Incoming

The annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday tribute takes place this Saturday at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. The event’s organizers—Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma—once again recruited some of Chicago’s best musicians to participate, and as a bonus, Billy J. Kramer will be a special guest. One of the first stars of the British Invasion, Kramer was closely aligned with The Beatles, and scored hits with Lennon-McCartney penned hits such as “Bad To Me” and “Do You Want To Know A Secret.”

In addition to Clark; Paloma; and host Ken Mottet, the lineup of local performers includes Pierce Crask; Razor House; Johnny Burnett Band; Phil Angotti; Jay Goeppner; Sandalwood Sitar; Help Desk; Frankie B; Barb & Barrett Tasky; Tom Klein; Heath Chappell; Ryan Tedder; and Andrew Clark. If previous years are any indication, the selection of Harrison material performed will range from hit singles to deep tracks and rarities. My Sweet George is once again raising awareness for MusiCares, helping music industry professionals in need.

Music industry people across the country have been helping victims of the California wildfires; whether it’s the Good Music To Lift Los Angeles download album; the FireAid Benefit concert in Los Angeles; or t-shirts available from the Consequence and Bandcamp websites. Now, comedians are literally getting in the act with Let’s Get L.Aid - A Night Of Music And Comedy For L.A. Wildfire Relief. The event will be held at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles on March 16. So far, “Weird Al” Yankovic; Al Jardine; Eric Idle; Margaret Cho; Peter Asher; and Rufus Wainwright are among the performers, with more to be added. The Wild Honey Foundation is helping out, so it’s a safe bet more popular musicians will be signing on.

Chicago vocalist Erica Loftus has performed with The Right Tidys, The Collection, and Red Wigglers, along with joining Van Go in the recording studio. She’ll be onstage with the punk rock cover band Horse And Sparrow at the Atlantic Bar and Grill on February 28. Jan King And Medicine Ball are also on the bill that night. Atlantic Bar and Grill is located at 5062 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Tickets went on sale today for Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons’ Hot Stove Cool Music at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on April 12. The event will feature Cheap Trick; Greg Hawkes and Eddie Japan performing songs by The Cars; and the Hot Stove All-Stars (Peter Gammons, Theo Epstein, Bill Janovitz, Kay Hanley, Will Dailey, and MLB Legends). 100% of the proceeds will go to the Foundation To Be Named Later Gammons College Scholarships fund.

PureSoul Presents, which has been staging tributes to rhythm and blues artists at City Winery Chicago for a while now, will switch to a different genre this Saturday. That’s when its The Queen Is Dead Live - A Tribute To The Smiths will feature performers Bob Nanna, Rodrigo Palma, Billy B., and others.

Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve have a 15-date In Concert Tour USA 2025 kicking off tomorrow in Easton, PA. The tour wraps up in Chicago on March 11, 12, and 14. Those three shows at the Park West will feature Costello and Nieve joined by a full band.

Chicago’s long-running free paper The Reader is sponsoring a The Decline of Western Civilization Parts 1 and 2 screening this Sunday at Thalia Hall. In addition to viewing those punk documentaries by Penelope Spheeris, attendees can watch music videos by local artists and have an opportunity to win admission to a Thalia Hall show of their choice. There will also be a pop-up market and free books by local authors, including journalist Jessica Hopper. Tickets for this 17 and older gathering are $20 and $30.

The power pop band Dolph Chaney And The Phins will likely tap into their well-received latest album Mug when they kick off their Third Thursday Of The Month residency two nights from today at Montrose Saloon. They’ll be joined by Falling Stars, whose recent EP Garden Variety showcases their knack for catchy indie rock songs; and Vee Sonnets, a performer known for his solo efforts as well as being the leader of The Sonnets. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose Avenue on Chicago’s north side.

The latest edition of Second Scene, the Pittsburgh-based alt rock print publication is now available to order via its Bandcamp page. I discovered Second Scene when I noticed some free copies at the Reckless Records store on Milwaukee Avenue here in Chicago. It reminds me of the free press newspapers I’ve picked up in various cities (even some from Europe) over the decades and still have in my collection.

Saturday Slumgullion

Photo from Sony Pictures Classics Facebook page.

