Slumgullion

Nearly 1,000 posts and never an unflattering photo of a performer.

The Unswept, a pair of cousins from Sheffield, England, who now reside in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, have a new digital release titled, Surf Song EP. Charlie and Ryan O’Brien made a strong impression at last year’s International Pop Overthrow - Chicago, and are planning on performing at IPO again this year. Surf Song, which has chiming guitars and quirky vocals, should be available on flexi-disc by then.

Chicago Cinema Society is hosting screenings of David Grohl’s new documentary Sound City over the next few days at The Patio Theater at 6008 W. Irving Park Road. The Foo Fighters founding member discovered Sound City, a Van Nuys, CA recording studio, and its star-studded list of clients, back in his Nirvana days. Grohl’s been obsessed with it ever since. His film features Tom Petty, James Brown, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, members of Fleetwood Mac, and several other musicians. There’s a 10:00 PM screening tonight and Saturday, and a 7:30 PM show on Monday. Admission is $7.00. There is also a soundtrack available.

Anyone looking to get in the right frame of mind for tomorrow night’s four-band Psychedelic Saturday at Martyrs, should pick up the March issue of MOJO. In addition to a cover story on Pink Floyd (for about the 13,000th time) the magazine also comes with a free CD titled Echoes with 15 tracks of sonic adventures from bands like Temples, Tame Impala, and Django Django.

Also tomorrow night, Ken Stringfellow, a member of The Posies and The Disciplines, as well as an accomplished solo artist, has a gig at Schubas. Stringfellow told me in an interview for the Illinois Entertainer that he never does the same show twice.

The Mary-Arrchie Theatre’s annual Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Festival will be held at a different location this year, as part of the Fest’s 25th anniversary celebration. Look for Artistic Director Rich Cotovsky (channeling the spirit of Hoffman) and over over 50 groups or performers to do their thing at The Den Theatre at 1333 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Abbie Fest runs the weekend of August 16th through 18th. This will be only the second time it has not been held at the Mary-Arrchie’s Angel Island space on Sheridan Road. A number of years back, Abbie Fest was staged at Strawdog Theatre.

In other Mary-Arrchie traveling productions news, the theatre’s highly successful take on Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie will be getting a Remount at Theatre Wit, starting May 22nd.

Shoes have some live performances coming up in addition to their gig at this year’s SXSW. On February 14th, they’ll be at Ravinia’s Bennett Hall, and on March 9th, they’ll be at McAuliffes Pub, with opening act The Bradburys, in Racine, WI.

It was sad to hear the news that lead vocalist Reg Presley of the fun and influential Brisish Invasion band The Troggs has passed away.

The Del Moroccos, an eight-piece band fronted by lead vocalist-percussionist Gabrielle Sutton and back-up vocalists Sarah Jane Goldstein and Adrienne Stoner, will be performing vintage style rock and roll on Valentine's Day at Space in Evanston. Shake ‘Em On Down is also on the bill. The music starts at 7:30.

There will be more scary stuff and teen romance coming from YA/Paranormal novelist Cherie Colyer. A member of the same ever-impressive writers group that I belong to, Colyer just learned that the sequel to her debut effort, Embrace has been picked up by Omnific Publishing.

Red Jacket Mine incorporates elements of mainstream artists like Billy Joel and Steely Dan into consistently melodic pop songs on its latest release, Someone Else's Cake. “Engineer,” on the other hand, is a fun romp through T-Rex territory. The energetic title track also stands out, along with the blue-eyed soul of “Better To Be Broken Than Blind.” On “Have You Got A Permit To Preach On This Corner?” Red Jacket Mine sets religious satire to a toe-tapping Country & Western arrangement.

It’s always encouraging to find a new rock magazine in print. The Reckless Records store on Madison in downtown Chicago had a fresh delivery of What’s The Smack, a New York/Philadelphia based publication from ‘stachemedia and Red Flag Media. This month’s 40-page issue has colorful graphics, articles on The Joy Formidable and Jim James, plus CD reviews. It looks like What’s The Smack has been around since late last year. Welcome.

CD Review: Shoes - 35 Years -- The Definitive Shoes Collection 1977 - 2012

Note: This review originally ran in the Illinois Entertainer.

35 Years -- The Definitive Shoes Collection 1977-2012 illustrates why the Zion, IL band has long been revered among avid power pop fans. This 21-song compilation includes “Say It Like You Mean It” from the recently released Ignition, as well as songs from every other effort dating back to 1977’s Black Vinyl Shoes. Even though they have an immediately identifiable sound, Shoes always explored a number of variations within it.

