Liverpoolooza - Part One

Image taken from Fest For Beatles Fans program.

The 34th Annual Chicago Fest For Beatles Fans wrapped things up last night with an all-star fortified performance by the tribute band Liverpool that in itself was worth the price of a day’s admission. The Fest, which kicked off at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont with an opening announcement by MC (and WXRT radio personality) Terri Hemmert at 5:00 PM Friday and ran through the weekend, once again demonstrated the drawing power of The Beatles. Various guests shared how much the band had changed their lives, either through personal relationships or via musical influences.

Even with my attendance limited to one day, I was still able to take in a lot of the event’s multiple treasures. I arrived Sunday afternoon in time to catch British comedian Martin Lewis’s interview with author Chris O’Dell, whose book Miss O’Dell reflects back on her days as an employee of The Beatles’ ambitious but ill-fated Apple company. She recalled George Harrison playfully flirting with her, and how she eventually became close friends with his wife. Patti Boyd.

One of the coolest things about Fest For Beatles Fans is an inclusive ambience where well-known musicians, authors, and other performers weave their way through crowded halls and rooms with no hassles. After checking out the O’Dell interview, I wandered downstairs to visit the marketplace, and passed Fest honcho Mark Lapidos conversing with musician/producer/TV star Mark Hudson. A few times during the day, renowned artist and bass player Klaus Voorman walked within a few feet of me. Andy Babiuk, author of the respected Beatles Gear book and founding member of the garage rock band The Chesterfield Kings, was on hand, displaying some of his instruments.

The marketplace was filled with dozens of vendors selling t shirts, bags, wallets, belts, caps, guitar straps, calendars, books, buttons, publicity stills, CDs, vinyl, vintage publications, radio station Top 40 surveys, and just about anything that can possibly bear a Beatles logo or image. One vendor sold official merchandise from the current Cavern Club in Liverpool. My favorite item this year was a small guitar pick tin with an eye-catching, black & white Sgt. Pepper band photo on the top. There was also a t shirt for The Traveling Wilburys that caught my fancy. The oddest thing for sale was a toy from the 1960s that was a board with magnetic hairs that you shook until they found their rightful places on a drawing of the Beatles’ heads. A slogan on the package claimed, “Amuses the whole family.” Not any family I’d want to live next door to.

The Fest also had some impressive, higher end art for sale, including some Rockstore works from Voorman, who started creating unique portraits of his friends The Beatles from their early performaning days in Hamburg, Germany. Eric Cash and Paul Saltzman were among several talented artists and photographers offering their work for sale.

Print and TV model Mike Olie is a sort of Beatles memento come to life. He looks and dresses like a post-Beatles Paul McCartney, and is available to lip synch, or meet and greet at private parties, trade shows, and other special events. I’ve seen Olie at previous Fests, and always thought it would be fun to have this charming impersonator come by when I’m celebrating a birthday with family and friends. At the Fest, he was enthusiastically working the crowd throughout the day.

Hemmert’s onstage interview with former Wings and Moody Blues member Denny Laine offered interesting vignettes from both of the involved parties. Laine revealed that he and the other Moodies had been friends with the Beatles from the very early days. He also recalled visiting a Pirate Radio ship and seeing empty Heinekens bottles floating around it. Hemmert harked back to her first interview with Laine in Chicago when he was still with Wings, and how Linda McCartney helped her remain calm as she prepared to interview Paul.

Coming tomorrow: Pat DiNizio at Beatles Storytellers; The Musicians Forum; Battle Of The Beatles Bands; an Art Contest; People Under The Stairs; and Liverpool Rocks The House with special guests.

Slumgullion #28

The Klaus Voormann illustrated cover for The Beatles Revolver album.

