Acclaimed Chicago composer Maxx McGathey releases first solo album, will perform Oct. 11 at Constellation Chicago as part of record release show

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

Fans of the hypnotic soundscapes that Chicago composer Maxx McGathey has created through his doom funk band Gramps The Vamp and his film scores will be happy to hear that McGathey is now out with his first solo record, "Imaginary Eyes," which may be even more adventurous than his previous projects.

McGathey will perform Oct. 11 at Constellation Chicago, 3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago as part of a CD release party for the album. Dark Canyon will open the show.

Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, available at Constellation Chicago's website, constellation-chicago.com.

I had the chance to talk to McGathey about the new album.

 

Q – Great talking to you. I understand that "Imaginary Eyes" started out as a project where you turned to your childhood upright piano for solace during the COVID pandemic shutdown but then you decided you wanted the album to feature as many musicians as possible, including those you hadn't played with before. Do you think making this album helped you through that period?

 

How did you go about choosing the musicians on the album and do you think you will be collaborating with them more in the future?

 

By 2021 I was kind of a hermit, but the act of getting the musicians together to play this music helped me get back into the music scene after a long period of isolation. I was able to reconnect with people I had lost touch with and make new connections in a time when everyone was eager to work together. 

 

Making this album was also just a cathartic experience artistically, putting all my feelings, fears, hopes and dreams from that time into the music. 

 

I had played with some of the musicians on the album before and they were a natural choice for this project. However, I had not worked with any of the string players before this and had to ask around to assemble a string section.

 

It took many months to find everyone, but I ended up with a fantastic section and a fantastic ensemble overall. 

 

Q – It seems like there is a meaning behind the album's name. Is there? What would you like people to take away from the album?

 

"Imaginary Eyes" is a reference to a quote from Milan Kundera’s novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." The passage talks about all people wanting to be seen by someone but ultimately describes those who long to be held in the 'imaginary eyes' of those not present as dreamers. 

 

I’ve always identified as a dreamer and I thought that the image of performing for imaginary eyes during the years of isolation was a fitting image for this time in my life. It also matched the tone of the music so well – it has a dark vibe but also a hopeful side.

 

I want people to draw their own conclusions from the music. The reason I don’t use lyrics in my music is to allow the listener’s imagination to run wild in whatever way it wants to go.

 

The meaning of a musical note is completely subjective but there are plenty of emotional narratives to observe in "Imaginary Eyes." My hope is that people will let themselves be immersed in the album’s world and see where it takes them! 

 

Q – What drew you to the piano in the first place? Who would you say are your biggest influences?

 

I started studying the piano when I was five, so it is a native tongue for me. The ease with which I express myself at the piano is like no other form of communication I know. 

 

My playing is very influenced by pianists like Thelonious Monk, Ray Charles and Horace Silver, to name a few. My composing style is influenced by mid-20th century cinematic composers like Bernard Herrmann, Lalo Schifrin, Jerry Goldsmith and Ennio Morricone, as well as more modern composers like Nils Frahm and John Luther Adams. 

 

Q – This is your first record as a solo artist. Was it just the right time to release a solo record? What were your goals for the album and did you meet or exceed them?

 

I felt like it was the right time. Gramps The Vamp, which was my primary project for many years, had just gone on hiatus due to several members moving and the pandemic hampering our release plans for our third album. 

 

I was home alone a lot with my piano and it seemed like a chapter had ended. When one door closes, another opens. 

 

My goal for the album was to create something immersive, epic and authentic, and I think I succeeded on all three. 

 

Q – What do you think makes the Chicago music scene stand out from other music scenes across the country?

 

The Chicago music scene is so diverse. There’s every kind of music being played at really high levels, and that’s not something every city can claim. There’s also just a lot of really creative people in this city. 

 

It’s very easy to find people to collaborate with. 

 

Q – I watched a couple of videos of Gramps The Vamp playing on Halloween night in full makeup. And last year, the band played an original score at a screening of the movie "Nosferatu" at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago right before Halloween. 

 

It looks like you had fun playing with Gramps The Vamp. What do you like the best about being part of that band?

 

What I love about Gramps The Vamp is that it’s all about being over the top and sensationalist. I feel like I’m in character when I’m playing with Gramps, and it’s just a lot of fun playing that raucous music. 

 

Q – Did Gramps The Vamp ever share the stage with other bands, such as Chicago band Liquid Soul? It seems like the bands would complement each other on stage. 

 

I don’t recall playing with Liquid Soul, but we’ve been a band for 11 years and have shared stages with countless Chicago acts. Too many to list!

 

Q – Do you see yourself doing anything with Gramps The Vamp in the future?

 

Yes, I think Gramps has another album to be made.

 

Q – Do you have any dream projects?

 

I’m living my dream projects! My philosophy as an artist is to go for what excites me most – and that’s definitely what "Imaginary Eyes" is.

