Chicago band The Return of the Flock to bring its innovative sound to Ravinia in Highland Park

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

In the 1960s, Chicago band The Flock broke new musical ground when they added an electric violin to complement its jazz-rock sound.

The Flock's inventive sound won over acclaimed blues guitarist John Mayall, who had words of praise for the band after he shared the stage with the group. For those wondering when The Flock would return, the wait is over.

Now anchored by original members Jerry Goodman and Jerry Smith, The Return of the Flock also features two-time Grammy Award winner and Evanston resident Howard Levy. The band will perform at 7:30 p.m. June 7 at Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park.

Gates open at 5 p.m. Lawn admission tickets are $35, available at Ravinia's website, ravinia.org.

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

 

Q – Great talking to you. Congratulations on your recent 51st wedding anniversary.

 

Thanks very much!  It's only fitting that I met my wife, Mary Louise, at Mercury Records in Chicago in 1971. 

 

She was the secretary to the president of the record label.   

 

Q – Of course, The Return of The Flock will perform June 7 at Ravinia. What made the band want to perform together again and what do you think Howard Levy brings to the mix?

 

We had been toying with the idea of reforming The Flock for several years, but the personnel did not seem to fit perfectly. Jerry Goodman lives in Oregon and was interested in playing music with some of us in Chicago and we formed the band Dinosaur Exhibit performing only one Flock tune (we played more mainstream-type music).

 

As we made various changes to the personnel, things started to really click. Howard Levy sat in with us, at times playing harmonica, and Jerry and Howard have recorded together in the past.

 

It was magical when they were on stage together with us. We felt the time was right to reintroduce the Flock, and also introduce the band to new listeners. 

 

 

We have fans both here and abroad that would love to catch us one more time. We are performing original Flock tunes from our Columbia recordings as well as some of Jerry Goodman's beautiful originals and a Mahavishnu Orchestra trilogy that is very moving.

 

We most likely would have had this group together earlier, but the pandemic set us back – like many things. As far as what Howard brings to us, he is an amazing musician who understands and loves this type of avant-garde jazz rock music. 

He's a super person and knows how to play in various time signatures. We are thrilled with him and each and every musician in the band.

Q– Losing The Flock lead singer and guitarist Fred Glickstein last year must have been hard. What do you think his biggest contribution to the band was?

 

Fred was central to the creation of our new type of music that we introduced back in 1969. Jerry Goodman was a classically trained musician who also played guitar and we all fed off of one another, creating something new and different at that time.

 

We miss Fred dearly and I had conversations with his wife Bobbie after Fred's passing. We wanted her approval to resurrect this project and she was full in on it! This really is a tribute to Fred and [saxophonist] Rick Canoff, who we lost many years ago.

 

Q – Noted guitarist John Mayall wrote the liner notes for your debut album after seeing the band perform at Kinetic Playground in Chicago. He said, “I got close to going berserk over their prodigious and varied musical talent. (It’s) an exciting new direction in contemporary music, a subtle fusion of sounds drawn from the bedrock of blues, jazz, gospel, rock, country and many other sources.”

 

When the band first formed, did you see yourselves as breaking new musical ground? How would you compare the Chicago music scene back then to the Chicago music scene today?

 

John Mayall definitely was helpful in getting us noticed. With commercial-free FM radio on the rise, we saw music lovers gravitating to all new types of music and appreciating what they heard.

 

Having a folk singer like Buffy Saint-Marie, The Flock, and The Who on the same bill, was very well received back then as concert goers were digging everything thrown at them. In Europe, we headlined a tremendous amount of shows and performed at many festivals as well as The Royal Albert Hall in London. 

 

We simply felt we had music that we wanted to express to others and the timing was right for us. The music scene today, per se, is a bit different.

 

There are not as many clubs and venues that we had in Chicago as people have other interests in their lives. On any given weekend, most teens either went to the movies or clubs to listen to the local bands. 

 

We had The Buckinghams, Ides of March, The Cryan' Shames, and many other local bands performing all the time. It definitely was a tremendous experience for everyone.

 

Q – I understand The Flock has unreleased material. Do you see the material ever being released?

 

I don't see the material being released at this time. Sony, previously Columbia, owns tape of recordings we made at CBS in Chicago, but these were more or less recordings of ideas we had for new material.

 

Q – At the Kinetic Playground, The Flock performed with the likes of Mayall, Johnny Winter, Richie Havens, Ten Years After, Bo Diddley and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. What was it like playing with bands of such caliber? What did you learn from the experience?

 

We also had several performances with Santana, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Grateful Dead, Ike and Tina Turner and many other prominent groups. They were all great experiences for us, getting to know the bands and understanding that we were all from different backgrounds with different tastes in music. 

 

Some reached greater success than others. Actually, we were in awe of most all the groups, but we understood that we all came from humble beginnings.

 

I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

 

Q – After the June 7 show, what is next for The Return of The Flock? Will you be doing more shows or perhaps releasing new material?