A Splendid Time Is Guaranteed For All. The Chicago stop for Fest For Beatles Fans gets underway this weekend at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont. Celebrity guests include artist, bass player, and long time Beatles pal Klaus Voormann, and three members of Wings, but not Paul. Liverpool, a very good Beatles tribute band, will be performing all three nights, and as usual, WXRT radio personality Terri Hemmert and wry Brit comedian/writer Martin Lewis will be conducting interviews with the celebrity guests. Sunday’s activities include the always inspiring Battle of the Beatles Bands.

Wear Your Best Black And White Checkered Outfit. The English Beat and Bad Manners, two of the better ska bands to emerge from England in the 1980s, will perform at the Double Door tonight, along with Chris Murray. Doors open at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $25.

Rock The Vote. The Reptoids, a hard-hitting but melodic band comprised of three women and one guy, have entered a Guitar Center sponsored competition to open for Kiss when the painted ones come to Chicago. Fans can cast their votes at the Eventful website.

Wishing It Was Better. The Like has done just about everything right in conjunction with its new Release Me CD, from the flawless Brit invasion style songs to the first video, “He’s Not A Boy.” So it was surprising to encounter the four-woman band’s depressingly bad new clip for the catchy but mean-spirited “Wishing He Was Dead.” It’s kind of funny to hear lead vocalist Z Berg singing about violently assaulting her two-timing boyfriend, but the video takes those images too literally, and without exhibiting much imagination. Even though the clip ends with a sly wink from Berg and some good-natured laughing from the bloodied ‘corpse,’ it’s still a misfire.

Cant Wait To See What They Do With The Summer Of 42. Jeff Charreaux of Ultraviolet Eye sends word that his band’s upcoming CD will be comprised of songs inspired by coming of age movies. Considering Ultraviolet Eye’s penchant for offbeat and high energy garage rock tunes, this promises to be an intriguing effort.

Popping In Portland. International Pop Overthrow has now moved on to Portland, where the fest’s founder David Bash will be introducing over 30 acts to audiences at the East End club. It started this past Wednesday, and will run through Saturday, August 14th. This weekend’s lineup includes veteran power poppers The Orchid Highway, who have a great title track on their latest release, Next World; The Quags, a melodic quartet that lists The Kinks and The Buzzcocks among its influences; and the Elvis Costello-inspired Blue Skies For Black Hearts. I could probably find several more interesting acts on the schedule by surfing MySpace, but people in Portland can discover these bands in person.

The Neverlies In Niles. The Neverly Brothers, a unique tribute act that escorts audiences through the history of rock & roll from the 1950s through the mid-1960s (see Archive, January 2009, Viva La Evolution!), will be helping the Golf Mill Shopping Center in Niles celebrate its 50th Anniversary with an outdoor concert tonight. You have to love a band that covers The Hollies covering “Rockin’ Robin.” The show starts at 7:00 PM.

Solo At The Sappho. Singer-songwriter Ellen Rosner has been performing with a band on her most recent gigs, but she’ll be going the solo route when she appears at Women & Children First Bookstore on Clark Street as part of the Sappho’s Salon series. Billed as “A Provocative Night of Lesbian Diversions,” the August 21st event will run from 7:00 to 9:30 PM, and also feature Fay Jacobs and DJ SpinNikki. A $7 - $10 sliding fee includes food and wine.

Live From The Highwood Bowl. Pop Dollys, the trio that made such an impressive debut with its high speed, Brit Invasion style tunes at this year’s International Pop Overthrow - Chicago, has a performance coming up a week from today, at the Highwood Bowl in Highwood, Illinois. The group will also be playing a benefit for the Adrienne’s Angels Animal Shelter on September 25th in Mount Carrol. 6 by 3, the debut EP from Pop Dollys, should be available soon.

That Was A Long Time Ago, Dearie

This is a regular feature where I present a review or article I wrote in the near or distant past. It takes its name from a line in a sketch Dave Drazin once wrote for the Famous In The Future comedy group. This time, it’s a review of The Bangles' Everything album that ran in the Illinois Entertainer back in 1988. Funny how back then, I wasn’t sure “Eternal Flame” would be a hit. (It still wouldn't make a Top Ten of my favorite songs by the band.) The Bangles are currently working with Matthew Sweet on a new CD, hopefully to be released sometime this year or early 2011.

