Chicago band The Heard bringing the funk to Taste of Randolph festival

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

While much has been said about Chicago being the blues capital of the world, The Heard represents the its funky side.

The six-piece instrumental band has built up a following in the city, in part through its weekly residency at aliveOne in Chicago. The Heard, www.theheardfunk.com, is bound to pick up some new fans through its appearance at the Taste of Randolph Street festival.

The Heard will perform from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. June 14 at the festival's East Stage. More information is available at www.tasterandolph.com.

I had the chance to talk to guitarist Taras Horalewskyj about the band and its current activities.


Q - Great talking to you. I see you guys recently were in New Orleans. Judging by the videos, it looks like the band had a good time. How was that experience? Would you say that New Orleans and its music has had a big influence on The Heard's music?

We had an incredible experience in New Orleans! We learned so much being down there in that hotbed of incredible music and people - I have a feeling that it will be a yearly trip for the band from now on.  

Aside from catching so many great shows, we had a blast playing five times in the week we were there. The music of New Orleans is a huge source of inspiration, and it definitely has a great influence on The Heard, especially the older legends like The Meters, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint. 

We try to add some of the elements of their feel and sound into our modern style of funk.

Q - Speaking of New Orleans, The Heard has backed former Galactic vocalist Theryl "Houseman" DeClouet. How is it working with artists of such caliber and what did you learn from the experience?

Playing with Houseman was an honor; it was great. We couldn't believe that we had those opportunities to back him up. 

It was a huge learning experience playing with him and even just hanging out and talking about music. We learned to listen more as we played, not to just to Houseman leading things as the singer, but to each other at the same time. 

It was also a lesson in the virtue of maintaining a degree of looseness in order to achieve certain feels. We really had a blast working with him.

Q - What made the band want to form in the first place? Did you find that the members clicked from the very beginning?

I wanted to form a funk band right out of college after I had gotten into and been inspired by a lot of the newer funk that was coming around. I started The Heard with Mike, who I have been good friends with and played music with for about 12 years now. 

Having made music together for so long and knowing each other's playing so well, we already knew we clicked and were able to pick up momentum pretty easily. We didn't have a more fleshed out and complete line up as a band until about a year in - we met great players who eventually became crucial band mates through word of mouth. 

Our aliveOne residency really helped out in this respect.

Q - Who are the band's musical inspirations and how have they inspired the band?

We have a ton of musical inspirations ranging from the old cats like The Meters, The Ohio Players, Sly and the Family Stone, Roy Ayers, Earth Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, etc., to some of the "newer" acts like the New Mastersounds, Lettuce, and Karl Denson. 

We strive to approach this music the way the greats do - we learn from them, and from the way we blend all these sounds together and throw our own personalities into the mix is how we try to create our own flavor and style. 

We appreciate and pay close attention to studying the different take on pocket and groove that all these musicians have - this is something we put work into all the time.

With there being many funk and groove oriented bands in Chicago currently, we would like to think that the attention and care we put into striving to develop genuine and authentic pocket sensibilities helps us stand out. Back to the question of inspiration though, when it comes to our heroes, it's having the maturity and taste to get out of the way when needed and to serve the music as much as possible that inspires us the most.
 
Q - You guys are regulars at aliveOne Chicago. What do you like about the venue?

We love aliveOne, it's our favorite bar in Chicago! This is one of the only bars that has weekly music with no cover. The atmosphere is phenomenal, such a great vibe. 

The staff is great. The place is all about music, and you don't have to spend a lot of money there to have a fun night. There is free FUNK. What more could you ask for?

Q - How do you see The Heard fitting into the Chicago music scene? How would you rate the funk scene in Chicago?

When I first wanted to start The Heard I wasn't really worrying about fitting in the Chicago funk scene, I just wanted to start a tight band that people could dance too. 

Now I see us fitting in very well having a weekly residency and getting fun opportunities to open up for some larger national acts that come through Chicago. When the band first started there either wasn't a whole lot going on in terms of a funk scene, or we just weren't aware of what was going on. 

Now, a few years later, it seems like funk is on the rise and there is definitely more of a scene. We are friends with a lot of great musicians that perform music on the funk/soul spectrum - there is a tremendous amount of inspiring talent in this city - but by design, the vision for The Heard has been to lean quite heavily towards funk and a super deep pocket, and I think we occupy our own niche because of that.

