Record Store Day Wish List

Record Store Day arrives on April 16. The official website is counting down the days, hours, and minutes, and has already posted the full list of this year's bounty. As usual, the selection of limited-edition releases spans across every known genre of music. Here’s just a sampling of gems from the power pop, alternative, and 1960s sections:

The Animals - Animal Tracks 10-inch four-song EP
David Bowie - “TVC15” seven-inch picture disc
Cheap Trick - Found New Parts 10-inch EP including the exclusive track “Arabesque”
Dave Davies Hits seven-inch, four-song EP
The Electric Prunes - “I’ve Got A Way Of My Own” (Hollies cover)/“World Of Darkness”
Lush - Origami five-album box set; each on colored vinyl
The Monkees - “Saturday’s Child”/“You Just Might Be The One” seven-inch picture disc
The Move - Something Else seven-inch facsimile of rare 1968 recording at The Marquee Club
Graham Nash - This Path Tonight LP with bonus “Our House” and “Teach Your Children” single
Various Artists - Nuggets Hallucinations - Psychedelic Pop Nuggets double-album on purple vinyl
Warren Zevon/The Flamin’ Lips “Werewolves Of London” (Part of RSD’s Side By Side Series.)

The Second Disc website is a great resource for anything related to vinyl, and has been offering RSD-related previews and teasers for a few weeks now. Look for it to continue with its in-depth coverage. The print edition of Illinois Entertainer usually has an RSD feature in its April edition, and be sure to check Facebook for announcements about in-store appearances by local bands. And I’m hoping to post more updates as Record Store Day gets closer.

Slumgullion

Photo from the Ringo Starr Facebook page.

Even genius sometimes needs an introduction. When it comes to The Beatles, Brian Epstein and George Martin paved the way for the most most important rock band in history to connect with previously clueless record industry executives. And they changed the world forever. Epstein passed away in 1967. Martin left us a few days ago. As a producer, he worked with an amazing range of high-profile recording artists, but like Epstein, he’ll be remembered for his work with The Beatles. Thanks to both of these gentlemen for the gift of a lifetime.

The Experience Hendrix Tour comes to town tomorrow night for a show at the Chicago Theatre. The performers honoring the legendary guitarist include Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ana Popovich, and Zakk Wylde. Tickets range from $38 to $98.

The Heroes And Villains Fan Fest takes place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont tomorrow and Sunday. At least eight cast members of the TV show Arrow will be on hand, including Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, and Katrina Law. Other fantasy-related shows, like The Flash, Gotham, and Once Upon A Time, will also be represented.

The final four performances of the rock music-infused version of Twelfth Night, created in the UK by Filter Theatre in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, will held at the Chicago Shakespeare on Navy Pier theater this weekend.

WTTW Channel 11 TV in Chicago will air David Bowie: Five Years tomorrow night at 9:30 PM.

This week’s Sunday night concert on WXRT is a 2000 performance by U2. People living outside of Chicago can stream the concert on the station's website.

Not Dead Yet. As it turns out, last Sunday’s performance of American Buffalo was not the final offering from Mary-Arrchie. The storefront theatre decided to call it quits after learning its home of 30 years was scheduled to be demolished, but in a recent email with the subject line, “Hold Off The Wrecking Ball,” Mary-Arrchie announced that American Buffalo has been extended through April 17. There will be some casting changes, but the bottom line is that you still have more a few more chances to catch a show by this iconic Chicago theatre company.

C2E2 (Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo) runs from next Thursday, March 18 through 20 in the South Building at McCormick Place on Lake Shore Drive. Actor John Cusack, best known for his roles in Love And Mercy and High Fidelity, is among the guests, along with Melissa Benoist from Supergirl; Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell from Battlestar Galactica; John Ratzenberger from Toy Story and Cheers; and D.B. Sweeney from the White Sox movie Eight Men Out.

New Order has a gig at The Chicago Theatre next Wednesday, March 16.

The Caudog Records Rock Show! takes place next Friday, March 18 at the LiveWire Lounge on Milwaukee Avenue. The event’s Facebook page promises, “You’ll hear some Bowie tunes, originals, and see a spectacular rock show!!” The triple bill features The Red Plastic Buddha, Amazing Heebie Jeebies, and Ellis Clark and The Big Parade.

The Chills - Silver Bullets

Photo from The Chills Facebook page.

