Incoming

Luckily, I picked Saturday to drop by the Printer’s Row Lit Fest this past weekend. There was a torrential downpour on Sunday, which seemed to help the Chicago Bears, but wouldn’t have been good for an outdoor festival featuring publications. I could have bought any number of the vintage or new books being offered by vendors, but being on a budget and having a fascination for small-scale zines, I bought a copy of Space Is Sexy, which is part of the Rabbit Hole Of Research series. The idea is to make science fun, and this particular example, written by Jotham Austin II, PhD and illustrated by Georgia Lynn Geis, accomplished that well. I picked up promo materials for W. Brand Publishing; Love Smiles, which encourages authors and illustrators to share their work with pediatric cancer patients; Chicago Writers Association; Shy City House Publishing; and had a friendly talk with local author Joseph Anthony Rulli. I ran into a former member of the writers group I belong to and we spent some time catching up on what we’ve been doing. Hopefully, we’ll each have best-selling books in the near future.

It’s no surprise The Wild Honey Foundation, a California-based 501(c)(3)non-profit known for bringing musicians together for fundraising events, has put together a stellar lineup for its latest concert. The house band for A 50th Anniversary All-Star Celebration Of Big Star’s #1 Record! includes Big Star musician Jody Stephens; Mike Mills from R.E.M.; Chris Stamey from The dB’s; and Pat Sansone from Wilco. The Lemon Twigs, Jon Auer from The Posies and Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles are listed as special guests. The event will benefit The Autism Healthcare Collaborative, and takes place at Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA on November 5.

Riot Fest takes place this weekend in Douglas Park, and as usual with major festivals, I leave the recommendations to the experts. The always reliable columnist Britt Julius offers several top picks in the Arts And Living section of today’s Chicago Tribune. 

And in Riot Fest related news, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a gig at Metro on Monday, September 19. It’s another way to help celebrate Metro’s 40th Anniversary.

There’s a nice surprise in the Fall 2022/Winter 2023 issue of Michigan Avenue. The magazine is devoted to Chicago area fashion and high society, but there’s a 12-page tribute to Metro’s legacy featuring copy by J.P. Anderson and photographs by Gene Ambo. It includes portraits of Brian Setzer; Dave Grohl; Shirley Manson; Iggy Pop; Jane’s Addiction; Living Colour; Nick Cave; Nirvana; Joey Ramone; Billy Corgan; and Jimmy Chamberlin. Michigan Avenue is kind of hard to find, but there are some newspaper boxes around the downtown area that have free copies. I picked one up in the south Loop, just off Dearborn on my way from the Printer’s Row Lit Fest.

Author/musician Ken Sharp recently released a double single on his Bandcamp page, featuring covers of two camp and catchy Rick Springfield songs. Springfield himself added background vocals to Sharp’s efforts,and Fernando Perdomo played drums. “Comic Book Heroes” and  “I’m Your Superman” are available for the single price of $1.

The Beverly Art Walk takes place next Saturday, September 17, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm in Chicago’s south side Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods. The event will feature over 100 artists; the Uprising Craft market with over 30 artisans; live music, and a food court. Best wishes to my niece Allison Flamm, who’ll be showcasing some of her work at the Heritage Art Gallery.

The Destinos International Latino Theatre Festival returns for its fifth year on September 14 and will run through October 16 at several venues around Chicago.

Buffalo Creek Brewing, located in the Long Grove Shopping district, will offer an evening of Americana songs with its Pint Of Music - The Rusken Bros. this Saturday night, September 17, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. 

 

The acclaimed musical Cabaret will open at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights this Thursday, September 15. The production, which kicks off the venue’s 2022/2023 season, will run through October 23.

The Randolph Street Market, billed as “Chicago’s World-Famous Art, Antiques and Vintage Event,” takes place the weekend of September 24/25. Numerous independent vendors offering vintage and rare items will gather at 1341 W. Randolph from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on both days. There will also be food vendors and live music. General admission tickets—which cover Saturday and Sunday, are $10. 

Slumgullion

The Zombies are working on a documentary titled Hung Up On A Dream that will cover their entire career. Director/musician Robert Schwartzman (Dreamland) has been shooting the iconic British Invasion band’s current live performances, and the film will also include archival footage. It’s scheduled to be released in the summer of 2023. A recent official email from The Zombies includes a link to a recent article by Manori Ravindran for Variety. The article mentions that fans will soon be able to get special benefits by pre-ordering Hung Up On A Dream at ALTAVOD.com. 