Q - What are the band's short term and long term goals?

Short term we hope to get into the studio and record this summer. We look forward to keeping the aliveOne residency going strong and to continuing to improve as a band as a result of it. 

Long term, take The Heard on the road when ready and spread our Chicago funk far and wide.

"New face of the blues" Joanne Shaw Taylor coming to Chicago with Bart Walker as part of Ruf Records Blues Caravan tour

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

She has been called the "new face of the blues."

British blues musician Joanne Shaw Taylor, www.joanneshawtaylor.com, will perform June 13 at Hard Rock Cafe, 63 W. Ontario, Chicago, as part of the Ruf Records Blues Caravan 2013 featuring Taylor and Bart Walker. Jimmy Bowskill had to pull out of the tour because of family illness.

The show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are available through www.ticketweb.com. 

I had the chance to talk to Taylor about her career and the current tour.

 
Q - Great to talk to you. You will be in Chicago as part of the Blues Caravan tour. What's it like being on a tour like this? Is it more fun to play with other musicians on a tour like this or to perform on your own?

It's a wonderful experience. I rarely get the opportunity to collaborate with other artists, so it's very refreshing for me. Bart is a wonderful talent and i think our styles work very well together.

Q - Last year, you played lead guitar for Annie Lennox at the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II. How was that experience and do you view that as the highlight of your career to date?

It was an incredible experience and more than anything a wonderful highlight of my life more than career. How many people get to say they attended a historical event such as that let alone perform at it? Plus working with Annie was a dream come true.

Q - Considering that Lennox is best known for being a member of The Eurythmics and that her former bandmate, Dave Stewart, was the one who listened to your demo tape when you were 16, was playing with Lennox a case of life coming full circle? 

Yeah, I like to think so. It's funny in a way, because although my time working with Dave was an experience that certainly shaped my style, writing ability, etc., the label went bust before I could release an album. 

So 10 years later, once I'd established myself and had my career on track to have the opportunity to work with Annie and someone associated with Dave at a time in my career when it was hugely beneficial was a funny turn of events for sure.

Q - I understand that when Stewart first heard you, he said, "She made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end." How did you react when you heard that comment? Did you give you further proof that you were supposed to be a musician?

I think at the time I thought 'he's mad' :-) Personally speaking, I've always felt very blessed to have received such support from Dave and to have such a great deal of his respect so at the time, I was probably shocked he thought of me so highly.

Q - Jim Gaines produced your first album, "White Sugar." Gaines has worked with a variety of musicians, including the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, who I understand is one of your inspirations. Did you feel an instant connection with him?

Yes, it was easy to work with Jim.  Dave Stewart had actually put me in touch with Jim when I was 17. We had a long phone conversation while I was at Dave's house about working together. 

Ten years later, I finally got the opportunity and we both remembered that chat 10 years earlier and thought it funny it took us so long to get around to making an album!

Q - You released your third album, "Almost Always Never," last year. What were your goals for the album and do you think you accomplished them?

I just wanted it to be a progression. I always want to do something a little different. It makes no sense to me to make the same album twice. 

I think the songs were a lot more diverse on this album and I was really pleased that I managed to achieve that and that it still sounded like a continuation of the previous two albums.

Q - You now live in Detroit, which like Chicago, has a strong musical history. What
made you want to move to Detroit and how has it impacted your music?

My first U.S. band was from Detroit, so it was an obvious base for me as we started touring over here more and it became apparent it would be beneficial to move to the U.S. 

I think it's widened my music tastes. Musically speaking, Detroit is a very diverse town. It obviously has got the Motown/rock history, but there's a strong country/rap/blues scene here too.

Q - What was the music scene like growing up in Birmingham, England? What made you want to pick up the guitar in the first place?

My dad and brother. I was surrounded by guitars from a young age. 

Much to my mother's dismay, the allure of my dad's Fender and Vox AC30 won me over more than the ballet shoes and barbies.

Q - Do you feel added pressure as a female guitarist to prove yourself in a field that is still dominated by men? Are there other female guitarists out there that you admire, blues or otherwise?

I think the main thing I'll never understand is people's need sometimes to compare me to other female players rather than male players who I'm more similar to just because we're the same sex and have completely different styles. 

Someone the other day was comparing me to Ani DiFranco. That's like comparing B.B. King to Steve Vai.

