Hot Stove charity concert swings for fences with rock, baseball

Local H frontman Scott Lucas and former Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin had never played together before last summer's Hot Stove Cool Music fundraiser, yet there they were again early this month performing their own soundtrack to Sergei Eisenstein's landmark 1925 silent film "Battleship Potemkin" at the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival.

A little cross-pollination can go a long way, particularly when you merge the worlds of music, baseball and charity.

The date and lineup for Chicago's third annual Hot Stove Cool Music concert are being announced Tuesday with even more emphasis on finding new lineups on the city's deep musical bench. Imported from Boston by Cubs President Theo Epstein and scheduled for June 20 at the Wrigleyville club Metro, the show will feature an "all-star" lineup including returning players Chamberlin and Lucas as well as Rage Against the Machine/Bruce Springsteen guitarist Tom Morello, Wilco/The Autumn Defense bassist John Stirratt, Urge Overkill guitarist/bassist Eddie "King" Roeser, Shoes singer/guitarist Gary Klebe, the Ponys frontman Jered Gummere, Tributosaurus singer (and The Score 670-AM sports-talk co-host) Matt Spiegel and other veteran local musicians (Gerald Dowd, Phil Angotti, Jennifer Hall, Curt Morrison, Jon Paul, Max Crawford ...).

You can expect Epstein, a big Pearl Jam fan, to strap on his guitar as well, and Cubs TV play-by-play announcer Len Kasper will be playing bass, primarily on the power-pop tunes that are in his wheelhouse, he said. Sports writer (and guitarist) Peter Gammons co-founded the Hot Stove event in Boston in 2000, and Epstein got involved upon becoming the Boston Red Sox's general manager in late 2002. After the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, Epstein said, he and his twin brother, Paul Epstein, established the Foundation To Be Named Later as a way to channel enthusiasm for the team into support for children and families in need.

"The original thought, and the thought that has sustained it from my perspective, was if there are people who have resources, who are that passionate about baseball and music, then you can put together an event in which you could transfer some of that wealth to nonprofits that really need it," Theo Epstein said.

The Hot Stove events still take place each January in Boston, and since the Cubs hired Epstein in fall 2011, Chicago has hosted a summer version, which includes the show and, the following afternoon, the Urban Baseball Classic game between Boston and Chicago youth teams.

The two cities' concerts are somewhat different animals: Taking place in the offseason, the Boston one attracts more players and has more of a "family reunion" feel, Epstein said. He recalled one year in which then-Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon removed his shirt onstage, auctioned it to an audience member for charity and then dove into the crowd.

"I can't approve of this," Epstein said, "but it sure makes this a hell of an event."

Smashing Pumpkins headlined the inaugural Chicago Hot Stove concert in 2012, and Poi Dog Pondering filled that bill last year. But the 2013 show also featured Epstein, Gammons and Kasper playing with local musicians, billed as the Hot Stove All Stars, and they played so long that Poi Dog didn't hit the stage till about 11 p.m.

"The All Stars took a bigger chunk of the night," Metro owner Joe Shanahan recalled, "and we said, 'Next year, let's just do this. This is the meat of the matter. This could be totally great.'"

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Hot Stove charity concert swings for fences with rock, baseball