IDES PRESENT “A VEHICLE FOR EDUCATION” AWARD

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The IDES OF MARCH presented Morton High School Student DAKOTA LUCAS with this year’s VEHICLE FOR EDUCATION Scholarship endowment in ceremonies on the Morton West campus, Tuesday April 29th.

Ms. Lucas accompanied the Ides on guitar with their number one hit “Vehicle” during the Senior Awards Program. She related she also plays Piano.

Ms. Lucas will be attending the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana this fall. The Ides wish this talented young Woman all the best in her studies and future career.

A VEHICLE FOR EDUCATION TO AWARD EDUCATION GRANT

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On April 29th, the IDES OF MARCH will once again award a bright, young Arts student of Morton High School an endowment for their education. Our charity “A Vehicle For Education” has provided this award for 12 years, and the movement has grown, with many folks making a yearly donation. The Core 4 Ides (plus Scott) were all involved in Arts programs during their Morton Years, and recognize the unique values the Arts bring to life. The teachers at Morton choose the student they believe is most worthy of the award. In the past few years, the awards ceremony, held at the Morton West Campus has been a joyous affair, with the Ides performing a few songs with the Rock band led by various Fine Arts Teachers. Next week, we’ll post photos from the event.
Visit https://theidesofmarch.com/a-vehicle-for-education/ for more info or to donate.

ROCK ‘N’ ROMANCE ‘N’ ROLLING WAVES

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In March, we returned to the Caribbean by way of the “70’s Rock And Romance” cruise. On this one, you play either the “first half” or the “second half”, and we were on the latter leg. We flew into Cozumel’s nifty little Airport (how cool it is to descend the “old school” staircase and see the massive aircraft up close). After a night’s stay at the incredibly posh “El Presidente Intercontinental” Hotel we boarded the Celebrity Summit the next morning. We had a number of friends on this leg of the cruise: John Lodge from the Moody Blues, The Jefferson Starship, and Danny Seraphine first and foremost. New friends included the gents from “Toast”, a stellar tribute to the group “Bread”, and the “Who Generation”, who did a great sendup of the Who’s hits. The folks from the production company “StarVista” were also glad to see us, remembering us from cruises past.

We played 2 shows in the “Pool Area”: the first a late-night party (11pm!) in the cool night air. 2pm on Friday found us back on deck with a packed crowd. Weather was a bit overcast, but that was actually a blessing, for we were spared the blazing tropical sun and its relentless heat. Our old pal Cathy Richardson from the Starship joined us onstage for the powerful duet with JP on “Blue Storm Rising” from our latest “Play On” Album. Always a treat to jam with C.R.!
We also did a fun Q&A session and “meet/greet”, which was taped and ran on the ship’s TeeVee system. It was great to meet fans from all over the world, and wouldn’t you know it, more than a few from the Chicagoland area.

All-in-all, 2 fine voyages. If you haven’t been on one of these, we recommend you try one-(especially if we’re featured). Keep an eye on our website…

CONCERTS AT SEA? WHY NOT!

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The first quarter of the year has been an “ocean breeze” for the IDES. Literally! We’ve been on 2 cruises-“Concerts At Sea” in January, and “70’s Rock And Romance” in March. Both voyages were great fun for the band, and brought our music to the fans old and new.  The January sojourn found us in good company with the Platters, the Coasters, Chubby Checker, Chris Montez, and Gary Lewis and the Playboys. What a joy it was to see, hear, (and hang) with some of the architects of Rock and Roll. The “Sea Princess” was a luxurious ship, and the “staff” musicians were wonderful to hear, perfect accompaniment to after-hours nightcaps. We played one show in the Theatre to a rousing audience, and the folks certainly let us know how much they appreciated  it. The “Concerts At Sea” cruise has been going now for over 30 years-it was started back then by Mark Lindsay of “Paul Revere & The Raiders”. Unlike the other cruises we’ve been on, this group was only about 1/3 of the entire ship’s population, and there is a warm, familial vibe running through it. There are folks who have been on every sailing, and the folks who run it couldn’t have been more welcoming to us. We’ve made a whole bunch of new friends, and it wouldn’t surprise us if we weren’t back on “Concerts At Sea” in the near future.

IDES AND SCOTT MAY INDUCTED INTO ROCK GODZ HALL OF FAME

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A wonderful accolade was bestowed upon the IDES on the 16th of February when we were inducted into the ROCK GODZ HALL OF FAME. The induction ceremonies were held at the sprawling “JOE’S LIVE” venue in Rosemont, Illinois, and we were in fine company. Also inducted that evening were our old pals THE BUCKINGHAMS (with poignant posthumous inductions of Jon Poulos and Marty Grebb), Impresario Grande RON ONESTI, Guitar Builder DEAN ZELINSKY, Bass Giant BILL “BUDDHA” DICKENS, Local legend BRAD ELVIS, Styx Drummer TODD SUCHERMAN, and DAN DONEGAN of the band Disturbed. Our own keyboardist SCOTT MAY was inducted under his own name.