There are a few I know of, Laura Chavez from the West Coast is a wonderful player and a good friend. Debbie Davies too.

Q - "Blues Matters" magazine called you the "new face of the blues." Do you consider yourself the new face of the blues? Do you see yourself helping the blues gain a bigger audience?

Ha, it was a lovely compliment but I'm not sure I'm in a position to confirm or deny myself the new face of the blues.

I think anyone out there playing Blues or promoting their blues influences must be helping introduce new listeners and help maintain the genre. Hopefully, I'm doing that in some small way.

Spotlight shining brightly for Chicago blues musician Liz Mandeville

Chicago Blues Hall of Fame inductees, Liz Mandeville, left, and Buddy Guy, right.

By ERIC SCHELKOPF
 
Blues singer, songwriter, guitarist, record label owner, author, speaker, painter - Liz Mandeville is a true renaissance woman and a fervent promoter of the blues.

So it is not surprising that Mandeville, www.lizmandeville.com, was recently inducted in the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. The power that she creates on stage will be in full display when Mandeville and the Blue Points perform from noon to 1 p.m. June 8 on the Front Porch Stage at the Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park in Chicago. A full festival schedule is at www.cityofchicago.org.

I had the chance to talk to Mandeville about her recent honor.


Q - Congratulations on being inducted in the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. How does it feel being inducted, especially at the same time as blues legends like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Buddy Guy?

Thank you! I was surprised and deeply honored to be inducted. Muddy Waters is probably the biggest influence on me.

His was the first blues record I ever bought. His vocal interpretation, the way he inflected and colored his words and the licks he sang were what informed me as a blues singer. Willie Dixon wrote a lot of the material my idols, Muddy, Koko Taylor and other Chess Recording artists recorded.

He also influenced me as to what was a blues song and how do you write one that’s really authentic. Buddy Guy, it goes without saying, is my hero, a living legend. 

I’m so proud to be in regular rotation at his club. His songs “Bluebird On My Shoulder” inspired several of my own compositions and my vocal on “Juice Head Man” is a direct nod to that song. He’s a great interpreter and an amazing musician.

Q- Who do you see being inducted 20 years from now?

I could not begin to guess.

Q - Speaking of blues legends, the late Willie "Big Eyes" Smith urged you to start your own music label and the last recordings of Smith on both harp and drum are captured on "Clarksdale," your first CD on your music label, Blue Kitty Music. How was it working with Smith on that CD and how did he influence you over the years?

Willie Smith was always very professional. He was “on time and in the pocket”, the greatest compliment you can pay a blues drummer! He was a pleasure to work with throughout my knowing him. 

From ’94- ’99 I had a regular weekly gig at Blue Chicago with Aron Burton’s Band, young Kenny Smith was our drummer but he was still in high school. So when he couldn’t make the gig he sent his dad and that’s how I started playing with Willie Smith!

But that’s not how I met him. Back in the early 90’s my first husband, Willie Greeson, left my band to play with the Legendary Blues Band. That was the Muddy Waters Band without Muddy.

Calvin “Fuzz” Jones on bass, Pinetop Perkins on keys, Madison Slim on harp and Willie Smith, who played drums, was the band leader. It was my then husband’s dream job for which he’d left his home in Dalton, Georgia,  and played all those dates on the road with me in our band.

The timing couldn’t have been worse! When he got the call to play with the LBB, I’d just sunk every dime I had in the world into a recording project, and booked us for a tour to tighten up the originals we’d recorded and our overall show.

I’d also booked a showcase date at Legends to end the tour and invited every important person in the blues world to try to get us a label deal and they all showed! But, although I did all the writing and booking, Willie Greeson had been the band leader in our group, so when he left at this critical moment the whole band flew apart and I was left with nothing.

I had to put a band of hired guns together to honor the contracts I’d negotiated (something I’d never done on my own), figure out what keys I did the songs in, and since I had no experience leading a band,  I could only get the guys to play the cover tunes.

It was a terrible career setback. Obviously I didn’t get the Rounder or Alligator deal, they weren’t interested in a white girl singing cover tunes.

But I met Willie Smith when I’d go to drop my Willie off at his place for their tours. I met the whole family then and ended up playing gigs with a then teenaged Kenny Smith, Willie’s son and an estimable drummer in his own right.