Be sure to check out yesterday’s Heart-Shaped Box Of Chocolates post for more local and global entertainment news.

Director Bernard McMahon’s Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary presents the first authorized view of the iconic band’s early days, and includes full song performances, never-before-seen footage, and interviews with band members. It’s had special screenings at IMAX venues and is now showing in theaters across America.

As someone who’s promoted Go Time! here on BHT for several years now, it was a kick to receive an email from Raymond Gianchetti at Kool Kat Musik heralding the arrival of the Chicago band’s new album X. That’s the Roman numeral ten, a reference to how many albums Go Time! has recorded, although this is their first on the noted power pop label Kool Kat Musik. Led by vocalist-guitarist Scott Niekelski’s distinctive, talky delivery, the band specializes in hard-edged, emotional songs that bridge the gap between hard rock and power pop. Prime examples on X include “Complicated Truth,” “Pushing The Limits,” and “Don’t Lose Your Wedding Ring.” Listeners certainly get their money’s worth; there are XVII tracks on this album.

Autographed copies of Mike Campbell’s Heartbreaker memoir are now available for pre-order from the talkshoplive and Premiere Collectibles websites. Campbell was a founding member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, and currently leads the band The Dirty Knobs.

Tickets are now on sale for the Stop Making Sense: A Film By Jonathan Demme And Talking Heads Live Event Hosted By Jerry Harrison event coming on May 1 to the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts in Skokie, IL. The re-release of Demme’s iconic 1984 concert flick has been restored in 4K, and Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison will provide an introduction, as well comments and a Q&A session afterward. Limited meet and greet tickets are available.

Martin Phillipps, the guiding force of New Zealand’s evocative indie rock band The Chills, passed away in July last year, but an album of previously unreleased material is coming out on February 25. Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs will no doubt add to Phillipps’ legacy, and it’s currently available to pre-order as a download or gold vinyl double LP via The Chills Bandcamp page.

 

The power pop band Dolph Chaney And The Phins will likely tap into their well-received latest album Mug when they kick off their Third Thursday Of The Month residency at Montrose Saloon on February 20. They’ll be joined by Falling Stars, whose recent EP Garden Variety showcases their knack for catchy indie rock songs; and Vee Sonnets, a performer known for his solo efforts as well as being the leader of The Sonnets. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose Avenue on Chicago’s north side.

According to Jeff Lynne’s official Facebook site, Dhani Harrison will be a special guest at Jeff Lynne’s ELO - The Over And Out Tour on a few dates in the U.K. Those dates will be July 5 and 6 in Birmingham, and July 9 and 10 in Manchester.

The first-ever Chicago Women Of Color Puppetry and Performing Arts Fringe Festival is now underway and will run through March 16 at the Zhou B Art Center, 4th Floor Women of Color Theatre. The event will include performances, workshops, and discussions regarding the artists’ work.

The Zombies’ official biographer Robin Platts has written a book titled Times and Seasons - The Rise and Fall and Rise of The Zombies that’s now available from HoZac Books. Bangles singer-guitarist and long-time fan Susanna Hoffs did a fine job of writing the Forward. I particularly liked this comment regarding the band’s original lineup: “Rod, a choir boy; Hugh, a drummer in the marching band; Chris, who played bass; and Paul, who played guitar — and Colin — played rugby which I can hardly imagine! He had to have been the kindest bloke you could ever knock heads with in a rugby scrum.” Quite a while ago, I did a telephone interview with Colin Blunstone regarding his solo concert at City Winery Chicago, and found him amazingly friendly.

On a related note, Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s Eternal Flame - The Authorized Biography of the Bangles, published by Hachette Book Group, is due out February 18, and is available to pre-order on Amazon, Barnes And Noble, and other sites. It would be great to see The Bangles do a book tour to promote this effort. 

Best wishes to the owners of Bookclub, a new Chicago venue that has opened at 2871 N Lincoln Avenue, the former home of the popular Elbo Room club. As noted in a recent article by writer Doug George in the Chicago Tribune, Bookclub will present eclectic and adventurous entertainment seven nights a week.

Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand recently released Human Fear, their first album in a while, and will soon kick off a world tour. The American leg of that tour includes an April 5 concert at The Vic in Chicago.

