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Michael ‘Mick Rain’ Ruane, drummer for Chicago power pop group Pezband, dead of COVID-19 at 68Maureen O’Donnellon August 27, 2021 at 10:45 am

Mike Ruane was the big man playing the big drum set for Pezband, one of a wave of effervescent power pop groups also including Cheap Trick, Material Issue and Shoes to emerge from the Chicago area in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mr. Ruane, known by the nickname Mick Rain, died Aug. 14 at Tampa General Hospital of complications from COVID-19, according to his daughter Nicoletta Montaner.

His family took out a death notice in the Tampa Bay Times saying his death was “courtesy of the U.S. and Florida state governments’ homicidal pandemic policy.”

He had been vaccinated for the coronavirus while undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. He responded well to his oncology regimen and “his bloodwork was spectacular,” his daughter said.

But then Mr. Ruane — who moved to Tampa after the band broke up in the early 1980s — fell ill.

“If there was proper policy, he would not have gotten sick,” Montaner said. “It’s Florida. Nobody’s masking. The ICUs are full.

“This was not a necessary death,” she said. “There could [have been] another Pezband reunion at FitzGerald’s, just like there was every few years.”

Mike Ruane, amid a cloud of smoke, in the 1970s.Mimi Betinis

He and the three other original members of Pezband grew up in Oak Park and went to Oak Park-River Forest High School, said his bandmate and former brother-in-law Demetrios “Mimi” Betinis.

Growing up in Oak Park in the 1960s, Mr. Ruane later told his daughter, “There was a whole network, a rabbit warren of basements where kids would go from house to house, and all the kids were borrowing records,” she said.

“We would be in the basement, just playing records, hanging around, maybe playing pool, and there would be a tap on the window, and he’d be looking in with this Cheshire cat grin, and he’d say, ‘Hey, your troubles are over,’ ” said his friend Floyd Sullivan. “We would let him in the basement door so he didn’t have to deal with our parents.”

In 2016, Mr. Ruane told the Chicago Reader how he got into music.

“I think it was The Buckinghams’ fault,” he said of the 1960s Chicago rock group. “They played in front of that fountain in Grant Park in 1965, it got in the water, and these kids drank it. It turned every garage in the suburbs into a Fender amp store or a recording studio.”

Mike Ruane in his days with Pezband.Mimi Betinis

When Pezband formed in 1971, it was Mr. Ruane, Betinis, John Pazdan and Mike Gorman.

“We had two Mikes,” Betinis said, “so we said, ‘Let’s just call you Mick Rain.’ It’s a good pop name.

“He played a great big drum set,” Betinis said. “The bass drum was a 28-inch, and he was kind of known for that, and it powered our sound.”

“Mike was the foundational core of Pezband’s driving rhythm section for almost 50 years and a really nice guy,” Jeff Murphy of Shoes said. “Steady, professional and profound, he was a crucial part of the Chicagoland music scene and an unrelenting proponent of power pop rock music.”

Pezband headlined at clubs including Tuts, Huey’s, Haymaker’s in Palatine, the Big Kumquat in Prospect Heights and B’Ginnings in Schaumburg.

“We played all over Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Southern Illinois,” Betinis said.

In New York, the band played the Bottom Line, Max’s Kansas City and CBGB; in Los Angeles, the Whiskey a Go Go.

The Los Angeles Times’ Richard Cromelin wrote that the group combined “melodic pop, reflecting the McCartney side of the Beatles, with a hard, controlled attack powered by solid chording and squealing Who-like overtones.”

Pezband released three LPs and two EPs. Mr. Ruane often co-wrote its songs. One, “Stella Blue,” was influenced by his reading Baudelaire.

The band opened for Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, Kiss, Blondie and Rush.

After signing with Passport Records in New Jersey, the band members moved to that sate and played East Coast clubs, where audiences “were, like, ‘This is great — it’s like the Beatles through a Marshall amp,’ ” Betinis said.

But an obstacle loomed, he said: “We were up against the disco monster.”

After the band’s early 1980s breakup, Mr. Ruane moved to Florida, where his daughter said he worked in sales for what’s now Shaker Recruitment Marketing.

