Abbie (On Sheridan) Road

I used to be Famous. My comedy group back in 2002. Left to right: Karen Yashon, me, Guy Schingoethe, Desiree Burcum, and Frank Carr. Carr and Burcum are still in the group.

Now that the dust has settled after Pitchfork in Union Park, Paul McCartney in Wrigley Field, The Fest For Beatles Fans in Rosemont, and Lollapalooza in Grant Park (actually, there’s more mud than dust in Grant Park right now), Chicagoans might be seeking that next big event. For those with an interest in theater, comedy, and performance art, it could very well be Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins XXIII. The three-day, virtually non-stop event is held each year by the Mary-Arrchie Theatre sometime around the anniversary of the original Woodstock festival. It’s coming up in less than two weeks, from August 19th to the 21st, with over 30 acts participating.

Mary-Archie Theatre’s Artistic Director Rich Cotovsky has been overseeing Abbie Fest, as it’s more commonly known, since its birth in 1989. He channels the spirit of Yippie leader Hoffman during a kickoff rally and march from the Daley Center at 2:00 PM on the first day of the fest, and returns to that persona for the opening ceremonies later that night, and the closing ceremonies on Sunday night. He can also be seen as Hoffman at other times throughout the weekend, and he’ll be on stage for Mary-Archie’s performances of Wild Dogs by Matt Borczon and Gas Mask 101 by Arlene Cook, as well as the late night audience participation gabfest Bitch With Rich.

The Abbie Fest features performances by some of the more adventurous players on the city’s theatrical scene; like The Factory Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, and The Plagiarists. Rush Pearson’s take on the Nicolai Gogol play, Diary Of A Madman is always riveting, even for those who’ve seen it before. My former comedy group, Famous In The Future, has another great time slot this year; they’ll be performing a yet-to-be-named skit and song revue at 7:15 PM on Saturday. Famous In The Future is the only group besides Mary-Arrchie that has been in every single Abbie Fest. This year they’re being followed by an original piece called You Must Believe by Black Forest, the off kilter but always engaging duo of James Moeller and Carla Hayden.

Speaking as someone who performed at 20 of the Abbie Fests, and who still has perfect attendance, I highly recommend this three-day extravaganza. Located in a second floor storefront theater at 735 W. Sheridan Road, it’s a whole lot smaller than some of Chicago’s better known events, but always a lot of fun. I’m hoping to have more detailed information about the various performances as Abbie gets closer. Tickets are $10 for a single day, and $25 for a weekend pass.

I’ve Just Seen A Fest

The Fest For Beatles Fans once again proved to be a multi-faceted delight this past weekend as it marked its 35th anniversary of coming to the Midwest. Even for those of us who didn’t spend the entire weekend at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, there was plenty of activity going on Saturday to keep us satisfied. The event’s format of live entertainment, celebrity guests, interviews, special presentations, art work, photography exhibits, and a huge marketplace has held up well over three decades. That’s primarily due to the staying power of The Beatles, but credit should also be given to organizers Mark and Carol Lapidos, as well as long-time participants like WXRT radio personality Terri Hemmert, writer/producer Martin Lewis, and the tribute band, Liverpool.

Lewis was missing in action for much of the day due to being involved with a charity event, which left Hemmert to conduct almost all of the celebrity interviews. Entering her 34th year as The Fest’s Master Of Ceremonies, she has established a rapport with several musicians. Sadly, Paul McCartney, who as Hemmert pointed out several times during the festivities gave her a big hug earlier in the week prior to his concert as Wrigley Field, wasn’t among this year’s guests. But Badfinger vocalist-guitarist Joey Molland and singer-guitarist Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon were, and each was quite funny in his own way. Former Wings guitarist Henry McCullough was more sedate, but his anecdote about talking McCartney into letting him (McCullough) come up with his own solo for “My Love” definitely made for interesting conversation.

