Chicago band The Queue to open for Cracker, Marcy Playground as part of The Alt Rock Rager in Aurora

Photo courtesy of The Queue

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

For those interested in songs that contain gorgeous melodies and thought provoking lyrics, it is time to queue up the music of Chicago band The Queue.

The Queue will open for Cracker, Marcy Playground and Ike Reilly on June 4 as part of The Alt Rock Rager at The Piazza, 85 Executive Drive in Aurora near the Fox Valley Mall.

Also on the bill are fellow Chicago bands Prizefighter, The Giving Moon and EGxBH and Villa Park band Unlikely Souls. Rock ’n roll burlesque and entertainment troupe The Vaudettes also is on the bill.

The show starts at 3 p.m. and tickets are available at afterlifechi.com.

I had the pleasure of interviewing The Queue frontman and lead singer Sean Mulligan about the show.
 

Q – Great talking to you. As far as naming the band The Queue, how did you come up with the name?

I’m a huge Oasis fan and they have a song called “Part Of The Queue.” I just thought it was kind of a cool name.

Q – You guys just played at the International Pop Overthrow festival in Chicago. That’s not the first time you played at the festival, right?

I’ve been doing it with The Queue or as a solo act for 10 years, at least.

Q – Why do you like performing at it?

I love just being in that energetic kind of environment and seeing the other performers and being able to enjoy all the music.

There are a lot of like minded musicians at the festival. I’ve done some crazy shows with bands I shouldn’t have been a part of.

At one show at the Double Door, a guy took off all of his clothes except for his underwear and jumped on the bar. I thought this guy was nuts, but people were digging it.

It just wasn't my scene, man.

Q – It seems like you guys have been busy this year. In January, you released an EP, “Get Out Of Now.” The EP is described as ”Part love letter, part retrospective, and hopeful perspective on change, recovery and the human condition.” Did you write this in reaction to the pandemic?

No, it was actually due to a breakup. It led me down a dark tunnel.

I went out to Texas and then I came back and worked on the EP. I wrote for I think a month or two and then I brought the band into the studio.

I hope I wrote it in a way where it could be interpreted for any situation. I was trying to keep some level of positivity to it.

Because we all go through dark things, you know.

Q – The first track on the EP is “Own The Enemy.” What is the meaning of the song?

The feeling for me was, whatever darkness you have, just own it. Make it positive. Transition it to something else.

Q – In March, you released a cover of the Oasis song “Don’t Look Back In Anger.” Is Oasis a big influence for you and the band?

Yeah, I would say so. Definitely Noel Gallagher is one of my favorite songwriters.

Obviously The Beatles is another huge influence. The reason I picked up the guitar in the first place was because of The Beatles.

The turning point was watching “The Beatles Anthology” television series in 1995. My mom made me watch it and I told her, “Why would I want to watch these geezers?”

When I watched them play “Twist and Shout,” something snapped in me. I told my mom, “I want that guitar and I want to learn how to sing that song.”

So I’m glad she made me watch it.

Q – What was going through your head when you were watching The Beatles?

I think it was John Lennon’s voice, just being so raspy and so empowered on that song. And I thought their guitars looked cool.

I collected all their records and I just sat and listened to their music and it was just mind blowing for me.

Q – Are you excited about the upcoming show? Are you fans of any of these bands?

Yeah, absolutely. Everyone knows Marcy Playground’s song “Sex and Candy.”

We’re inspired by ‘90s bands like Cracker and Marcy Playground.

Q – What would you like people to get out of your music?

I want them to enjoy it, for one. I want people to really listen to the lyrics and I want them to have their own perspective on it.

Hopefully it means something to someone. I’m trying to always convey a message.

Glenbard West grad provides fresh take on vampire genre in new novel

 

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

In “Vampyre: The Past Never Dies,” Warrenville resident David Nordmeyer aims to provide a fresh take on the vampire genre.

I had the chance to talk to Nordmeyer, a 1982 Glenbard West High School grad (and my classmate), about the novel, which is his first published book. “Vampyre: The Past Never Dies” is available at amazon.com.

Reach out to him through his Facebook page, facebook.com/Authordreamer.