Over the years, Pezband reunited for shows including, most recently, one in 2017 with Shoes and Dwight Twilley.

Mr. Ruane got sober 32 years ago and became a sponsor for many others in Alcoholics Anonymous, according to his family and friends.

In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his sons Markos and Erik Ruane and Michael Evrard, his sister Peggy Ward Ruane and one grandchild.

A celebration of life is being planned for later this year.

Mike Ruane loved being outdoors and visiting national parks. Here, he uses ice cleats to traverse a glacier in Alaska’s Denali National Park.Nicolletta Montaner

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Michael ‘Mick Rain’ Ruane, drummer for Chicago power pop group Pezband, dead of COVID-19 at 68Maureen O’Donnellon August 27, 2021 at 10:45 am Read More »

In Roseland, once-bustling South Michigan Avenue has faded amid crime, disinvestmentElvia Malagónon August 27, 2021 at 10:30 am

Walking in to Edwards Fashion along Michigan Avenue in Roseland feels like a different era as a chandelier lights a selection of men’s suits.

The Edwards family opened the men’s clothing store at 11363 S. Michigan Ave. in the 1970s and has watched the once-thriving neighborhood fall into decline amid rising crime and violence.

“I’ve seen when Roseland was Roseland, as they say, the heyday,” said Ledall Edwards, who runs the store with his brother. “A lot of businesses, a lot of variety of stores and services. It practically evaporated.”

After years of disinvestment, vacant storefronts and empty lots can be seen along the Far South Side neighborhood’s stretch of once-bustling South Michigan Avenue. Things have deteriorated to the point the area was listed by Preservation Chicago last year as one of the city’s “most endangered places.”

There have been discussions among city officials and civic and business groups for years about how to attract investment in the area. Business owners say they keep waiting but have seen no plans put forth.

Roseland is one of the community areas that Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration has identified as priority areas for addressing crime and violence.

As of Aug. 6, there had been 15 killings in Roseland so far this year, up from 12 at the same point last year, according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis.

Roseland is one of the community areas that Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration has identified as priority areas for addressing crime and violence.

But City Hall hasn’t provided any of the assistance yet to Roseland and other areas on the Far South Side that was promised to help fight violence, the Sun-Times recently reported.

One hoped-for boost is the CTA’s proposed Red Line L expansion to 130th Street. Business owners like Edwards hope that bringing the L south from its current terminus at 95th Street would help bring more pedestrian traffic to their businesses.

But the Red Line extension still needs funding and has stalled. The transit agency anticipates the earliest that construction could begin wouldn’t be till 2025.

“I don’t know if I’ll be here,” said Edwards, who has struggled to find money for renovations.

Less than half a mile south is Scott Enterprise, a tax-preparation business that Edmund Scott started after leaving a job in the 1970s to run his own business.

Scott grew up in nearby Altgeld Gardens. When he was young, he used to walk to Michigan Avenue to hang out with friends. He dreamed of one day owning a business on the strip.

“And God saw fit for me to eventually have those words come true,” he said. “I’ve been here since 1976 in the same spot.”

Now, as he nears retirement, Scott is helping his son William get ready to take over the business. They were able to secure $137,500 from the city of Chicago’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund — which offers grant to help commercial strips on the South Side, Southwest Side and West Side — to rehab their building. The work was halted in July as they tried to figure out why water was seeping into their basement.

They want to stay in their building even though most of their work can be done remotely.

“This area has been very good to us,” William Scott said. “A lot of people come in all the time saying, ‘We are so glad that you are here.’ Just to make simple copies — there’s no place to make simple copies.”

The Scotts remember when their business was surrounded by others including a restaurant and a hardware store.

“They tore down the mall and just left it vacant with nothing else coming,” said Edmund Scott, who is president of the Roseland Business Development Council. In 2011, “There was talk about an Aldi store that was going to come there to replace it, and there was a big poster saying that a grocery store is coming. But it never showed up to this day.”

