FOLLOW THE BOOKER: Chicago’s premier rock club, the Cubby Bear, has always had a schizophrenic existence: Cubs fans by day, rock fans at night. Suddenly, however, the club’s concert schedule is blank, with little but second-rate metal bands booked for the future. What’s going on?
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Tonight (Friday) the club is planning a show of force with a lineup of about ten local bands, from Spies Who Surf and the Sapphires to the Elvis Brothers, the Slammin’ Watusis, and the Insiders, all playing on a common setup to keep dead time to a minimum. Festivities start at 8 with These Tambourines and should go till 2 AM. And it’s free. Call 525-6620 for more information.
BRITISH IMPORT: The new Reckless Records store–on Broadway a couple of storefronts below Belmont–has its roots deep in Brit psychedelia of the late 70s, in a hugely obscure group called the Brainiac 5. After its demise, leader Charles Taylor started a record store in Islington, London, in 1982; two years later he opened an offshoot in Soho. Exporting success, he brought a third Reckless to San Francisco in 1988. His fourth store is in Chicago. It’s worth checking out for a formidable indie-alternative selection and–for a while at least–a phenomenal assortment in the used bins.
A new issue will be out in six months, the pair hope; they speak proudly of their first paid ad. To be featured is a massive interview with Adam Jacobs, a legendary figure on the local rock scene who has reputedly taped more than 700 local shows. Having sent copies of their first effort to other cities, the neophyte publishers are hoping for some outside contributions–a “global perspective”–for issue number two. Murphy has some lists in mind as well. But after the stories come in, the pair will face again the months of careful typing: Travelin’ Fist is surprisingly uninfected with typos. “We were pretty anal about that,” says Koretzky.
