Chicago band bluefront to perform at Old Town Art Fair

 

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

On its latest EP, "The Arbor Sessions," Chicago band bluefront takes listeners on an emotional ride.

 

bluefront will perform at 11:30 a.m. June 10 at the Old Town Art Fair at the Old Town Triangle Association Building, 1763 N. Park Ave., Chicago. More information is available at www.oldtownartfair.org.

 

I had the chance to talk to bluefront frontman Alan Zreczny about the band:

 

Q - Is there a meaning behind the band's name? How did the band come together? What do you think each member brings to the table?

Yes. bluefront comes from this store in Ann Arbor Michigan that basically sold doritos, snickers bars, toothpaste and kegs of beer. Many, many kegs of beer.

 

When I was thinking of a band name, my sister told me to think about a great time in my life and asked me to remind her what street my friends and I lived on in college. Arbor Street didn’t seem like a good idea, to say the least, but then I thought of the Blue Front.

No one knew where Arbor Street was, but everyone knew where we lived when we would say - two doors down from the Blue Front. So I just made it one word, all lowercase and here we are.  

I met Jason Steele probably 12 years ago when looking for a new jazz/theory teacher. As I started writing and performing, I was set to open for one of his bands when he asked if I wanted him to play on a few tunes.

 

He did, we loved how it sounded and then it just kept going from there. We met Nick Kabat through the same person who introduced me to Jason.

 

We should really name the band after our mutual friend.

Jason and Nick are amazing musicians. They bring everything that fills in the spaces of the songs and make them into something I could never have imagined.

 

Listening to them is my favorite part of playing together.   

Q - How do you juggle being a musician with running your family business, Audio Consultants? I know the business started in 1967. Did being around the business influence your decision at all to get into the music business?

I guess I just do what I have to do to get things done, nothing conscious really.  Music is important to my parents and they made sure we had a music education/lessons, even when my sister and I were not that interested. 

 

Being around the business taught me about listening to music and since music was always around our house, in some form or another, probably had something to do with it.

Q - You previously were a corporate finance lawyer. How did you transition into being a musician? Are you glad that you made the switch?

I always felt I should be writing and playing music, even when pulling all nighters trying to close deals, so it was always there.  Very glad to have left that behind.

Q - What do you think of the Chicago music scene and how do you see yourself fitting into it?

I like that I have met people I never would have met in my old life. Not only that, but there seems to be, for the most part, a true feeling of support and camaraderie.

 

I just hope I do my part in that.   

Q - What does the rest of the year hold for bluefront? What are the long term goals for the band?

Hopefully to get more and more interesting gigs, add a bass player and record.