The Webstirs have a show coming up on March 8 at Phyllis’ Musical Inn on Chicago’s north side. The band has been setting clever and humorous lyrics to catchy arrangements for several years now, and has released six albums. Phyllis’ Musical Inn is located at 1800 W. Division.

New Jersey-based indie rock act Slow Buildings (AKA Jason Legacy) has released a new album titled Crash Landings, Coincidences, Chaos. Considering that name and song titles such as “Every Day Is Just Like High School” and “Emotional Honesty Gets Me Nowhere,” the emotional lyrics are no surprise, but Legacy’s consistently catchy, inventive arrangements keep things entertaining.

The Michael Steven Cohen 100th Show Celebration will take place at Montrose Saloon on April 6 at 6:00 pm. Cohen will unveil a new group called The Everly Hillbillies, and Montrose Saloon honcho/musician Eric Chial will be his special guest. Note: Cohen means 100 shows at Montrose Saloon. Who knows how many thousands of shows he’s done if we count all the venues he’s performed at over the years in various bands?

Inhaler is about to embark on a world tour in support of its recently released third album Open Wide. The Irish band has sold out most of its February U.K. dates (some with singer-songwriter Heidi Curtis as the opening act) Inhaler has a dozen shows scheduled for the U.S., including St. Patrick’s Day at the Houston, TX House Of Blues. But nothing in Chicago so far.

Local covers band The Sofa Kings will perform a 21-and-over charity show at the Durty Nellie’s venue in Palatine on Friday, February 28. The event will benefit Gerry's Cafe, the non-profit coffee shop in Arlington Heights staffed by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. My wife Pam and I are frequent customers at Gerry’s Cafe because of the good food and beverages, and friendly service.

 

Tickets are now on sale today for Patti Smith and her band’s concert on November 17 at the Chicago Theatre. Smith is celebrating the 50th anniversary of her groundbreaking debut album Horses with a world tour that will start in Dublin, Ireland on October 6.

Heart-Shaped Box Of Chocolates

See yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place this weekend.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Remember how back in grammar school, we had to bring a valentine card for each student in class to make sure no one was left out. A logical consideration for those of us who had Charlie Brown childhoods. Think of today’s listings as valentines being distributed. Or maybe a huge box of chocolates.

Just Like Heaven: A Tribute To The Cure is now available from American Laundromat Records in vinyl format. Participating artists include Dean and Britta; Class Actress; Black Francis +Violet Clark; The Wedding Present; and Tanya Donelly.

Here’s one I missed on yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post: Chicago-based singer-songwriter Rachel Drew’s busy performance schedule will include a Sings Love Songs For Galentines Day gig in the Sidebar at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn from 6:00 to 8:00 pm tomorrow night.

The Dallas-based independent record label Hand Drawn Records is seeking submissions from music acts for its Volume 6 Vinyl LP Compilation. As stated on the Hand Drawn website, “Each artist may submit one audio track (.mp3 format under 10mb) with artist name and track title.” The deadline to submit is February 28. After that, music industry experts will select 20 tracks from those submissions, which in turn will be presented for a popular vote. The top 10 songs will be announced on March 31. See the Hand Drawn Records website for details.

As of today, Chicago-based singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has released his first new music since his 2021 debut Manifestations. Like the songs on that album, his new single “Thunderclouds” could be described as engaging indie rock led by acoustic guitar. Listeners will likely be reminded of vintage Neil Young. Rosales has a full album titled Phasedrift coming out later this year.

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has joined David Johansen’s daughter Leah Hennessey in a fundraising effort to help the New York Dolls vocalist pay for his brain cancer treatment. Johansen’s condition worsened after he broke his back in a recent fall. Those interested in helping can donate at the Sweet Relief /David Johanson Fund website. 

PureSoul Presents, which has been staging tributes to rhythm and blues artists at City Winery Chicago for a while now, will switch to a different genre on February 22. That’s when its The Queen Is Dead Live - A Tribute To The Smiths, will feature performers Bob Nanna, Rodrigo Palma, Billy B., and others.

Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve have a 15-date In Concert Tour USA 2025 kicking off on February 19 in Easton, PA. The tour wraps up in Chicago on March 11, 12, and 14. Those three shows at the Park West will feature Costello and Nieve joined by a full band.