Considering the amount of airtime The Bangles have racked up on MTV over the past few years with videos from their second album, Different Light, it may be difficult for some people to remember that the band had released an impressive debut in All Over The Place long before Prince handed them the keys to stardom with “Manic Monday.” The major task facing The Bangles in recording Everything was to keep that success from diluting their ability to create catchy pop songs with heaven-sent harmonies. The band has met that challenge head on, with members writing or co-writing all 13 tracks.

“In Your Room,” the opening cut and the first single, gets things off to a shaky start. It’s not a bad song, but it’s so obviously calculated to please the teeny boppers who have recently jumped on The Bangles bandwagon, it’s bound to leave long-time fans in the cold. By contrast, “Some Dreams Come True” finds the band happily oblivious to its newfound status and performing a harmonica driven gem. Fortunately, most of the songs on Everything fall into the latter category.

The album offers a variety of styles that work well, from the hard-edged “Bell Jar” and “Crash And Burn” to the more introspective “Something To Believe In.” There’s also a touch of psychedelia in “Watching The Sky.” The success of “Eternal Flame” will depend on people’s tolerance of Susanna Hoffs playing coy. All in all, Everything proves that not only are The Bangles still fun, they’re a courageous band as well.

Vintage Publication Spotlight #11

The latest entry in an ongoing series devoted to magazines of the past.

The entire second issue of ROCK PHOTO was devoted to Women In Rock, and included full-length articles on Madonna, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon, Tina Turner, Yoko Ono, Joni Mitchell, Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, and Chrissie Hynde. Published by ABC Leisure Magazines as a hip offshoot of Modern Photography, ROCK PHOTO was a “special publication” that apparently came out four times a year. This is the Summer of 1985 issue. The premiere edition, according to a front page introduction, had offered a “Focus On Ten Top Photo Pros” with profiles on Bob Gruen, Lynn Goldsmith, Ebet Roberts, and others.

Gruen served as the magazine’s Photo Editor, and he, along with Editor Roman Kozak, and Art Director Leslie Johnson, placed a heavy emphasis on eye-popping snapshots and trendy layouts. The Carly Simon piece is graced with 13 photos of the lissome rock star, and picture this: Debbie Harry has 11. An interview with Yoko Ono is accompanied by a Gruen shot of her playing the white piano John Lennon had given her, and Gruen also captured Tina Turner frolicking by the Eiffel Tower. Paul Natkin contributed a shot of Chrissie Hynde wielding her guitar at a Chicago concert, and he noted in a sidebar, “She jumps about a lot and is very active. I think she is a great performer.” An interview with Joni Mitchell showcases some of her own photography.

ROCK PHOTO also offered Technical Tips from Catherine Calhoun about how to take an effective headshot, with advice on makeup, what to wear, lighting, background, and finishing touches. There was a guide to ensuring your new camera works properly, and a few pages on Rock ‘n’ Roll, Fashion ‘n’ Style. Another article honored women in front of and behind the camera, such as Friday Night Videos Programming Director Bette Hissiger, as well as MTV video jocks Martha Quinn and Nina Blackwood. There was a two-page spread titled New Women In Rock with photos of The Bangles, Sade, Aimee Mann with ‘Til Tuesday, Lita Ford, Tracey Ullman, and Natalie Merchant.

25 years later, most of the artists featured in the ROCK PHOTO Women In Rock issue are still going strong, which stands as a testament to their talent, as well as the magazine’s taste in music.

CD Review: Panda Riot - Far And Near/Link To The Undertones Review

Photo taken from Panda Riot Facebook page.

Note: this review originally appeared in the Illinois Entertainer.