2015 saw the welcome return of The Chills, a New Zealand band that formed in the early 1980s but probably first came to the world’s attention with their 1990 masterpiece Submarine Bells. Vocalist-guitarist-keyboards player Martin Phillipps has been the driving force behind The Chills through all those years. On Silver Bullets, he combines his signature gorgeous arrangements with caustic lyrics about economic inequality and environmental disasters.

After opening with the light and nurturing “Warm Waveform,” Phillipps rails against oppression on the guitar-driven title track, warning, “If forced to fight your evil empire, we have the means to harm.” On “America Says Hello,” he singles out the United States for its aggression (“For on behalf of the war-god Mars, here are fifty white, fightin’-fit stars”) but suggests the country will redeem itself. The somber but exquisite “Underwater Wasteland” describes mysterious creatures at the ocean’s bed, and how humans are destroying them with toxic waste.

Tribal percussion and ominous keyboards set the tone for “Pyramid/When The Poor Can Reach The Moon,” an epic composition that laments the the futile efforts of the working class to appease the power-hungy leaders at the top. Little wonder then that on the deceptively catchy “Aurora Corona,” Phillipps implores the ancient goddess Gaia not to blow us away, and promises, “We can do better, today.” Silver Bullets ends on a redemptive note with “Molten Gold,” as Phillipps celebrates the power of love.

More Slumgullion

I wanted make sure my post about the Sons Of The Silent Age David Bowie Tribute at Metro tonight was finished on time, so I split Slumgullion into two pots. Here’s the second helping.

Tickets went on sale today for the June 19 Flight Of The Conchords Sing Flight Of The Conchords show at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The announcement itself is enough to ignite memories of favorite catch phrases and scenes from the New Zealand duo’s limited run HBO comedy series. As Murray, the hilariously inept agent might say, everyone will want to be present.

Cheap Trick’s new Bang, Zoom, Crazy … Hello album is now available for pre-order on Pledge Music in various special packages ranging from $15 for the CD and an access pass to $2,000 for a Robin Zander signed Corsair guitar and access pass. Rolling Stone online has a preview of the single “When I Wake Up Tomorrow,” which it describes as being “moody and Bowie-esque.”

Tangled up in blue with the wine and cheese crowd. Bob Dylan will be among the big names coming to Ravinia this summer. The long-running outdoor concert series (held in Highland Park) will pair Dylan with Mavis Staples, and has also booked Diana Ross; Paul Simon; Bryan Ferry; Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy; Duran Duran; Frankie Valli and The Four Season; Bonnie Raitt; and Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark. Tickets for the general public go on sale April 26; the full schedule is available on the Ravinia website.

The Who will be in town at the United Center next Thursday, March 10, celebrating their 50th Anniversary.

Best wishes to Norm Winer, who has left his post as WXRT’s Program Director after an amazing run of 37 years. Hard to see how any fan of the progressive rock station would feel this is good news. Winer received a Fifth Star Award from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs on September 16, 2015 during a celebration/concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

Every time I pass a Wow Bao fast food restaurant, I immediately hear the blistering guitar and evocative vocals of The Kills’ “Wow Now” in my head. The duo of Alison Mosshart (also a member of Jack White’s The Dead Weather) and Jamie Hince will be performing with L.A. Witch on May 23 at the Riviera Theatre. Tickets went on sale today. The Kills have a new album titled Ash And Ice coming out in the beginning of June, with “Doing It To Death” as the first single.

The English Beat returns to the Chicago area with May 10 gig at SPACE in Evanston.

Tickets are now sale for Chicago’s annual Pitchfork Music Festival, which runs on the weekend of July 15 through 17 in Union Park. This year’s lineup stretches across numerous genres, and includes Brian Wilson; Savages; Beck; FKA (twigs); Sun Ra Arkestra; and Super Furry Animals. A one-day pass costs $65, and a three-day pass costs $165.

Slumgullion

Photo from the Sons Of The Silent Age Facebook page.

Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot’s extensive piece on tonight’s Sons Of The Silent Age David Bowie tribute show at Metro was informative and engaging; and the first I’ve heard that Sinead O’Connor will be involved. Former Bowie backup singer Ava Cherry will will also be on hand as Sons Of The Silent Age celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Bowie’s Station To Station by performing the entire album. Tickets are $21, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Cancer Research at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The Neverly Brothers will be bringing their very fun musical history show to Durty Nellie’s in Palatine tomorrow night, March 5. The 1950s/‘60s cover band’s double CD A Magical History Tour Volume 1 and Volume 2 is available for sale at its gigs.

