Hayley Hasegawa-Skreens, left, Demi Clara, middle, and Josette Kacey, right, perform March 14 at The Venue in Aurora. Photo by Eric Schelkopf
By ERIC SCHELKOPF
To say that the Fox Valley has a strong music scene is an understatement.
And there is no better way to discover those talented musicians than to stop by The Venue in Aurora for its songwriter showcase series.
Musicians Demi Clara and Aaron Kelly take turns hosting the event. On March 14, Clara brought a couple of her musical friends to the stage with her.
Clara along with Hayley Hasegawa-Skreens and Josette Kacey provided a captivating night of music. Those attending the show also gained more insight about the artists than one would at your typical concert.
Each of them talked about what inspired them to write a particular song and what they are hoping to convey through the song.
Kelly will host the next songwriter show at 8 p.m. May 2. The show is free.
The Venue is located at 21 S. Broadway Ave. in downtown Aurora. More information is at The Venue’s website, themusicvenue.org.
Those who have attended open mic nights at Black Dog Vinyl Cafe in Plainfield on a regular basis knows that Plainfield resident Connor Lee writes songs with captivating melodies, such as his song "The Cardinal Song."
The 19-year-old college student will perform his first solo show at 3 p.m. March 23 at Black Dog Vinyl Cafe, located at 16108 Illinois Route 59, Plainfield.
I had the chance to talk to Lee about the upcoming show.
Q – So you must be pretty excited about your upcoming solo show at Black Dog Vinyl Cafe.
Yeah, it is awesome. There's a lot of camaraderie at the open mic nights. It's a really good vibe.
Q – So how long have you been a musician?
I started playing guitar about four years ago. I got really into music after seeing the Nirvana exhibit in Seattle.
I don't know why, but I just connected with Kurt Cobain immediately. But I really didn't sing or perform until recently.
My first open mic was last December. I kind of kept a lot to myself.
I would write stuff for fun and just kind of keep it in my phone for a couple of years. So now that I'm starting to perform my own music, I'm putting those lyrics to melodies.
Q – Are you inspired by any bands in particular?
I got into Bright Eyes this year and it really resonated with me with how Conor Oberst writes songs. And I listen to singer-songwriters like Elliot Smith and Phoebe Bridgers.
And that's kind of what sparked me to start performing, finding musicians that sounded like what I could do. My favorite artists are Nirvana, Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins, but I don't necessarily write music like that.
Q – So Bright Eyes, Elliot Smith and Phoebe Bridgers kind of inspire you.
Yeah, especially with the songs I've been writing lately. But I'm all over the board with what I listen to.
Q – What inspires you to write a song?
I definitely will write in reaction to emotions. I'm not going to sit down for no reason and write something necessarily.
At least lyric wise. Sometimes if I'm just sitting in a room and my guitar is nearby, I just have that urge to pick it up and play something.
But as far as actually flushing out a song, it's definitely stuff I'm going through or thinking about at the time. Or even reminiscing about.
Q – What inspired you to write "The Cardinal Song"?
Honestly, it was just literally dreams that I had, which is why that's in the lyrics. It was kind of written in fragments.
I remember waking up and having a dream that someone passed away and someone asked me to sing a song at their funeral. And that became a verse.
And then the part about seeing your breath in the freezing air, I was just walking home from the train and I saw my breath in the air. I thought that was a cool phrase and I just kind of typed that into my phone and used it.
It was just kind of like fragments of different dreams. And a cardinal is a symbol of a passed away loved one. So I wanted to use that.
For acclaimed blues musician Mike Zito, making his latest album, "Life Is Hard," was a way for him to express his emotions about his wife's battle with cancer.
He recorded the album just a few months following her death in July 2023. Zito will perform March 23 at Buddy Guy's Legends, 700 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, as part of a CD release party for the album.
Billy Flynn will perform a free acoustic set from 5:30 to 8 p.m. followed by the Bernard Crump Blues Band from 9 to 10 p.m.Zito will take the stage at 10:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25, available by going to buddyguy.com.
I had the pleasure of talking to Zito about the new album, which was released after the death of his wife, Laura, from cancer.
Q – Of course, your new album, "Life Is Hard," debuted on the Billboard Top U.S. Blues Albums chart at #1. That must make you very proud.
That's pretty good. No complaints. I'm happy about that.
Laura would be proud. She was excited about the idea of making this record.
I'm thankful that we got it made. More importantly, whether it's number one or number whatever, is that we made a really good record.
It was very cathartic for me and I think it lets the whole world know how much she meant to me and how much I loved her. And that's all that matters.
Q – Are you hoping that people who listen to the album and who are maybe going through similar situations, that it might help them?