WNUR, Power Pop Shoppe Show, and AK Productions are presenting the I-94 Rock Fest at Montrose Saloon tomorrow night, September 10. Nick Piunti And The Complicated Men, Thrift Store Halo, and Golden Richards will be performing. The rocking starts at 8:00 pm.

Expect to hear plenty of well-written songs this Sunday night during a double bill at the Hideout on the north side. Chicago singer-guitarist Andy Pratt will be celebrating his birthday, as well as the release of his latest album Sweeter Than The Wine. It follows his 2017 effort Horizon Disrupted, which was engineered by famed producer and poker champion Steve Albini. Steve Dawson, joined by Diane Christiansen, Alton Smith, and John Abbey, will perform a set prior to Pratt’s show. Dawson and Christiansen front the critically acclaimed alt rock/Americana band Dolly Varden, and Dawson’s 2021 sole effort At The Bottom Of A Canyon In The Branches Of A Tree garnered several rave reviews.

Now, this don’t make me feel a whole better. The B-52’s are calling it quits after 45 years of fun and otherworldly recordings and performances. Their farewell tour will bring them to Chicago for concerts on October 7 and 8 at The Chicago Theater.

The 17th Annual Lakeview East Festival Of The Arts takes place tomorrow and Sunday (September 10 and 11) and will have 135 juried artists. Along with paintings, sculpture, photography, furniture, and food vendors, the event will feature two stages of live music. And not acts one typically finds at these outdoor festivals. The schedule features Suenos, Outronaut, EXPO ’76, Mooner, The Joel Paterson Band, Gerald Dowd, Elaine Dame, and a number of other interesting choices. A donation of $5 is suggested. The Lakeview East Festival Of The Arts runs along Broadway, from Belmont to Hawthorne.

The Lost Album, a collection of tracks The Smithereens recorded but failed to release back in 1993, is due out on September 23, and is available to pre-order on Amazon. The 12 previously unreleased songs include “Stop Bringing Me Down,” “Pretty Little Lies,” “Out Of This World,” and “I’m Sexy.”

The LiveWire Lounge on Milwaukee Avenue has a triple lineup coming tomorrow night featuring the Chicago acts BambiRaptor and The Handcuffs, along with Vera Bloom from Nashville. The music starts at 8:00 pm. Vera Bloom will be opening for L7 in Nashville on October 3.

Graham Nash will kick off a month-long tour of Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and California on September 29 with a concert in Tacoma, WA. Five of the dates are already sold out.

The 37th Annual Printer’s Row Fest takes place tomorrow and Sunday, September 10 and 11, from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. There will be several speakers and events held on six stages, and throughout the fair, visitors will find publishers, book stores, literary agencies, authors, and food vendors. It’s a great opportunity to communicate with people involved in all areas of the publishing universe, and absorb all that creative energy. The Fest takes place on South Dearborn Street, from Ida B. Wells to Polk Street, admission is free.

It seems like only yesterday when he graduated from the cast of Beatlemania to creating irresistible original pop songs, but Marshall Crenshaw has been performing for 40 years. He’ll mark that anniversary with a tour that so far brings him to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and a few other cities. Derrick Anderson, Mark Ortmann, and Fernando Perdomo will be joining him.

The Beverly Art Walk takes place next Saturday, September 17, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm in Chicago’s south side Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods. The event will feature over 100 artists; the Uprising Craft Market with over 30 artisans; live music, and a food court. Best wishes to my niece Allison Flamm, who’ll be showcasing some of her work at the Heritage Art Gallery.

Tickets are now on sale for the Wild Honey Foundation And Jody Stephens Presents Big Star #1 show at Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA on November 5. The Wild Honey Foundation is a 501(c)(3)non-profit that brings well-known musicians together for events that raise funds for worth charities.

The Destinos International Latino Theatre Festival returns for its fifth year on September 14 and will run through October 16 at several venues around Chicago.

Congratulations to former R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe and artist/musician Beatie Wolfe on the success of their limited-edition, sustainable bioplastic 12-inch single. Side A is Stipe’s “Future If Future” and Side B is Wolfe’s “Oh My Heart.” All 500 copies quickly sold out on the EarthPercent Bandcamp page. Both songs can still be purchased in digital format as part of the EarthPercent X Earth Day Compilation album, which has over 120 tracks. All proceeds, other than Paypal’s processing fees, will go to EarthPercent’s Grantmaking Fund. 

The Renegade Craft Fair returns to Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm tomorrow and Sunday. The outdoor event brings together several unique vendors offering clothing, jewelry, art, pottery, and other creatively fashioned items. There will also be food vendors. The fair is located on Division Street, between and Ashland Avenue and Damen Avenue.

