Ex Hex - Rips

Ex Hex has been building a loyal following and collecting rave reviews since releasing its aptly named debut CD Rips last October. The Washington D.C. trio is comprised of alt rock veterans vocalist-guitarist Mary Timony (formerly with Wild Flag), drummer Laura Harris, and bassist Betsy Wright. Their high-energy songs hark back to the dawn of punk and new wave with hard-edged but irresistibly fun arrangements. 

“When you count on nothing, nothing comes along,” Timony warns on”Beast,” a high-speed romp that could have fit in perfectly on a Ramones LP. “How You Got That Girl,” which echoes The Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl” is a sobering look at a love/hate relationship. “You Fell Apart” throws several barbs in the direction of a creepy guy, and there’s also relationship trouble on the garage rock gem “Don’t Wanna Lose.” Ex Hex continues its authentic punk approach on “Waterfall,”  “New Kid,” and “War Paint,” while on the less manic “Waste Your Time,” Timony sings, “I just want to dance now.”

Slumgullion

Photo from the Lloyd Cole and The Commotions Facebook page.

Lloyd Cole, who gave the world noir classics like “Perfect Skin” and “Rattlesnakes,” will be performing at the Old Town School of Folk Music tonight. Cole also recorded the exquisite classic pop tune “Jennifer, She Said.” 

The Everly Hillbillies, a Phil and Don inspired side project from Mike Cohen and Jeff Janulis of the esteemed power pop band The Abbeys, has a gig tonight at the Salt Creek Pizza Pub in Elk Grove Village.

Mooner, an indie rock band whose “Making Americans” single and Unpronounceable Name EP drew favorable reviews here on BHT, will be part of a free evening of rock dubbed SUXS Fest 2015 at Cole’s Bar tonight on Milwaukee Avenue. Band member Lee Ketch promises Mooner will be debuting some new material. Singer-songwriter Dann Morr, Post Child, and Arts and Letters are also on the bill. 

Singer-guitarist Gerry O’Keefe has a return engagement at Tannins Wine Bar in Elmhurst tonight.

Amazing Heeby Jeebies, a rollicking and fun rockabilly band, fronted by the charismatic Ary Paloma Jeebie, will be performing tomorrow night in the Green Room at Abbey Pub on Chicago’s northwest side.

There will be no cover charge for the two sets of honky-tonk originals and cover tunes by Decoy Prayer Meeting this Sunday night at Simon’s Tavern on Clark Street. The music starts at 8:30 PM.

The Public House Theatre at 3914 N. Clark is hosting a Sing With Bilbo! charity event for Chicago Loot Drop  this Sunday night. There will be a special screening of the 1977 Rankin-Bass animated film The Hobbit, and plenty of ale from the Arcade Brewery. Chicago Loot Drop’s mission is to bring together Chicago’s “gaming and nerd communities” to socialize and do good deeds, like providing toys and games for children at the University of Chicago’s Medicine’s Comer Children’s Hospital. The fun starts at 7:30 PM.

I’ve mentioned this before on BHT, but it’s worth a shout out every now and then. Powerpop fans can find old favorites and discover new gems by listening to The Secret Weapon on the online station Woody Radio. The songs (by Cheap Trick, The Dollyrots, Love Nut, The Replacements, and Salvation Army on a recent afternoon) spring from iPod of “Boris,” a well-known connoisseur of the genre, and are introduced by the fun and hip DJ Gidet. 

Dot Dash,  a Washington, DC band whose songs consistently exude a genuine punk aesthetic, just released its fourth effort. Earthquakes and Tidal Waves was produced by Mitch Easter of Let’s Active fame, and is available on the Beautiful Music website. 

The multi-faceted Dan Pavelich (musician/journalist/label honcho) has a new compilation coming out called Lost Hits Of The ‘80s. The fun concept behind this project is to have assorted musicians join together under fictitious band names and record new songs that tap into the fun and adventurous ambience of the 1980s. Pavelich is seeking support for Lost Hits Of The ‘80s on the Indiegogo funding site. 

Squeeze fans will want to check the band’s official Facebook page this coming Monday, March 23rd. A “very exciting announcement” has been promised by the band.

The young but authentically psychedelic foursome Secret Colours will be bending minds at the Cobra Lounge in Chicago next Friday night, March 27th. The Kickback, Born Cages, and American Wolf are also on the bill. Music starts at 8:00 PM.

There will be a Jack Bruce Tribute Concert in London in October, according to a post on the WXRT radio station’s website. Ginger Baker, Joss Stone, Phil Manzanera, Ian Anderson, Vernon Reid, Mark King, Liam Nailey, Fiona Bevan, and Jack Bruce’s Big Band have already agreed to take part, and more participants are expected to sign on in the coming months.

