who have never liked Bozo or any of his ilk. I’ve been afraid of them (clowns, not Mike Daly and The Planets) since I saw a TV show as a child where some guy was haunted by a ghost clown. “Kill A Clown (No, Not Really),” has a catchy, guitar-driven arrangement reminiscent of Webb Wilder or possibly ZZ Top, along with some exuberant backup vocals. It’s filled with funny lyrics about offing people with fake red noses like, “I killed a clown in Kalamazoo/Made him choke on his own kazoo” and “Killed them clowns in Zanzibar/Ran them off the road in that tiny car.” The single is available as a digital download at the band’s website, Amazon, CDBaby, and iTunes.

I should mention that Frank Carr from my former comedy group Famous In The Future, did a similar song/skit a number of years ago. Now that's someone who really hates clowns.

Heart's In The Right Place. Heart may not have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year, but at least the South By Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival is giving the Wilson sisters some props. Ann and Nancy will be featured speakers on March 15th at the Austin Convention Center, and they’ll also be performing with Heart at a TBA venue at the event.

Tears On My TARDIS. Even though it was inevitable given the show’s rotating cast format, I was still sad when The Nerdist website reported yesterday that companions Rory and Amy will be leaving Doctor Who in the coming season. I didn’t immediately warm up to actress Karen Gillian as Amy Pond, but it wasn’t too long before she was exuding the spunk and sexiness that are the hallmarks of The Doctor’s female companions. Arthur Darvill, who portrayed Amy’s husband Rory, is a likable and supportive guy that a lot of male viewers probably identify with. Here’s hoping Gillian and Darvill continue to appear at Doctor Who conventions and promotions, because it seems like they have great rapport with the series’ current lead actor, Matt Smith.

Songs Sung (About A) Blue Police Box. On a related note, Chicago Tribune writer Christopher Borrelli had an article in yesterday’s edition about Niles North High School student Allegra Rosenberg. She’s been making a name for herself by writing songs about Doctor Who episodes and posting them on her YouTube Channel, Stop! It’s Ginger Time! Noted author Neil Gaiman and BBC America executive Matt Stein are among her fans.

Why Don’t You Stay Just A Little Bit Longer?

Photo from The Hollies - Look Through Any Window 1963 -1975 DVD.

“If they only had wings, then they’d be sharing in all of our things.” - “Wings” by The Hollies.

An article by Natasha Korecki in yesterday’s Chicago Sun-Times proclaimed the benefits of spending vacation time in Manchester. “Manchester is to London what Chicago is to New York,” she noted. “It’s packed with friendly pubs, rich with its own music, history and prideful people.” As a longtime Anglophile and Hollies fan, I’ve always been keen to visit Manchester, as well as the more obvious choice of Liverpool. I thoroughly enjoyed the few days my wife Pam and I spent in London during a 2006 swing through Europe.

A sidebar to Korecki’s piece mentioned that The Radisson Edwardian has suites that are named after rock and roll artists like Bob Dylan and David Bowie who performed in Manchester’s Free Trade Hall. Since The Hollies were one of the first major bands from Manchester and obviously played extensively in the city, it seems likely they would be one of the artists honored. However, I couldn’t confirm this via the hotel’s website.

I did find a post on the SkyScraperCity site that mentions the new six-story Manchester Central Arena Travelodge, which has 12 wings that are named in honor of Manchester-based bands.

“Travelodge polled 5,000 Britons to nominate their favourite band from Manchester,” the site explained. “They are Oasis, Take That, The Smiths, Stone Roses, The Hollies, The Verve, Gary Barlow, Simply Red, Joy Division, New Order, Elbow and The Chemical Brothers.” The Hollies Wing is located on the third floor, along with Verve.

So it’s quite possible I’ll have a choice of Hollies-related places to stay if I ever do make it to Manchester.

Slumgullion #54

Born Ready Films will hold the premiere of their full-length movie The Garage Hoppers tonight at The Portage Theatre on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. Written and directed by Andrew Morris, who is also one of the cast members, the film takes its plot from the current crime wave of kids breaking into garages to steal liquor. The title characters not only steal the booze, they run a lucrative business selling it to their friends. They have no trouble contending with a rival gang of hooch-grabbers on rollerblades, but run into trouble after snatching the last two beers from a garage owned by two deranged hillbillies. A pair of kidnappings and other mayhem cause the two gangs to join forces.