Asher’s mid-afternoon presentation of A Musical Memoir Of The 60s & Beyond Part One was a definite crowd pleaser. Opening with a video that featured Monty Python alum and Spamalot creator Eric Idle worked brilliantly, particularly the way Asher and his musicians interacted with it. There was a definite touch of Pythonesque humor as the on-screen Idle stopped the live band from performing by demanding to know where Gordon Waller was. When Asher replied that his former musical partner had passed away, Idle sniffed, “Well, he was the only one I liked.”

Asher proceeded to spin interesting tales from his involvement with the original British Invasion, including how he booked Yoko Ono for an art gallery/bookstore he ran called Indica, and introduced Marianne Faithful to Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. He performed a handful of songs with his band; including a duet with the on-screen Waller on Buddy Holly’s “True Love Ways,” and closed with the McCartney-penned “World Without Love.” Asher was scheduled to present A Musical Memoir Of The 60s & Beyond Part Two, which would likely cover his highly successful career as a record producer, on Sunday.

Between the interviews and presentations, there was time to check out the marketplace, which featured artists and authors as well as countless merchants selling tons of Beatles paraphernalia. My favorite new items this year were the Yellow Submarine ice cube trays and cookie cutters. The writers, like Bruce Spizer (whose just released his seventh volume on Beatles U.S. record releases), David Bedford (Liddypool: The Birthplace Of The Beatles), and Jude Southerland Kessler (who just released her second extensively researched book on John Lennon, Shivering Inside) were eager to discuss their work. Artist Eric Cash, who’s created some amazing portraits of The Beatles at various points in their career, was also very approachable, and told a few visitors to his booth how much he was looking forward to his first trip to Liverpool.

Scattered throughout small rooms on the first floor and lower level, there were exhibits like The Lost Beatles Photographs, a collection of candid shots taken by Beatles tour manager Bob Bonis from 1964-66; photographer Roger Farrington’s The John Lennon 30th Anniversary Portfolio, photographs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from their Double Fantasy recording sessions; and a gallery of fan art that would be judged in a contest on the following day. The amateur musicians who spend just about the entire weekend performing Beatles songs under the stairway to the lower level have gained a loyal following over the years, and they had a lot of people singing along with them on Saturday.

Lewis arrived later in the evening, and as usual, had some interesting things up his sleeve. He opened by interviewing producer-musician Mark Hudson, who started out as a member of the comedy musical group The Hudson Brothers and went on to produce Cher and Ringo Starr. Hudson can be a loose cannon, but he’s also a talented and knowledgeable musician who mixes interesting insights within his crowd-pleasing buffoonery. Lewis then showed unedited footage from McCartney’s Kennedy Center Honor ceremony, including touching shots that weren’t shown on the TV special, of the former Beatle reacting to the musicians paying tribute to him.

Liverpool once again performed letter-perfect renditions of Beatles songs via some amazing harmony vocals and first-rate musicianship. Augmented by imaginative Pig Light Show effects, the band covered a range of material from “This Boy” to “Glass Onion,” and threw in some Ringo Starr and John Lennon solo material, as well as The Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle With Care.” About an hour into their set, Liverpool invited Molland to join them on Badfinger hits like “Baby Blue,” “Come Ad Get It,” and “No Matter What,” with Hudson joining in on the fun. After Molland left to a standing ovation, McCullough came out for rousing renditions of “Live And Let Die” and “My Love.”

As I made my way out of the Hyatt, Molland was happily conversing with some fans in the lobby, and the musicians under the stairs were still performing at full tilt. One of these years, I’ve got to come for the entire Fest For Beatles Fans weekend.

Slumgullion #73

Photo from the Model Music website.

Lollapalooza has returned to the windy city, and for those who can’t physically be there, WXRT will be focusing on the festivities all weekend. The Chicago alt rock radio station promises live reports from air personality Marty Lennartz, and all kinds of exclusive backstage features. Throughout the weekend, other disc jockeys will offer their reflections on attending Lollapalooza over the past 20 years. Tomorrow morning, the always entertaining weekly show Saturday Morning Flashback and its host Wendy Rice travel back to 1991, the year of Lollapalooza’s birth. People out of the Chicago area can listen to WXRT through the station’s website.