In addition to several Facebook posts from fans about what a nice guy David Tennant was while signing autographs at the Wizard World Raleigh Comic Con (no surprise), there was another fun Doctor -related item on social media recently. The Official Doctor Who page had a link to the Anglophenia website  concerning a film made by fan who works under the name nereusmedia  showing how the sci-fi series would look if it had been filmed in 1899. As for Tennant, here’s hoping he’ll come to Chicago for C2E2 and/or Wizard World Chicago Comic Con.

Those of us who remember watching The Monkees TV show on a school night can relive part of that experience by watching New Candy Store Prophets perform the band’s Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones album in its entirety at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue on Monday, March 30th.

Echoes Of Chicago is celebrating the city’s 178th birthday next Saturday, March 28th by bringing over 50 artists, three bands, and a marketplace to the 3rd floor of the Block Thirty Seven - Shops On State space at 108 N. State Street.

A lineup of Chicago bands, including Alder Kings, Skull Fogger, Magatha Trysty, and Polarizer, will join forces for the A Cause for Paws benefit for the West Suburban Humane Society next Friday at the Underground Lounge at 952 W, Newport in Chicago. The music startsat 7:00 PM.

I’ve been helping out with the proofreading and copyediting of this year’s CIMMfest (Chicago Movies and Music Festival) official program. I don’t want to steal their thunder before the program gets distributed, so let me just say CIMMfest will be presenting a global selection of exciting flicks; concerts; flick/concert combos; and special presentations at venues around the city from Thursday, April 16th through Sunday, April 19th. That’s going to be a hot weekend in town, with CIMMfest, International Pop Overthrow, and Record Store Day all taking place. I’d also like to commend the determination, dedication, and creativity of the CIMMfest staff members I’ve been working with these past few week. They’re amazing.

It’s Time To Fund What’s Lost

Last Friday’s Slumgullion had a mention of the WFMU digital fundraising album Even More Superhits of the Seventies, in which current power pop and cutting-edge acts like Mitch Easter, Green, and Marshall Crenshaw cover top-selling songs from that particular era. Today’s post moves up a decade, to the Lost Hits Of The 80’s album put out by musician/journalist/comic artist/indie label founder Dan Pavelich. He’s seeking support for this project on the Indiegogo funding site.

Pavelich has released compilations in the past—often with a holiday theme—but this time out, he’s aiming for a sort of faux nostalgia. With the exception of a cover of The Romantics’ “Talking In Your Sleep,” these are all new songs that tap into the fun and adventurous ambience of the 1980s. Or as the Indiegogo pitch states, “Chock-full of icy-cool synthesizers and shotgun snare drums, these twelve songs are guaranteed to conjure up images of time-traveling DeLoreans, Pong and checkered Vans.”

The lineup includes Lisa Mychols, Andrea Perry, Vince Nededog, and members of  The Well Wishers, The Waking Hours, The Bradburys, The Click Beetles, Too Much Saturn, The Good, 89 Mojo, October Elsewhere, and Down The Line; performing under some very 80s-sounding pseudonyms. With 13 days left, Lost Hits Of The 80’s has raised $165 of its $500 goal. Donations can be as little as $1, but for a $15 pledge, you’ll get a copy of the CD, and for $30, you’ll get the CD, a cassette, 80s-related goodies, and a digital download of The Click Beetles Wake Up To Music.

The Power Cords - Stray Comets

Even those of us who are only now discovering The Power Cords can believe their website when it claims Stray Comets continues the band’s “evolution from the straight-ahead power pop of their debut Modern Day Noise.” This third effort from the Los Angeles-based quartet features a variety of approaches from songwriters guitarist-vocalist Jeff Rosenfeld and basist-vocalist Ezra Siegel, who compose separately and are both proficient. Rosenfeld and Siegel also takes turns on lead vocals, which results in some intricate interplay and harmonies.

The single-named guitarist MASA!! adds fuel to the more energetic tracks like “Panic,” with its ironic take on the perils of relationships, and the ecologically minded “Megafauna.” The Power Cords also connect on slower material like The Beatles-inspired “Surface Of The Moon” and the acoustic “Cleaner” by crafting engaging melodies and arrangements. “Luxetine Dreams” recalls The Shins with its shimmering guitars, while “Dead Bolt” is propelled by drummer Patrick Nagy. “Stuck Here Again” is both punchy and playful, as the band adds a harder edge to a show tune ambience.

A Feast For Your Smiling Eyes

Photo from WXRT’s Facebook page.

Slumgullion was posted earlier today. This is a bonus Friday post.