In addition to Andrew Morris, the cast includes Brian Morris, Max Ryan, Bryan Rafferty, and Jennifer Augustus. Bryn Packard, a funny guy who performed with my former comedy group Famous In The Future for a few years, also appears in the film. Tonight will be the only opportunity to see The Garage Hoppers for at least a few months, and DVD’s are not available yet. Other short films will be shown as well. The Portage Theatre is located at 4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

David Bash, who’ll be bringing International Pop Overthrow to Chicago next month, is a published rock critic as well as a promoter. He recently posted on Facebook that he just learned of a six-disc Hollies box set titled The Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years that will be released on the EMI label May 9th. Of course, avid Hollies fans will already have most of the songs, but Bash says that there will be at least one previously unreleased track - - a live performance recorded back in 1968. Further details to come.

The dB’s will be releasing the 45 “Picture Sleeve”/“Write Back” on April 16th for Record Store Day. The band has also completed its new CD and will have news about its release in the near future. dB’s founder Chris Stamey is organizing a second live performance of Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers (the first was in Chapel Hill, NC) for March 26th at Mason Hall in New York. Participants include Stamey, Will Rigby, Mitch Easter, Mike Mills, Matthew Sweet, Tift Merritt, Jody Stephens, and Don Dixon’s daughter, Sydney Dixon.

Ground Zero blog has a post from L. Kent Wolgamott of the Lincoln Journal Star that covers The Bangles’ recent SXSW live show at the Cedar Street Courtyard. While some critics had dismissed the band’s inclusion on the schedule as shameless nostalgia, Wolgamott feels the performance at this “jam-packed” gig was better than he remembered. He doesn’t elaborate on the last time he saw them. Surprisingly, The Bangles didn’t play any of the new tracks from their forthcoming CD.

Slumgullion #53

I’ve mentioned The Second Disc before, but it really is worth signing up to receive regular updates from this reissues-obsessed blog. An email I received yesterday immediately caught my attention with an opening line that proclaimed, “It’s Hollies-mania all over again!” The reason for this excitement is a new crop of Hollies-related reissues and box sets. The Second Disc reports that April 19th will see the release of a vinyl box set of the band’s rarities, as well as the Lost Recordings And Beat Rarities CD box set on the Sundazed label. Hollies fans can also look for vinyl reissues of the 1966 Imperial albums, Beat Group and Bus Stop. BGO Records is also set to release a disc that combines the 1964 release Here I Go Again with the 1965 release Hear! Here! The Second Disc has also recently provided news on reissues by Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Beach Boys’ long lost SMiLE album.

Singer Cliff Johnson and his current band will be digging into the Off Broadway treasure chest of power pop gems for an Off Broadway Redux gig scheduled at the Nitecap Lounge on April 2nd. Johnson will be performing some of his newer stuff as well. The Nitecap Lounge is located at 5007 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago. The show starts at 9:30.

Tres-Tres, a new band on the Chicago scene, has just released its debut effort, Romantic Propaganda. The group describes its music as power pop for moderns, and the consistently clever lyrics are packed with references to several high-tech devices. The well-polished vocals and arrangements call to mind The Outfield, but at times they’re a bit too commercial for my tastes. “Holly Says Go,” a fun tale about hanging out with trendy gal whose hot looks get her into any club she wants, and the catchy “Ashley Chase” are the best tracks. Romantic Propaganda definitely sounds like a hit record, but I’d like Tres-Tres more if they threw out the rule book and played a little rougher.

A trio of improv groups at The Playground Theater are plenty excited about the second annual Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, also known as C2E2. On Friday, March 18th, The Fling, International Stinger, and The Tweet Life will be aiming for an entire evening’s worth of laughs “dedicated to and inspired by the awesomeness that is C2E2.” The Tweet Life’s performance will be based on the Twitter musings of comic book writer Warren Ellis. The show kicks off at 8:00 PM. Tickets for the BYOB event are $10. The Playground Theater is offering visitors to its website a chance to win weekend passes to C2E2.