Then, over the next year, one by one the other Legendary’s left the band to pursue solo careers. Willie Smith found it very hard to book a Legendary Blues Band with only one legend in it, HIM!

His agent split and he got a new guy who was enthusiastic but had no connections. I sat down with him and gave him every lead I had in the U.S. and Canada. He never forgot that I’d done that.

I guess that’s why after all these years he decided to help me.

I’d gone to Rosa’s Lounge to celebrate the Joined At the Hip Grammy win. I said to Willie, “Man I been wanting to make a record with you since ’98!” and he’s like “What? 1998?” and I said “Yeah! I wanted to make a disc with you and Willie Kent and George Baze and Allen Batts” and he said, “Well, Allen moved to Arkansas and those other cats is dead!” “I know!” I said, but I still want to make that record!” and he said, “Book the time, Lizzie, book the time! And we ain't givin this record to none of them labels! You’re starting your own label and I’m gonna help you.”

So that’s how Blue Kitty Music got started, right there at Rosa’s Lounge that fateful February night. I did book the time and we were in the studio two weeks later laying down the first five tracks.

That’s Willie Smith’s voice you hear at the beginning of "Clarksdale" on the track “Roadside Produce Stand." He and Darryl and I were working out an arrangement in the studio and we’d been joking around and it got on tape.

I decided to lead off the CD with it so that Willie’s voice, his exuberance and his spirit would live on. I had no idea when we recorded those tracks he’d be dead before the year was out.

He was SO alive, in his 70’s yet fit, youthful and handsome. I asked him, ‘Should I call you about the next session?” and he said “Just text me.”

Q - You are a prolific writer, writing all of your songs for your CDs. Do you ever find it hard to find inspiration? What do you like writing about?

I’ve been writing original songs since I can remember. I used to climb up on our neighbors' piano and play by ear till my grandma heard me and got us a piano.

I remember one time my mom was getting her hair done at Marshall Fields and they had a toy department outside the beauty salon. I was waiting for my mother, she’d told me, “Play with the toys and don’t get in trouble!”

They had this little four octave piano there so I sat down and started playing songs and singing all by ear. I actually drew a crowd and people were clapping, but when my mother came out of the salon she was not at all happy.

She gave me a whipping like I’d never had. I guess I wasn’t supposed to draw attention to myself, it was a week before I could sit down!

I thought I’d gotten some writers block while I was laid up after surgery in 2010, but then my friend came from Holland to visit and started asking me, “What have you written? Where are your new songs?” and I was like, “Well, I've been laying around not doing anything much” but he wouldn’t let it go and finally I said, “Well I wrote some songs but they’re not much…” and he insisted on hearing some of them so I played him one.

It turned out to be the song Eddie Shaw blows on "Clarksdale, "  “Sweet Potatoe Pie” so I guess my idea of writers block is other people’s idea of prolific!

I get a lot of ideas when I’m out walking my dog, or trying to drive (I have more scribbled songs on deposit tickets in the back of my checkbook! I never seem to have paper when I’m driving). In fact, the title track of my fourth Earwig CD, "Red Top," was written on the highway while I was driving past Red Top, Georgia.

I also get lots of great lyrics while taking a shower, which can be very frustrating while I’m dripping all over the floor looking for a pen! I draw inspiration from everywhere, reading a book, looking at a piece of art, hearing someone tell me a story.

Right now, I’m working on some songs for Shirley Johnson’s next project. I went to her show and watched her sing, then she sat down with me and we talked and the next day one of her anecdotes had morphed itself into a song! 

Q - Your song "Scratch the Kitty" held the number one spot for 22 weeks on the Cashbox Charts in 2010. Did you ever think that song would have such an impact? What do you think it was about that song that connected so well?
 

That song was inspired by an anecdote my brother in law, Alvin Holmes, told my husband. They’d been sitting around playing video games all afternoon and out of the blue Alvin looks over and says to my husband, “Carl, sometimes you have to scratch the kitty.”

Then he turns back to the game without another word. My husband comes home a few hours later and says to me, “Alvin said the strangest thing to me today.” And he related the whole episode and I said “Wait a minute…” and the whole song just came like that!

I’d always loved the theatre, I love word play and double entendre. I can’t stand a song that’s too blatant or obvious, but when I wrote that song I actually used my cat Frankie as a model.

