By ERIC SCHELKOPF
Musician and St. Charles native Ryan Carney loves seeing – and hearing – the creative juices that start flowing when musicians have the chance to jam together.
Last year, Carney started the Fox Valley Jammers Club Facebook group as a way to connect musicians who want to participate in the open mic and open jam scene across the Fox Valley. There will be plenty of chances for musicians to create some magical moments on stage during the Fox Valley Jammers Club Summer Open Jam Festival.
The festival will take place from 2 to 11 p.m. July 20 at the Aurora Athletic Club, 550 Clearwater Drive, North Aurora. Those who want to participate just have to bring their instrument.
Admission is free, though donations are welcome. Musicians will perform on two backlined stages.
"It's non-stop, 15-minute rotations on two stages," Carney said. "Leave your amps at home. We have fully backlined stages. We don't need your amplifiers. We just need you to bring your instrument and your art. Bring your music and we'll take care of the rest."
The festival will also feature drum circles, bonfires and visual artists along with Island Boy Food Truck. And if you aren't a musician, you are welcome to stop by and hear some of the talent the Fox Valley has to offer.
The event is rain or shine. Fortunately, both stages are under roofs, a blessing in case of inclement weather.
To give thanks to those venues that host open mic and open jam events, Carney and fellow musician Izzy Kucera, who oversees the open jams at Bar Evolution in Batavia, in February hosted a state-of-the-jam dinner party at Pollyanna Brewing Company in downtown St. Charles.
The event was even more successful than they thought it would be.
"We had 90 people RSVP and more than 200 people showed up with their gear wanting to get up on stage and play," Carney said. "So that was really sort of the litmus test of the demand that we're seeing. This event is in response to that. This is our chance to really expand the offerings in a much bigger location."
As Carney noted, the open mike and open jam scene has really exploded, especially in the Fox Valley.
"There's a lot of talent out here," he said. "We're kind of a platform for the underdog. We don't cater to the best. We're not cherry picking the best musicians and giving them the most attention. We're trying to give the common musical amateur an opportunity to get up on stage and be heard. Everybody is a star for a day."
He is constantly hearing stories about the positive impact the Fox Valley Jammers Club is making.
"People are telling me that the Fox Valley Jammers Club has motivated them to pick up their guitar after putting it down for 30 years," Carney said. "I've had people tell me they've formed full bands exclusively with members of the Fox Valley Jammers Club."
The number of members in the group continues to grow. In February, there were 650 members.
"We just doubled that," Carney said. "We have more than 1,300 members right now."
That includes young people. A couple of weeks ago, Carney hosted an open jam night at Pollyanna Brewing Company in St. Charles.
"I had two high school freshmen playing on the stage," he said. "This is their launch pad to figure out if they love this or not. I've seen musicians as young as 10 or 11 years old."
That gives Carney, who also teaches music, a lot of satisfaction.
"I've been teaching music privately for almost 30 years," he said.
He plans to stage an even bigger event next year.
"I want to build on this so I can do this even bigger next year," Carney said.
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