 

The plan is to kick off [The Return of] The Flock at Ravinia and we do plan on pushing for more shows soon. We will get this performance under our belt and discuss the future soon.

 

Audience treated to a night of uplifting music during Haiku Milieu concert at The Venue in Aurora

Chicagoland poet, author and singer songwriter Jenny Bienemann on May 10 hosted a Haiku Milieu concert at The Venue in Aurora. More than 20 local musicians performed songs inspired by her original haiku poems.

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

Plenty of talented musicians have taken the stage at The Venue in Aurora since it opened its doors five years ago.

But when you have more than 20 talented musicians taking the stage in one night, well, that's a treat that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

Such was the case on May 10, when Chicagoland poet, author, and singer songwriter Jenny Bienemann hosted a Haiku Milieu concert at The Venue. During the night, musicians performed songs inspired by her original haiku poems. 

 

Those attending the show were treated to a night of uplifting music.

 In addition, the concert was a reminder of how we are blessed to have such a vibrant music scene.

The night was also a way for musicians to bond with other musicians and in turn, form a connection with the audience.

To watch more performances from the night, go to youtube.com/@ericschel12/videos. And to find out when the next Haiku Milieu concert will be, go to Bienemann's website at https://jennybienemann.com.

To find out about The Venue's upcoming shows – including its fifth anniversary celebration – go to The Venue's website at themusicvenue.org.

With new album in tow, experimental rock band Swans to perform at Metro in Chicago

Photo illustration by Phil Puleo

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

It seems that experimental rock band Swans breaks new musical ground with every album it makes.

Such is the case with its latest album, "The Beggar."

Swans will perform May 11 at the Metro, 3730 Clark St., Chicago. Also on the bill is Kristof Hahn.

The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $32 in advance, $37 the day of the show, available at Metro's website at metrochicago.com.

I had the chance to talk to Swans frontman Michael Gira about the album and upcoming show.

Q – Great talking to you again. How has the tour been going? You must be pleased

that several of the shows sold out.

 

This tour has been going for over a year so it’s hard to judge how it’s been going. It’s like being inside a very warm, red dream at this point… I’m happy to see people at the shows, particularly very young people. 

 

It’s heartening that the music continues to percolate through the culture.

 

Q – Along with performing new songs on the tour, I understand you are performing reworked versions of songs you performed on last year's tour. What made you want to do that and how do you think the new versions compare to the previous versions?

 

With us, the music changes gradually from night to night. The pieces are always evolving. Even the new pieces are evolving from where they were when we first started playing them recently. The original songs are just a starting point.

 

Q – Is there a meaning behind the name of the album "The Beggar"?

 

Well, that’s the name of one of the pieces on the album, and it seemed the most appropriate to use as an album title. The song itself grew out of thinking about abjection and its potential as food for strength.

 

Q – In sitting down to make the album, what were your goals and do you think you accomplished them? How do you think it compares to your previous efforts?

 

It’s one long continuous stream of music from the very beginning in 1982/3 until now. The music evolves slowly and naturally according to its own dictates.

 

I’m just an animated puppet following its directives, allowing it to sing through me and by extension through the people with whom I work. So I don’t really have any goals and I don’t compare one album to another.

 

It’s all one living creature that’s constantly re-birthing itself in new forms.

 

Q – I understand that when you were writing the songs for "The Beggar," you took the approach that these could be your last songs. But after playing again live, I understand that you have written some new songs and feel 15 years younger. What changed your mind?

 

COVID-19 and isolation had the effect of a wet pillow expanding inside the confines of the skull and possibility and imagination seemed to shrink accordingly.

 

Thankfully, I managed to write the songs, the basic premise for the album, and through getting out in the world again new possibilities presented themselves and fed my starved blood and mind with a replenishing life force once again. 

 

Q – Is it an honor to be called the world's loudest experimental band? What goals do you have for your live shows?

That seems silly, thanks anyway. The goal of the live shows is to get out of the way and to let the sound and music take over, both us and the audience, completely.

Q – Are there any songs that you especially love playing live?

At this point performing is like breathing to me, so I don’t have a preference for one breath over another. Our live set is really one long piece now. 

 

Photo by Nicole Oike

Q – What was your approach in making the song "The Beggar Lover (Three)"? Was it easier or harder to make a song of such length?

There was a huge amount of material to consider while making this piece, and the task was to dive into the whirlpool and attempt somehow to wrestle the competing elements that were attacking me into a cohesive shape. The length of the piece was determined by the moment when time and energy ran out. 

 

It could have continued much longer. In fact I wish that it had. 

Q – You have said that when music is successful, "it’s an unfolding presence, a warm ocean of stars, or a river of blood, urine, and semen in which the listener floats eternally, bathed in the salve of sound and love. Swim!"

Yes, I suppose I said that. Seems like a decent goal to me.

Q – What kinds of things have people told you after listening to your music?

I regularly speak with people after the shows and I’m most heartened when people tell me that the music has been a positive force in their lives.