Here’s hoping everyone stays safe and happy during the various St. Patrick’s Day celebrations starting tomorrow and running through Tuesday. Chicago has its official parade tomorrow, and the South Side version takes place on Sunday. WXRT’s afternoon drive-time air personality Jason Thomas is hosting an after parade party on the south side from 1:00 to 3:00 PM on Sunday at the Horse Thief Hollow bar at 10426 S. Western. The radio station will feature Irish rock and roll on the air all day Tuesday, and will host the XRT Miller Lite Sham Rock and Roll Live Broadcast with the Freddy Jones Band at Mystic Celt on Southport from 7:00 to 9:00 PM Tuesday night.

There will be a full day’s worth of festivities in my hometown of Palatine tomorrow, including a parade, and live entertainment at Durty Nellie’s that includes Scottish bagpipes, the Trinity Irish Dancers and five rock bands. There’s no cover charge at the bar/restaurant up until 3:00 PM.

The Abbey Pub on Chicago’s northwest side has a series of St. Patrick’s Day related events coming up. Laurence Nugent, Frank Quinn, Fitz and The Celts, Kevin Flynn and The Avondale Ramblers, Bag Pipers (I’m assuming that’s a band), and Fonn Morr will be on hand tomorrow, March 14th, and there will be a traditional Irish jam session on Sunday. Laurence Nugent and Frank Quinn return for the festivities on the actual St. Patrick’s Day; joining Mulligan Stew, The Great Whiskey Project, and the O’Hare Irish Dancers.

Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue will have a St. Patrick’s Day Bash tomorrow, with Tin Lynott and Paddy Melt. On Tuesday, March 17th, the club will present Muck Bros.

St. Patrick’s Day is a good time to lift a toast to all the bands that have sprung from the Emerald Isle. Acts like U2, Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, Them, Snow Patrol, The Frames, Damien Rice, The Undertones, Little Green Cars, Stiff Little Fingers, Hothouse Flowers, The Urges, Horslips, Thin Lizzy, The Boomtown Rats, The Pogues, The Cranberries, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Sinead O’Connor, My Bloody Valentine, and probably a lot of others I’m forgetting.

If you’re looking for more traditional Celtic music, I would recommend a mix of Irish and American acts, including Cherish The Ladies, Rising Gael, Aoife Clancy, Navan, Baal Tinne, The Chieftans, James Galway and Robbie O’Connell.

Slumgullion

I was going to begin with some bits on St. Patrick’s Day festivities, but they ran a little long so I moved them to a separate post that will appear shortly after this one.

Several musical guests, including Ted Aliota, Jay Goeppner, Mike Bruccoleri, and Patti Pendergast will be joining vocalist Jimy Sohns at The Blues Bar in Mt. Prospect tomorrow night, March 14th for the 50th Anniversary Shadows Of Knight bash. Former Shadows Of Knight members Danny Baughman, Norm Gotsch, and Bob Bostanche will also be helping commemorate the Chicago-based garage rock band, which spun a take on Them’s “Gloria” into gold back in 1965.

Echoes Of Chicago is celebrating the city’s 178th birthday on March 28th by bringing over 50 artists, three bands, and a marketplace to the 3rd floor of the Block Thirty Seven - Shops On State space at 108 N. State Street. The hip-hop band Prelude To A Million will serves as Masters Of Ceremony. Artists interested in submitting work can find info on the Echoes Of Chicago website. Vendors and artisans are also being encouraged to participate. I was at the Chicago Birthday celebration Echoes Of Chicago held last year on Damen Avenue, and it was a lot of fun.

Mooner, an indie rock band whose “Making Americans” single and Unpronounceable Name EP drew favorable reviews here on BHT, will be part of a free evening of rock dubbed SUXS Fest 2015 at Cole’s Bar on Milwaukee Avenue next Friday, March 20th. Band member Lee Ketch informed me via an email that Mooner will be “debuting a new song or two.” Singer-songwriter Dann Morr, Post Child, and Arts and Letters are also on the bill.

The Record Store Day website revealed its list of one-day-only releases for 2015’s event earlier this week. Once again, it offers exciting choices in just about every genre you could imagine. Some of the bigger names involved include Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Jeff Beck, The Kinks, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Air, Gregg Allman, Chet Atkins, Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli), Blitzen Trapper,  Blue Oyster Cult, Buzzcocks, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, Cypress Hill, Deep Purple, The Dixie Cups, The Doors, The Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, Florence + The Machine, Gerry Garcia, Marvin Gaye, Dolly Parton, Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto, Jimi Hendrix, Herman’s Hermits, Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift, Joan Jett, Justin Townes Earle, and many others.

Speaking of rare and really cool vinyl: The Seventh Ring Of Saturn the neo-psychedelic band whose engaging and atmospheric cover of “All The World Is Love” was one of the many highlights on the Fruits de Mer indie label’s Hollies tribute album Re-Evolution, plans to release that song, along with a “bubblegum rock” cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Mountains Of The Moon” on a seven-inch glow-in-the-dark vinyl 45 sometime around May. In the meantime, The Seventh Ring Of Saturn is ready to release its second album Ormythology.

