There may not be enough hours in the day for Jamila Woods. The do-everything 23-year-old is a sort of modern-day Renaissance woman. With all that she does, it’s a wonder she can find time to do anything at all. “I really find that I can’t really do just one thing,” said Woods. “I get a lot of energy from that balance of other things, and I think my craft benefits from doing all of it.”
Woods sings as part of the Chicago duo Milo and Otis, who opened for Chance The Rapper at The Metro last October, and play the Hard Rock Cafe on March 1. Her poetry has won her two Louder Than A Bomb College slam poetry titles (2009 and 2011). “Being onstage for poetry has helped me so much because if I have a nervous feeling now, it’s more of a familiar feeling,” said Woods. She has also produced two plays and has a book of poetry, “The Truth About Dolls” (New School Poetics Press). Woods also spends her down time helping at Young Chicago Authors.
“Working with students, they don’t care what I do in my free time. It’s humbling because I have to come in and convince them that poetry is worth their time, which, at the same time pushes me to do the kind of poetry that I’m writing.”
If ShowYouSuck’s recent release, One Man Pizza Party Three: Rest In Pizza, ends up as a flop, it won’t be the end of the world for the Chicago MC.
While he may not have to worry about bad reception, Clinton Sandifer, better known as ShowYouSuck, has plenty of options if the music world was suddenly not an option.
At 27, Sandifer finds himself of the older guard in a city where it seems as though the average MC’s age hovers somewhere between a driver’s license and a first legal drink.
With age comes wisdom and Show has seen it all, becoming a sort of twenty-first century Renaissance man in the process.
A graduate of the Illinois Institute of Art-Schaumburg, Sandifer helped establish an art gallery, Artpentry, in Pilsen and is involved with Code of Conduct tattoo parlor along with his clothing line Slurpcult, and yeah, he sometimes finds time to rap too.
Fresh off the Slumerican Tour with Yelawolf, ShowYouSuck credits his creative personality to his success.
“If this shit fucked up tomorrow I could go right back to working at a skate shop or to the art gallery or tattoo shop,” said ShowYouSuck. “It allows me to make my music freely. Music isn’t my last resort.”
The Bridgeview native doesn’t necessarily evoke the stereotype of a rapper. You can often find him around town in a cut-off jean jacket and tie-dye shirt. His style is more punk than hip-hop, an ode to his first true love in music.
“I’d rather embody the spirit (of rock) than rapping over guitars and shit,” said ShowYouSuck. “There’s definitely been rappers before me who have shown influence from rock but I feel like a lot of it comes off cheesy. I just want to make rap music.”
The rock influences are easily evident in his work.
“Girlfriend” from his 2012 Stefan Ponce-produced mixtape Girls, Girls, Girls features a heavy guitar riff and “The Return of the Headbanger’s Ball” on OMPP3 evoked feelings and fond memories of the 80s MTV rock show.
He admits his stage name is somewhat modeled after bands he knew growing up.
“It was sort of an ode to me playing with a lot of bands when I started doing shows, especially in the ‘burbs and hardcore scene,” said ShowYouSuck. “A lot of them had names that were statements. People seeing it might think I’m a band at first.”
OMPP3: Rest In Pizza is the end of a saga for the Treated Crew member, the third installment of a trilogy that came about because “America loves threes and who doesn’t love pizza?”
To be sure, the growth in each chapter is evident as his deep, gruff tone rhymes about everyday topics over uptempo beats from an assortment of producers including Chicago’s own Mike Jaxx with some help from Ponce.
Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Auggie The 9th, Hollywood Holt and Grade A Plus also lend a hand with well-placed features.
The mosh-pit party vibe that was a theme on the first two One installments of the Man Pizza Party trilogy is still there in the third chapter, but blends itself with a grittier, trappier sound.
“I get the same feeling from trap music that I did when I first discovered punk,” said ShowYouSuck. “OMPP3 is basically a kind of cleansing, kind of a bass-heavy trap sound. There’s definitely inklings of what we have coming in the future on there.”
