Believe it or not, it's been nine years since The Bad Examples celebrated the 25th anniversary of the band's classic album "Bad Is Beautiful" with a show at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora in 2016.
The band performed at Two Brothers Roundhouse on July 25 (so that's a weird coincidence, right?) in a show that showed off the timeless nature of the band's music.
Suffice to say, there were plenty of perfect moments during the show. Yes, that is a reference to the band's song "One Perfect Moment," one of the songs off "Bad Is Beautiful."
Along with celebrating the band's rich musical history, the show also provided a glimpse into The Bad Examples' future as the band performed several new songs.
Frontman Ralph Covert has a knack for writing songs filled with infectious melodies that get stuck in your head, such as the new song "It's All Good."
And just when you thought the energy level in the room couldn't get any higher, Covert and company turned in a rousing version of the song "Let Her Go."
The Bad Examples will play next at FitzGerald's in Berwyn on Oct. 11.
To say that Kate Fagan is a trailblazing musician is an understatement.
Fagan wrote the song "I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool” after moving to Chicago from New York in the late '70s. The song became the best-selling single by a local artist at Wax Trax! Records.
In 1980, she co-founded legendary Chicago ska band Heavy Manners. Fagan, who currently lives in New Orleans, will return to Chicago next month for a couple of rare appearances.
Fagan will do an in-store performance from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 9 at Bric-a-Brac Records & Collectibles, 2845 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. She also will perform Aug. 10 at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., Chicago, as part of a bill that also includes Clickbait, Beastii and DJ Modern Girl.
I had the chance to talk to Fagan about her illustrious career.
Q – What do you like about the New Orleans music scene, and what do you miss about the Chicago music scene?
New Orleans is rich in history and
community, with a thriving street music scene that gives the city its
distinctive vibe. I love the culturally diverse “gumbo”—deep roots in
gospel, blues, brass bands, and jazz. The variety of festivals here is
truly incredible.
I miss the punk and ska scenes in Chicago, especially
the raw energy of those early shows and the original spirit that fueled
the new wave bands. I miss seeing major rock ‘n roll acts, as there
aren’t many touring in the South.
Q – You wrote “I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool” in response to the hipster movement in NYC. Was that the reason you moved to Chicago?
Actually, the disco scene and
brand-centric consumerism in New York inspired that song. But I moved to
Chicago because I was drawn to its vibrant underground music scene and
wanted to be part of something young and rebellious.
Q – Did you think “I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool” would resonate so much? Why do you think it’s still relevant?
I sensed it connected with many people
feeling pressure to fit in or be trendy, but I didn’t expect it to
reach so many or stay relevant for so long. It still resonates because
those feelings of wanting to be yourself never go out of style.
Q – How did you react to the song becoming the best-selling single by a local artist at Wax Trax! Records?
It was surreal and incredibly
encouraging. Seeing how many people related to my point of view and
musical style boosted my confidence.
Q – What attracted you to ska music, and what were your goals with Heavy Manners?
Second-Wave Ska’s upbeat energy,
combining reggae’s earthy rhythms and punk’s political edge, really
excited me. With Heavy Manners, we wanted to bring that infectious sound
to Chicago audiences and do our part in breaking down racial and gender
barriers with our solidarity, and we reveled in the joy of making
dance-able songs.
We loved playing together, and the thriving club scene
made it even more fun.
Q – What was it like working with Peter Tosh?
Playing with Peter Tosh was a profound
experience – his presence was powerful, and working with him in the
studio brought an authentic reggae energy that deeply influenced our
band’s music. He produced Heavy Manners' “Say It,” which I am especially
proud to have written.
Q – What do you enjoy about collaborating with Jeremy Joyce?
Jeremy is an incredibly versatile
guitarist and he’s super studio-savvy. His boundless creative range and
edgy drive inspire me.
Collaborating with him pushes me to explore new
ideas and keeps the songwriting fresh.
Q – What musical direction did you aim for with “Go Faster”?
We wanted punk’s relentless energy to
propel the listener forward – sonically, it’s about a driving rhythm that
makes you want to GO FASTER! Lyrically, it encourages people to be
powerful, act immediately and push boundaries.