Lollapalooza and The Fest For Beatles Fans often fall on the same weekend in Chicago, prompting some people to dub the latter as a Baby Boomer alternative to the hip kids frolicking in Grant Park. But any celebration of John, Paul, George, and Ringo draws a multi-generational audience, and The Fest For Beatles Fans is no exception. It kicks off today at 5:00 PM and runs through midnight on Sunday. WXRT air personality Terri Hemmert, who hosts the weekly Breakfast With The Beatles show in addition to her daily mid-morning time slot, is once again serving as The Fest’s Master Of Ceremonies. She’s also a gifted interviewer, combining the enthusiasm of a true fan with the knowledge of a professional.

The affable humorist/writer Martin Lewis will also be on hand, hopefully conducting one of his musicians’ forums, and spinning tales from his work with various celebrities. This year’s guests, some of whom Hemmert or Lewis will be chatting with, include Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon, Joey Molland of Badfinger, former Wings guitarist Henry McCullough, and musician/producer Mark Hudson. Liverpool, a Beatles tribute band that doesn’t try to look like the original musicians, but does a bang-up job of playing their songs, will perform in concert Saturday and Sunday nights. See the Fest For Beatles Fans site for a full list of the activities that will be going on throughout the weekend.

The Palatine Park District wraps up its Sounds Of Summer 2011 series tonight with Jimmy Sohns’ Rock N Roll Side Show at 8:00 PM at the Fred P. Hall Amphitheater. Sohns was the lead vocalist for Shadows Of Knight, the Chicago-based 1960s band that’s still revered in garage rock circles for its gritty take on “Gloria.” He’ll be joined tonight by Shadows Of Knight guitarist Mike Gotshall and vocalist-keyboards player Cindy Gotshall. The Palatine Park District is distributing surveys about which bands residents would like to see next summer. I wrote down several musical acts, as well as the suggestion that the Sounds Of Summer series extend beyond the first week of August.

Those of us who prefer the more energetic side of The Bangles will definitely get a kick out of their cover of “Open My Eyes” the garage rock classic originally done by Todd Rundgren’s Nazz. A sample of “Open My Eyes,” along with five other songs, can be heard on the Model Music Group website. An article accompanying the tracks describes the Debbi Peterson penned “Ball N Chain,” which is not yet available for preview, as a “high-revving agro kiss-off.” The Bangles’ new CD, Sweetheart Of The Sun, is scheduled for release on September 13th.

A few weeks back, I mentioned Hugh Hart’s House Of Imaginary Hits project, where he works with graphic designer Sean Hartter to create real songs for nonexistent bands and albums. Recently, the musician/journalist added to his collection with “They Just Keep Coming On (Bullshit Shuffle),” a political satire about the ongoing struggles in Washington, D.C. to agree on a budget. Written by Hart and featuring guitarist John Rice, the song has an amiable, Neil Young Harvest era arrangement and clever but biting wordplay like, “Kids are starving while they bitch and bargain gutting my future on a whim” and “Highways crumble while they act all humble, stuffing their pockets on the sly.” This newest track from Hart features Jim Lo Scalzo’s black and white photo of bureaucrats coming and going.

The Hollywood Walk Of Fame in Los Angeles goes New Wave on August 11th when The Go-Go’s get a well-deserved star to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of their still vibrant debut, Beauty & The Beat. The honor comes just under a week before the band plays a major gig at the Greek Theater.

Following in the footsteps of Celtic acts like The Chieftans and James Galway, the all woman band Cherish The Ladies explore the connections between traditional Irish music and American bluegrass on their latest CD, Country Crossroads - The Nashville Sessions.