Tony Award nominee Mary Bridget Davies will be in the lead role when A Night With Janis Joplin comes to The Chicago Theatre this Sunday, March 6. The show is being described as “a musical journey celebrating Janis Joplin and her biggest musical influences.”

This is the last weekend to catch the Mary-Arrchie in action. After its current run of David Mamet's American Buffalo ends on Sunday, the critically acclaimed storefront theatre will cease to exist.

This is also the last weekend to check out The Hypocrites theater group’s staging of local actor Hans Fleischman’s inventive and critically acclaimed take on The Glass Menagerie at The Den Theatre.

A Tie-Dyed Curtain Call

I’m having a hard time facing the reality that after seeing American Buffalo at Mary-Arrchie this weekend, I’ll never set foot inside that storefront theatre again. It’s closing after 30 years of offering cutting-edge productions, including the work of David Mamet, Sam Shepard, Harold Pinter, Tennessee Williams, Lanford Wilson, Bertolt Brecht, and Tracy Letts. When the building Mary-Arrchie had called home since its birth was recently marked to be demolished, Artistic Director Richard Cotovsky opted to pull the plug rather than search for another location.

Mary-Arrchie’s departure has drawn a fair amount of attention in the local media, and the choice of Mamet’s American Buffalo as a swan song (directed by troupe member Carlo Lorenzo Garcia) has resulted in mostly favorable reviews. 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman arranged to have the city place a street sign just outside the Mary-Arrchie Theatre in Cotovsky’s honor. Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins, the hippie-inspired three-day festival he’s staged every August since 1989, is a prime example of Cotovsky’s passion for uniting Chicago's theatre community.

When Famous In The Future performed at that inaugural Abbie Fest, it was only the third show our comedy group had done, and it was my first time being in front of a live audience. Later we heard through the grapevine that Cotovsky, who hosted the festival while channeling Abbie Hoffman, hadn’t been particularly (remotely?) impressed with our efforts. But I think he appreciated that my fellow founding member Frank Carr and I came to all the planning meetings, and hung around to watch the other acts perform. Cotovsky welcomed us back—year after year—and we continued to improve as writers and performers. I’ll always be grateful for that opportunity.

Plus, who could forget those great and gritty shows Mary-Arrchie stage over the years? Superior Donuts, Screwtape, Tracers, Mojo, Hot L Baltimore, Our Bad Magnet, The Birthday Party, Buried Child, Killers, Cowboy Mouth, 4-H Club, Bartleby The Scrivener, and Detective Story. Longtime troupe member Hans Fleischmann created an inventive and highly successful reinvention of The Glass Menagerie, and Cotovsky wrote his own play, Prescribed, But Not Refillable. Congratulations to Rich, Carlo, and Hans, and all the Mary-Arrchie troupe members on an incredible run. These guys will no doubt remain active in other theatres around town, but Chicago will never be the same without the Mary-Arrchie.

Paul Carrack - Soul Shadows

Paul Carrack’s gift for infusing rock songs with soulful vocals dates back to at least 1974, when he led the UK band Ace to the top of the charts with “How Long.” He was also the voice on the early Squeeze hit “Tempted,” fronted Mike And The Mechanics, and has toured with Eric Clapton. On his latest effort Soul Shadows, Carrack proves he’s still at the top of his game as he explores a variety of approaches.

Carrack wrote all but one of these songs, and plays a variety of instruments to back his singing. Orchestral arrangements swell up from time to time, but add too much sweetener to a few of the tracks. “Let Me Love Again,” “That's How I Feel,” and “Share Your Love With Me” are melodic but sound like they could have come from Paul McCartney’s Kisses On The Bottom standards album or one of Rod Stewart’s Great American Songbook efforts.

“Bet Your Life,” a somber tale of the toll gambling takes on a marriage (co-written with Squeeze founder Chris Difford) is much more intriguing. The authentic funk of “Late At Night” provides another highlight, while the defiant “Say What You Mean” builds an irresistible groove reminiscent of vintage Little Feat. “Sweet Soul Legacy,” a tribute to rhythm and blues legends, benefits from an energetic horn arrangement by Pee Wee Ellis. Much of Soul Shadows takes a celebratory attitude toward life, and that comes through especially on the festive blues rock of “Too Good To Be True.”