 

I will continue to make music that is grand and epic in scope and still very much my own compositional style, but I’d like to take it to different settings and soundworlds.

 

For example, I have plans to make an album that ties in synth to my overall sound as well as an idea for an album inspired by classic surf/exotica and retro-futurism. 

 

Chicago's Ghostlight Ensemble to present "Alabama Story"

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

The mission of Chicago-based Ghostlight Ensemble is to ask questions that challenge the status quo through timeless stories, immersive environments and unconventional staging.

 

So it only makes sense that it will open its eighth season with "Alabama Story," a drama about censorship, book banning and civil rights set within the framework of 1950s racial tensions. Written by Kenneth Jones and inspired by true events, "Alabama Story" is a drama about a segregationist senator and the state librarian who clash over the content of a children’s book about bunny rabbits against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama.

 

 

"Alabama Story" is also the company’s first mainstage show since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. "Alabama Story" will open on Let Freedom Read Day on Sept. 28, part of Banned Books Week.

 

There will be a preview performance at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at After-Words Bookstore, 23 East Illinois St., Chicago, followed by performances on Sept. 28-29 and Oct. 4-6.

 

Performances at Haymarket Books at Haymarket House, 800 W. Buena Ave., Chicago) will take place Oct. 11-13 and Oct. 18-20.

 

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are pay-what-you-will, with an average donation of $25, and are available at https://ghostlightensembletheatreco.thundertix.com/. 

 

More information about the show can be found at https://www.ghostlightensemble.com/alabama-story.

 

I had the chance to talk to director Holly Robison about the show.

 

Q –  I understand that “Alabama Story" is Ghostlight Ensenble’s first mainstage show since the start of the pandemic. That must make you feel good.

 

Yeah, it's definitely good to be back. It feels good to have such a big project on the horizon.

 

We're a small company and we just wanted to make sure that we had all the resources in place and things that we needed in order to ensure a really successful run. It's exciting and it's really great to finally have a big project to wrap our arms around.

 

Q – Of course, "Alabama Story" is addressing a timely issue as book bans are accelerating across the country. Did you think it was just the right time to put on a production like this?

We're in sort of a new environment where it's not even just going after the books. It's going after the libraries and the librarians and the teachers.

Part of our mission is to do timeless stories and to ask questions. And I think a story like this, even though it's set in the 1950s, shows that there's still sort of nothing new.

It's still happening. It looks a little bit different, but in a lot of ways, it's the same.

Q – Why do you think book bans have come back?

There's a lot of reasons. I don't know if it's any one thing.

When groups of people or marginalized communities start making headway or start becoming prominent, there's a lot of backlash. In "Alabama Story," the focus is sort of on Montgomery, Alabama.

This is happening right after the Montgomery bus boycott. The politicians are in a way reacting towards the gains that were made by that movement and that were continuing to be made in the civil rights era, which was getting stronger and stronger.

That's happening now. As marginalized communities are gaining more and more progress, the reaction is to shut them down, to try and silence that.

It's a reactionary movement. We've seen that throughout history.

Q – How have rehearsals been going?

It's a really amazing cast. I'm so excited for people to see this cast.

They're such great actors.

Q – What do you like in particular about this cast?

 

It's just the thrill of the moment of seeing an actor embody a character and seeing that character come alive before your eyes. I saw that in auditions.

There were so many great actors that came out. You always wish you could cast so many more people than you can.

It was just seeing really great actors embodying these characters and making them come alive in sort of the way that I imagined but also bringing their own creativity to it and creating aspects of the characters that I hadn't thought about before. 

Q – I know that you are a founding member of Ghostlight Ensemble. How did the ensemble come together and what were you looking to achieve through the ensemble?

 

Our mission is to do unconventional staging, unorthodox settings and tell timeless stories that challenge the status quo.

 

So really, what we're looking to do with our ensemble is to just create theater that fulfills our mission and also gives opportunities to our ensemble members. We want to try to give the ensemble members within the company opportunities to do their art, whether they want to be an actor, designer or what have you.

And for people to grow and support each other.

Q – What do you like the best about being a director?

I like being able to realize the story from a lot of different angles. I definitely perform a lot as well and when you're a performer, you're really only controlling your character and making decisions about your character.

I like that I can sort of shape the story more fully. I can figure out how to tell a story and how to make the narrative go along.

I can help actors because I have experience as an actor. It was just something that happened very naturally.

 

 

Children's music duo Wendy and DB talk about new album "Back Home," which continues the mission of educating youngsters about the blues

 

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

On its new album "Back Home," Chicago-based children's music duo Wendy and DB is continuing the mission of educating young people about the blues.

The album, released in July, is the follow up to 2022's "Into the Little Big House," which was nominated for a Grammy for best children's album.

 

That album featured an all-star cast of Chicago musicians including Grammy-winning drummer Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, Anne Harris, Billy Branch and Mike Wheeler.