Fans of mystery author Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious series will be glad to learn that Stevie Bell, the young and brilliant sleuth of those books, will return in a new novel titled Nine Liars. This time out, she’ll be investigating a murder in England. It’s due out on December 27. 

Tellin’ Tales Theatre is presenting a trio of solo performances in its production of Auditioning For Life this weekend at the Greenhouse Theater Center. Tekkie Lomnicki, Alison Pohn, and R.C. Riley will each do a piece, and there will be an additional guest performer each night of the run. Green Theater Center is located at 2257 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. 

U2 lead vocalist Bono has a memoir titled Surrender - 40 Songs, One Story coming out at the beginning of November. In addition to his written observations, Bono created 40 original drawings for the book.

We won’t know for a while if the Chicago Bears will move to Arlington Heights, but the acclaimed musical Cabaret will open at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in the northwest suburb on September 15. The production, which kicks off the venue’s 2022/2023 season, will run through October 23. 

Riot Fest Chicago takes place on the weekend of September 16 – 18 in DouglasPark. The headline acts include My Chemical Romance, the original lineup of The Misfits, Alkaline Trio, Portugal The Man, Bauhaus, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ice Cube, and Sleater-Kinney.

The Randolph Street Market, billed as “Chicago’s World-Famous Art, Antiques and Vintage Event,” returns after an absence of three years, on the weekend of September 24 and 25. It will be held at 1341 W. Randolph from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on both days. In addition to independent vendors offering vintage and rare items, there will be food vendors and live music. General admission tickets are $10, and can be used on both days. 

Incoming

EXPO 76: Wherever fine art is sold.

The 17th Annual Lakeview East Festival Of The Arts takes place this Saturday and Sunday (September 10 and 11) and will have 135 juried artists. Along with paintings, sculpture, photography, furniture, and food vendors, the event will feature two stages of live music. And not the usual acts one typically finds at neighborhood outdoor festivals. The schedule features Suenos, Outronaut, EXPO ’76, Mooner, The Joel Paterson Band, Gerald Dowd, Elaine Dame, and a number of other interesting choices. A donation of $5 is suggested. The Lakeview East Festival Of The Arts runs along Broadway, from Belmont to Hawthorne.

The 37th Annual Printer’s Row Fest takes place this Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 11, from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. There will be several speakers and events held on six stages, and throughout the fest, visitors will find publishers, book stores, literary agencies, authors, and food vendors. It’s a great opportunity to communicate with people involved in various aspects of the publishing universe, and absorb all that creative energy. It takes place on South Dearborn Street, from Ida B. Wells to Polk Street, and admission is free.

Tellin’ Tales Theatre will present a trio of solo performances in its production of Auditioning For Life this weekend, September 9 – 11, at the Greenhouse Theater Center. Tekki Lomnicki, Alison Pohn, and R.C. Riley will each do a piece, and there will be an additional guest performer each night of the run. Greenhouse Theater Center is located at 2257 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. 

The Renegade Craft Fair returns to Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm this Saturday and Sunday. September 10 and 11. The outdoor event brings together several unique vendors offering clothing, jewelry, art, pottery, and other creatively fashioned items. The fair is located on Division Street, between and Ashland Avenue and Damen Avenue.

Sunday Papers

Graphic taken from Brian J. Kramp’s Facebook page.

This Band Has No Past, Brian J. Kramp’s new book detailing the history of Cheap Trick from its earliest days, will be available to order this Tuesday. Amazon shows it at number one on its New Releases in Midwest U.S. Biographies list. My own experiences with Cheap Trick began with a show at the Harlow’s venue on Chicago’s southwest side back in the 1970s that proved all the hype around them was definitely well-deserved. Soon afterward, their self-titled debut became the first of many Cheap Trick albums I would buy over the decades. So, I'm definitely looking forward to this book.

Congratulations to former R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe and artist/musician Beatie Wolfe on the success of their limited-edition, sustainable bioplastic 12-inch single. Side A is Stipe’s “Future If Future” and Side B is Wolfe’s “Oh My Heart.” All 500 copies quickly sold out on the EarthPercent Bandcamp page. Both songs can still be purchased in digital format as part of the EarthPercent X Earth Day Compilation album, which has over 120 tracks. All proceeds, other than Paypal’s processing fees, will go to EarthPercent’s Grantmaking Fund. 

If you’re already looking for ways to make that long Thanksgiving weekend more fun, tickets are now on sale for The Bad Examples show at the Hey Nonny Venue in Arlington Heights on November 25. I already bought mine, because these guys are likely to sell out at Hey Nonny. And you can start the day picking up vinyl treasures for gifts and for yourself since it will be Black Friday Record Store Day.  