The new disc comes as the group, which has had an ever-changing lineup over the years, marks its 25 anniversary. Deidre Connolly, who sang lead on Cherish The Ladies 2001 release The Girls Won’t Leave The Boys Alone and has toured with them recently, is on hand for this latest effort, along with former members Eileen Ivers, Liz Carroll, Maura O’Connell, and Liz Knowles. Other guests include Country & Western stars Vince Gill and Nanci Griffith, along with a number of well-known session musicians.

In other CTL news, Joanie Madden, the band’s very funny and talented founding member, recently received The Ellis Island Medal Of Honor Award for her many contributions to Irish music and dance.

CD Review: The Wrong Words - Self-Titled

Lollapalooza, which has now been around for two decades, returns to Chicago this weekend. In addition to the numerous acts scheduled to perform in Grant Park from Friday through Sunday, there are aftershows scheduled in clubs around the city. Radio station WXRT just announced this morning that The Foo Fighters will be performing at Metro Saturday night. The tickets are now available, but they’re being sold through the WXRT website, not at Metro. There is a two-ticket limit per person.

By the way, I once lent a Foo Fighters CD to my 10-year old nephew. He’s 25 now and he still hasn’t given it back. With interest figured in, I think he owes me a ticket to Lollapalooza.

Anyway, here’s an unrelated CD review I wrote earlier this year for the Illinois Entertainer.

The cover art for The Wrong Words’ latest effort evokes the original psychedelic era, but their rowdy mix of punk and power pop would fit in perfectly on the Rhino compilation of latter day DIY bands, Children Of Nuggets. The San Francisco based trio comes across like a runaway train right from the first track, and singer-guitarist Josh Miller’s knack for strong melodies keeps things interesting. The chaotic approach often makes Miller’s lyrics hard to understand, which is kind of a drawback for a band whose MySpace profile lists its genre as comedy.

Miller sings about being bored with the day-to-day grind of going to work on the energetic “Tonight, Tonight,” while most of the other rapid-fire tracks deal with the ups and downs of relationships. “Lie Detector” and “Everything Is Different Now” have that fuzzy, performing in the garage feel, while the freewheeling “Just The Right Place” calls to mind Supergrass. The Wrong Words don’t offer much variety, and it’s likely many of Miller’s jokes will zip past most listeners. Still, when the band's romping through the Ramones-like “Say Goodbye,” it’s easy to join in on the fun.

CD Review: The Head - Hang On

Note: This review originally appeared in the Illinois Entertainer.

Recent years have seen the power pop genre diluted with overtly commercial bands that pretty much use the same revved-up arrangement throughout an entire CD. So it’s refreshing to find The Head, a young trio from Atlanta not only going old school, but getting it right so often on its latest release. Not everything on Hang On qualifies as power pop, but the band impresses with its willingness to explore a variety of arrangements.

“Only One” evokes Off Broadway with its drum intro and keeps that spirit going all the way through its guitar-driven arrangement. Twins drummer Jack and bassist-keyboards player Mike Shaw share the lead singing duties, and along with guitarist-backup vocalist Jacob Morrell, continually craft some inventive harmonies. “Lady Lovely” is an engaging 1960s style ballad, while “Fine With It” and “Top Of The World” set provocative lyrics to catchy arrangements. Hang On loses steam with some piano-based material toward the end, but until then there are enough ringing guitars to keep things interesting.

CD Review: The Laureates - Spells

Note: This review previously appeared in the Illinois Entertainer.

The Laureates might have an elitist name but there’s no denying they elevate the art of garage rock on their second full-length CD. The 10 songs on Spells only take up a little over a half hour, but none of them feel short-changed. Well-crafted arrangements frequently burst into instrumental passages featuring the Chicago-based band’s intriguing blend of guitar styles.

Recorded during a year when The Laureates were also releasing a cover tune each month on their website, the CD often harks back to the original British Invasion. The social satire of “Life Of Leisure” evokes The Kinks while “Changes, ETC” exerts the power of The Who. Lead singer Chad Preston doesn’t vary his approach much, but the band backs him with ethereal harmonies, and his talky, melancholy vocals are well-suited to songs’ off kilter lyrics. “Robbers,” a tale of homicidal thieves, is set to a Beatlesque arrangement, while the mutual paranoia of “Monitor Me” bristles with punk intensity. Already critically acclaimed for their debut, There Are No More Gentlemen, The Laureates have beaten the sophomore jinx in style.