As someone who has been around the game in Chicago for awhile, Show has seen the growth in the scene around the city.
With the rise of a steady, nationally-recognized hip-hop scene one would assume competition and beef would be at an all-time high; he feels the contrary is true.
“I’m kind of like the new old guy,” said ShowYouSuck. “I was rapping on the Chicago scene before the internet age. At that time? Four years ago? That was cut-throat. Right now it’s not cut-throat; everyone’s working together.”
The collaboration of artists in the Windy City is obvious by looking at any release to hit the internet from the area in the past year. With more freedom for everyone to pursue their own lane, the competition has given way to a sort of collective.
With the project out for the public, ShowYouSuck continues to carve his own very distinct niche and will turn his sights to 2013 of which South By Southwest in Austin, Texas March 12-17 is the first priority.
ShowYouSuck was chosen by RedBull and Fake Shore Drive as one of three contestants for the SoundSelect competition between Sasha Go Hard, Tree and himself for a spot at RedBull’s SXSW showcase, fans can vote for their favorite artist of the three here.
If his performance at the kickoff event February 7 at the Bottom Lounge was any indication, ShowYouSuck means business. Sandwiched between the other two acts, Show’s punk-inspired live show left the crowd in a frenzy.
“The SoundSelect show was hands down my best show yet,” said ShowYouSuck. “The crowd was amazing and the vibe was perfect. I was stoked to be playing for people that were ready to party, I felt right at home!”
While he may be prepared to pursue other endeavors at some point, it looks like hip-hop will remain priority No. 1 for the do-everything MC. The strong, well-thought Rest in Pizza finale is the perfect end to one chapter and beginning of another for ShowYouSuck.
“At this point I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel,” said ShowYouSuck. “I just wanna keep doin rad shit and keep connecting with like minded people. Life is good.”
Any band has its growing pains, but for Chicago funk-fusion band whysowhite, there have been more than a few.
Its show and coinciding debut album release Friday at Martyrs mark a milestone for the eight-piece band, which started recording the project in 2011.
After a period of setbacks, the band is playing its first gig together in more than a year and a half. “It has seemed like every year is a set-up year for the next one, which is why I think we’ve been successful,” said rhythm guitarist Charlie “Uncle Funk” Dwyer. “We’re excited to get things rolling finally.”
The band started as the brainchild of eclectic front man Nick McMillan, who began his stage career as an actor before slowly drifting toward music. Over time each member seemed to fall into place.
“Even since our last show at Martyrs, our numbers have grown,” McMillan said. “Davis [Haines, vocals and percussion] dropped out of school and came back to Chicago to play with us and start recording our album.”
In July 2011, just after the band began work on its self-titled debut album, Haines was run over by a semi while he was on his bike. The accident left Haines with a shattered pelvis, broken femur, fibula, ribs and two collapsed lungs, and quite near death. “I pulled through, but we weren’t sure really how the whole thing would affect the band,” said Davis, whose twin brother, Charles, also provides the band’s lead vocals.
The Davis twins retreated to their home Birmingham, Ala., to recover physically and mentally, leaving whysowhite in a state of hiatus for about six months.
“We were in a whole different world, there was no time, and day to day, business was just ambiguous. We felt like the band was a passing fancy we would tell our kids about,” Charles said. “We weren’t sure how to be in a band after our world had just shifted.”
After their bandmates took a road trip to visit the twins in late 2011, there was renewed faith in the group. With Davis on the mend, whysowhite enlisted help from newcomers Hannah Shefsky, a Northwestern grad, on keyboards and supporting vocals, and DePaul graduates Dave Sumberg on bass and Andrew Ambromawitz on percussion.
The steadily growing band began playing again, with shows at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas; Martyrs and Abbey Pub. But the show Friday at Martyr’s represents the first time the full band has performed together since Davis’ accident.
