Healthy Start
If you're a musician or a civilian without healthcare, round 3 of
the Affordable Care Act begins on November 1. "Obamacare" has
been a godsend for those who've never had (or lost) healthcare at
their job, especially the neighborhood guitar player performing
Zeppelin covers on the weekend. Or the DJ working at a big box
store during the week and spinning on the weekends.
Because of federal cutbacks, the State Of Illinois has reduced the
number of enrollment counselors this year to help guide residents
through coverage options, so start shopping for your insurance early.
Our sampling of policies at HealthCare.gov during the window
shopping period looks promising for those looking for affordable
options. Visit GetCoveredIllinois.gov for details.
11•2015
Garage Stories
First reported by the Chicago Tribune's Robert Feder, longtime Chicago songwriter and cofounder of The Ides Of March and Survivor, Jim Peterik has produced a television tribute to 1960s
and '70s from Chicago and the suburbs, in a new soon-to-be broadcast (WTTW Channel 11) program,
called Cornerstones of Rock: Garage Bands. According to press materials, the show is a "nostalgic
celebration of local garage bands that rose to national prominence in the 1960s and '70s, and remain
as favorites today with their sing-along hits. This special shines a spotlight on the local groups from
the Chicago area who defined this era as they rose through the teen clubs all the way to national
prominence."
Peterik enlisted the help of WGN's (720 AM) Wendy Snyder, with co-producer Joe Thomas
(HDReady) directing; with sound by Frank Pappalardo. In addition, Kim Matthes is producing for
the station, according ReelChicago.com. Grammy-winning director John Anderson (Brian Wilson's
Imagination) will direct interviews with the performers that will be part of the show and used during WTTW pledge drives, according to Reel Chicago.
Bands included in the broadcast include The Shadows Of Night ("Gloria"), The Buckinghams
("Kind Of A Drag"), The America Breed ("Bend Me, Shape Me") and Peterik's Ides Of March
("Vehicle").
At the recording of the broadcast at WTTW's northside studios, Peterik told DNAinfo Chicago his
motivation for forming a band. "All we wanted to do was get dates with the cheerleaders. We'd learn
a couple new songs each week and go out and play them wherever we could. It's called 'Cornerstones
of Rock: American Garage' because that's what we were and, still are … except now, we're garage bands
who grew up," Peterik said. The broadcast is expected to air on December 11th on Channel 11.
If the broadcast is sucessful, Peterik, Thomas and WTTW hope to roll out to PBS stations nationally. We've seen some of that East Coast programming. We think Cornerstones measures up.
Record Store Day:
The Sequel
For fans of Record Store Day in April, the promoters are rolling out a bit of a
red-headed stepchild version again this year called Record Store Day: Black
Friday. You guessed it, it's a post-Thankgiving version of the vinyl collectors
event, as explained by the mothership."In the past Black Friday was an American
event created by large corporate retailers as a shopping day that promoted mass
produced items at super low prices in hopes of driving customers into their
stores. RSD's Black Friday subverts the model and creates pieces of art in the form
of limited special editions, often numbered, from a diverse list of beloved artists.
RSD's version of Black Friday is an excuse to celebrate both the pieces themselves
and the special indie record stores who carry them. Cheap, mass-produced frenzy is not the goal. There will be markedly fewer titles during the Black Friday
period than you'll find on a Record Store Day release list. By design, Record Store
Day is not attempting to create the massive music celebration of Record Store
Day. Rather, we are reminding music fans about the gift of music at the kick off
of the holiday season. We will call it a victory if fewer cheap toasters and socks
are given as gifts and more awesome music by some of the greatest artists of our
time exchange hands. Think about it, there is nothing sold in a record store that
wouldn't make a great present for someone. Or for yourself!"
We couldn't have said it better ourselves. See page 46 in this issue for an early
list of titles and stores in Chicagoland that will have some of the RSDBF vinyl. Go
to Recor