Most of the visitors to The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, which is coming to the West Building at McCormick Place March 18th - 20th, will probably stop by the Tonner exhibit. The company makes lifelike dolls and figures of celebrities, and has hit on an interesting method for getting the word out about its products. It’s now possible to become Facebook friends with Andy Mills, Cami Malone, and Jonquil Parker - - a trio of impeccably dressed dolls who hang out in Manhattan; seeing the latest hit musicals, visiting museums, and planning elegant social events. If you don’t mind inanimate objects having more fun than you ever do, you might want to Like them on Facebook.

WXRT DJ Tom Marker posted a blog on the station’s website this week with the news that Garbage may be planning to release a CD of new material within the coming months. A new tune called “The Hunger,” featuring Garbage front woman Shirley Manson on vocals, is available on iTunes, with the profits going to help Amnesty International. The song is from the musical Prometheus Bound.

Thomas Conner, the Sun-Times music critic noted in yesterday’s edition that this year’s Ravinia schedule leans heavily toward pleasing Baby Boomers. Several classic rock acts will be performing, including Robert Plant, Deep Purple, The Moody Blues, Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Peter Frampton, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The most intriguing date for me is the double bill of The Go-Go’s and The B-52’s. When last heard from, The Go-Go’s had aborted a farewell tour last year due to a Jane Wiedlin injury. I'm wondering if the Ravinia date is part of a new swan song, or if the girls have decided to stick around for a while. Here’s hoping it’s the latter.

James Moeller and Carla Hayden, founders of Black Forest Theatre as well as members of the WhiteWolfSonicPrincess alt-rock band, have unveiled a new venture dubbed Black Forest Design. The company will provide clients with website design, web application development, graphic arts, and other services. For more information, send an email to jamesblackforest@yahoo.com

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is selling new t shirts and mugs to help promote the 2011 Inductees. This year’s ceremony, honoring Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love, and Tom Waits, will be held on March 14th at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The show will be broadcast on Fuse.

Slumgullion #52

Photo from The Handcuffs website.

Two Girls For Every Guy. Chloe F. Orwell, singer-guitarist for The Handcuffs, has been promising on Facebook that there will be a lot more girls than guys on stage at Quenchers Saloon tomorrow night when her band plays a triple bill with The Maybenauts and The Wanton Looks. The evening will also be a great opportunity to catch some energetic indie rock. The Handcuffs, led by Orwell and drummer Brad Elvis, have recorded two solid CDs, and are on the verge of releasing their third. Co-ed rockers The Maybenauts just released the very fun Big Bang EP, and The Wanton Looks are a hard-hitting four-woman band with great hooks and harmonies. The show starts at 9:30PM.

The IPO Play At Home Game. The entire schedule for International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 20011 is now up on the fest’s website. I can’t go into too much detail now, because I’ll be doing an online preview again this year for the Illinois Entertainer. But I can suggest a fun game for anyone who’s interested in power pop and indie rock music. Just pick one of the more intriguing band names listed on schedule, and do a quick Google search on it. Usually, the group’s MySpace page will be one of the first choices. Check it out, and chances are you’ll discover some new music you’ll really like. Then try another act, and another, and so on.

You can even put on a cowboy hat and pretend your IPO honcho David Bash, since he once told me that checking out MySpace pages is one of his chief methods for choosing acts. If you live in the Chicago area, be sure to check out the IPO showcases where you can see these bands perform live. Those living elsewhere can consider downloading a band’s songs or going the old-fashioned route and buying an actual CD.

Sad News. “I Had Too Much To Dream” by The Electric Prunes was one of those songs I loved from the first moment I heard in on WLS radio back in the 1960s. So it’s sad to note that the band’s bassist, Mark Tulin recently passed away.

I’m Too Sixties For My Shirt. The latest edition of The Hollies Carousel newsletter arrived in the mail, with its usual roundup of news items, concert reviews, and fans’ correspondence. One fan, while writing about the St. Albans Arena show, noted that there were new Hollies t shirts for sale. This is an interesting development since I don’t think there’s been an official Hollies t shirt since the 1983 reunion tour with Graham Nash. (Unless you count an unimaginative white one with the band’s name in red letters that was made for the 2000 Hollies Convention in Eastbourne. I believe that was the shirt I was wearing when I met Carl Wayne just before a concert in Minnesota in 2002.)