Lorraine Hansberry’s award-winning play A Raisin In The Sun is picking up rave reviews as it continues its run through March 2 at at Chicago’s Court Theatre. The venue is located at 5535 S. Ellis.

Bandcamp has partnered with artist-designer Shepard Fairey to offer a very cool limited edition t-shirt that will raise funds to help the MusiCares organization assist victims of the Southern California wild fires.

Chicago’s long-running free paper The Reader is sponsoring a The Decline of Western Civilization Parts 1 and 2 screening on February 23 at Thalia Hall. In addition to viewing those punk documentaries by Penelope Spheeris, attendees can watch music videos by local artists and have an opportunity to win admission to a Thalia Hall show of their choice. There will also be a pop-up market and free books by local authors, including journalist Jessica Hopper. Tickets for this 17 and older gathering are $20 and $30.

Jack White is in the midst of his massive No Name Tour and has sold out just about every date. The new single “Archbishop Harold Holmes” is following in the successful path of the previously released and equally hard-hitting “That’s How I’m Felling.”

Singer-guitarist Gary Louris, who’s known for his work with The Jayhawks, as well as his solo efforts, has a gig coming up at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on March 28.

Dot Dash, an inventive Washington, D.C. band that’s succeeded with a variety of indie rock styles across eight full-length albums since 2011, has an all-ages show coming up at the Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, MD on February 27.

Guitarist Tony Richards, who in addition to playing the Chicago music scene, often treats his Facebook followers to performance posts, has released a new album of jazz instrumentals. A Day in January, recorded with double bassist Joe Policastro, is available on Bandcamp. Richards has an album release show coming up on March 1, at a yet-to-be-announced venue.

Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and friends will take their 40th Anniversary R.E.M.’s Fables Of The Reconstruction tribute tour across the pond for six concerts in the UK this summer. They’ll have two gigs in London, along with one each in Manchester, Glasgow, Nottingham, and Bristol.

Simple Minds has a U.S. tour starting in mid-May that will include a performance at Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island on June 20. Simple Minds are marking the 40th anniversary their Once Upon A Time album—featuring “Don’t You Forget About Me”—by releasing a nine-track digital edition. A physical version will be out later this year.

Tickets are now available for Alejandro Escovedo’s April 4 and 5 shows at City Winery Chicago. In addition to his roots rock solo career, Escovedo found success as a member of Rank And File and True Believers.

Young Fresh Fellows recently recorded eleven songs in eight hours at Wilco’s Loft studio, giving them (Young Fresh Fellows) a Live In The Studio vinyl album they’ll be selling exclusively at their upcoming shows.

Tickets are now available for Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison with Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz on March 17 SPACE in Evanston.

Billy Idol will be joined by Joan Jett on his It’s A Nice Day To . . . Tour Again! series of concerts starting April 30. That includes a stop at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL on May 20.

Several music critics have hailed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as Brian Wilson’s finest moment, and there’s an event coming to to Park West in Chicago on March 7 that will celebrate that 1966 album. Pet Sounds LIVE is described as a “captivating show [that] combines live music, narration, and multimedia to bring the genius of Brian Wilson and [this] iconic masterpiece to life.”

British Invasion star Billy J. Kramer has been added as a special guest to this year’s My Sweet George George Harrison birthday tribute taking place on February 22 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. If previous years are any indication, the event’s organizers—Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma— will  recruit some of Chicago’s best musicians to join the celebration, and the selection of Harrison material performed will range from hit singles to deep tracks and rarities.

The Experience Hendrix 2025 Tour starts on March 11 in Cincinnati; and will also include Toronto; Milwaukee; Chicago (Chicago Theatre, March 21); Detroit; Atlantic City; and Washington, DC. Performers will include Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Marcus King; Christone Kingfish Ingram; Zakk Wylde; Eric Johnson; Devon Allman; Samantha Fish; David Hildago and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos; Dweezil Zappa; Ally Venable; and Dylan Triplett.

Fans who miss the blend of atmosphere and melody so entertainingly crafted by the English band Lush should check out the upcoming album from founding member Miki Berenyi’s new band. Tripla by the Miki Berenyi Trio is due out April 4 and is available to pre-order in digital and vinyl formats. Lush aficionados will also find much to like on the two albums the band’s cofounder Emma Anderson released over the past two years.