My Frankie was one of those yellow tabby cats and one time a young girl was canvassing for Greenpeace and I asked her in because it was raining and I felt sorry for her. She had an English accent and she saw my cat and exclaimed “How precious! A Ginger Tabby!”

I never forgot that turn of phrase, so I used It in the song. I think people liked it because it’s entirely innocent and could be sung for children or a nanny, but if you’re a dirty minded so and so it’s as filthy as you want to make it. People like that!

Q - Your dad sang and played folk songs. Did he push you to become a musician? What drew you to the blues in the first place?

My dad was an artist and a cowboy and a dreamer, he never pushed me to do anything but be myself. He never gave me unsolicited advice, so when he talked, I listened.

He did record some of my original tunes when I was in high school and sent them off to Nashville, but they weren’t interested. I miss my dad every day!

No, the blues was stalking me all my life. I was in love with this hippie guy named Eric Burnhart. If Eric had said, “I have two tickets to hell, would you like to go?” I would have said, “What time should I be ready?”

Well, Eric took me to see Luther Allison live in a club in Oshkosh, Wis., and after the first note from Luther’s guitar I was so hooked it was sick.

I moved to Chicago shortly after, wandered into the first Kingston Mines and met my long term mentor, Aron Burton, who always gave me very good sound advice.

Not long after that I met Willie Greeson, who was so addicted to the blues he’d traveled halfway across the country to make it his life’s work and he played me Jimmy Reed until I got hooked too.

That was that.

Q - Even though rock derives so much from the blues, it seems that the blues continues to take a back seat to rock. What will it take to get more people interested in blues music? 

Blues music must be on TV. It must have its own station like VH1 or MTV.

It must have travel series and performance shows and concerts to get over. I was very hopeful that the movie "Cadillac Records" would turn on this generation like the Blues Brothers turned on a generation and Stevie Ray Vaughan turned on another, but it just didn’t ignite.

Oh well, if they had a reality TV camera following some of my people around, they’d start to say “Snookie who?” Believe me, we started it!

Q - You are also a painter. I understand that you view the visual arts as "food for the soul." Do you draw inspiration for your paintings from the same place as you do your songs? Do you need both music and art in your life? 

Back in the day a guy named Albert Brooks made a movie called “The Muse” that starred him and Michelle Pfeiffer. See that movie and you’ll understand what it takes to be me!

My writing muse demands books, magazines, movies, plays, afternoons at great museums of the world, she wants to travel, she wants to spa, she wants to be entertained both by other writers, by other musicians, she wants to be read to by the original author, she needs me to do things to help other people or she won’t produce!

For a few years she needed to go to Paris every year, then one year it wasn’t enough. For the past few years it’s been Clarksdale, Miss., that has given her joy.

This has also been a great joy for me and I’ve made some wonderful friends all over the world thanks to her constant need for sensory input. Sometimes I can just take her to the Art Institute of Chicago for an afternoon, but sometimes she needs to go shopping at some extravagant little shop or on the Internet. It’s expensive!!

I need art, sculpture, paintings, I need books and lots of them, I need more than 300 channels of TV, and great food. I need stimulating conversation. I understand that all other people need is sex, that must be nice, and a lot less trouble.

Recently, I’ve discovered computer art and also started making jewelry as well as painting. I like to paint scenes from the blues life and views from the van, so my paintings are either very colorful and filled with people or they’re landscapes rushing by.

My dad was really helpful in my early artistic life. He bought me a set of acrylic paints which I took on the road with me to help pass the time while touring.

I realized awhile back that I’ve been painting for sport for as long as I’ve been a musician for hire. I’m fortunate to have such pastimes that give me so much pleasure of expression.

If I hit that lottery I’d like to make an endowment to put art and music teachers into all the Chicago Public Schools. I think that  our culture suffers from lack of cultural education.

People need an understanding of art and music to be whole. We’re missing that.
 
Q - What goals do you have for Blue Kitty Music? Would you like to sign other artists to your label?

I’ve recently talked to a few artists about doing a compilation CD that would feature several of my favorite underappreciated people. I’d like to put out at least one disc a year and have four artists doing three songs each, or vice versa.

Then I’d like to mount a tour with these people featured on a series of concerts.  It’s a lot of work and planning and I do it all myself out of my own pocket,  so it all takes longer than I’d like, but yes, there will be more Blue Kitty Projects with other artists!