As they jam in their practice space, a converted fire-house on the North Side, it is easily evident that the close friends put heart and soul into their work. The sound is a mix of funk and rock with a hint of hip-hop flavor, lent by Charles Haines and McMillan.
“We spend 10 hours practicing every week, but probably like 40 hours together just hanging out,” said lead guitarist and in-house engineer Chris Miller. “The reason for our sound is because we said maybe to everything and didn’t say no to anything.”
With the album finally out, the band isn’t certain what the future holds, but it plans to charge fully into whatever it is.
“We’ve had every reason not to stay together, and we’ve been through tough times, which makes hanging out that much more important. This music is what we make when we hang out,” Charles Haines said. As for the future, “We have no idea; there’s no precedent for that in life.”
Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter: @jakekrez
At age 15, Dikembe Caston, better known as Kembe X, decided to drop out of high school and pursue hip-hop.
After an argument with his father, the former De La Salle student shifted his focus to rhymes, with an understanding that time and concentration breeds success.
“I knew that if I focused on [rap], the way stuff works, if you work at it, you’ll get good at it,” said Kembe X, 18, a native of South Holland. “I figured if I worked at it then and took the four or five years necessary to develop , and I’ll be like 19 or 20 when it comes to fruition.” .
It was a chance for sure.
That chance began to pay off in 2011 when his debut mixtape, “Self Rule,” landed on the Forbes.com list of top free music for the year, placing above the likes of Frank Ocean and The Weeknd.
Since then, Kembe X has released a project with sometime partner Alex Wiley, “Can I Borrow a Dollar?” He was quiet in 2012, save for lending his voice to some local records.
While that success was well-deserved, it did put added pressure on the teen artist. “The pressure actually was like immediately after I dropped ‘Self Rule,’ and it was more so [about] people’s expectations,” he said. “The pressure was making me apprehensive with my writing. It just wore off because I wanted to make music.”
The product of his renewed efforts is the follow-up mixtape, “Soundtrack II Armageddon.” The project, released Monday, is a departure from the dark, interpersonal theme of his debut, and is the first in a multi-part series that will be released throughout 2013.
“This project, for me, is even more personal as far as the way that I think,” he said. “The way that I think has changed, I’m not in the same dark place. It’s the same subject but the view is just different.”
“Soundtrack II Armageddon” demonstrates the sort of growth one would hope to see from an artist his age, with lyrics that show a knack for subtle detail.
To help celebrate the release, Kembe X will join his good friend Alex Wiley for an all-ages “Club Wiley Appreciation Show” starting at 4 p.m. Feb. 9 at Reggie’. The show will be the second visit to Reggie’s in three weeks for Wiley, who impressed as the opening act for Action Bronson on Jan. 27.
If nothing else, the leap of faith seems to be working out.
“Last year, we wanted things to be big, but we knew it was kind of a set-up year,” he said. “This year is going to be really big, though, with everything we have coming out. I’m excited.”
Jake Krzeczowski is a local free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter @jakekrez
January 29, 2013 8:20PM
Words By Jake Krzeczowski
Photo: Allen Daniel
Video: Bryan Lamb
More and more hip-hop artists have made the jump recently from Chicago to the national scene, with Lil’ Durk and Lil’ Reese signing major-label deals and Chief Keef releasing his debut album.
That trend doesn’t seem like it will ease up anytime soon, either.
For instance, local artist Rockie Fresh, who signed to Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group last July, will join talented up-and-comer Chance the Rapper for an all-ages show Saturday at the Bottom Lounge to celebrate Rockie Fresh’s “Electric Highway” release, his first on a major label.
“The main difference with this project was that I had the resources to craft it the way I wanted to,” Rockie Fresh said. “It’s always real important for me to do stuff here in Chicago because this is where my true fans and true friends and family are, so I’m always glad to be back.”