William Scott (left) and Edmund Scott outside Scott Enterprise, 11513 S. Michigan Ave. in Roseland.Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

Musa Tadros, the developer of the site across from the Scotts’ business that was being looked at for an Aldi store, still owns the property. He said the plans didn’t work out because the project wasn’t able to get tax-increment financing from City Hall, as a Walmart store a couple of miles away did.

Tadros said he doesn’t have any immediate plans for the property.

Ald. Anthony Beale, whose Ninth Ward includes this section of South Michigan Avenue, said he’s working to get a grocery store in that same location and is hopeful that Tadros will sell the land to another developer.

“There’s definitely a need for another grocer in the area such as Aldi, a Pete’s, maybe even a Save A Lot,” Beale said.

South Michigan Avenue in Roseland as seen in 1969 in a photo by Pete Kastanes provided by Preservation Chicago.Provided

He said he’s pushed for the idea as part of discussions for Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative that targets investment in neighborhoods including Roseland. But Beale said other city officials have different priorities.

In the census tracts near that lot, 29% to 38% of households don’t have a car and live more than a mile from a supermarket, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Just north of that area, Judy and Victor Ware have been struggling to keep their sit-down restaurant, the Ware Ranch Steak House, open after spending their life savings to buy the property in 2018. They renovated the restaurant at 11147 S. Michigan Ave. but said a fire nearby and city work on water lines disrupted their business.

Judy and Victor Ware have been working to keep the Ware Ranch Steak House on South Michigan Avenue open.Elvia Malagon / Sun-Times

Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, causing them to close for months. When they reopened in May 2020, Ware said that lasted only about two weeks before their building was vandalized during the civil unrest that followed the police killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd.

Still, Judy Ware said she and her husband were determined to reopen because what was one of the few restaurants nearby to offer sit-down service. Customers had told them about their memories of eating there for graduation celebrations and family outings. But days after the building was vandalized, it was further damaged by a fire, Judy Ware said.

“We are really struggling to try to get the restaurant back open,” she said. “We have customers who call us. I live in the neighborhood. They see me working in my yard and stop and want to know when is it going to be open.”

An order from the city’s department of buildings brought construction to a halt at the Ware Ranch Steak House in Roseland.Elvia Malagon / Sun-Times

City permit problems that led to a “stop work order” have delayed repairs. She said they’ve struggled to navigate the permit system even after seeking help from Beale’s office and the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce.

“We had a vision, and we put it into practice, and so many things have happened to deter us,” Judy Ware said. “We are not young people — I’m 68, and my husband is 62. It’s hard, and we are really committed to bringing our business back. All the city has to do is give us the permit, and the contractors are ready to go back.”

Andrea Reed, executive director of the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce, sees getting the restaurant open again as one of the challenges the business group faces in trying to turn things around on South Michigan Avenue.

The Ranch Steak House and other businesses along South Michigan Avenue in Roseland in long-past better times.Scott Stewart / Sun-Times file

The chamber has tried to help potential business owners access capital and come up with ways to keep people shopping along Michigan Avenue rather than going to the south suburbs or nearby Indiana towns.

She said the chamber’s work includes addressing disparities in the community such as access to transportation and healthcare.

An empty lot where a bowling alley and other businesses once operated next to Scott Enterprise at 11513 S. Michigan Ave. in Roseland.Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

“It behooves all of us to care about how these disparities and inequities impact other lives,” Reed said. “And I look at the level of crime in our city, and all of us are at risk of the next violent act, whether it’s carjackings, armed robbery or someone beating you to take what you have. And I think crime is an outward cry to the world that ‘I’m tired of doing without.’ “

The former Gately’s People Store that stood at 11201 S. Michigan Ave. in Roseland in a photo by Gene Ossello provided by Preservation Chicago.Provided

Elvia Malagon’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

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In Roseland, once-bustling South Michigan Avenue has faded amid crime, disinvestmentElvia Malagónon August 27, 2021 at 10:30 am Read More »

Season opener may prove to be a harbinger of EIU season to comeon August 27, 2021 at 10:45 am

Prairie State Pigskin

Season opener may prove to be a harbinger of EIU season to come

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Season opener may prove to be a harbinger of EIU season to comeon August 27, 2021 at 10:45 am Read More »

At least 8 wounded — including 2 minors — in shootings in Chicago ThursdaySun-Times Wireon August 27, 2021 at 9:46 am

At least eight people, including a 14 and 17-year-old, were wounded in shootings in Chicago Thursday.