The Bandcamp page for the U.K. zine God Is In The TV released Come Into My World: A Collection Of Kylie Minogue Covers—its second digital tribute compilation—this past Friday for the very reasonable price of £5. Sales from the 33-track effort will aid the Macmillan Cancer charity organization. I’m not familiar with Minogue’s music, but the God Is In The TV people did such an outstanding job on its A Carnival Of Sorts: An R.E.M. Covers Compilation last year, I felt compelled to check out their Kylie collection. As with A Carnival, the new Come Into My World features under-the-radar-acts diving into the material with a variety of approaches. Needless to say, I didn’t find it as alluring as the R.E.M. tribute, but a quick spin on Bandcamp was definitely promising. And at £5, you can’t go wrong.

The Reggies rock club will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary on September 8 with performances by the predominantly female Queen tribute band Ready Freddies and Tony Cazeau’s New Black Renaissance at Reggies. 

An acoustic-based version of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by Tammy Faye Starlite is the latest installment in the ongoing Women Sing The Who page on Bandcamp. The track costs $1 to download and became available last Friday. As with the two previous releases in this series, all proceeds will benefit The Who’s charitable organization Teenage Cancer Trust. 

Chicago-based blues legend Buddy Guy recently turned to another of the city’s iconic musicians for help on a new single. As noted on the Rock Blues Muse Instragram site, “We Go Back” features Mavis Staples as a guest vocalist. The song will be included on a new album titled The Blues Don’t Lie that’s due out at the end of this month.

Florence + The Machine, with special guest Sam Fender, will be in Chicago for a concert at Huntington Bank Pavilion this Wednesday, September 7.

The Country Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville, TN recently announced an upcoming exhibition that will celebrate musicians who mixed country with rock and roll from the 1960s through the 1980s. Western Edge - The Roots And Reverberations Los Angeles Country-Rock kicks off on September 30 with a live concert featuring Dave Alvin from The Blasters; Rodney Dillard from The Dillards; Richie Furay from Buffalo Springfield and Poco; Jeff Hanna from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; Chris Hillman from The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers’ and several other performers. The exhibit will honor artists such as The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield; The Flying Burrito Brothers; Poco The Eagles, Emmylou Harris; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; and Linda Ronstadt, and run at the Country Music Hall Of Fame for the next three years.

The 8th Annual Irish American Movie Hooley festival will run Sept. 16 – 18 at Classic Cinema’s Lake Theatre in Oak Park, and then Sept. 23 – 25 at The Wilmette Theatre in Wilmette.

Squeeze founding member Glenn Tilbrook will be performing at City Winery Chicago on September 20 and 21.

The Stanley Clarke Band will perform at SPACE in Evanston on September 16. 

Performances of the Tony-nominated comedy CLYDE’S start on September 10 at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago. The play was written by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and is being directed by Kate Whoriskey.

Incoming

Happy Birthday to drummer Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s. I’ve been a Go-Go’s fan since I bought an import seven-inch single of “We Got The Beat” on Stiff Records at Wax Trax! in 1980. I don’t think I had even heard of them at the time, but the color-tinted sleeve was enough to win me over. Since then, I’ve enjoyed seeing The Go-Go’s live at ChicagoFest; in Grant Park as part of Taste Of Chicago; House Of Blues; and Ravinia. And I still have “We Got The Beat” in my 45s collection.

There’s a new animated video narrated by Bono on the official U2 website promoting his upcoming memoir Surrender - 40 Songs, One Story. This clip relates to a chapter describing Bono and wife Ali’s wedding on August 31, 1982. His drawings and observations are funny and heartfelt. According to an Overview on the online Barnes and Noble store, Bono created 40 original drawings for the book. It’s due out on November 1.

As noted on the Pitchfork Instagram site, former R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe and artist/musician Beatie Wolfe’s upcoming 12-inch single will be the first record pressed on sustainable bioplastic. It will available for preorder for only one day—this Friday—on the EarthPercent Bandcamp page. It can be purchased as part of a bundle with a full compilation album with over 120 tracks for £40; or as a standalone item for £25. All proceeds, other than Paypal’s processing fees, will go to EarthPercent’s Grantmaking Fund.

Incoming

An acoustic-based version of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by Tammy Faye Starlite is the latest installment in the ongoing Women Sing The Who page on Bandcamp. The track costs $1 to download and became available last Friday. As with the two previous releases in this series, all proceeds will benefit The Who’s charitable organization Teen Cancer America.