Weekend Reminders

Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for Patti Smith and her band’s concert at the Chicago Theatre on November 17. Her current tour marks the 50th anniversary of her groundbreaking album Horses.

The 2025 RockGodz Awards Show will be held this Sunday at the Joe’s Live venue in Rosemont, IL. This year’s inductees include Ron Onesti, Dean Zelinsky, Brad Elvis, and Bill “The Buddha” Dickens. RockGodz Hall of Fame was founded by Cindy Landeen and Steve Rosen in 2009, and has presented awards each year since. Pat Travers, Mike Curb, Carmine Appice, and Jim Keltner are among the previous honorees.

10,000 Maniacs will show up at City Winery Chicago tonight. And they’ll return to perform tomorrow and Saturday night. The band that gave us “Like The Weather,” “Trouble Me,” “Candy Everybody Wants,” and other hits still has original members Jerome Augustyniak, Dennis Drew, Steven Gustafson, and John Lombardo, along with vocalist Mary Ramsey, who joined 30 years ago.

Singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen has been doing quite well performing selections from the Great American Songbook, and he has a special Valentine’s Day show coming up at Tuscan Market (141 W. Wing Street) in Arlington Heights tomorrow. Cohen played his first gig at that venue three years ago, on Valentine’s Day.

The Chicago-based alt rock band whitewolfsonicprincess will be part of a special Valentine’s Day event at the Picnic Wine and Provisions shop tomorrow. Cin Salach will open the evening with a set of her poetry. Picnic Wine and Provisions is located at 7301 N. Sheridan on Chicago’s far north side.

Sly Lives! (AKA The Burden Of Black Genius), a Sly Stone documentary directed by Questlove, was recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival and is available via Disney+ and hulu starting as of today.

This year’s Chicago Theatre Week event started last week and will run through this Sunday. Several of the city’s best-known venues are offering discount prices on comedies, dramas, musicals, improv, and concerts.

The Spindles - Wavelength

It made sense for The Spindles to follow the blueprint from their enjoyable previous album Past And Present while recording the soon-to-be released followup. Wavelength, which drops on March 7, finds the Chicago-based band once again covering a 1960s hit single by The Hollies, as well as a 1990s album track by The Elvis Brothers. This bit of deja vu pays off, since The Spindles obviously feel a kinship with both acts, and deliver the goods. And once again, their originals are catchy and energetic.

Wavelength differs from its predecessor in that lead vocalist/guitarist Jeff Janulis was not the only Spindle who contributed songs. Guitarist-vocalist Robert (Bobby Midnight) Ross adds a bit of music industry satire with “Rock Boy,” and pays homage to cinematic motorcyclists with the bluesy “Ride My Bike.” The guitar-driven and philosophical “Two Sides To Every Story” was penned by a long-time friend of The Spindles, musician Mike Vigil.

Janulis continues to spin tales with his power pop tunes; tapping into crime on both the disturbing “Getaway” and breezy romance of “Henry And Leslie.” The moody “Answers To Nothing” observes a troubled relationship and might remind some people of The Beatles’ “For No One.” And Janulis is particularly impressive delivering a message of world peace on the mid-tempo “The Best Of Everything.”

As for those previously mentioned cover versions, The Spindles have a blast faithfully rendering The Hollies’ “Bus Stop” and The Elvis Brothers’ “Ruthy Ann.” As far as I’m concerned, it’s always a good idea to cover The Hollies and The Elvis Brothers. In a similar vein, guest drummer Brad Elvis propels “Anna James,” a rollicking song he wrote for The Elvis Brothers that was never officially released, and there’s a cover of Rob Elvis’s sexy romp “Rock For It.” 

   

The Wavelength digital album is now available to pre-order on The Spindles Bandcamp page, and the CD is now available to pre-order on the Kool Kat Musik online site. The Spindles will have CDs for sale at their upcoming performances at Indie Music Night at The Arcada in St. Charles, IL on March 18, and at Montrose Saloon in Chicago on March 29.