Two people were shot in Park Manor on the South Side.

About 7 p.m., a 25-year-old man was in the 7000 block of South State Street, when someone approached him and fired shots, Chicago police said. A second person, a 38-year-old woman, was inside a nail salon nearby and was struck in the right calf, police said.

The man was struck in the left leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, in good condition, police said. The woman was taken to the same hospital, also in good condition.

A 14-year-old boy was shot in his home in West Pullman on the Far South Side.

The teen was in the living room in the first block of East 119th Street when someone outside fired shots through the front window, police said.

A bullet struck him in the abdomen and he was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was stabilized, police said.

A 17-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting in South Shore.

The teen was walking in the 6900 block of South Jeffery Boulevard when he was shot in the calf about 5 a.m., police said.

He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, police said.

Four others were wounded in shootings in Chicago Thursday.

Three people were killed and one wounded in citywide shootings Wednesday.

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At least 8 wounded — including 2 minors — in shootings in Chicago ThursdaySun-Times Wireon August 27, 2021 at 9:46 am Read More »

Chicago man charged with illegally owning loaded gunSun-Times Wireon August 27, 2021 at 8:33 am

A Chicago man was sentenced for illegally possessing a loaded gun on the West Side, according to the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois.

Eddie Jones, 28, was sentenced to eight years for illegally possessing a loaded handgun in the city’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, according to the Attorney’s Office.

Jones, who was convicted of several firearm-related offenses, was prohibited from owning the gun, the Attorney’s Office said.

On June 5, 2020, Jones alleged shot and wounded three people in the 800 block of North Homan Avenue, according to the Attorney’s Office.

Chicago Police officers responding to the incident noticed Jones running along the street and throwing the gun in a vacant lot, the Attorney’s Office said.

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Chicago man charged with illegally owning loaded gunSun-Times Wireon August 27, 2021 at 8:33 am Read More »

‘He’s All That’: Right about now, the teen makeover tale is being retold with a gender swap and a TikTok starRichard Roeperon August 27, 2021 at 7:01 am

You gotta love the unabashed, cheerfully cynical nature of a movie that keeps stressing the message that today’s teens are always buried in their laptops and their tablets and their cell phones, and nothing feels real to them unless they share it on social media, and wouldn’t it be wonderful if they’d just take a breath and live in the moment …

And yet the lead in the movie is a TikTok star. Too great.

‘He’s All That’: 2 out of 4

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The Netflix movie “He’s All That” is a gender-swapping remake of the frothy and silly but entertaining “She’s All That” (1999), which was basically a remake of “My Fair Lady” (1964) which was a musical version of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” (1913), and one can only imagine what ol’ GBS would think of a telling of his tale involving magical communication devices and livestreams and karaoke parties and a bunch of entitled rich kids playing dress-up in a lavish “Drop it like F. Scott” party, as in F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This movie is pure cotton candy — sweet and brightly colored and a bit of a guilty pleasure, but it’s not intended to be something you can sink your teeth into, and five minutes after consuming it, it’s like it never happened. (Shew! That’s a lot of cotton candy metaphor, but I’m STICKING with it.)

The aforementioned Addison Rae doesn’t have much range as an actress, but this ain’t Eugene O’Neill material and she’s an upbeat and likable presence as Padgett Sawyer, a California high school senior and enormously popular influencer who begins every day streaming to her hundreds of thousands of Followers, reminding them, “[This] is where we talk about makeovers, self-improvement and how to become the most spectacular ‘you’ you can be …” Everyone thinks Padgett lives in a posh condo complex and has a cushy home life because that’s what she’s led them to believe, but in reality she lives in a modest home with her mother (Rachael Leigh Cook, the Cinderella makeover subject in “She’s All That”), who works long shifts as a nurse.