Writing for Shirley Johnson kind of opened my ears to hearing other voices from my pen. It’s wonderful to hear someone singing something you’ve written!

I love collaborating with other artists, trying new things, as long as we’re all having fun doing it. Life should be fun and art should make you joyful.

Life is too full of sadness and disappointment to be seeking other than to spread pleasure. My own experiences both in my childhood and early career were so difficult to overcome that I decided along the way that I only want to work with people I like, promote people who are good at heart and do things to make people laugh and feel better.

Even a song that I write that makes you cry in the end had let you release some pain, so it’s all good.

Last  year I’d planned to do a Blue Kitty Christmas CD, but only got one track finished. That track featured my Dutch friend (the one who made me get on with it and record "Sweet Potatoe Pie") Peter Struijk on slide, Rockin Johnny Burgin on guitar and Martin Lange on harp. 

We used it to raise money for the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Relief. I’m planning another track for this year, also for the Red Cross. Who knows, in a few years we’ll have a whole disc!

I’m also working on remixing some of my material with some young, talented DJ’s and producers. I am not one of the crowd that loudly proclaims the death of the blues while holding a foot to its throat when it’ s trying to evolve! Art will change, music will change, it’s change or die, isn’t it? One of my favorite movie quotes is Clint Eastwood from "Heartbreak Ridge," as the tough Marine, Thomas “Gunny” Highway, says “Improvise, adapt and overcome!”

That is my motto and should be the motto of every living blues artist that wants this music to continue. Even Willie Smith said, “I ain't trying to play the same stuff I was in the 1950’s. I ain't the same guy I was then, the music ain't the same. It couldn’t be the same if it wanted to be!”

Now, out of all the self proclaimed carriers of the blues torch I think Willie Smith is the guy I’m a be listening to!

Q - You've done so many things. Do you have any dream projects or collaborations?

When I was 20-something, I took classes at The School of Metaphysics. I don’t think it exists anymore, but one of the assignments was “write a list of all the things you want to accomplish.”

So I wrote down travel to Europe, get a college degree, learn to speak French, have a world class band, make a CD, own a building, be able to cook gourmet food, have friends on more than one continent, be respected by my musical peers, have a good touring vehicle, write award winning songs, make money from my music…”

There were about 20 things I wanted to do. Well, I guess I have to write a new list, because I did all those things and more. I’m always surprised to think I’ve done so many things, in fact, unless I’m looking at a list of things I’ve accomplished, it doesn’t seem to me like I’ve really done much!

I have yet to win a Nobel Prize or to be asked to perform for the President or the Queen, I’ve never played Carnegie Hall or even the Pabst Theatre In Milwaukee where I grew up. Although I’ve won songwriting contests and been inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame, I have yet to be nominated for a Blues Music Award!

I’d love to play Milwaukee Summerfest, (I’d like a good agent so I wouldn’t have to also do the booking for everything!) I’d like to return to Europe to play music with my friends there. I’d love to play in the Orient and Australia sometime before the flight is too daunting to imagine.

Chicago band The Differents serving up sweetly melodic songs on new CD

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

Some things are just worth the wait.

Chicago band The Differents has just released its warmly melodic third album, "Christley Block." The album was originally recorded between 1999 and early 2002.

The Differents, comprised of Chris Meziere on bass, Dan Garrity on drums and Lou Hallwas on vocals/guitar, will perform June 14 at the Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, at a CD release party for "Christley Block."

The Phil Angotti Band,  The Safes and The Handcuffs also are on the bill. The show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $8, available at www.ticketweb.com.

I had the chance to talk to The Differents frontman Lou Hallwas about the band's current activities.


Q - Great to talk to you. "Christley Block" was originally recorded between 1999 and early 2002. What made you want to release it at this time? How do you think the songs have stood up?

Thanks Eric, for chatting to me about the tunes! I basically want the music out there. I had a good long break from The Differents, and with time away, I really appreciate and am thankful for the time and people who played in the band.

The recordings we made weren't really made available to too many people. The funds weren't there. The Internet was dial-up.

Specifically though, with "Christley Block," as is often the case with most bands or musicians, the harshest critic you'll ever have is sitting there on your shoulder. Folks like us don't tend to put their most natural stuff/demos out there.