Returning after shows in New York and Colorado, Rockie Fresh tapped 19-year-old wunderkind Chance the Rapper to join him onstage at the Bottom Lounge.
These two artists are increasingly becoming the face of the local hip-hop movement. Both recently played sold-out shows at Metro.
“I think me being considered at the forefront of all of this kind of makes sense,” Rockie Fresh said. “We all need different outlooks on different parts of the city, which makes Chicago so great because you have myself, Chance and Chief Keef all talking about the same city from different lights.”
The two artists’ styles differ from what has become the “norm” for Chicago hip-hop; they incorporate creative instrumentation and samples with thoughtful and sometimes poetic lyrics.
“Me and Rockie have known each other for a [while],” said Chance, whose “10 Day” debut mixtape was picked as one of the top 10 free music releases of 2012 by the site forbes.com. “Just to be in a class of artists that are young, mostly black, successful kids is dope to be a part of — there’s really a big fan base right now.”
All proceeds from the show will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to help fund research on Type 1 diabetes.
“When we heard about the benefit side of the show, we were really excited because we haven’t played any benefits yet this year,” Chance said. “I have a cousin that suffers from juvenile diabetes and a lot of older relatives that have Type 2 or Type 1. It’s just always dope to give back in any situation.”
The Bottom Lounge show is shaping up to be a glimpse of what’s to come from the Windy City.
“Right now, me and Chance are both buzzing both in and out of the city and getting a lot of attention,” Rockie Fresh said. “I think it’s important for the unity of the city for us to do something together like this.”
Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter @jakekrez.
In an age when a kid in a YouTube video can become a star overnight, Trampled by Turtles’ steady climb to popularity is a refreshing reminder of the days when artists were judged on the quality of their music.
In today’s music world, “making it” has become relative as the Internet and conglomeration of digital music have made it harder than ever to gauge the path for success.
If ticket sales still count, the folk/bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles, who play a sold out show Thursday at the Vic, may have found a measuring stick.
Trampled By Turtles has steadily risen up the charts
The band’s steady rise has been as much a surprise to the members as anyone else.
“So far. the tour has gone way past our expectation,” said Ryan Young, who plays the fiddle and lends back-up vocals. “Just about every show we’ve played has been sold out and some are selling out in advance, which is incredible. So far, so good.”
So good, indeed. The Duluth, Minn., band got its unusual name from a collaborative brainstorming session in which band members chose a moniker “they didn’t totally hate.”
That was in 2003. Since then, slow and steady has won the race for Trampled by Turtles by remaining consistent and knowing what fits the band’s sound.
The band really burst onto the national landscape with its 2010 release, “Palomino.”
“We just did the same thing, or didn’t do anything particularly different when ‘Palomino’ came out,” Young said. “That one did better than our previous work and we didn’t change much with our latest release, ‘Stars and Satellites,’ but that did even better than ‘Palomino.’ ”
With 2012 in the rearview, the band has no plans to stop any time soon, with festival dates peppering its schedule, with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado on June 20-23 circled in particular.
If nothing else, Trampled by Turtles won’t be caught off-guard in front of the sold out crowd at the Vic.
“There’s a lot of good acoustic music acts out there that don’t get as much recognition as we do and I can’t really say why,” Young said. “I think it’s something in our songs that really resonates with people; we’re definitely excited to bring that to our fans in Chicago.”
Jake Krzeczowski is a free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter: @jakekrez.
If her stage name were not evidence enough, Yaneisha Franklin, better known as Chicago hip-hop artist Sasha Go Hard, doesn’t take this music thing lightly.
Her music mirrors that mentality and largely reflects her life.
With acts like Chief Keef and Lil’ Reese bringing the hip-hop spotlight to Chicago, the city has become known for a style of rapping known as “drill.” The subgenre, which is rife with sputtering snares, uptempo rhymes and the sounds of gunshots in the background, has been largely dominated by men.