Panda Riot started as a Philadelphia-based duo comprised of vocalist-keyboards player Rebecca Scott and guitarist Brian Cook, backed by a drum machine. Scott and Cook relocated to Chicago, and for their second effort, they’ve fleshed out their ethereal shoegazer approach by adding the single-named Melissa and Justin on percussion and bass respectively. The six tracks on Far and Near drift overhead like clouds, with an occasional jolt of thunder and lighting.

Scott’s lavishly over-dubbed vocals are Panda Riot’s immediate selling point. She entices listeners on melodic songs like “Julie (In Time)” and “Motown Glass” that call to mind the dreamy singing of Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. “When You Said, When I Said” throws rapid fire vocals into the mix while Cook’s frenetic strumming creates different textures and tempo changes. “16 Seconds,” which lasts quite a bit longer than that, offers an intriguing clash of airy vocals with a harder-edged arrangement set to a driving beat.

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The Illinois Entertainer currently has an online-only review that I wrote about the new five-disc compilation by The Undertones that was recently released by Union Square. You can read it here.

CD Review: Braam - Living Room

This is the first effort from Braam in a while, and to be honest, I don’t remember the Chicago-based quartet taking such an intricate, acoustic-based approach their last time out. Regardless of how Braam arrived at Living Room, it’s a worthwhile destination. An impressive collection of homespun tunes with strong melodies and harmony vocals, Living Room should click with the indie rock crowd, as well as fans of the original singer-songwriter boom from the 1970s.

A lot of these songs open with just vocals and acoustic guitar strumming before evolving into more elaborate arrangements. The rough-edged vocals have a hint of John Prine, particularly on the satiric “It’s Cool” and “Home Sweet Home,” a tale of a guy who’s down on his luck. “Burlington Northern,” which was the band’s first video, is a wistful folk-rock traveling tune with lines like, “I’m going to the country, I hope it’s still there.” Living Room has rock songs as well, like the Neil Young influenced “Ballad Of The Year,” and “Way Away,” which features a loping bass and an irresistible melody that evokes “Lowdown” by Boz Scaggs.

Braam will be performing this Thursday night at The Dark Room in Chicago, from 8:00 to 10:00 PM.

Slumgullion #27

The Hollies in celebratory mood.

A Year Already? Today marks the first anniversary of my doing this blog. I’d like to thank my wife Pam for setting it up, and offering all sorts of tech advice. Also, thanks to John and Steve at the Illinois Entertainer for being cool with me posting reviews that originally ran in their magazine.

Although Broken Hearted Toy takes its name from the Hollies song “I Can’t Let Go,” and is dedicated to promoting power pop, 1960s music, and cutting edge rock, I’ve also strayed into comedy, theater, and pop culture memorabilia. It’s been a challenge finding things to write about, but it’s also been fun.

A special thanks goes out to my followers, as well as the people who have taken the time to comment, or post a link to BHT on their Facebook pages. Thanks in particular to Herb Eimerman, Dag Juhlin, Julie Blore-Bizot, Frank Carr, The Braam brothers, Mike Galassini & Marianne Shimkus, Brad Elvis & Chloe F. Orwell, Rick Hromadka, Steve Gerlach, Todd Wright, Christopher Bevard, Mike Burns, Miranda Lange, Matt Carlson, Dan Pavelich, Clay Eals, Kevin Cornell, Charlie from Blane Fonda, George Hall, Jeff Charreaux, Karen Brown, Terri Hemmert, Lin Brehmer, Kristin Kay, and Allen Marten. I sincerely apologize if I’ve missed anyone.

I’ve been happy to review CDs I’ve received from The Valley Downs, The Bradburys, The Greenwoods, The Britannicas, Maple Mars, WhiteWolfSonicPrincess, Aaron Fox & The Reliables, Matt Dodge & The Lobsters, Kevin Lee, Magatha Trysty, and Welcome To Ashley. (I’m hoping to post my review of Braam’s Living Room here Monday.)

