Chicago singer-songwriter Ron Lazzeretti to perform at FitzGerald's Sidebar to celebrate release of new CD

 

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

When Chicago singer-songwriter Ron Lazzeretti isn't writing songs, he is making movies or writing and directing commercials.

Suffice to say, Lazzeretti is multi-talented. His latest CD, "Fat Head, Sunday Paper" will be released on Sept. 29.

To celebrate the release of the CD, Lazzeretti will perform a free show at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at FitzGerald's Sidebar, 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn. To RSVP, go to https://www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com/shows/list/?twpage=1.

I had the chance to talk to Lazzeretti about the upcoming show.

 

Q – Great talking to you. I know that you will be performing at FitzGerald's Sidebar on Sept. 30 as part of a CD release party for "Fat Head, Sunday Paper." Of course, you have been playing at FitzGerald's for years and currently host a Songwriter Circle there.

What do you like about playing at FitzGerald's? Is it an honor to perform at such an esteemed music venue that has meant so much to so many people over the years?

It's hard to express just how rare and sacred FitzGerald's is. I've been going there for 30 years.

 

I always say that if I knew FitzGerald's was there when we moved to Oak Park, I would have moved there to be near it. But I had no idea.

 

Then one day, I walked through that door and a whole world opened up for me. It's like this amazing road house dropped from the sky and landed in Berwyn, Illinois. 

 

And, Bill Fitzgerald and his wife, Kate, and the Fitzgerald Family built this...you know, they built Bill's dream. He loves music.

 

He told me that when he was a kid, he had a cordless, battery operated record player. And he would assemble his friends down on the street or up in a treehouse fort and play music for them.

 

It's essentially the early model of what came to be his professional career. He had a calling.

 

And any chance I've had to play there, it just never gets old. And now Will Duncan has taken over and it’s wonderful because he came in knowing the power of the place.

 

Anyone who has ever been there can tell you, it's a very special place born of someone’s passion; nothing cynical about it.

 

And it extends to other places in the area like the Rob Pierce's Friendly Music Community. Or The Outta Space. It's really a vital scene. Sometimes I think it's the best kept secret in the Midwest.

Q – It seems like there is a meaning behind the album's name. Is there? In sitting down to make the album, what were your goals and do you think you accomplished them?

 

My main goal was to make a record, not just a pile of songs. I like a record, a complete piece; like a novel or a book of short stories.

 

You hear that vinyl records are making a comeback. I'm not sure about that. But anything that encourages people to listen to a record from top to bottom and think of it as a whole, I'm all for that.

 

 

I'm not comparing what I've done in two records to the classics. But to illustrate what I mean, "Pet Sounds" is a record. "Blood On The Tracks" is a record. "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"...a record.

 

I can cherry pick songs for mixes or whatever but I have a place in my heart for an album. So I was aiming for that kind of integrated piece.

 

As for what it means, it's purposely a little vague: "Fat Head, Sunday Paper."

 

But it's safe to say that there's a bit of a "morning after hangover" thing. That Sunday vibe you feel in the air with regard to a lot of things; that sense that maybe the party is over. 

 

It’s not that all hope is lost but it is a bit of a wake-up call. 

Q – I understand you share a birthday with Bob Dylan. How much of an influence has he had on you and your music?

 

Well, the Dylan birthday thing is just something that tickles me because clearly it means nothing, but it is one of those things that sounds like something. But I can’t deny that he has had a tremendous influence on me; me and zillions more like me.

This is a guy who had tremendous influence on the Beatles, so what more do we need to know? I admire him because he has such creative integrity, does what he wants and does it with conviction.

And he’s aged just the way I hoped; kind of a crotchety old bluesman. And he’s funny. He cracks me up.

Anyway, I  also share a birthday with David Hasselhoff. And Britney Spears. So I travel with a pretty interesting crowd.

Q – It seems like you are always working on something, whether that is making music, making movies or writing and directing commercials. Do you view each one as providing a different creative outlet?

I’m more and more aware of how much overlap there is in the work that I do; how everything feeds on itself. Commercials taught me about film. Independent film taught me storytelling.

 

Some musicians I’ve worked with provided music scores. Others proved to be wonderful actors.

 

If creativity and curiosity are in your DNA, there’s no telling what you can do. So we try to stretch and see what we’re really made of. 

 

Q – What projects do you have coming up and do you have any dream projects or collaborations?

 

I have two thoughts bouncing around. One is a film idea and one is the next record, which has already been percolating in my head.

 

It’ll have a different, more stripped-down sound. I’m excited about it.

 

Then again, first I have to learn to enjoy the moment. That’s what my wife tells me. And she’s usually right.