So far, I like Carla Olson’s rampaging take on “I Can See For Miles” the best, and have a couple suggestions for future choices. I can picture The Bangles knocking “The Kids Are Alright” out of the park, and I would also recommend the Chicago-based indie rock band The Handcuffs. They’ve already done a killer version of Mott The Hoople’s “All The Way From Memphis.” 

Those willing to spend quite a bit more than a buck to help Teen Cancer America had an opportunity to do that by bidding on The Who’s actual Magic Bus. The brightly coloured 1965 Volkswagen has been a familiar sight at numerous classic car shows in the UK, and was offered on August 27 via Silverstone Auctions. I haven’t seen any updates on the auction, but hopefully all went well. A large donation from the sale of the bus will be made to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

The Chicago Jazz Festival, which is said to be the oldest of Chicago’s lakefront festivals, will run from September 1 through September 4. Admission is free. Another free outdoor event—Jazz In The Court—will take place on September 2 at 5235 S. Harper Court from noon to 2:30 pm. And on another jazz note, the Stanley Clarke Band will perform at SPACE in Evanston on September 16.

 

The Tony Richards Duo has an album release show coming up tomorrow, August 31 at the Fulton Street Collective, which is located at 1821 W. Hubbard in Chicago. In addition to guitarist Richards and double bass player Joe Policastro, Larry Beers will be a special guest on drums. The show starts at 7:30 pm, admission is $15.00.

Florence + The Machine, with special guest Sam Fender, will be in Chicago for a concert at Huntington Bank Pavilion on September 7.

The West Loop Art Fest returns for its fourth year this Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free and organizers promise four blocks of art in a diverse range of prices and mediums.

The 33rd Annual African Festival Of The Arts - Chicago takes place at Washington Park this weekend with hosts Pam Morris, Shelia O, and Damon Williams. Performers include P-Square, Terisa Griffin, SWV, REMA, Erica Campbell, and Johnathan Butler. 

The 8th Annual Irish American Movie Hooley festival will run Sept. 16 – 18 at Classic Cinema’s Lake Theatre in Oak Park, and then Sept. 23 – 25 at The Wilmette Theatre in Wilmette.

Tickets are now on sale for Squeeze founding member Glenn Tilbrook’s September 20 and 21 shows at City Winery Chicago.

Incoming

Happy Birthday to Debbie Peterson of The Bangles. I had the honor of doing a telephone interview with her for the Illinois Entertainer shortly after the release of the Everything album in 1988. She was extremely friendly and fun. And by the way, “Some Dreams Come True,” which Debbie Peterson cowrote with Walker Igleheart, is one of the best Bangles songs ever recorded. My wife Pam and I had our DJ play it at our wedding reception. 

Outdoor rock and roll tribute shows blossom like flowers throughout the summer months, but one of the best you’re likely to see in the Chicago area this year will be Tributosaurus Becomes The Kinks at The Skokie Backlot Bash. The Kinks have so many terrific hits and deep album tracks, and Tributosaurus has been honoring pop music’s best acts for years now. The Kinks tribute takes place at 6:30 on Sunday (August 28) evening. Tributosaurus recent sold out its tribute to The Who at Theater On The Lake. Other highlights of the Skokie Backlot Bash are Decoy Prayer Meeting at 3:30 on Saturday; Scott Lucas And The Married Men at 5:30 on Saturday; and Michael McDermott at 7:00 Saturday. See the website for the full schedule.

Celebrating David Bowie, featuring Adrian Belew, Todd Rundgren, Scrote, Royston Langdon, Angelo Moore, and Jeffrey Gaines, comes to The Copernicus Center in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood on October 14. The Copernicus Center is just a short walk from the CTA and Metra transportation center.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for the Nancy Wilson’s Heart show coming to the Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL on October 20.

Hats Off Department I: Congratulations to Frank Carr of the Famous In The Future comedy group and James Moeller of the alt rock band whitewolfsonicprincess on their joint effort to bring the annual YippieFest back to its live and in-person format this past weekend. I was at the Den Theatre on Milwaukee Avenue for much of the Friday and Saturday events (it also ran Sunday) and the overall happy and supportive vibes were impressive. Lots of good music, film, and comedy, too. YippieFest is a direct descendant of the freewheeling Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Festival which was staged by the Mary-Arrchie Theatre for several years.

Hats Off Department II: Congratulations to Fest For Beatles Fans on its triumphant return to the Hyatt Regency O’Hare a week ago. The Apple Jam stage was particularly rocking, with sets by Laurence Juber, My Sweet George, and Phil Angotti And Friends. For those few joyous hours, it actually felt like everybody in the world loves each other.