“Tomorrow Night” and “Too Late,” the songs that first garnered recognition via MTV and FM radio, are highly energetic, while “Oh, Angeline” has a much lighter arrangement. “A Thing Of The Past” and “Don’t Do This To Me,” from 1994’s Propeller, showcase the band’s growing sophistication as songwriters. “The Summer Rain” is just plain gorgeous. All of the material is built on infectious melodies and inventive vocal interplay. 35 Years -- The Definitive Shoes Collection 1977-2012 can’t be called a greatest hits collection since none of these tracks ever topped the charts, but it is a testament to the talents of Jeff Murphy, John Murphy, and Gary Klebe.

CD Reviews: Holiday House/The Safes/Terry Bartolotta Group

Note: These reviews originally appeared in the “Around Hears” section of the Illinois Entertainer.

Holiday House created a concept album based on Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, but don’t expect giddy tributes to the first Ferris Wheel. Night Falls On The Fair consistently sounds ominous; as if serial killer H.H. Holmes was only one of many evils awaiting visitors to the event. Still, Andi Donahue’s gorgeous vocals, particularly on “Scrape The Sky” and “Big Mary,” along with guitarist-drummer Paul Wendell Obis’s elaborate folk and rock arrangements make this a fascinating effort. 

The Safes released two songs from their future album, Century Of Saturdays as a CD single to coincide with their use on the PBS show Roadtrip Nation. “It’s True” offers fun in a skiffle music mode, thanks to Frankie O’Malley’s playful vocals and accordian playing. He adds vibraphone to the melodic, “Simplicity,” which also benefits from Ryan Matthew on violin. It’s a safe bet the band (including bassist Michael O’Malley and guitarist Patrick O’Malley) will keep things cooking on the full-length CD.

The long-form instrumentals on Above The Clouds by the Terry Bartolotta Group tend toward traditional jazz, and feature tenor sax player Alex Beltran and Nick Sednew on trumpet. Bartolotta also gives himself some time to stretch out on these original compositions, particularly on the nocturnal “Mood Piece” and Latin flavored “Little Bolero.” Bassist Nathan Kawaller and drummer Lucas Gillan turn in some inspired solos on “On A Whim” “Times Change,” respectively.

CD Review: The Hollies - Distant Light

Released in 1972, Distant Light provided the first signs of The Hollies’ brief foray into hard rock territory. It included “Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress,” which many people feel is atypical of The Hollies’ classic blend of fresh harmonies and catchy melodies. But the song worked out fine, as did most of the other tracks on this sadly overlooked album. Surprisingly, lead vocalist Allan Clarke, who co-wrote the song and played its now famous rolling guitar intro, departed to pursue a solo career prior to the album’s release.

Not that Distant Light came on like a whole lotta Led Zeppelin, but even long-time fans had to be pleasantly shocked to hear guitarist Tony Hicks cutting loose during the final minutes of “Promised Land,” a powerful anti-war song he co-wrote with non-band member Kenny Lynch. “You Know The Score,” written by Clarke and rhythm guitarist-harmony vocalist Terry Sylvester, sets its lament of “Death and destruction/We’ve got to change it now, Lord only knows how” to a hard-hitting arrangement. “Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress” with its Creedence Clearwater Revival style chugging guitar, would go on to be an FM radio staple, and lately, a gasoline commercial.

“Long Dark Road,” the other hit single from the album, was an appealing mid-tempo gem built on acoustic guitar, soaring harmonies, and Clarke’s high energy harmonica playing. Distant Light also had some gorgeous pop, particularly “Cable Car,” “To Do With Love,” and “Little Thing Like Love,” which sounded like vintage Elton John. “Pull Down The Blind,” Sylvester’s sarcastic look at heartache, and “Hold On,” Clarke’s rollicking tale of a one-night stand gone wrong, added even more flavor.

The Hollies would delve further into hard rock on the next album, Romany with new singer Mikael Rickfors, but by the time Clarke returned to the fold for a self-titled effort featuring “The Air That I Breathe,” they had pretty much abandoned the approach. Still, Distant Light stands as one of the most consistent efforts of The Hollies’ post Graham Nash era.

CD Review: The Honey Pot - To The Edge Of The World

To say The Honey Pot has been influenced by psychedelic rock bands of the 1960s would be an understatement. It’s more like this English band, which formed in 2012, found a hippie cookbook and started using its vintage recipes for creating music. The results might seem out of synch with a lot of modern trends, but for fans of this particular genre, The Honey Pot’s 14-track debut, To The Edge Of The World, is a trip worth taking.

“Roses Will Grow,” with its distorted guitars and lyrics like “The shadow of a dream passes by,” recalls Cream’s “Tales Of Brave Ulysses.” On “Tuppence For Your Thoughts,” The Honey Pot adds a dash of prog rock, along with some electrified folk, while the coed vocals on the title track and regal-sounding “Comfy’s Honey Jar” revive the spirit of Haight-Ashbury Jefferson Airplane. The harder hitting “Here Come The Dreams” and “How Many?” find The Honey Pot appealing to more modern tastes without slipping out of their favorite decade.