Judging from a photo of guitarist Tony Hicks wearing one of the new shirts on stage, it’s a proper t shirt with actual art, showing silhouettes of the current band members. Rob Haywood, from the Hollies Official website (where I had purchased the Eastbourne t shirt), responded to my urgent e-mail inquiry by assuring me that he hopes to have the shirts available online in the very near future.

Shamrocking In Palatine. My sedate home town of Palatine will be holding its first ever St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 12th, along with an Irish Market by the Metra Station, and a line-up of entertainment at Durty Nellie’s. The rock club has plenty of experience when it comes to commemorating the Irish holiday, dating back to the days of its old location, when it booked first-rate band like McTavish and The Chicago Rovers. I can’t say I’m familiar with the acts lined up for this year - - Flatfoot 56, Rod Tuffcurls & Bench Press, Black Cadillac, and the popular cover act Wedding Banned - - but hopefully, they’ll be fun.

There’ll Be None Of That On My Blog. I deliberately avoided using Irish jargon in the above item, figuring I’d leave that to the 95 year-old men who write the bulk of America’s radio commercials. Every March, there’s another batch of atrocious attempts at Irish accents, particularly on ads for McDonalds, but the current commercial for the Illinois State Lottery’s St. Patrick’s Day Millionaire Raffle sets a new low. The premise of a customer immediately becoming Irish after buying the ticket is hokey enough, but the actor’s strained attempts at a brogue are further hampered by a script that has him using the distinctively British slang words “bloody” and “blimey.”

Book Review: The Hollies Through The Years

He’s hardly a household name in America, but among professional musicians, Bobby Elliott has been regarded as one of rock and roll’s best drummers for over four decades. Currently, Elliott and guitarist Tony Hicks are the only remaining original members of The Hollies, who continue to tour and record CDs. Along with items like shirts and tour books, the band’s official website offers a book that Elliott assembled from his personal archives, called The Hollies Through The Years.

It’s not a massive, artful effort like Graham Nash’s hardbound Eye To Eye. In fact, it has the same format as the tour books, and pretty much the only words you’ll see are on reproductions of radio surveys or articles about the band. There’s also a copy of a receipt from The Toggery, which apparently was quite the place for trendy musicians to buy clothes in the mid-1960s. Other artifacts include a postcard from Elliott to his parents while he as on tour in California; a flyer for an appearance at the Imperial Ballroom, and a rehearsal schedule for the Hullabaloo TV show, which lists times for The Hollies, Frankie Avalon, Nancy Sinatra, The Ronettes, and The Yardbirds.

Mostly though, Through The Years is a collection of rare photographs of the Hollies, including some of the musicians long before they were in the band. Hicks looks like he could be no more than 13 in a vintage snapshot from when he was with a seven-piece outfit called Les Skifflettes, and there are pics of groups that spawned members of Hollies, like The Guytones, Shane Fenton & The Fentones, and The Dolphins. There’s also a shot of a very young Elliott pounding the skins back in 1958.

There are plenty of visual treasures for fans of the original British Invasion, like stills from The Hollies’ appearances on U.K. shows like Thank Your Lucky Stars, Ready Steady Go! and Top Of The Pops. There aren’t very many other famous 1960s stars included, other than a grainy B&W shot of Dave Clark watching The Hollies from backstage, and a few pictures of band members with the ultimate 1960s dream girl, Marianne Faithful. (“Carrie Anne” was rumored to be about her.) As photographer Henry Diltz pointed out in his book, California Dreaming, The Hollies loved posing for pictures. There are dozens of publicity shots included in Through The Years, as well as photos that show the band working in the recording studio and performing on stage.

The Hollies Through The Years would have been even better with some commentary from Elliott, but his reflections on performing with the band can be found within the liner notes on The Hollies All The Hits & More record.

DVD Review: The Hollies - The Dutch Collection

Released by EMI in 2007, The Hollies - The Dutch Collection is a CD/DVD import from Holland. The audio half of this set is the usual collection of hits, from “Here I Go Again” to “The Air That I Breathe,” plus (for some unfathomable reason) the band’s shameful attempt at disco, “Wiggle That Wotsit.” It’s the other disc that serves up something Hollies fans have been praying for years: An official visual documentation of the band’s career, including live performances, TV appearances, interviews, and what amount to rock videos years before the dawn of MTV.

