Sound check: Backyard Tire Fire returns to Aurora; Foghat at the Arcada; Geekd, The Shades and JORDY’s tour

Backyard Tire Fire outdoors

After nearly a decadelong break, Americana rock band Backyard Tire Fire is roaring back to life. Led by St. Charles native Edward David Anderson, the retooled lineup has a new EP in the works for the fall and a packed schedule of club dates and festivals throughout the Midwest. “I had been writing all along during our hiatus, playing solo shows and with my other bands,” Anderson said. “I had a batch of tunes that just felt like BTF songs and was missing playing with my brother so it seemed like the right time to return from the extended hiatus.” The tour kicks off in Aurora at The Venue’s outdoor stage at Mundy Park this weekend.

8 p.m. Friday, July 16, at Mundy Park, 21-23 S. Broadway, Aurora. $20 for lawn, $25 for terrace seating; (331) 212-8490 or themusicvenue.org.

Geekd about art

Schaumburg’s Christian Moreno, who just released his Geekd project’s “Jeux” EP, is showcasing both sides of his creative spirit for the Separate Waves II art showcase at Chicago’s Throop Studio. He headlines Friday night of the two-night event, which features a lineup of music and visual artistry from the area. That night’s roster includes Whüzy, mjae and Caleb Reeves; Saturday night’s set includes Jake Victor, Andy Danstrom and Press Snooze. But Moreno, who honed his painting skills during the pandemic lockdowns, will also be presenting some of his personal work both nights alongside Stevan Dedovic, Kelly Cunningham, Margaret Griffin, Debby Cunningham, Sean Griffin, Jenn Lawhead, Andy Warren Jepson, Maria Villa, Nicole Prather, Sam Corzine and Zelda Louise. The event will also be livestreamed at separatewaves.com/livestream.

6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 16-17, at Throop Studio, 1500 N. Throop St., Chicago. $15 suggested donation; separatewaves.com.

Legendary Foghat

Multi-Platinum rock band FOGHAT celebrates its 50 years with a new live album ­– “8 Days On the Road,” which was recorded in late 2019 — and blasts back from the pandemic on the Arcada Theatre’s stage in St. Charles this weekend. The blues rockers of Savoy Brown open the show. Preorders for the album (with instant access to the single “Road Fever”) are available now; and you can check out a video for the song on the band’s YouTube page.

8 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. $39-$79; (630) 962-7000 or arcadalive.com.

Shades on stage

The Shades — Buffalo Grove brothers Phil and Mark Jacobson and Chicago artist Andrew DeMuro, whom fans may recognize from season 11 of NBC’s “The Voice” — know their way around three-part harmonies. Armed with acoustic guitars and a friendly Americana charm, the band’s new single and video “Running” showcases the fun, folksy style they add to their tight musical arrangements. Fans can hear that, along with other favorites, when The Shades plays City Winery next week, paired with up-and-coming Chicago comedian Tommy Schneeman, who has appeared regularly at Zanies, The Laugh Factory, Chicago Improv and more on our comedy scene.

7:30 p.m. (6 p.m. doors) Thursday, July 22, at City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph St., Chicago. $15-$28; (312) 733-9463 or citywinery.com.

JORDY’s return

Pop singer JORDY — Jordy Shulman to his fellow Glenbrook North grads — just announced his hometown return when his “Mind Games Tour” kicks off this fall. The Northbrook native said he was destined to perform when he first saw a show as a child. “I just remember having this feeling in my gut when I was really young seeing people on stage and just knowing that was what I wanted to do,” he recalled. “I remember telling my parents I want to do that.” Propelled by the blowup of his song “Long Distance” online earlier this year, JORDY is riding a pretty hefty body of catchy yet heartfelt work to Chicago’s Lincoln Hall where he headlines this November, joined by good friend and collaborator OSTON.

9 p.m. (8 p.m. doors) Saturday, Nov. 27, at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $15-$19; tickets are in presale now with the code POPBOY at lh-st.com.

Art in Arlington Heights

Hey Nonny celebrates the breadth of artist Walter Salas-Humara’s skills with a dual event Friday. From 4 to 7 p.m., the venue hosts the opening reception for a two-month-long exhibit of the painter’s work in the bistro, featuring music from local favorite Eric Quigley. At 7:30, Salas-Humara takes up his guitar to head up a full-band performance of the former The Silos singer’s solo work.

4 p.m. (music at 7:30 p.m.) Friday, July 16, at Hey Nonny, 10 S. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights. Free; (224) 202-0750 or heynonny.com.

• Brian Shamie is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor and local music junkie. Email him at bshamie@dailyherald.com, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter (@thatshamieguy) or Instagram (@chicagosoundcheck).

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