CD Review - Anderson Council - Coloursound

I meant to post this review on Thursday, but a freelance assignment and my Illinois Entertainer deadline prevented that from happening.

The Anderson Council chose a pretty clever band name even if its psychedelic significance isn’t readily apparent to the average rock fan. Whereas Pink Floyd took the first names of blues artists Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, Anderson Council combined the last names. On their 2001 debut, Coloursound, the New Jersey band dove headfirst into the U.K.’s mind-bending pop scene of the mid-1960s.

The opening track, “Sitting On A Cloud,” sets the album’s adventurous course as lead vocalist-guitarist and chief songwriter Peter Horvath spins lyrics like, “The birds in the sky can’t get as high as you do/When you put your to flying.” The vintage Pink Floyd influence is particularly evident on the mid-tempo “Blackboard Of Your Mind” and Syd Barrett type acoustic tune, “Red Chalk Hill.” Other British artists also spring to mind; Horvath channels David Bowie on “Feet Of The Guru,” the harmonies on “Hole In The Sky” are reminiscent of The Hollies; and “Never Stop Being ‘67” has the feel of Revolver era Beatles. There's even a paisley adaptation of a Coca-Cola jingle just for the fun of it.

The Anderson Council has a live performance next Saturday, February 9th at The Court Tavern in New Brunswick NJ.

Slumgullion

My Q and A session with Ken Stringfellow of The Posies and The Disciplines can be found in the “File” section of the February issue of the Illinois Entertainer. It was fascinating to talk to this extremely active musician about touring and his latest solo release, Danzig In The Moonlight. Stringfellow has a gig at Schubas on February 9th.

This month's I.E. “File” section also has a touching item about Danstock. Editor Janine Schaults is just one of many people paying tribute to Dan Stock, an engineer at Uptown Recording known for his expertise in making bands sound their best in the studio. He’s also a member of the hard rock band, Bruiser. (I gave a thumbs up to their RightBeforeTheStopAhead CD in IE back in 2008.)

Stock has battled melanoma for the past nine years, and is reaching out to help others afflicted by the disease, with his Danstock concert next Thursday at Lincoln Hall. Proceeds will benefit the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. Four bands who’ve worked with Stock; Board Of Governors, Farkus, Nature Show, and Carta Marina, will be performing. There will also be a silent auction. Admission is $20, and there are VIP tickets available for $100 that include dinner, reserved seating, and a goodie bag. Lincoln Hall is located at 2424 N. Lincoln Avenue. Doors open at 6:30 PM, entertainment starts at 8:00 PM. Those who want to support Danstock but are unable to attend, can send a donation to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Peter Davison, who portrayed the fifth generation of The Doctor on Doctor Who (and had the challenging task of following Tom Baker in the role), has been announced as a guest at the Chicago Comic And Entertainment Expo (C2E2) coming up at McCormick Place in Chicago on the weekend of April 26th through 28th.

An army of power pop, 1960s, and alternative musicians are coming together at the El Portal Theatre  in North Hollywood, CA on February 16th to perform the Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band albums in their entirety. The event, being presented by Wild Honey, is a benefit for The Autism Think Tank, and will include Vicki and Debbi Peterson from The Bangles; Matthew Sweet; Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello’s band; Chuck Negron from Three Dog Night; Bob Cowsill; John Wicks from The Records; Probyn Gregory from The Wondermints and Brian Wilson’s Band; Tommy Keene; Steve Barton from Translator; Carla Olson; Michael Quercio from The Three O’Clock; and several others. The flyer also promises, “and very special guests!”

Local rock trio This Is This played three impressive sets last Saturday night at Mac's On Slade in Palatine. The last time I saw the band perform was at the Borders in Schaumburg, which was the same store where I once worked in the Music department, amazing customers with my vast knowledge of recording artists. In a club setting, vocalist-bassist Dan Torres, vocalist-guitarist John Petitt, and drummer Eric Helge were able to cut loose on songs like the bluesy “I’m A Man” and soulful “Last Round” from their latest CD, The Hours, The Minutes, The Days. There were also some well-chosen cover tunes, like "Expressway To Your Heart" by The Soul Survivors. Credit goes to This Is This and Mac’s for bringing original music to a suburban scene that's all too often locked into copy bands. 

Little Steven’s Underground Garage syndicated radio show has announced a new, streamlined process for bands to submit songs for airplay. CDs are not accepted, but MP3’s and a website link can be sent to mail@undergroundgarage.com  If you want to know how exciting it can be to have your song played by Mr. Van Zandt, just ask the Milwaukee-based power pop band Trolley. Their “I Woke Up” was a designated “Coolest Song Of The Week.” Trolley, by the way, has a brand new digital album, titled Last Chance Dance.