Q – I know that you have written stories in the past, but this is your first published story. What made you want to publish this story?

It’s something that I always wanted to do. I’ve always liked the horror genre. I wanted this particular story to be published because it was something new and original and I felt I could put a fresh spin on the vampire genre.

As I wrote the book, I kind of pictured in my head a movie. If I was making a movie, what would I want to see? How would I want it to unfold?

Q – What is the story about?

Well, it’s basically a story of this Chicago homicide detective. She’s kind of cynical and world-weary.

She’s forced to confront something that she didn’t think was real and that she didn’t think was possible.

It changes her whole perspective of the world.

Q – So is the book about people having to confront something that they never confronted before and then realize they can actually handle it? Is that one of the themes in the book?

It’s partly that. It’s about people encountering something new and different.

There’s also themes in there about family. The character has some family issues and that provides motivation for her, without giving too much of the story away.

Q – As far as your influences, who or what are some of your influences? Are you influenced by any authors in particular?

A little bit. Stephen King is definitely somebody I admire.

I always like how he brings horror and these terrifying things into the real world. It makes them scarier because he sets them in a real location.

I think that’s something worthy of emulating. He brings terror into everyday situations.

Q – Of course, many of his novels were made into movies. Could you imagine your novel being made into a movie?

Yeah, it’s just a fantasy, but again, I just kind of wrote it and paced it like it was a movie. When I’m writing, I kind of think of it as a movie.

I like it because I’m in control of everything. A writer can pretty much visualize anything.

I tried to picture it like if I was producing a movie with an unlimited budget.

Q – How long have you written stories?

Probably for most of my life. This is the first time that I’ve had the chance to publish one of my stories.

Self-publishing gives people a chance to get their stuff out there. Another nice thing is that the author has control of the process from beginning to end.

Q – Can you remember the first story you wrote?

I think it was a science fiction adventure story about a character who is traveling through different solar systems.

Q – Why do you like writing?

It’s therapeutic. It’s a good way for me to work some stuff out sometimes.

And I enjoy sharing my stories with people. I get a lot of satisfaction from that and people seem to enjoy reading them.

It’s a good way to share my thoughts and my vision of the world.
 

 

Singer-songwriter Cary Morin captivates in show at The Venue in Aurora

 

Cary Morin and his wife, Celeste Di lorio, perform May 1 at The Venue in Aurora

 

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

The Venue in Aurora kicked off its musical offerings in May on a high note when Cary Morin – described as one of the best acoustic pickers on the scene today – stopped by on May 1 for a night of musical delights.

This was Morin’s first visit to The Venue and hopefully it won’t be his last. His captivating storytelling kept the audience engaged all night.

 
A Crow tribal member with Assiniboine Sioux and Black heritage, he talks about his heritage in his music, such as on the song “Valley of the Chiefs.”

Joining him on stage was his wife Celeste Di lorio, who also is immensely talented. The two harmonize perfectly together, which was just another high point to the evening.

Watch more videos from the show at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG7FHY4ZmxlH0yISyYktKkg

International Pop Overthrow festival to open Friday at Montrose Saloon in Chicago

 

 

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

  

Chicago band Material Issue released songs with highly infectious melodies that would sink deep into your brain.

 

Those who attend the International Pop Overthrow festival – the festival's name being a reference to Material Issue's debut album, "International Pop Overthrow" – will no doubt find much to smile about. More than 60 acts from both near and far will perform as part of the festival, which will be held from April 22-30 at Montrose Saloon, 2933 W. Montrose Ave. in Chicago. A schedule for the festival is at internationalpopoverthrow.com/schedules/ipo-2022-schedules/chicago-2022

I had the chance to talk to International Pop Overthrow founder and CEO David Bash about the upcoming festival.

Q – The name "International Pop Overthrow" is a reference to Chicago band Material Issue’s debut album, International Pop Overthrow. That band helped introduce many people to power pop. Did you pick the name in tribute to Jim Ellison and to recognize the band's impact?