Lloyd Cole will be performing at the Old Town School of Folk Music next Friday, March 20th.

The Church continues to tour America in support of its new Further/Deeper release, with a concert tonight at the Bowery Ballroom in New York, and upcoming dates in Brooklyn, Raleigh, Atlanta, and Austin. The Australian band will be busy at this year’s SXSW, with an interview conducted by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke; an Official Showcase, a Waterloo Records Day Party; a hotel performance; and a free showcase.

   

We may not have Wild Honey’s all-star Beatles tributes here in Chicago but we do have the always reliable Tributosaurus. Having run through The Beatles’ entire catalog with album showcases over the past few years, Tributosaurus will return to Rubber Soul and Revolver for a special WXRT sponsored all ages show on April 12th at the Copernicus Center. Partial proceeds will benefit the Betty Hemmert Music Scholarship Fund.

Singer-guitarist Gerry O’Keefe has a return engagement at Tannins Wine Bar in Elmhurst next Friday, Narch 20th.

The Bangles have announced a series of live performances coming up this spring, including ones at West Hollywood, San Juan Capistrano, and Solana Beach in California; Nashville, and Atlanta.

Chicago’s critically acclaimed alt rock/country band Dolly Varden will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with a special concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music on May 2nd. The official Facebook announcement from Dolly Varden, which is led by the husband and wife team of vocalist-guitarist Steve Dawson and vocalist-guitarist Diane Christiansen, promises “We’ll play selections from all of our albums, in order!”

The 2nd Annual Chicago Nightlife Awards will be held on June 2nd at Concord Music Hall on Milwaukee Avenue. Thus year’s event will be co-hosted by Jeremy Scheurch (Do312) and a Special Guest to be named later. Local residents can cast their votes for Best Live Music Venue, Best Dive Bar, Best Festival, Nightclub Of The Year and other categories at the Chicago Nightlife Awards website.

Hearin’ of the Green. Green, an eccentric but beloved Chicago-based alt rock/power pop band, has contributed a new track for WFMU’s digital fundraising album Even More Superhits of the Seventies.  Their recording of Leon Russell’s “Superstar” can be downloaded for $2.99 on CDBaby. You’ll need to shell out at least a $75 donation to WFMU in order to get the entire album, which also includes Marshall Crenshaw doing “I Just Want To Celebrate,” Mitch Easter doing “Fox On The Run,” Sam Phillips doing “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All,” and They Might Be Giants doing “Starry Eyes.”

And They’re Off! At 33 and 45 RPM Speed

When the official Record Store Day website revealed its list of this year’s one-day-only vinyl releases, you could almost see the audiophiles and collectors lining up at the starting gate like runners at a marathon. Any RSD veteran knows the best way to snag these limited-edition treasures is to rise early on Saturday, April 18th and be in line long before your chosen record store opens. It’s a ritual that even some diehard music fans have no interest in, particularly if they’re more than happy getting their fix from digital sources.

There are benefits for those of us who do participate in RSD that go beyond the thrill of the hunt. There’s the camaraderie among those waiting in line; the in-store performances of local bands; and the assorted freebies that the music industry and stores themselves give out. It will be a while before we hear about which bands will be performing where, so for now, we’ll just carefully peruse that list. As usual, there are exciting options across every genre, but here are a few releases that caught my eye. 

The Animals: We’re Gonna Howl Tonight live album.

Syd Barrett/R.E.M.: “Dark Globe” from RSD Side By Side Singles Series, where two acts perform the same song. On gold, white, red, and black mixed vinyl.

The Baseball Project/The Minus 5: Redeyed In Austin album with live performances. On red swirl vinyl.

The Buzzcocks: “The Way” single, with an unreleased track on the B-Side. On colored vinyl.

The Kinks: 50th anniversary celebration Kinksize Hits seven-inch EP that was originally released in 1965, with “You Really Got Me,” “It's Alright,” “All Day and All of the Night,” and “I Gotta Move.”

The Kinks: 50th anniversary celebration single with live versions of “You Really Got Me” and “Milk Cow Blues.” 

The Replacements: Self-titled ten-inch EP with “Alex Chilton,” “Nightclub Jitters,” “Election Day,” and “Route 66.”

Simon and Garfunkel: “Homeward Bound”/“Leaves That Are Green” single.

Shoes: Primal Vinyl album with a previously unreleased live track and songs released on vinyl for the first time.

Supergrass:  “Sofa of My Lethargy”/“I Believe In Love” single on colored vinyl.