Music Blurbs, Vol. 25

Totally Tubular Festival
Enough time has passed that musical nostalgia – with its terms like “oldies” – now refers to the 1980s. The era of MTV, big hair, digital synthesizers, shoulder pads and the signature graphic illustrations of Patrick Nagel are now the currency of a generation’s fond looks toward the past. That explains the popularity of this package tour, featuring a mix of the era’s major artists and a few one- (or two-) hit wonders. Topping the bill is Thomas Dolby, both a hitmaker (“She Blinded Me With Science”) and a respected innovator, appearing with his band the Lost Toy People. While A Flock of Seagulls are most readily remembered for keyboardist Mike Score’s distinctive hairdo, their synthesizer-based music has worn remarkably well, and (like Dolby) the band continues to record and release worthwhile material to this day. Also on the bill are are Bow Wow Wow, power pop quartet the Producers and Tommy Tutone (“867-5309”). Still lesser-known but purveyors of ‘80s hit singles are Animotion (“Obsession” from 1984) and The Escape Club. Concertgoers can expect to hear all the hits.

Stray Cats
Popular music goes through cycles; what was old often becomes new again, and generations who missed out on trends the first time around enjoy sounds and styles of the past with a fresh, new perspective. The rockabilly revival of the late 1970s and early ‘80s was an outgrowth or subset of the punk scene; musicians and listeners alike found the common ground between the visceral energy of punk and the stripped-down, no-frills aesthetic of early rock ‘n’ roll. Into that scene came Long Island trio the Stray Cats. Like many other American artists before them (e.g. Jimi Hendrix) they had to go to the UK to get noticed, but once there Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (upright bass) and drummer Slim Jim Phantom took off like wildfire. Record companies came calling, and the band signed. Success in the UK led to a U.S. label compiling material from two albums to make 1982’s Built for Speed. That record went Platinum. The band has continued on an off, with new albums and tours helping keep the updated spirit of 1950s rock alive and well for generations of new listeners.

Sugar
When influential punk trio Hüsker Dü broke up in 1988, singer, songwriter and guitarist Bob Mould embarked on a solo career. He toured in support of a pair of albums, and by 1991 was working on new material with bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis; the trio soon became Sugar. The new trio created music that drew from their strengths in punk, hardcore and melodic pop, all delivered in a trademark high energy style. 1992’s critically-acclaimed Copper Blue rocked as hard as ever, but also contained irresistibly catchy tunes like Mould’s “If I Can’t Change your Mind.” A followup EP, Beaster eschewed the pop perspective in favor of heavier arrangements. 1994’s playfully-titled File Under: Easy Listening returned to Copper Blue’s varied approach and featured another indelible melody in “Believe What You’re Saying.” After the 1995 Besides compilation, the band amicably went inactive, with Mould resuming his solo career. Somewhat unexpectedly, three full decades later, the band released a new song, “House of Dead Memories,” along with announcement of a 2026 North American tour.

The Guess Who
Rock heroes The Guess Who came from an unlikely place: Winnpieg, Manitoba. 1969’s Wheatfield Soul marked the beginning of a creatively fruitful five-year streak in which the band placed all 11 of its albums in the Billboard 200, with six of those making it to the Top Ten in their native Canada. In that same period, the group scored 13 Top 40 singles in the U.S., including a pair of Number One hits, “American Woman” and “No Sugar Tonight.” Lead singer and keyboardist Burton Cummings effectively co-led the band with guitarist Randy Bachman until the latter departed to launch Bachman-Turner Overdrive in 1971. The Guess Who broke up in 1975. The group was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1987. Occasional reunions took place, and for many years original bassist Jim Kale led a group using the Guess Who name. Bachman and Cummings battled Kale in court for years, eventually winning rights to the band name. In 2026 the duo assembled a new lineup and launched the “Takin’ it Back” tour.

Joe Bonamassa
Not even counting collaborative projects, prolific New York-born blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa has released 17 studio albums since his debut, 2000’s A New Day Yesterday. His most recent studio album, 2025’s Breakthrough top-tenned the charts in four countries. Bonamassa holds a record as the blues artist with the most Number One albums (30 to date). Yet as well-received as his studio releases have been, Bonamassa’s reputation has been built and cultivated on the strength of his live performances. His steady stream of live albums – 21 and counting – splits the difference. Released in June, Bonamassa’s The Spirit of Rory: Live from Cork pays tribute to another blues-rock guitar titan, Rory Gallagher. Through his career, Bonamassa has been nominated five times for a Grammy Award. In 2020 he launched his own record label, Keeping the Blues Alive, dedicated to offering support to established and aspiring artists. An avid guitar collector and self-described guitar nerd, Bonamassa reputedly owns between 500 and 600 instruments; he often plays rare guitars from his collection (self-effacingly dubbed “Nerdville”) live onstage.