We played 3 tunes to a rousing reception, and each IDE offered their gratitude. A fine dinner, great cocktails and warm brotherhood with the other inductees put a bow on a great evening we will remember for a long time to come.

IDES TO BE INDUCTED INTO ROCKGODZ HALL OF FAME

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ROCKGODZ Hall of Fame Awards 2025 to Honor Legendary Musicians and Industry Leaders in Rosemont, IL.

The ROCKGODZ Hall of Fame is proud to announce their 2025 Awards Show in Rosemont, IL, on February 16th at the legendary Joes Live Rosemont, 5441 Park Place, Rosemont, IL 66018. This event will honor some of Illinois most influential local musicians and industry leaders.

The Inductees include members of The Buckingham’s, Carl Giammarese, Nick Fortuna, Dennis Tufano, Marty Grebb (in memoriam), John Poulos (in memoriam).  Also being inducted are members of Ides of March, Jim Peterik, Larry Millas, Mike Borch, Bob Berglund, Scott May (also of Hammond Organ).  Other local celebrities include Ron Onesti (Onesti Entertainment), Dean Zelinsky (Zelinsky Private Label), Todd Sucherman (Styx), Dan Donegan(Disturbed), Brad Elvis(Scream, the Handcuffs) and the legendary Bill “The Buddha” Dickens. 

Rock and roll legends will honor their own during a celebration of music with passion and talent at its core, bringing recognition to individual musicians who built the legacy of rock music. All RockGodz Hall of Fame inductees are selected by inductee alumni, their peers, which continues to make the organization highly respected by the music community. This year’s Event will include an Award Show and live musical performances from the RockGodz Hall of Fame band, The Buckingham’s, Ides of March and other great performances.  The event will be a night of music and celebration of some of Illinois best!

“Our mission is to acknowledge the contributions of a group of stunningly gifted musicians and professionals who flew under the radar while delivering to the world music that has orchestrated the soundtrack of many lives,” said Cindy Landeen, RockGodz Hall of Fame Founder.  We believe that these virtuosos, maestros, and those working in the trenches behind the scenes need not wait any longer to be recognized and acknowledged for their part in rock and roll history. In the day they may have been relatively unknown to the music world and fans at large but RockGodz Hall of Fame has purposely taken on the challenge and goal of celebrating their achievements.”   

VIP Meet and Greet  4:30pm to 5:30pm, doors open at 4pm and showtime is 6pm.

Tickets are available for purchase starting at $85.00 which include a BBQ dinner buffet from Bub City.  Tickets can be purchased at:  www.rockgodzhalloffame.com.  Private suites and sponsorship opportunities available and arrangements can be made through Cindy (Landeen) Kleven at cindyjsl@outlook.com or 651-343-4747.

RockGodz Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. All RockGodz events and initiatives are funded through ticket sales, sponsorships, volunteers, and donations. 

You Can Be Thankful For Rock’n’Roll

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You’ll be over your turkey coma and ready to rock when the Cornerstones featuring the Ides return to the Arcana Theatre on November 25! Bring everyone along and rock with us! Details here: https://www.arcadalive.com/event/cornerstones-of-rock-20231125/

Christmas Continues In Des Plaines

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Grab a second helping of Christmas Spirit as the Ides bring the Christmas Extravaganza to the Des Plaines Theatre on December 9th for a matinee show! More details here: https://desplainestheatre.com/events/the-ides-of-march-christmas-show-407/

Christmas Season Starts At The Acorn!

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The Ides Of March Christmas show is really 2 shows in one. The first half features the Ides’ distinctive original Christmas songs, mixed with choice traditional Carols. Each member of the band is featured, including the Ides stellar Brass section. Mostly “unplugged,” the tunes weave a warm Christmas/Holiday vibe – sometimes humorous, sometimes spiritual, but always entertaining and full of the Season’s cheer. The second half of the show is pure rock and roll, with a mix of Ides favorites and the top-ten hits Jim Peterik is famous for, including “Vehicle,” “Hold On Loosely” and “The Eye Of The Tiger.”

Get your tickets now at https://www.acornlive.org/events/the-ides-of-march-christmas/

IDES RE-RELEASE ANTHEM OF HOPE CELEBRATING CHICAGO SPIRIT

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The Ides of March felt the time was right for re-releasing our 1992 City of Chicago anthem “Spirit Of Chicago” with a brand-new lyric video done by Paul Braun.

Beside yours truly and all of the Ides our special guests included Dennis DeYoung, Cathy Richardson, the late Gary Loizzo (American Breed) and Jim Ellison (Material Issue), Frankie Sullivan, Rick Nielsen, John Melnick and Dave Carl.  What a cast of Chicago classics including my co-writer Dick Eastman.

This song and video can be seen on the Ides’ YouTube channel and the Ides’ official Facebook page.

Special thanks to everyone who took part in this and the photographer Barry Butler and others who donated their brilliant images to the celebration of The Spirit of Chicago.

https://youtu.be/QJuGvv3nyD4

Jimbo and The Ides.