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red tap show 01.02.15Show of shows. You kind of hope every show is gonna be the greatest show you’ve ever done. That’s how you want to go into it. And then, when it’s done, well, then hopefully, there’s another one. And then you’re pretty sure that that one is gonna be great, or greater, or well, whatever.

So yes, we finished up 2014 with an amazing Toys for Tots show at the Red Line Tap. It was an overpacked lineup of solo acts, standup comics and bands. We packed the bar too, with a pretty happy and raucous audience. It was lots of work, and lots of fun and well, I wish you could have been there.

And now it’s onto 2015. Yes, sounds like an improbable year. Is it really a hoax? Probably not. And our first show is Friday, January 2 at the Red Line Tap. We are the “headliners” which means our name is in a larger font than the other bands, and we go on last. Rock and roll! – Jammer

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carlawithflowerI can’t really explain why I got so excited about designing our first official band t-shirt. My excitement is really all out of proportion to the actual reality. I mean, it’s just a t-shirt. But I am happy about how it turned out. Carla did a really cool design. I love our “Wolf character.” He’s a cross-dresser. He holds a bouquet of flowers. He’s a lover of Peace. A sensitive Wolf. I guess I love the contradictory nature of the image. If you want a t-shirt you can order it from our Merch page on Bandcamp, or track one of us down!

And maybe it’s the reality of creating a tangible, real thing that’s the kick. We write songs, we do shows, we rehearse with our band, we create sound waves and good vibes, but they kind of disappear into the ether when we are done. But this r&r shirt? It lives! I imagine all the cool people who might wear our shirt. And I imagine all those other people, who have no clue who we are, thinking, “Wow, that’s pretty cool, I wonder where I can get a shirt just like that!” And who knows, maybe they’ll even seek us out and take a listen to our music! – Jammer

 

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TweedyYesterday, we traveled to and from the recording studio listening to Tweedy’s new record. Guess what? “Dad Rock” is really cool! Love “Sukierae.” It’s a knockout. The Dad and The Kid bring it!

Turns out “Dad rock,” which has been sort of tossed around as an insult, is actually, super-cool. Jeff Tweedy and his son have made a really excellent record. It’s a double-album overstuffed with subtle, layered, perfectly realized music. I recommend you actually buy a CD. Check out the cool pictures and the lyric sheet. It’s a personal, family-affair record.

Jeff Tweedy sometimes sounds like John Lennon to me. Which is just the highest compliment I can imagine. He’s a great singer/songwriter, and underrated guitar player. Jeff just has a way about him. He comes across to me as a very committed, working artist. No bullshit. Just the good work.

I especially love some of the stripped down songs. There are one or two songs that sound like they could be outtakes from other Wilco records – but hell, the two bands share the lead singer, the lead songwriter, and the driving force. Still “Sukierae,” this band, this approach, it holds it’s own.  Superb on all levels! Highly recommended!

By the way, while we were in the studio, we sat in the control room, and listened to the Lovely Carla’s song “Hand of Grace” emerge into the light. Starts with a gospel-ish piano flourish from the great Bob Long. That was cool and unexpected! – Jammer

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the three amigosToday I walked through the golden leaves of fall on my way to yoga. In all that gold I began contemplating the wonderful, inspiring, humbling journey of “the creative process,” “the good work.” The tapestry of life, and the threads that bind projects of the past to projects in the present.

A month ago a friend and collaborator passed away. When he died, it was as though a page was torn out of me, it was physical, my heart – so heavy. And since we got the news, there have been these uncontrollable waves that flood me, reminding me of the vast space within. I become a river of salty tears. I know Jammer shares this deep, grief and loss along with any one who knew and worked with him. David was an amazing artist, his life was art. He loved, respected, and cherished every part of the creative proccess. He had extraordinary artistic vision and a lovely, aesthetic grace with all that he did. He was drawn to us because of the commitment Jammer and I have to what we call “the good work.” David was a part of Blackforest Theater Company for 10 years from 2000 – 2010, while we had our space in The Peter Jones Gallery in Ravenswood. David, Jammer and I shared an amazing journey together, an adventure, bringing wacky, avant-garde performance pieces to life. We were “the three amigos”, “the three legged stool”, and because Jammer and I were always part of the cast, he was “the third eye”. It was a great time for us all. There was so much spirit. We had great laughs. Every production was a treasure, so consuming, so important, it was a collective experience. The three of us would enchant and allure other cast members to help us conjure up a delightful, insane, little world, for a brief time in space. We made exquisite, dazzling, butterflies, a collarborative creation that we would display for the run of the show. I will always love David for every thing that he gave to us, and every thing he gave to the work; I lost a piece of myself when he went away.