When I talked to Hollies guitarist-vocalist Terry Sylvester at the Fest For Beatles Fans in Chicago a few years back, I mentioned The Dutch Collection and he agreed it was great that this material was finally being made available. Unfortunately, the DVD is in the PAL format, so it’s not compatible with many players in the U.S. I have a portable model by Insignia that does accept PAL, but I’d love to see The Dutch Collection on a big screen.

Surprisingly, The Hollies were making promotional films for their songs as early as 1965, as evidenced by the clip for “I Can’t Let Go,” which shows the musicians lip-synching on a dock that presumably overlooks The Thames. “Stop Stop Stop” gives the lads a chance to engage in some Beatlesque silliness as they hang out in a local pub, tossing darts and downing pints. The best part is guitarist Tony Hicks winding up the key on top of a limo shortly before the band is driven away. The antics are reminiscent of The Monkees, but it’s quite possible this clip pre-dates that TV show.

I remember seeing a clip for “Carrie Anne” on a local UHF TV show hosted by WLS DJ Art Roberts back in 1967, and I had been trying to find a copy of it for years. It’s on The Dutch Collection, and it’s just as wacky as I remembered. Graham Nash frolics in an open field wearing a kaftan, bassist Bernie Calvert wakes up by a pool surrounded by beautiful women, and lead vocalist Allan Clarke dresses up as cowboy and shoots his doppelganger in a duel. The clip for “Dear Eloise,” which was filmed outdoors around a gazebo, is more straight forward. When I interviewed Nash for the Illinois Entertainer (see Archives, December 2009) he acknowledged that it was unusual for bands back then to create rock videos. He explained that The Hollies had no real say in the creative aspect of these clips; they pretty much did as they were told.

Two of the clips, “On A Carousel,” and the much later “Magic Woman Touch,” featuring Clarke’s short-term replacement Mikael Rikfors, offer an interesting peek at The Hollies at work in the recording studio. By far, the worst clip is the one for “Blowin’ In The Wind,” which mixes footage of the band lip-synching the Dylan tune with footage of a what looks like a guy and his girlfriend making an amateur porn film. Nothing explicit, but very cheesy in way that would have been funny as a Monty Python’s Flying Circus bit. In fact, Monty Python did do something quite similar.

The Dutch Collection also offers a few short, vintage interviews conducted in Holland with band members at various point in the 1960s, as well as an appearance by Hicks and Sylvester on a 1970s English TV show. The disc is more interesting early on, with The Hollies appearing on Top Of The Pops and at a New Musical Express sponsored event. Later TV performances of songs like “Hey Willy,” “The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee,” and “Daddy Don’t Mind” only illustrate how lackluster the band’s material could be in the late 1970s.

The reunion of Nash, Clarke, Hicks, drummer Bobby Elliott, and original bassist Eric Haydock singing the hits medley “Holliedaze” on Top Of The Pops in the early 1980s, ends The Dutch Collection on a happy note.

Slumgullion #27

The Hollies in celebratory mood.

A Year Already? Today marks the first anniversary of my doing this blog. I’d like to thank my wife Pam for setting it up, and offering all sorts of tech advice. Also, thanks to John and Steve at the Illinois Entertainer for being cool with me posting reviews that originally ran in their magazine.

Although Broken Hearted Toy takes its name from the Hollies song “I Can’t Let Go,” and is dedicated to promoting power pop, 1960s music, and cutting edge rock, I’ve also strayed into comedy, theater, and pop culture memorabilia. It’s been a challenge finding things to write about, but it’s also been fun.

A special thanks goes out to my followers, as well as the people who have taken the time to comment, or post a link to BHT on their Facebook pages. Thanks in particular to Herb Eimerman, Dag Juhlin, Julie Blore-Bizot, Frank Carr, The Braam brothers, Mike Galassini & Marianne Shimkus, Brad Elvis & Chloe F. Orwell, Rick Hromadka, Steve Gerlach, Todd Wright, Christopher Bevard, Mike Burns, Miranda Lange, Matt Carlson, Dan Pavelich, Clay Eals, Kevin Cornell, Charlie from Blane Fonda, George Hall, Jeff Charreaux, Karen Brown, Terri Hemmert, Lin Brehmer, Kristin Kay, and Allen Marten. I sincerely apologize if I’ve missed anyone.