I Heard It Through The Wrigley Field Vines

“And I say the Cubs are gonna win the World Series!” Photo from Paul McCartney’s official website.

At the risk of jeopardizing whatever modicum of rock critic credibility I may have acquired over the decades, I have to admit to some major gaps in the truly essential rock icons I’ve seen perform live. The Beatles top that list, both as a band and as solo performers. So even though I didn’t have a ticket to Paul McCartney’s concert at Wrigley Field last night, I traveled from Palatine to the north side of Chicago on the chance that I could at least hear him playing, even though I would be outside the venue.

For those who aren’t familiar with Chicago or major league baseball, Wrigley Field is the home of the Chicago Cubs. It’s an open air stadium (just about the oldest left in the country), and situated in one of Chicago’s most happening neighborhoods. The Cubby Bear and Metro rock clubs are both within walking distance, and there are countless trendy bars and restaurants. As I expected, the entire area was in a festive mood when I hopped off the No. 22 bus at Belmont about 15 minutes before show time. Clark Street was busy with traffic, including some limousines, as well as a number of bicycle-powered rickshaws. One rickshaw sped by with at least six young revelers clinging to it, calling to mind the partying Who townspeople on Christmas morning in How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

One of the restaurant windows sported a handwritten sign that read, “Hey Paul, get your pints and pies in here!” Other businesses had round signs from the Central Lakeview Merchants Association welcoming McCartney to the neighborhood. I passed by a group of young women outside a bar who were greeting anyone who walked by. One of them noticed my Beatles t shirt, slapped me on the back and asked for a high five, but my momentum had already carried me past her. All kinds of people were hanging around outside Wrigley Field but there was plenty of room to wander down Addison, Sheffield, and Clark. Scalpers were hawking tickets, and some deranged homeless guys were lurching through the crowd, yelling, “Who’s got tickets?” About a half hour after the concert was scheduled to start, there was still no sound of Sir Paul emanating from the Friendly Confines. I was beginning to fear my trip would be in vain, and that I wouldn’t be able to hear the concert from outside.

As I wandered down Addison to Sheffield, I could hear the crowd inside cheering and McCartney playing “Hello Goodbye,” and the sound quality was great. What a thrill to hear Paul McCartney performing a Beatles song in person. The people gathered on Sheffield were in high spirits, singing and dancing along with the music, chatting with friends, and sometimes just grinning at what they were experiencing. A dad held hands with his two young daughters while they danced in a circle. McCartney continued with a rousing version of “Junior’s Farm.” I could hear most of his comments between songs, and got chills when he called out, “Here’s one you may remember,” before launching into “All My Loving.” I could see a puzzle piece of the big screen inside the stadium from where I was standing, and from time to time, McCartney’s face appeared on it.

I wasn’t able to catch all of the anecdotes McCartney shared with the audience, but I heard bits about how thrilled he was to be playing at such a historical venue; a tribute to Jimi Hendrix that followed “Let Me Roll It”; and memories of playing guitar with George Harrison back in Liverpool. And the great songs kept coming. “Jet,” “Drive My Car,” “On The Night Before,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” and “Paperback Writer” were all delivered via McCartney’s high energy performance. “Is that you screaming?” he asked at one point, presumably addressing everyone in attendance. Even the more subtle tunes like “Long And Winding Road,” I Will,” and “Blackbird” drifted over the ivy-covered wall with perfect clarity.

Having a long and winding road myself back to Palatine, I departed Wrigleyville shortly after the one hour mark in McCartney's concert. It was heartbreaking to leave so early, but I had achieved what I had come for. Hearing one of the greatest performers in rock and roll.