Padgett is dating an utterly terrible and shallow and narcissistic preening idiot named Jordan Van Draanen (Peyton Meyer), who has scored a hit single with a horrific rap song that makes Vanilla Ice sound like Tupac — but when she catches Jordan hooking up in his trailer with his co-star on new music video, it’s over.

It’s also captured on a livestream by Padgett’s so-called best friend Alden (Madison Pettis), and somehow Padgett is the one who becomes the laughingstock because she’s caught on camera with a snot bubble as she cries, and her followers begin to desert her. Time now for the plot contrivance in which Padgett claims she doesn’t need Jordan because she’s a makeover expert and she can transform any rando loser into prom king material — and her friends choose a sullen, antisocial kid named Cameron (Tanner Buchanan from “Cobra Kai”) as her subject.

That’s right: Cameron is a bet, but he doesn’t know it, and all of a sudden, the guy who hates social media and can’t stand the phonies at his high school is giving Padgett horseback riding lessons and singing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” at a karaoke party and allowing Padgett to cut his shaggy locks. Why, he’ll even ditch the flannel shirts for a snazzy suit. (And yes, there is a trying-on-hats-and-shoes-and-outfits musical montage featuring a number of characters.) Oh Cameron, you’re blinded by love!

Eventually, inevitably, Padgett finds herself falling for Cameron, who is so darn sensitive. But they’re from such different worlds. He’s an amateur photographer who doesn’t want anyone to see his pictures, while she wants every moment to be recorded. They’re just like Rick and Ilsa in “Casablanca,” or maybe not.

“He’s All That” manages to wedge in a cameo from Kourtney Kardashian as a superficial branding mogul who sponsors Padgett, and a much more entertaining appearance by “She’s All That” alum Matthew Lillard, playing Principal Bosch, who notes that for some reason there will be a dance-off at the prom (“we have some weird-ass traditions at this school”) and says just before the announcement of the king and queen: “I know this is live streaming, but if you put your phones down, it’s actually happening right here in front of you.”

Good luck with that, Principal Bosch.

It’s no spoiler to reveal we get a professionally choreographed dance number at the prom, a la the famous and fantastically ridiculous scene in “She’s All That.” This time around, it’s set to the sounds of “Dance Off” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, featuring Idris Elba (because yep, he’s a DJ). It’s OK, but it’s no “Rockafeller Skank” or for that matter “I Could Have Danced All Night.”

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‘He’s All That’: Right about now, the teen makeover tale is being retold with a gender swap and a TikTok starRichard Roeperon August 27, 2021 at 7:01 am Read More »

Horoscope for Friday, August 27, 2021Georgia Nicolson August 27, 2021 at 5:01 am

Moon Alert

There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Taurus.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

You’re focused on money and cash flow, which could prompt you to go shopping. You feel optimistic about your health or something related to your job (or even a pet). You want to move forward and get things done!

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Today the moon is in your sign, which slightly improves your good luck. Social plans will appeal, which is why you might want to meet friends for Happy Hour or enjoy fun activities with kids. A fun getaway weekend looks promising!

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Even though some have big plans for the weekend, you might prefer to cocoon at home. It will please you to relax and catch your breath. In addition to which, family demands on your time might exist through entertaining or DIY projects at home.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

This is a lovely day to schmooze with friends and members of groups. Take a long lunch. Meet friends after work. You’re eager to plan short trips and talk to siblings, relatives and neighbors because you have something to say! This is a strong time for writers, actors and storytellers.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

An interesting day! You are high visibility, which means people notice you. In fact, they’re talking about you. This could be because you are throwing money around and spending big! You’re generous and you love to entertain others.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

It’s Friday and you want to shake things up a little. Basically, you want a change of scenery — so if you can blow town, perfect! At least go someplace you’ve never been before. Enjoy a long lunch or time after work with friends. You want to be in convivial company.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Because it’s the end of the week, you might use today to tie up some loose details about shared property, taxes, debt and whatnot. Get this stuff done so that you are free for the weekend! Your preference might be all about kicking back and relaxing in a laid-back way.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Today the moon is opposite your sign, which means you have to cooperate with others. You’ll have no trouble doing this because this is a friendly, social day for you. You’re pumped for the weekend and have plans to socialize with friends or clubs and groups. Enjoy your day!