Enter Sasha Go Hard. At first glance. the petite 20-year-old Hyde Park native may not look like she fits the part of a “drill rapper,” but her disarming smile offsets a gritty demeanor..
While many have benefitted from the spotlight focused on the city, Sasha Go Hard has managed to build her name elsewhere on the strength of a well-received performance at the 2012 MTV Sucker Free Chicago event, where she showcased her mixtape “Do You Know Who I Am?” That led to a set at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City in October. She will perform Friday at the Hotel Victor Lounge.
“I’ve really been able to build a solid following out East, and it’s always so much fun to go to New York,” she said. “It’s crazy, though, because every time I leave Chicago, it’s just so good to come back and feel the love.”
As one of only a few female hip-hop artists to emerge from Chicago with a national following, Sasha Go Hard is also blazing a trail for young women like herself to pursue their artistic dreams.
“Every day I think about it, I feel really blessed because I’m not the only one who’s doing this but I’m getting the attention I deserve,” she said. “It’s just me being who I am, which I think shows others out there that it is possible to be successful in hip-hop as woman.”
Last year was big for Sasha Go Hard, with two critically acclaimed mixtapes, as well as co-signs from the likes of Azealia Banks, Trinidad James and Rockie Fresh, and a collaboration with Electronic guru Diplo.
She is now preparing to drop her latest project, “Round 3,” in February. The project features production from Absolut P, Block, Diplo and Chicago’s own Tony Roche, and is hosted by fellow local DJ Victoriouz.
If the past year is any indication, Sasha Go Hard doesn’t look to soften her approach any time soon.
“One thing in music I’ve learned so far is that you can be on and then off very quickly, so I just want to make sure the music I put out is consistent,” she said. “‘Round 3’ is going to be crazy, and I’m excited to have people rocking with me. I’m ready.”
Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter: @jakekrez.
For Clinton Sandifer, life is all about doing what makes him happy.
That he’s best known as Chicago hip-hop artist ShowYouSuck is beside the point. A former student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sandifer, 27, is evolving into a new-age renaissance man by finding many ways to bring his voice to a larger audience.
Along with his music career, he also helps run a tattoo shop, Code of Conduct, and an art gallery, Artpentry, both in Pilsen. Along with all that, he is also the face behind his own fashion label, Slurpcult. It’s all part of a dynamic persona that Sandifer projects to the world.
“I want you to be a fan of me before the music, the relationship is stronger that way,” he said. “If this messed up tomorrow, I can go back to working at a skate shop or art gallery. It allows me to make my music freely, there’s no desperation, music isn’t my last resort.”
To celebrate the release of the final part of his trilogy “One Man Pizza Party” titled “Rest in Pizza,” he will perform Saturday with Chicago-based artists St. Millie and Warhound at the Bottom Lounge.
The lineup reflects the album, which features a blend of hip-hop and rock. To be sure, Warhound and St. Millie are widely different acts. The former is a suburban hardcore rock quintet while the latter is part of the Treated Crew hip-hop collective (along with ShowYouSuck), who delivers thoughtful, poetic lyrics.
As Sandifer explains it, the way the show is set up mirrors the way he began his career performing in and around
Chicago.
“I started out playing hardcore shows with bands in the suburbs,” he said. “That was the first scene that really embraced me musically, and I’ve only really been doing shows with rappers for the past couple of years. I wanted to put together a show that I would have wanted to see when I was a teenager, I never had a chance to see a show like this before.”
His music draws on many influences, from punk and indie rock to soul. All are easily seen in his high-energy live act.
“A lot of my stage presence I got from watching other bands play,” he said. “People who are into different music don’t always mix together, and that’s what I want to do with this lineup.”
He’s ready to put his three-part, yearlong project to bed and continue to follow a path of creative freedom and genre-bending that has vaulted him to the forefront of Chicago hip-hop.
“I’m just really working freely right now,” he said. “Just recording and getting in with a lot of different producers and people, but I’m really happy with the way this project was received and excited to keep it going.”
Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter: @jakekrez
This summer 50,000 people flooded Soldier Field — not for a football game, or any game, for that matter. The young people coming through the gates of the home of the Chicago Bears were there for another reason: to dance.
Spring Awakening, a dance-music festival held June 16-17 in and around Soldier Field, is just one local example of how big the electronic dance music craze got this year.
EDM concerts are usually pre-packaged parties led by larger-than-life DJs, producers and musicians armed with extravagant light shows, glowstick cannons and head-pounding bass.
“The dance scene in Chicago right now is just thriving,” said DJ Steve Aoki, who played a sold-out show Dec. 15 at the Congress Theater. “Especially the past two years, it’s really gotten bigger and not even in terms of people but energy too. Kids have really embraced it and taken it to this state.”
Chicago’s concert winter calendar is packed with shows, culminating in a pair of concerts on New Year’s Eve: Big Gigantic at the Aragon Ballroom and Porter Robinson at the Congress Theater.
Big Gigantic, which returns for its second consecutive NYE in Chicago, and Porter Robinson represent two different takes on the genre widely known just as EDM.
Big Gigantic creates its dubstep-infused art with a live aspect, blending drums and a saxophone with computer-generated synth lines and bass. Porter Robinson, meanwhile, mixes on a computer.
“These days,” said Dominic Lalli, one half of Big Gigantic, “there’s so much out there and so much music coming out, being different is really key.”
Porter Robinson plays the Congress Theater for New Years Eve
The word “different” is important. The EDM community came under fire this year when Canadian dance music mogul Deadmau5 criticized DJs within the genre, most notably David Guetta and Skrillex, referring to them as “button pushers” who pretend to work a lot harder onstage than they do.
The issue also was sparked by a YouTube video showing Swedish House Mafia DJ Steve Angello casually smoking a cigarette onstage as the party raged on in front of him. While that behavior certainly isn’t status quo, it does raise questions about whether some DJs are being paid millions essentially just to hit “play.”
For its part, Big Gigantic tries to keep its music connected to performance.
“We just love making music,” said Lalli, who lists jazz greats John Coltrane and Joe Henderson as sax influences. “We try to bring all those elements together to make this new thing or sound, and I think that’s the biggest thing these days.”
While live instrumentation may attract some to the music, others couldn’t care less what the artist is doing onstage.
“I don’t really care, people can say whatever they want,” said Los Angeles DJ Audrey Napolean. “I know what I do, and I know what I do onstage is real, and I know that I do everything I can to put on a good show, and that’s all I need to know.”
The emergence of music on the Internet has assisted the rise of dance music. One of the most recognized sites for artists trying to break into the scene is BeatPort.com, a sort of iTunes for DJs.
“We are a site for music for DJs,” said BeatPort CEO Matthew Adell. “DJs have special music needs. They’re different from the average consumer. Our goal is to get DJs the most important material they need for their set, right now.”
The site, started in 2004, has helped launch the careers of many of the biggest artists in dance music and also hosts the annual BeatPort Music Awards, which recognize the best in EDM.
One of the most recent products of BeatPort is the Chicago-born trio Krewella, booked for Saturday at the Congress Theater.
Jahan and Yasmine Yousef and Producer RainMan make up Krewella
The three-person group, consisting of sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousef and producer Rain Man (Kris Trindl), is indicative of the rising scene here. Trindl handles the beats while the sisters provide their piercing vocals to the bands eclectic sound. The online venue allowed them to pursue a more cohesive live show with a larger following.
“Being featured on Beatport opened up a whole new world for our EP distribution,” Jahan said. “It’s amazing coming home to Chicago because I remember even a year and a half ago when we were playing raves with like 10 kids. We feel a sense of loyalty when we come back.”
As computers and programs advance and EDM stars grow more familiar, it seems as though there is no ceiling on where the scene will go.