I’ve been happy to review CDs I’ve received from The Valley Downs, The Bradburys, The Greenwoods, The Britannicas, Maple Mars, WhiteWolfSonicPrincess, Aaron Fox & The Reliables, Matt Dodge & The Lobsters, Kevin Lee, Magatha Trysty, and Welcome To Ashley. (I’m hoping to post my review of Braam’s Living Room here Monday.)

And so, grab your champagne, and join me for another batch of Slumgullion:

Inducted, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! Congratulations to WXRT daytime radio personality and Breakfast With The Beatles host Terri Hemmert on being inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. I’ve been listening to Hemmert for over three decades, and once had the pleasure of interviewing her at the station’s old digs on Belmont Avenue. In addition to her regular on air duties at XRT, Hemmert will once again serve as MC at this year’s Fest For Beatles Fans at the Hyatt Regency next weekend, August 13th -15th.

Doing Del Well. Members of the international power pop trio The Britannicas are posting an audio link on Facebook to their latest song, “I Got You.” It’s a cover of a Del Shannon tune, and will appear on an upcoming Del Shannon tribute CD. Britannicas guitarist-vocalist Herb Eimerman says his band was honored to be asked to participate. The Britannicas’ version of “I Got You” has more of a jangling British Invasion (or maybe The Byrds) sound than the original, although I could also go with Eimerman’s comparison to The Traveling Wilburys.

I’m Gonna Wait ‘Til The Midnight Hour. WXRT will be broadcasting the Lollapalooza AfterShow concert by Phoenix this Sunday, at midnight. The band will be performing its entire Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix CD. Phoenix fans who don’t live in the Chicago area, can stream the concert at 93XRT.com

Going Down To London. It’s not Liverpool, but The Bangles will be performing in London this October. The band will also be making a stop in Dublin, Ireland, along with a series of dates in Australia. Come back to Chicago, please.

Now Don’t That Make You Feel Like You Better Not Pout? B-52’s founding member Fred Schneider has formed a side project called The Superions, who’ll be releasing a holiday CD on Fanatic Records on October 26th. Destination . . . Christmas! features synth dance tracks like “Santa’s Disco,” “Teddy and Betty Yetti,” and “Crummy Christmas Tree,” that have a similar ring to the B-52’s. According to the press release, “the album is destined to become a holiday classic for tuneful toddlers, snarky teens, and cool Moms and Dads everywhere.”

These Lobsters Rock Too. Matt Dodge & The Lobsters have filmed their first video. It’s for “My Life,” one of the more commercially viable songs from their Lobsters debut CD. The funny and well-made clip mixes live action and animation, along with some scenes of the lads at work in the recording studio.

That’s A Buck A Band. Tomorrow The Moon, which features guitarist Steve Gerlach from The Bad Examples, will be performing with Milk @ Midnight and Berserker Theory on August 19th at The Darkroom on Chicago Avenue. The show starts at 8:30 PM, and the admission is a mere $3.

Long Live Vanessa Kensington. Rolling Stone recently speculated that Weezer’s upcoming Hurley CD might be named after the character on Lost. Considering the album is said to have a decidedly 1960s pop feel, it would make more sense to honor Elizabeth Hurley, who starred as the very Emma Peel like Ms. Kensington in first (and best) Austin Powers flick. Hurley (the CD) is due on in stores September 14th.

You’ve Got The Way To Move Me, Cherry. Mary-Arrchie Theatre has had such a successful run with its production of Kirk Lynn’s Cherrywood, it’s adding seven more performances. The play is directed by David Cromer and has been doing well with critics, as well as at the box office.

Famous In The Forest. In more Mary-Arrchie related news, Black Forest Theatre has announced they will be performing a new piece titled The Dog Star Rages at this year’s Abbie Fest at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre. James Moeller, who founded BF with his amour Carla Hayden, describes the piece as “scattershot and schizophrenic” on his JimmyDumps/SunnyJimmy blog. He also states that it’s “very much of the moment” and “kind of reflects the world.” Show time is 5:00 PM. Two hours later, my former comedy group, Famous In The Future will be performing an all-new, scripted comedy revue at the Abbie Fest. I’m still not seeing a title for the FIF show, but then the group was always a little slow in coming up with revue names.