Last December we began two music projects, there were 3 initial sessions with the band, 2 were done over a whirl-wind week-end before our drummer Rich Meher moved to Japan, and over the last 10 months we have been slowly doing all the overdubs. We took breaks for various reasons, music shows, a performance art theater piece, more music shows. Jammer and I were also feeling a little overwhelmed, there were so many songs, and we were not sure where to begin, finally there was nothing left to do but begin. We are working with Victor Sanders again, the three of us producing the projects together. The past two sessions have been a reminder of just how special the creative process can be. How much magic there is in it. How beautiful it is to get totally lost, completely consumed by the work. All you need to do is let go, follow your intuition and trust. We have been very lucky in both our theater and music ventures to attract such talented beings, people who enjoy and trust the creative journey; their contributions help to make our little jewels sparkle. Working with Victor again, brought my thoughts back to all the beautiful work we did with David. How wonderful it is to work with others in a creative dialogue. Like David, Victor has an amazing love and appreciation for “the good work,” he has been in the business a very long time, he is not only an extremely talented musician, he is also a virtuoso on the soundboard.

We are still in the very begining of these new projects. We have a vision, we have great musical contributions, we have love and inspiration for the work, a heavy, open heart and the warm golden leaves of this fall day to carry us through.

– Carla

 

photo by Peter or Rebecca Jones?

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wwsp 9.24.14What can you say about the Underground Wonder Bar? A remarkable Chicago Music Mecca! Lonnie Walker and her Big Ass Company Band own the territory. Live music 365 nights a year – music until 4 A.M. every night!  It’s got the vibe and the mojo too. A “late night” oasis. We played our “sacrificial time-slot,” at 8 pm last night. It was a blast, the sound was “dialed-in.” After our set, someone said the sound was “lush and full.”  Yes. Cool. – Jammer

photo by Carla Hayden

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will phalenSo yes, instead of listening to U2’s new free download, we’ve been listening to these fine CD’s (Shelled out cold hard cash for the tangible thing!) played on a really excellent, high-end, stereo system… all highly recommended…

1. Sun Kil Moon – “Benji” – extraordinary…made me cry and laugh… powerful art and a nylon string guitar – I think it’s probably one of the greatest records I’ve ever heard. Really!

2. Mavis Staples – “One True Vine” – produced by Jeff Tweedy… beautiful, soulful… hushed, just great!

3. Chrissie Hynde – “Stockholm” – thanks to Terry Flamm for the recommendation! Neil Young sits in on a song with his great Les Paul guitar!

4. Jim James – “Regions of Light and Sound of God” – so good, weird, and cool, love the saxophone!

5. Jenny Lewis – “The Voyager” – Ryan Adams and Beck contribute… the record builds and the title track is my favorite song of the moment!

6.  Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings – “100 Days, 100 Nights” – killer soul, great voice, great band!

7. Will Phalen – “The Dirt, the Air and the Grass”  – beautifully realized. Will does it all, love that Rickenbacker guitar… he’s a really cool guy too… and excellent band! Ringing guitars and haunting lyrics.

8. Nate Currin – “You and I Are Ghosts”  – A great singer-songwriter, writes extraordinary songs, excellent production… I close my eyes and am reminded of the best of Ryan Adams… but Nate has his own voice… on a national tour in a motorhome… we were on a bill with him at Uncommon Ground.  He just knocked us out…a cool guy too.

9. Parquet Courts – “Sunbathing Animal” – Noisy, funny, raucous. You just know these guys love Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, and Television and Dylan too.  Two voices, classic garage band vibe.  But these guys are super-smart and articulate… funny, did I say funny? Love it.

10. The Handsome Family – “Singing Bones” – It was “True Detective” that compelled us to buy this one.  The title song of the great HBO series is “Far from Any Road.”  Beautiful and haunting. Brett Sparks owns the low tones. Gothic Country? Rennie Sparks writes beautiful lyrics… love this record! Dark. In a good way.

11. The Beatles – “Please Please Me,” – OK it was “Tune In” that made me purchase a copy of the Beatles first record.  Recorded in about 16 hours. The Beatles are raw and exuberant. There are some great originals but it’s the cover songs that really knocked me out this time.  I think I overlooked this one for years, thinking it was their later work that was the best. This is the Beatles as a really tight, joyous, raucous r&r band. All the elements of their later success are here. Fresh!