Incoming

U.K. band The Kooks have given us engaging tunes such as “Initials For Gainsbourg,” “Pamela,” and “She Moves In Her Own Way,” and they’ll kick off the North American leg of their All Over The World Tour with LovelyTheBand on May 27 in Montreal. They’ll drop by The Salt Shed in Chicago on June 9. The Kooks’ latest album, Never/Know, is due out May 9, and is currently available to pre-order.

The 42nd American Music Festival will take place July 3 – 6 at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, and as usual, the lineup is impressive. Scheduled performers include Lee Fields; JD McPherson; Samantha Fish; The Wallflowers; CJ Chenier And The Red Hot Louisiana Band; The Watson Twins; The Western Elstons; Joel Paterson; and Sunshine Boys. 

Sly Lives! (AKA The Burden Of Black Genius), a Sly Stone documentary directed by Questlove, was recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival and will be available via Disney+ and hulu starting this Thursday.

Independent radio station CHIRP 107.1 FM will present a screening of director Allan Moyer’s 1995 film Empire Records tomorrow night at the GMan venue on Chicago’s north side. The plot concerns a record store in danger of closing, and stars Anthony LaPaglia and Liv Tyler. Who would have guessed back then vinyl records would still be thriving 30 years later? CHIRP suggests attendees wear 90s-related outfits and arrive early “for soundtrack-related trivia and prizes.” Doors open at 6:30 pm; GMan is located at 3740 N. Clark.

Singer-guitarist Michael Steven Cohen has been doing quite well performing selections from the Great American Songbook, and he has a special Valentine’s Day show coming up at Tuscan Market (141 W. Wing Street) in Arlington Heights this Friday. Cohen played his first gig at that venue three years ago, on Valentine’s Day.

Depending on when you read this, you can celebrate Valentine’s Day a bit early with Phil Angotti And Friends at SPACE in Evanston. They’ll perform love songs by Buddy Holly, Elton John, The Beatles, and other famous music acts starting at 7:30 tonight.

This year’s Chicago Theatre Week event started last week and will run through this Sunday. Several of the city’s best-known venues are offering discount prices on comedies, dramas, musicals, improv, and concerts. Participants include Goodman Theatre; A Red Orchid Theatre; Lookingglass Theatre; Chicago Shakespeare Company; and Steppenwolf Theatre.

The Chicago-based alt rock band whitewolfsonicprincess will be part of a special Valentine’s Day event at the Picnic Wine and Provisions shop this Friday. Cin Salach will open the evening with a set of her poetry. Picnic Wine and Provisions is located at 7301 N. Sheridan on Chicago’s far north side. Love Without Fear, the most recent release from whitewolfsonicprincess, has been garnering lots of favorable reviews.

Sunday Papers

This record could be all yours on April 12.

Record Store Day 2025 arrives April 12, and the entire list of limited-edition vinyl offerings that will be for sale is now available on the official website. Once again, the selection has something for fans of just about every genre and era. Here’s a sampling of the recording artists involved: Tori Amos; The B-52’s; Chet Baker; Count Basie And His Orchestra; Belly; The Blasters; Blur; David Bowie; Alex Chilton; Patsy Cline; Ry Cooder; Elvis Costello; Cowboy Junkies; The Cure; Cypress Hill; De La Soul; Jackie DsShannon; The Doors; Duran Duran; Bill Evans; Neil Finn; Liam Finn; Fleetwood Mac; Peter Gabriel; Liam Gallagher; Jerry Garcia Band; David Gilmour; Grateful Dead; Emmylou Harris; George Harrison/Beck; George Harrison; Peter Holsapple; John Lee Hooker; Freddie Hubbard; Ice T; Mahalia Jackson; The Jayhawks; Jethro Tull; Elton John; Mark Knopfler; John Legend; The Lemonheads; Little Richard; Harvey Mandel; Johnny Marr; Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets; The Meters; Charles Mingus; Joni Mitchell; Thelonious Monk; Motörhead; Alison Moyet; Nektar; The O’Jays; Dolores O’Riordan; Oasis; Graham Parker and The Figgs; Alan Parsons Project; Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill; Pixies; Prince and the New Power Generation; Rain Parade; Queen; Lou Reed; The Replacements; The Rolling Stones; Todd Rundgren; Gil Scott-Heron; Sharika; Sly and the Family Stone; Soul Asylum; Sun Ra; Sweet; Taylor Swift; T. Rex; Talking Heads; Thin Lizzy; 13th Floor Elevators; Carla Thomas; Thompson Twins; Throwing Muses; Peter Tosh; Eddie Vedder; Tom Waits; Wall Of Voodoo; Willie Dixon; Ronnie Wood; Yes; and Warren Zevon. There are tons more I didn’t mention, as well as a number of interesting various artists compilations.