Vintage Publication Spotlight #10

The latest entry in an ongoing series devoted to magazines of the past.

This issue of Action Plus! was released in early 1982, and exuded a true ‘zine attitude with a basic black and white layout, very few photos, and typewriter style print. It’s Volume 1, No.1, and I have no idea how many other issues were published. Its editor/publisher was Paul Hippensteel, who was based in Robinson, Illinois, and apparently he had contributors as well as correspondents. The first page stated that the publication was “Dedicated To The Principle That Rock ‘N Roll Would Not Be Possible Without Electricity.”

Twenty three of the magazine’s 36 pages were devoted to The Hollies, and Hippensteel offered an extensive history of the band, from the early performances of Graham Nash and Allan Clarke as The Two Teens to the plans for a reunion album with Nash in 1983. He wisely preferred their more energetic material to the ballads, and dismissed A Crazy Steal as The Hollies’ weakest album of the 70s, noting “too much emphasis was placed on the softer side of the group’s sound, resulting in a rather tedious and overproduced outing.” Overall, Hippensteel was an obvious fan and his insights into The Hollies’ career were consistently interesting.

Action Plus! also had an article comparing Shindig! and Hullabaloo that included a show by show listing for each program over two seasons. It was amazing how many of the biggest acts of the 1960s were among the guests.

WUEV FM radio personality Mike Zikmund contributed an interesting interview with drummer Skip Meyer from Zion, Illinois power pop legends, Shoes that was conducted shortly after the band released its impressive second effort, Tongue Twister. Meyer conceded that some musicians resented Shoes for getting signed to a major label without having played extensively on the club scene, but he maintained that he, Jeff Murphy, John Murphy, and Gary Klebe had paid their dues in a different way, through all the hours they spent in the studio.

The only ad in Action Plus! was on the back cover, and it promoted a Hollies concert at the Wembley Conference Centre in England. I have a suspicion Hippensteel simply put it there because he thought it looked cool, and the band didn’t pay for it.

Pam Appreciation Day!

Each year, on June 21st, I celebrate Pam Appreciation Day in honor of my wife. She was instrumental in helping me set up this blog, and has been extremely supportive of my countless creative endeavors, interests, and obsessions. Here are a few examples:

When we first started dating back in 1989, it didn’t take long for her to discover that I’m an avid Hollies fan. Pam’s an extremely talented artist, and she decided to paint a portrait of the band for me. She did a great job, and the painting (see above) continues to hold a place of honor in my media room.

One of our first dates involved seeing The Smithereens perform at an outdoor concert in Grant Park in Chicago. It was a mercilessly sunny day, and Pam soon looked like she would pass out from the heat. I decided we’d have to leave, but she refused because she didn’t want me to miss one of my favorite bands. So we compromised. I stood up directly in front of her to block out the sun. Which must have looked incredibly ignorant to people around us, because that meant she couldn’t see the stage, but at least I provided a bit of refreshing shade.

When The Hollies came to America for a brief series of concerts in 2002, Pam drove me to Stillwater, Minnesota so I could see them. Why they chose that town instead of somewhere in the Chicago area, I’ll never know. Unfortunately, the concert got rained out, but we did see their sound check since the concert was outside, and had a chance to chat with a very gracious Carl Wayne, who was then the lead vocalist for The Hollies. I also met a fellow Hollies fan who has been my friend ever since.

Pam drives me to my writers meetings for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators twice a month. If any of my novels ever get printed, it will due in part to this very helpful group, and my wife for taking me to the meetings.

Pam and I have created a series of short video clips called Manchester Gallery. They can be seen on the Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff Internet show. I write the clips and perform in them, which takes about 10 minutes to do. Pam does all the taping and editing, which takes quite a bit longer.

So, for all the wonderful things my wife does for me, I once again celebrate Pam Appreciation Day. Feel free to use this occasion to express gratitude for your own significant other.

Happy P.A.D., Pam!! Love, Terry