Q – Is Heavy Manners working on anything new? What’s next?
I’m always writing and experimenting,
so stay tuned! I plan to release more songs and hopefully tour.
I also
have some exciting collaborations on the horizon, including a few
surprises for fans.
Aurora resident Chris Shern's creative juices take him in many directions.
Along with being the frontman of the band Invisible Cartoons, Shern is a filmmaker. His second feature film, "Vic Effects," will premiere at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 at Classic Cinemas Charlestowne 18 XQ, 3740 E. Main St., St. Charles.
Q – Wow, you are just juggling so much these days. Your band in May released a new album, "Sci-Fi Disco Carnival."
Yeah, we released that back on May 17. We're playing at least one show a month for the rest of the year, so we'll be busy doing that.
Q – Of course, "Vic Effects" will premiere next month. How did you come up for the theme for this movie?
I was doing a film and I was doing some Foley work on the film. (Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality.)
It popped in my head that there's not really a lot of movies about people who make sound effects for horror movies. The sound effects, especially in horror movies or action movies, take the movie to another level.
I think I'm bringing something different to the table with this film.
Q – And I see there are a couple of actors in "Vic Effects" that were in your previous movie.
Amanda Winston, who plays Vic Paulette, she was in "Evil Lurks" as well. She also is the lead character in this movie.
And Bill D. Russell, who was in "Evil Lurks" playing the creepy neighbor, plays controversial film director Milo Kemp in "Vic Effects."
Milo approaches Vic if she can work on a movie he's been working on. His previous Foley artist passed away, so he asks Vic if she can finish the movie.
That is how that plays out with those two.
Q – Did you like working with these two actors in your first film and did you think they would be a good fit for this film?
Absolutely. I really liked working with themand I'm going to continue working with themfor as long as they want to work with me.
Q – You must be happy that you far exceeded your fundraising goal for "Vic Effects."
Originally, I didn't know if I wanted to do a fundraising campaign for the movie. I self financed "Vic Effects," but getting towards the end, when I was in post production, I wanted to raise some money for visual effects and certain things like that.
My initial goal was to raise $2,000. I raised that in less than 24 hours and I ended up raising almost $8,000 overall.
I thought that was pretty good for my first go around of doing this.
Q – To me, that shows that people believe in what you do and want to support it.
I'm very happy and fortunate there are people who believe in what I'm trying to do. It made me have a little bit of money to pay for some of the visual effects in the movie.
I'm trying to build my brand, so I think that's helpful for me for this movie and also for things that I try to do in the future when it comes to crowdfunding.
Q – As far as the other actors in the movie, how did you pick them?
Well, one of the other actors, Dennis Newport, I worked with him a little more than 10 years ago.
He plays Thomas Raven. I really love this guy.
He's a great actor. And I knew when I wrote this script that I wanted him to be a part of it.
He was one of the main actors that I was really seeking out.
Katelin Stack also is amazing. She plays four different characters in this movie.
And she also did some makeup effects for the movie as well. So she's multi talented.
Q – Along with being the movie's writer and director, I understand you are in "Vic Effects" as well.
I play multiple characters as well in the movie. I play monsters and creatures and killers.
Playing one of the creatures in the movie was very
difficult while directing at the same time. That was the most stressful
day in shooting the movie.
I am hoping people will get the vibes of different horror genres that we connected with this movie.
We had a lot of fun working on this movie.
Q – What was the most fun part about it?
I think the most fun about it was just knowing that the actors I picked to be in this movie, they understood what the assignment was and what they needed to do.
Q – Which do you like better, making movies or making and performing music? Or do you feel you need both in your life?
At this point in my life, I definitely need both.
I've been making music and have been in bands for 30 years. I still love it.
We have a show every month for the rest of the year and I'm happy about that.
I love the balance between creating and writing songs and performing and then making movies.
I already have my script ready for my next film. I can't wait to make another film.
I'm actually going to start working on short films as well, just to have more material out there.
It's definitely an equal balance when it comes to those things that I'm doing right now.
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