Congratulations to Chicago-based alt rock band whitewolfsonicprincess on having their song “Child Of The Revolution" included on the U.K. label Fruits de Mer’s various artists compilation In The Year Of 2025. Hometown fans can check out the band at a special Valentine’s Day event at the Picnic Wine and Provisions shop on February 14. Cin Salach will open the evening with a set of her poetry. Picnic Wine and Provisions is located at 7301 N. Sheridan on Chicago’s far north side.

According to Jeff Lynne’s official Facebook site, Dhani Harrison will be a special guest at Jeff Lynne’s ELO - The Over And Out Tour on a few dates in the U.K. George Harrison’s gifted son will be on board on July 5 and 6 in Birmingham, and on July 9 and 10 in Manchester.

 

PureSoul Presents, which has been staging tributes to rhythm and blues artists at City Winery Chicago for a while now, will switch to a different genre on February 22. That’s when its The Queen Is Dead Live - A Tribute To The Smiths, will feature performers Bob Nanna, Rodrigo Palma, Billy B, and others.

Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve have a 15-date In Concert Tour USA 2025 kicking off on February 19 in Easton, PA. The tour wraps up in Chicago on March 11, 12, and 14. Those three shows at the Park West will feature Costello and Nieve joined by a full band.

Best wishes to the owners of Bookclub, a new Chicago venue that has opened at 2871 N Lincoln Avenue, the former home of the popular Elbo Room club. As noted in a recent article by writer Doug George in the Chicago Tribune, Bookclub will present eclectic and adventurous entertainment seven nights a week.

 

Martin Phillipps, the guiding force of New Zealand’s evocative indie rock band The Chills, passed away in July last year, but an album of previously unreleased material is coming out on February 25. Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs will no doubt add to Phillipps’ legacy, and it’s currently available to pre-order as a download or gold vinyl double LP via The Chills Bandcamp page. 

Chicago’s long-running free paper The Reader is sponsoring a The Decline of Western Civilization Parts 1 and 2 screening on February 23 at Thalia Hall. In addition to viewing those punk documentaries by Penelope Spheeris, attendees can watch music videos by local artists and have an opportunity to win admission to a Thalia Hall show of their choice. There will also be a pop-up market and free books by local authors, including journalist Jessica Hopper. Tickets for this 17 and older gathering are $20 and $30.

The 2025 RockGodz Awards Show will be held on February 16 at the Joe’s Live venue in Rosemont, IL. This year’s inductees include Ron Onesti, Dean Zelinsky, Brad Elvis, and Bill “The Buddha” Dickens. RockGodz Hall of Fame was founded by Cindy Landeen and Steve Rosen in 2009, and has presented awards each year since. Pat Travers, Mike Curb, Carmine Appice, and Jim Keltner are among the previous honorees.

Autographed copies of Mike Campbell’s Heartbreaker memoir are now available for pre-order from the talkshoplive and Premiere Collectibles websites. Campbell was a founding member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers.

Bandcamp has partnered with artist-designer Shepard Fairey to offer a very cool limited edition t-shirt that will raise funds to help the MusiCares organization assist victims of the Southern California wild fires.

Jack White is in the midst of his massive No Name Tour and has sold out every date except for the five scheduled for Japan and one of the two in Nashville,TN. And most of those exceptions have a Low Ticket Warning. The new single “Archbishop Harold Holmes” is following in the successful path of the previously released “That’s How I’m Felling.”

Dot Dash, an inventive Washington, D.C. band that’s succeeded with a variety of indie rock styles across eight full-length albums since 2011, has an all-ages show coming up at the Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, MD on February 27.

Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and friends will take their 40th Anniversary R.E.M.’s Fables Of The Reconstruction tribute tour across the pond for six concerts in the UK this summer. They’ll have two gigs in London, along with one each in Manchester, Glasgow, Nottingham, and Bristol.