I absolutely did. Tragically, Jim Ellison had taken his own life not long before I decided to do the festival, and I wanted to pay tribute to Material Issue and their debut album, which was certainly a paragon in power pop circles. It was gratifying that the surviving members of the band, Ted Ansani and Mike Zelenko, embraced the name and when we came to Chicago for the first time, in 2002, their current band played the festival. I felt honored.

Q – Of course, Material Re-Issue played at the festival in 2011 and Phil Angotti is performing at this year’s festival. Is it important the keep the band’s memory alive and perhaps introduce the band’s music to new fans?

Without a doubt it is. Having Material Re-Issue at the festival in 2011 for the 20^th Anniversary of International Pop Overthrow was perhaps my biggest thrill at any IPO we’ve done, anywhere.

 

Jim’s family was in attendance, and I was so nervous introducing the band from the stage, but somehow the right words came to mind. I remember looking up and saying "Jim Ellison, this one’s for you," and the crowd went wild!

 

Material Re-Issue’s performance was magical, and it was as if Jim’s spirit had been imbued in Phil Angotti that night, as he sang and played Jim’s parts almost exactly as Jim likely would have.

Material Issue’s music, like that of all the other great power pop bands, must be kept alive and hopefully more and more fans of the genre will hear about them.  If I’ve done even a small bit in helping that to happen, I’m grateful.
 

Q – What made you want to start the International Pop Overthrow Music Festival in the first place? Has the festival lived up to your vision?

I began the festival in 1998 in my home base of Los Angeles. I had been writing reviews for several pop music fanzines, and in doing so got to know all kinds of great bands from all around the world, many of whom expressed their desire to play in Los Angeles.

 

I thought, "Why don’t I create an environment for them to be able to all play under one roof, and galvanize the pop scene?" At that time, International Pop Overthrow had a second meaning, which was to "overthrow" that which was being played on mainstream radio at the time, which was music like Korn and Limp Bizkit, totally un-melodic.

 

I wanted to bring melody and hooks back to mainstream radio, and hoped to do this with the festival. Unfortunately it hasn’t happened, but my vision of giving pop artists a place to play has sustained since then, in several cities around the world.

Q – Has the festival expanded to include other genres besides just power pop? How do you go about choosing the acts that will be part of the festival?

It has, yes. As we progressed, several bands who weren’t doing power pop would contact me and say, "Why haven’t we been invited to play the festival?  We’re pop!" and some of our fans would express the same feelings about non-power pop bands they liked.

 

I agreed that they were right, and around 2005 I started making a concerted effort to expand our parameters. I’m proud to say that I believe we have done that, without sacrificing an ounce of what makes IPO what it always has been: about melody.

My wife, Rina Bardfield, and I do a lot of searching online to find bands who we feel are right for the festival. Ironically, because of social media, bands are less proactive in reaching out to venues and events like ours, because they feel as if they're more likely to be seen than they would have been before the internet.

 

Of course that’s not true, because with the huge proliferation of bands, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. We realized this a long time ago, so we decided to be more proactive in searching for bands, and it’s really paid off! Of course, some bands do reach out to us as well, and we find several good ones that way.
 

Q – Of course, in the early days of the festival, Kara’s Flowers played at the festival and then a few years later achieved great success as Maroon 5. At the time, did you think the band would go on to achieve the success that it did?

Kara’s Flowers had already gained a strong following in Los Angeles by the time IPO had begun. They’d released an album on a major label (Reprise Records), and had played some huge venues in town.

 

We were very fortunate to have them for our first three years! By year three, they had added a fifth member, and did songs that would ultimately become Maroon 5 songs.

 

We were all shocked because their new sound was so different, but obviously it was the right direction for them. I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how successful they would become, but it was obvious to everyone that they had extraordinary talent.

 

I’m really happy for them!

Q – Where do you see the festival going from here?

With all the changes happening in the music business in the past 20 years, including closures of venues and record labels, we’re really grateful to still be here. Certainly I hope we become better known, but not at the cost of changing our ethos, which I will never do.

I see us going to some different cities, particularly some new international cities; in fact, I just heard back from a venue in The Netherlands who have potential interest in hosting us next year, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.

No matter what, I plan to continue to do the festival as long as my health permits me to do so, and as long as there are people who want to play and hear this music