Those same musicians along with others are on "Back Home," which also features blues musicians from Memphis, Tennessee  – the original home of the blues – as well as from Austin, Texas.

The duo traveled to Memphis to collaborate with blues music award-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter Doug MacLeod along with traditional Delta blues vocalist Libby Rae Watson and multiple Grammy nominee Shardé Thomas and her Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band.

Thomas ​​is the ​granddaughter of Otha Turner, one of the best-known exponents of the African American fife and drum tradition. The band is devoted to preserving the vanishing Mississippi Hill Country fife and drum blues tradition and presenting it in combination with other blues, jazz, hip hop and R&B stylings.

In Austin, Wendy and DB recorded with three-time Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster. "Back Home" is produced by Grammy and blues music award winner Michael Freeman and Wendy Morgan.

The duo will perform songs from the album and other songs from its catalog during its appearance at the The Mix on Main Street Music Festival in downtown Wheaton on Sept. 21.

Wendy and DB will perform from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on the family stage. Admission to the festival is free.

VIP access tickets will also be available for purchase. More details about the festival, which will be held Sept. 21-Sept. 22, is at downtownwheaton.com/the-mix-on-main.

I had the chance to talk to Wendy Morgan and Darryl Boggs about the new album.

Q – Great to talk to the both of you again. Of course, your last album, “Little Blue House,” was nominated for a Grammy for best children’s album. Did you feel any pressure in following up the album?

Wendy – No pressure. We have another album that we're working on that's not a blues album.

But I felt it was important to follow up the blues album with another blues album. 

Q – The fact that it was nominated for a Grammy must make you feel pretty good. What do you think made the album stand out?

Darryl – One of the things that I think made it stand out is the fact that nobody had really ever done a blues album for kids. You can kind of look through the history of family music and not really see anything like that.

We used real blues musicians. A lot of people have done things with a blues flavor. It's not the same.

Q – “Back Home” is your sixth children’s album and your second blues album for families. What goals did you have for the album?

Wendy –  I think we're exposing people to traditional blues, which is a different kind of style. We got to work with Ruthie Foster, who is amazing. 

We traveled. We went to Austin, Texas. We went to Memphis.

We got out of Chicago and spread our wings. Our producer made us aware of Shardé Thomas, whose grandfather was Otha Turner.

 

He was a fife player back in the day. She is following in his tradition.

It was amazing. It was hard to get them, but we got them.

Q – Of course, this is introducing that type of music not only to kids, but also their parents.  

Wendy – It was really fun to have them join us. We didn't know until the last minute that they were going to make that session.

Q – In another tie to Memphis, you are donating 10% of the proceeds from the album to the Blues Foundation, which of course is based in Memphis. Part of the mission of the Blues Foundation is to preserve blues heritage and expand worldwide awareness of the blues.

 

I know that you have done this with your past albums and given a portion of the proceeds to nonprofit organizations.

 

Why do you think it is important to do that? 

Wendy – With the Blues Foundation, they are teaching people about the blues. They go into schools and that's super important, because it's underrepresented in schools.

Q – It seems like every song on "Back Home" carries a message. For example, it seems like the song “Moving Mountains” is about how one can achieve and overcoming any obstacles in your way. There are references to Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks on the song.

 

 

Wendy – Sharing their stories I think is important. In one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches, he talks about how he has been to the mountaintop. 

My favorite line in "Moving Mountains" is how Rosa Parks took a stand without standing up.

 

Q – Darryl, I understand your dad was part-owner of a blues club and you got to see Muddy Waters and Jimmy Reed when you were 5 or 6 years old.

 

Darryl – The club was just outside of Chicago. It was in the south suburbs.

 

At that age, you don't know the importance of Muddy Waters. You don't know the importance of Jimmy Reed or Howlin' Wolf.

 

And yet you're sitting right there on the floor watching them perform and playing these great songs. That was a great experience.

 

A lot of musicians would come over to our house. That's how I found a lot of my musical gifts.

 

I would just sit around and play on the drum set and on the piano. They told me I might become a musician someday.

And here we are today.

Q – Is that where your love for the blues started?

 

Darryl – I feel my love for the blues started right there. Blues, jazz and R&B were played in our house all the time, almost nonstop.

So I knew those genres real well. The musicians who played in our house were mostly blues musicians.

Q – Did Koko Taylor ever stop by?

Darryl – No, not that I know of. She may have played in the club.

That is a possibility, because I saw a lot of different people there.

Q – Are you already working on your next album?

Wendy – That is a four-year project. That album started in 2021.

It won't be a blues album. It's more pop. It also has some folk music in there.

Darryl – The album definitely leans a little bit more towards the pop-rock thing. 

Q – Is it also a children's album?

Wendy – Yes. It's probably going to come out in 2025.

It's called "Sunnyside Up." We've been performing some of the songs live.

One of the songs is called "Talk About It." That's one of my favorite songs.

It really speaks to what's going on right now. 

We need to listen and be able to hear and understand each other.