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

You continue to look fabulous in the eyes of others, which is why this is an excellent day to push your agenda forward. You’ve got big plans, so why not run them up the flagpole to see if anyone salutes? (Meanwhile, you might have to do some work for someone today.) Easy peasy.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

You’re preparing for a fun weekend. In fact, you’re using today to get a head start. Enjoy doing something different today. Travel somewhere if you can. At least, go someplace you’ve never been before. Say yes to social plans, sports events and fun times with kids.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Many people are pumped about weekend plans and social activities; however, you might prefer to hide at home and relax among familiar surroundings. You might receive a gift or a favor from someone else today. You might also have the use of someone else’s possession.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

You’re keen to communicate with others. You want to be in the know and on the move. You will enjoy talking to friends and partners as well as members of the general public. Very possibly, you will be introduced to someone new today.

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actor Aaron Paul (1979) shares your birthday. You are kind, warm and generous. You also have an analytical, logical mind, which makes you a perceptive, observant person. Justice and fair play matter to you. You have strong family values. This year you will work to build something, perhaps even physically. You want to create more structure in your life. Explore the benefits of physical exercise as well as yoga.

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Horoscope for Friday, August 27, 2021Georgia Nicolson August 27, 2021 at 5:01 am Read More »

Doobie Brothers try to keep long train running, 50 years onMiriam Di Nunzioon August 27, 2021 at 12:34 am

LOS ANGELES — The Doobie Brothers are celebrating their 50th anniversary in their 51st year, heading out tenuously on a delayed tour and hoping they can keep taking it to the streets and letting audiences listen to the music as cancellations abound around them.

2020 ought to have been a banner year for the band, with an anniversary tour that united its two eras — the original Tom Johnston-led version of the early 1970s, and the more R&B Michael McDonald-led version of the late 1970s — and an invite to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that many fans felt was decades overdue.

“We had everything going and it got dumped on by the pandemic, which kind of sucked,” Johnston said at the group’s rehearsal space as they prepared for the tour. “We did the virtual induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, that was pretty much it. Then it was a year of every day’s Thursday and nothing ever changes. It was pretty much a lost year.”

They’re trying to make up for it with the tour that finally launched Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa, and runs through late October, with previously scrapped dates rebooked for the summer of 2022. The Chicago area date is Sunday at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park.

The tour, which comes as a new album drops in October, includes two founders, Johnston and the group’s most constant member, Patrick Simmons, who began playing for mostly bikers in dive bars and rugged roadhouses near their hometown of San Jose, California, in 1970.

They were forced to sit out the 50th anniversary of those first shows, but plenty more landmarks remain. Their self-titled debut album was released 50 years ago this year. Their breakthrough, “Toulouse Street,” with the hits “Listen to the Music” and “Jesus Is Just Alright,” will have its 50th in 2022.

The tour comes as many other big-venue acts, including Garth Brooks, BTS, Nine Inch Nails and Stevie Nicks, have either canceled dates or entire tours as the delta variant of the coronavirus threatens the resumption of public entertainment around the country.

“It’s a crapshoot, really, whether we’ll make it to the end of this or not, but I hope we do,” McDonald said. “The main thing I think is if we start to see that anything that we’re doing has a potential of being a super-spreader. I don’t think any of us are worried so much about getting sick ourselves. We’re all vaccinated. But if we test positive, that means all the people in our workplace are being exposed.”

McDonald, 69, is the group’s most famous name and face, but he’s happy to humbly assume a supporting role. Johnston’s guitar-based era of the Doobie Brothers, with songs like “Black Water” and “Long Train Runnin’,” define the band for him. His more keyboard-centric version, with hits including “What a Fool Believes” and “Takin’ It to the Streets,” is the variant.

“Those are the guys whose music people will always think of as the Doobie Brothers,” McDonald said. “I think most people kind of consider me a phase of Brothers.”