12. Fairport Convention – “Liege & Lief” and “What We Did On Our Holidays” – lots of people who have come out to see our band whitewolfsonicprincess have compared us to Fairport Convention. Which is just the greatest compliment! I went back to these early records. They are just amazing. Sandy Denny’s voice is one of the great instruments, and Richard Thompson is an extraordinary guitarist.  We do some originals using non-standard tunings, with some Celtic, Gypsy type vibe, and I think it’s these tunes that conjure up the Fairport Convention mojo.  So glad I traveled back to discover and enjoy these early discs… totally inspiring!

Jammer

 

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Screen Shot 2014-09-12 at 8.43.32 AMWe were lucky be on a bill with Christina Trulio and Nate Currin last night at Uncommon Ground. Everything clicked! Nick, Uncommon Ground’s sound-tech did a superb job, and the audience was attentive and supportive. It was just the perfect line-up, the perfect vibe. Christina and Nate are two very inspiring singer-songwriters. They are working in a great tradition steeped in well-constructed songs delivered with beauty, heart and soul. Christina was backed by a excellent band, Nate was all alone with his Gibson acoustic guitar.

We really felt part of a greater thing last night, welcomed by fellow musicians and by an enthusiastic audience that seemed to really listen. It’s a rare, good thing. Nate is in the midst of an on-going National tour, he’s living in a motor-home taking his music to towns all over the States. Pretty amazing. Nate is a great story-teller too, and he kept the audience engaged with his between song banter. The music from these two songwriters was just first-class.

We were the openers, continuing our never-ending Chicago tour, and we did our best in a stripped down mode, just guitar, percussion and vocals for us. It was a little bit intimidating to hear some of our songs in such a stark setting, but it all seemed to go over well, and the vocals really stood out, it was gratifying to hear afterwards that the lyrics really came across. We sold some CDs, made new friends. Got warms words of encouragement from some really cool people. Nothing better! – Jammer

 

 

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open door 09.07.14Last night we trekked out to Oak Park for the Songwriters NOT from the Great American Songbook show.  Hannah Frank did a set of Bob Dylan songs and we did a set of Rolling Stones songs.  Turns out the Open Door Repertory is gem of a home for theater and music.  Acoustically perfect. A first-class setting – hardwood stage, oriental carpet – a great theater space for audience and performers alike.  A handful of folks got an earful of great songs.  We did our best with a pretty ambitious set of Stones songs.  It was challenging to take on “As Tears Go By” and “Wild Horses.” They are such beautiful, and delicate, numbers. We did our best to fill that space with our vintage, over-caffienated energy. It was one of those is the cup “half-full,” or “half-empty” experiences? I’ll go with “half-full!” – Jammer

photo by Linda Solotaire

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10+1 on iTunes NowYes, we have finally, and fully, launched our album 10+1 into the digital universe.  This is not a stealth campaign, just a slow roll-out. It’s the “long tail” approach. So yes, now you can find us on iTunes, Spotify and a long list of other digital outlets. And of course the album is available on bandcamp. And if you are still into “old world technology,” don’t forget to check out the first-run, limited-edition CD, it comes with a cool booklet of lyrics and photos.  – Jammer

 

 

 

 

photo by Mr. Mo

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UnknownWorking on Rolling Stones songs for our upcoming show at the Open Door Rep on 09.06.14. We are on a bill with the Hannah Frank Group. They will open with a set of Dylan songs, then it’s us doing the Stones. We know a few already: Paint it Black, Sister Morphine, Dead Flowers, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Shine a Light.  We are trying some others on for size, working them out on acoustic guitar in the kitchen: As Tears Go By, Wild Horses, Under My Thumb, Jumping Jack Flash, Beast of Burden.  Can’t wait to try these out with the band at the next rehearsal.

These are all such great guitar songs. There’s an effortless logic to the riffs and chord changes. The Stones totally absorbed American music: Blues, Country, R&R. Their catalog of songs is impressive and overwhelming.  We want to pick songs we think we can make our own. As Tim Obrien, our bass player said, we don’t so much “cover” songs, as “interpret” them. These songs are so good, they can stand up to interpretation. It’s only r&r, but of course, we love it! – Jammer

photo by Dominic Tarle