“I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg, to be honest,” said Avi Gallant, who runs the Untz, a leading EDM news website. “I don’t think it’ll get too big, [but] the sky is the limit. This is just the beginning.”
Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter: @jakekrez
There aren’t a lot of bands doing what Lotus does.
As the laptop increasingly slides into the role of introductory musical instrument that the guitar has held for generations, jam bands like Lotus have slowly become less prevalent.
Lotus in Blacksburg, Virginia
Lotus isn’t just any jam band though. Through a mix of syncopated improvisation ala Umphrey’s Magee and computer-generated sounds the group has been able to carve out it’s own sound it dubs jamtronica.
The unique sound arrives for two nights in Chicago with a back to back showcase at the Riviera Theater December 27 and 28 as part of their five-night New Year’s Eve tour that starts in Chicago and ends on the 31st with a show in Baltimore.
“We often do several shows leading up to New Year’s but this might be the most we’ve done in a row,” said Jesse Miller (bass/sampler). “It was a good chance for us to get out and play a number of shows in
cities we haven’t played ina while.”
The two-night run at the Riviera will surely feature the band’s endless onstage jamming that will touch on their extensive catalog, both old and new paired with an inspired light show.
“We try to draw the crowd into the human element of the show,” said Luke Miller (guitar/keyboards). “[The lighting] is a very powerful part of our show and our lighting guy has been with us since the beginning so he’s locked into our improvisation.”
Lotus closes out 2012 with its eye on the future, including plans for at least two albums and maybe a third that is still in production dropping in 2013.
“I think it’s going to be a celebration, a celebration of the new year,” said Jesse. “It’s a great opportunity to get a bunch of people in some cool rooms and have a good time.”
Chris Mathien and Peter CottonTale of mathien
New Year’s Eve will be Chris Mathien and Co.’s second time playing a concert as they ring in the New Year at Reggie’s Rock Joint for a 21+over show.
With that experience behind them, they kind of know what to expect.
“We performed two years ago at Reggie’s and we were supposed to do the countdown at midnight,” said lead singer/guitarist Mathien. “Everyone’s cell phone was on a different time so people were kind of celebrating sporadically while we counted off.”
That was two years ago.
Since then the band, consisting of Mathien and drummer Omar Jahwar, bassist Erik Kaldahl and keyboardist Peter CottonTale (Wilkins), which performs under their lead singer’s surname has figured a few things out.
After starting the band as a college student at Southern Illinois University, Chris Mathien moved north to Chicago and met CottonTale, a gifted musician who he immediately added to the band’s lineup nearly three years ago.
“I grew up playing Jazz and Soul but then I found this Rock/Funk, Maroon 5-sounding guy,” said CottonTale. “But it was a smooth transition musically because I understood where he was coming from.”
With the end of the year quickly approaching, mathien has been sure to plan out the show carefully will be handing out 100 free CDs with an unreleased new single, as well as polishing that countdown.
“I think we’re going to put an official countdown on the stage somewhere this time to avoid confusion,” said Mathien. “We’re excited to have the chance to rung in the New Year in Chicago.”
Charles Bradley – “The Screaming Eagle of Soul”
Across town, Charles Bradley performs two shows at Lincoln Hall. Known to audiences as the “Screaming Eagle of Soul,” 65-year-old Charles Bradley visits Lincoln Hall for shows on Dec. 30 and 31.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Chicago, when I was there last it was a beautiful time,” said Bradley.
The funk/soul singer got his break in music late, at age 49, performing as a James Brown impersonator under the name “Black Velvet.” Noticed by Daptone Records, the Otis Redding-like vocalist has since recorded several albums with another one on the way in 2013.
For all it’s history in Blues and Jazz, Chicago seems like the perfect place for Bradley to land for a beginning to the New Year.
“I’ve been pushing for a long time for this opportunity,” said Bradley. “I am taking that opportunity and making the most of it, I want to show everyone at these shows what I can do and show them all the love I have.”
Jake Krzeczowski 