This just in from the Chicago Music Commission, the group of activists spearheading the resistance to the Promoter Ordinance.

Hello fellow musicians/music lovers,

The “promoters ordinance” was postponed, but it is not over yet. A committee is working on a revised ordinance that will probably come up again for a vote in 1 month. The Chicago Music Commission is asking people to fill out a survey about the promoter’s ordinance that they’ll present to Daley and City Council. The last day to complete the survey is this Friday. Here’s a link:
http://chicago-music.org/promoters-comments.php

Please take the time (15-20 minutes) to click on the link below, read the ordinance, and fill out the Chicago Music Commission’s survey by Friday. All of us will be negatively affected by this ordinance if the language is not revised. It seems like the city is open to revising the language, but there must be a large outcry in order to make it happen.

Pass this along to every musician/music lover you know!

Related posts:
Promoter Ordinance update
Oppose Promoter Ordinance! (please?)

If you lived in Champaign Urbana in the early 1990s, you likely remember Driver Has No Cash, a trio featuring amplified ukulele, toy drums, and the melodious vocals of Frank Gill. If you feel like spending a few moments wallowing in the gloriousness of that time and place, you’re in luck. Driver Has No Cash are reuniting this weekend.

From Bill’s blog, the Williwaw Endeavor:

driver has no cash - francis bradley gill, robert rising & the artist somewhat rarely known as williwaw - have, like the Great Phoenix, risen from the ashes.

SUNDAY MAY 25 8 PM
THE HIGH DIVE
51 MAIN STREET
CHAMPAIGN USA

there will be much roaring, much whimpering, cowering even, from the mighty rock. can you handle such rock? no, you can’t. but you’ll try, oh how you’ll try, to carry on. there are tickets. there will be no t-shirts. no, don’t cry, there will be other trinkets. there will be other bands. so many bands. so much rock. you, you really should stay away. you, you’re just not ready. stay home. yes, the sofa. that’s the place for you…

I’ve written of my admiration for former Chicago radio stars the Hoosier Hot Shots in previous posts. While much of their recorded repertoire consisted of novelty ephemera, they could whip out a convincing hot instrumental on occasion to remind folks that the folks playing this ridiculous music were serious musicians.

In this case, it’s the McPhail/ Michels song ‘San’, with some of the finest slide whistle playing you’ll ever hear.

Courtesy of Archive.org

The most comprehensive readily available compilation of Hoosier Hot Shots sides is Everybody Stomp, still in print, and well worth picking up.