Embracing his supplemental role, McDonald will play mandolin and accordion at these concerts along with his usual keyboards. And while the hits he wrote will certainly be in the set list, he’s more than happy to sing backup on songs penned by Johnston and Simmons.

“I’ve always found it easier to sing other people’s music than my own,” McDonald said. “For some reason the songs I’ve written aren’t really that singer-friendly.”

Live, McDonald says, even the mellower songs seem to rock more, and even with its senior members they manage to “keep the energy up.”

Age is not without its challenges after 50 years though. Not with a deep catalog of not-always-easy-to-play songs.

“Just remembering everything keeps it interesting for yourself,” the 73-year-old Johnston says with a laugh. “It’s not boring.”

The band includes guitarist-since-1979 John McFee, making for a lineup not seen in 25 years. They rehearsed for a week before McDonald joined them for another week of getting reacquainted with old songs. And despite dozens of shifting members through the decades, they remain, Johnston says, a “tight-knit little family.”

“I have to say, everybody is really putting in all effort,” he said. “I’m proud to be part of it.

The vibe in the rehearsal studio and on the road is neither fraught with rivalry nor overly professional.

“It’s really more like just old friends,” McDonald said. “It’s been that way for quite a while.”

And they’ll deal with it if they have to cancel. Rolling with it has been their specialty from the start.

“Nothing is planned. It just happens,” Johnston said. “It’s always been that way. And it’ll always be that way. I like that.”

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Doobie Brothers try to keep long train running, 50 years onMiriam Di Nunzioon August 27, 2021 at 12:34 am Read More »

Artist feature — Cecilio Garciaon August 27, 2021 at 12:02 am

Chicago’s Art and Beer Scene

Artist feature — Cecilio Garcia

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Artist feature — Cecilio Garciaon August 27, 2021 at 12:02 am Read More »

2 killed in ‘brazen’ gang-related shooting outside Kankakee County Courthouse, police sayDavid Struetton August 26, 2021 at 11:42 pm

Two men were killed and another was seriously injured in a shooting caused by “internal gang conflict” outside the Kankakee County Courthouse on Thursday morning, according to the Kankakee Police Department.

Three people — including relatives Miguel Andrade, 23, and Victor Andrade, 26, — were leaving a hearing at the courthouse about 9:15 a.m. when they were approached in the parking lot by a man with multiple weapons, Police Chief Robin Passwater said in a Thursday evening news conference.

The armed man, identified as Antonio Hernandez, 24, opened fire, fatally striking Victor Andrade multiple times and injuring another man standing on a sidewalk nearby, Passwater said.

At the same time, Miguel Andrade went to grab a gun from his vehicle and allegedly began shooting back at Hernandez in a “running gun battle” in the parking lot and lawn of the courthouse, Passwater said.

Police arrived and found Miguel Andrade allegedly with a weapon standing over a fatally wounded Hernandez, Passwater said.

Miguel Andrade was taken into custody while Hernandez and Victor Andrade were pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Miguel Andrade, Victor Andrade and Hernandez are all members of the Latin Kings and were engaged in an ongoing internal gang conflict, according to Passwater. Hernandez is believed to be from Waukegan, Passwater said.

The male recovering from surgery in the hospital was not connected to the gang, Passwater said.

A second person was arrested by sheriff’s deputies while leaving the scene of the shooting. Passwater later said that person was not connected to the shooting and was in custody on an unrelated charge.

“Multiple firearms” were recovered from the scene, including a “long gun,” which is considered to be an “assault rifle,” Passwater said.

Several law enforcement agencies were offering support in the investigation, including Illinois State Police, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service, he said.

Passwater said the “brazen” attack happened during a busy time of the day when many people were entering and exiting the courthouse, which was closed for the rest of the day.

City of Kankakee Mayor Christopher Curtis told reporters he was thankful there were no more victims. “It could have been a lot worse,” Curtis said.

Buildings near the shooting were on lockdown as a precaution, the city said, but authorities later reported that the area was secure.

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2 killed in ‘brazen’ gang-related shooting outside Kankakee County Courthouse, police sayDavid Struetton August 26, 2021 at 11:42 pm Read More »