Well, sure. The music is mine when I make it. But once it's released, it doesn't really belong to me any more, it belongs to whoever is listening to it.
You know, I've been sober for 20 years. Sixteen years ago, one of the first label records I released had a lot of songs about recovery and being sober.
People going through something similar came and sought me out to tell me their stories.
So I hope that people fall in love with the music on the new album and it means something to them. Hopefully it is cathartic for everybody.
Any kind of good music, especially good blues music, is supposed to be relatable to people. You're relating to the hard times that everyone goes through. That is absolutely what this record is about.
Q – Musically, what were you trying to do with the album?
I definitely and sincerely wanted to make a blues album, which is something I've never ever done. I've never ever said, "Oh, I'm going to make a blues album."
I realize that I'm a 53-year-old white dude from South St. Louis. I grew up in the '70s and listened to rock 'n' roll.
It's not my music. It's the music that was in St. Louis that I fell in love with.
I'm a student of it. This particular time, I set out to make a blues record. It's like I gave myself permission to do that.
Q – Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith produced the album. What made you want to bring them on?
Joe and I have been friends for 20 some years. I've known him before he was the Joe Bonamassa that you know now.
Obviously, he's incredibly successful but he's also a sweetheart and a great friend. We all worked together on the studio album "Blood Brothers" with Albert Castiglia. Joe and Josh produced that album.
And it was a great experience. I really enjoyed it.
I wanted the music on "Life Is Hard" to be as top tier and as good as possible. And Josh Smith is an unbelievable arranger. He's so good at arranging.
And Joe pushed me to do my best when I was playing guitar. And I knew he would, which I'm very thankful for.
Q – Of course, you will be playing at Buddy Guy's Legends on March 23. I was just wondering how Buddy Guy has influenced you and your music.
I personally believe I have the best Buddy Guy stories. I kind of grew up in St. Louis and in my 20s, I was opening for a lot of the artists that came through town.
I also was going to Chicago a lot to get seen or heard. I was playing Legends in the '90s and many times I ran into Buddy.
Some of them are really funny stories where he's blocking the parking lot and I'm honking at him because I'm late. And he gets out of his car to yell at me and saw my guitar and asked, "Are you the band?"
And I told him yeah and he says, "Well, come on, you're going to be late." One time I got there at 4 p.m. to do sound check and Buddy and Otis Rush are sitting at the bar drinking.
Then I come back to play four or five hours later and they're still at the bar and now I've got to play in front of them. And I got done and then the bouncer comes over and says that Buddy wants to see me.
And then I come over and Buddy tells me, "Hey, that was pretty good. You can play here any time."
And they ask me what I want to drink and I'm drinking with Buddy Guy and Otis Rush at the bar. I will take that story to my grave. That was a great night.
Q – When he said that to you, did it make you feel that you made the right choice in getting into the music business and that you should continue on?
Yes. I've gotten to meet several of my heroes that I listened to when I was a kid, like Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter and I've gotten to play with them.
And Johnny Winter told me, "Hey man, you're a good blues guitar player. You got to keep playing the blues."
Those are things that always remind me why I keep doing this.
Q – And of course Buddy Guy is 87 and is on his farewell tour. And you're 53. So that means you have at least 34 more years of touring in you, right?
I hope so. That would be great.
Q – Of course, you have other projects as well. You're co-owner of the Gulf Coast Records label, which has released several critically acclaimed blues rock albums.
Has the record label exceeded your expectations?
Oh man, by far. I didn't even consider that we were going to make a real record label.
I thought it was going to be a side project to help certain young artists. It never really occurred to me that we could be where we're at today.
I'm so proud of it. We have a whole team that works so hard. We couldn't do it without them for sure.
Jack The Acquaintance introduces the band Jesus The Coyote.
By ERIC SCHELKOPF
As musician Jack The Acquaintance and his fellow musical friends proved in glorious fashion during their March 1 show at the ROXY in Aurora, rock is far from dead.
That is despite the show being billed as I Killed Rock 'n' Roll: Full Circle, a reference to Jack's album, “I Killed Rock ’N’ Roll (It's Not Rock ’N’ Roll's Fault)”. The show was the first time he played the songs from the album with a band.
The night took attendees on a musical journey, starting with the searing
garage rock of Jesus Coyote. And yes, Jesus was there that night,
although fortunately no coyotes were allowed in the door.
The pop-punk group Double Identity Band also brought plenty of energy to the stage and their infectious melodies and catchy lyrics connected with the audience.
Jack The Acquaintance and his fellow musicians lifted the energy level inside the ROXY even higher, providing the perfect ending to a night of musical thrills.