And so, grab your champagne, and join me for another batch of Slumgullion:

Inducted, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! Congratulations to WXRT daytime radio personality and Breakfast With The Beatles host Terri Hemmert on being inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. I’ve been listening to Hemmert for over three decades, and once had the pleasure of interviewing her at the station’s old digs on Belmont Avenue. In addition to her regular on air duties at XRT, Hemmert will once again serve as MC at this year’s Fest For Beatles Fans at the Hyatt Regency next weekend, August 13th -15th.

Doing Del Well. Members of the international power pop trio The Britannicas are posting an audio link on Facebook to their latest song, “I Got You.” It’s a cover of a Del Shannon tune, and will appear on an upcoming Del Shannon tribute CD. Britannicas guitarist-vocalist Herb Eimerman says his band was honored to be asked to participate. The Britannicas’ version of “I Got You” has more of a jangling British Invasion (or maybe The Byrds) sound than the original, although I could also go with Eimerman’s comparison to The Traveling Wilburys.

I’m Gonna Wait ‘Til The Midnight Hour. WXRT will be broadcasting the Lollapalooza AfterShow concert by Phoenix this Sunday, at midnight. The band will be performing its entire Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix CD. Phoenix fans who don’t live in the Chicago area, can stream the concert at 93XRT.com

Going Down To London. It’s not Liverpool, but The Bangles will be performing in London this October. The band will also be making a stop in Dublin, Ireland, along with a series of dates in Australia. Come back to Chicago, please.

Now Don’t That Make You Feel Like You Better Not Pout? B-52’s founding member Fred Schneider has formed a side project called The Superions, who’ll be releasing a holiday CD on Fanatic Records on October 26th. Destination . . . Christmas! features synth dance tracks like “Santa’s Disco,” “Teddy and Betty Yetti,” and “Crummy Christmas Tree,” that have a similar ring to the B-52’s. According to the press release, “the album is destined to become a holiday classic for tuneful toddlers, snarky teens, and cool Moms and Dads everywhere.”

These Lobsters Rock Too. Matt Dodge & The Lobsters have filmed their first video. It’s for “My Life,” one of the more commercially viable songs from their Lobsters debut CD. The funny and well-made clip mixes live action and animation, along with some scenes of the lads at work in the recording studio.

That’s A Buck A Band. Tomorrow The Moon, which features guitarist Steve Gerlach from The Bad Examples, will be performing with Milk @ Midnight and Berserker Theory on August 19th at The Darkroom on Chicago Avenue. The show starts at 8:30 PM, and the admission is a mere $3.

Long Live Vanessa Kensington. Rolling Stone recently speculated that Weezer’s upcoming Hurley CD might be named after the character on Lost. Considering the album is said to have a decidedly 1960s pop feel, it would make more sense to honor Elizabeth Hurley, who starred as the very Emma Peel like Ms. Kensington in first (and best) Austin Powers flick. Hurley (the CD) is due on in stores September 14th.

You’ve Got The Way To Move Me, Cherry. Mary-Arrchie Theatre has had such a successful run with its production of Kirk Lynn’s Cherrywood, it’s adding seven more performances. The play is directed by David Cromer and has been doing well with critics, as well as at the box office.

Famous In The Forest. In more Mary-Arrchie related news, Black Forest Theatre has announced they will be performing a new piece titled The Dog Star Rages at this year’s Abbie Fest at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre. James Moeller, who founded BF with his amour Carla Hayden, describes the piece as “scattershot and schizophrenic” on his JimmyDumps/SunnyJimmy blog. He also states that it’s “very much of the moment” and “kind of reflects the world.” Show time is 5:00 PM. Two hours later, my former comedy group, Famous In The Future will be performing an all-new, scripted comedy revue at the Abbie Fest. I’m still not seeing a title for the FIF show, but then the group was always a little slow in coming up with revue names.