We sometimes seem to be too sensitive to what's coming out naturally. So, I'm basically tired of folks like me, and I really love what Chris Lordots got of us on tape at that time.

Sure, we can re-record, but why? It's all right there. It's how we sound. Dan Garrity and I sound like that together NOW! We're writing new songs now and letting things happen naturally.

These songs I think have aged well. They're simple, they're to the point and arranged accordingly.

I love them still. Anyone else may have overdubbed til the cows got jobs.
   

Q - I understand that Christley Block was the name of the building that you used to live in, and that some of the songs reference your days at Taft High School in Chicago. Is this one of the more personal albums that you have made?

Yes, the building is in Edison Park. I grew up in that area for the most part, and lived there in this building with our bass player, Chris Meziere and his wife, Traci.

It was a gas to be out on my own, room mates aside, for the first time. I found out a lot of things, as one does with first time anythings. I was nostalgic for the past.

The simplicity and the idealism, because this was a totally new experience for me. What I was writing was reflective of this.

A lot of creative things were going on in that apartment. Lots of songs were written. Chris is a song writer too.

We had people over all the time. So, it wasn't so much an album then. We recorded the songs with Chris Lordots, who also went to Taft with us, and is my closest friend to this day.

We recorded them as we got more familiar with them. This was all happening at the same time. The lyrics took longest, but these were experiences I knew were important.

They were humbling. I appreciated my parents more. The people in my life more. I think I insisted on going as personal as I could lyrically. My own voice.

Q - Is there a story behind The Differents' name?

The band formed in late 1992. Babies. The word "different" was showing up a lot, or I noticed it a lot.

In songs....Joe Jackson's "Right and Wrong"....he says that..."Right and Wrong, do you know the difference?"  It sounds like he's saying Different with an "s" at the end. Rob Schneider's comedic bit on Priscilla Presley's autobiography. Quoting Elvis as saying to her, "I'll treat you just like my sister, but different," cracked me up.

It seemed youthful, naive and boastful. None of the things I am now. It also seemed MOD. Also, asking for the band name to be continually misspelled by others. Ha.

Q - Now that "Christley Block" is out, The Differents will be working on its fourth CD. What are you goals for the album? When will it be released?

The goal is to have fun. Enjoy it. Write together or separately, whatever serves our little jazz band. We've got five or six songs so far.

However, it comes out is what I love about doing music. Let it happen. If we do three or four instrumentals, that's fine. It's music.

We're making it together. We'll record it when it's swinging... with Chris Lordots or ourselves.

Q - Your other band, Penthouse Sweets, also is working on a new album. How are you balancing your time in both bands? Does one band take priority over the other? Do you need both bands in your life?

I enjoy the gifts I get and give in both bands immensely! Love is not possessive!

The musical possibilities are endless when you play with a lot of people. It's completely intoxicating when things are working and the folks you're playing with listen to the whole rather than just themselves.

I play in a third band also, a country/swing outfit, Decoy Prayer Meeting. I find the time because it's what I love to do.

Q - Where do you see both The Differents and Penthouse Sweets fitting into the Chicago music scene? What do you think distinguishes the music scene in Chicago?

I don't know if we do, or how we would do it if we thought in those terms. I think we all just care about the whole of the song, and how to serve it.

Have fun with it, but come back to the simplest thing, its truest essence.

Writing and then playing a great song extremely well is still the point and biggest turn on. That's the whole of it I think for everyone in band.

Having a great time! There's no dance moves to work out. There's no light show. That's a non priority.

The human relation and communication is what I dig the most. The thing about the Chicago music scene is, there's nothing new under the sun, except, there's always something new under the sun.

There's a lot of talented people here, and I like a lot of the music they're making! We're playing with three of my favorites at The Beat Kitchen on June 14, Phil Angotti, The Safes and The Handcuffs.

This bill was no accident.

Q - What else is on the horizon for The Differents and Penthouse Sweets?

The horizon will be what we paint together. Do you like the corn?

When people make something together, a sound, a statement, art, they're basically saying: "I'm alive.

What the hell is going on? How long do we got? Is this a drag? No! Let's keep doing things that aren't a drag, let's hang around and be around people that aren't a drag."

For me, nothing does this better than playing music. Nothing. As long as it's fun, it shall continue to be done!

Thank you Frankie O'Malley for turning me on to that mantra.