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STREET BEAT: Regional Artist Spotlight…A Constellation of Hits Awaits with…ZODIAC
by Ernie Thomas
Pretty and petite blonde singer, Jill Field, “discovered” her inner rock star one evening a few years back when after a few drinks, she was persuaded to step up with a band she had never seen, to sing a Janis Joplin song for a special relative’s birthday.
The scene took place at Rodney’s in her hometown of Highland, Indiana, where she and her family were celebrating a birthday.
The band was called Bittersweet.
This writer was present for Field’s momentous “coming out” event, as I was then writing a profile piece on that group. Field stepped up the microphone looking coy, only to suddenly belt out a throaty Joplin-esque delivery of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me & Bobby McGee.” The patrons was as impressed as the band, who that night, invited Field to officially join their ranks.
The Field-fronted Bittersweet became a well-known region club band for two years.
“Bittersweet ended because it became stagnant,” reflected Field. “We tried fix the problem by bringing in other people, but it didn’t work. I ended up leaving the band in January 2003.”
After a lengthy hiatus, Field began to miss singing. “After my little sabbatical, I found myself craving to be in a band again,” she said. That same time, Kankakee guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cook (ex-Dancing Noodles) was looking to start something fresh after fronting a neighborhood-only party combo.
Field met Cook through free musician classifieds (www.midwestbeat.com) and things clicked. Cook recruited Kankakee’s best rhythm section –– bassist Curt West and drummer Andy Forquer (ex-Blanket Party) –– to complete the line-up.
West recently stepped down and has been replaced by Crown Point, Indiana’s Mark Armenta, the former bass player of All Tooned Up.
“I was impressed by the talent and years of experience these guys had,” said Field. “And by how they were not dead set on only being ‘this kind’ of band or ‘that kind’ of band. They are willing to play anything and everything.”
The distance Field must travel to rehearse weekly with her Kankakee band mates is a price she is willing to pay. “This is such a good band,” she said. “I’m very fortunate and very happy.”
Zodiac have fifty songs under their belt and always learning more. “Everything is upbeat,” said Field. “We put on a fun show. We like to interact with the audience. I have a wireless microphone, so I’m not stuck on stage all night. I get a little crazy with people. I change costumes and wigs every set, adopting a new stage persona. This band is 100 per cent about entertaining people.”
The musical menu is varied. From new alt-pop, to classic rock standards, to guitar-driven blues (nothing slow). “Everything about our show is high energy. People want to hear songs they can get up and move to. So that’s what we play,” said Field.
Cook sings a lot of alternative songs like SR-71’s “Right Now,” Weezer’s “Hash Pipe”, and Jimmy Eat World’s “In The Middle”, but also gets back to his roots with stuff like Montrose’s “Bad Motor Scooter.”
Field sings some songs traditionally male-voiced such as Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean” and “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz, along with a good deal of songs intended for a female voice, like “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean” by Susan Tedeschi, “Zombie” by The Cranberries, “What’s Up” by 4 Non-Blondes and a couple tunes each by Janis Joplin and Melissa Etheridge.
“My voice is pretty versatile. I can sing some of the higher, pretty stuff, but I like the rockier stuff best,” said Field.
Field came up with the band’s trendy Zodiac name and their omni-present “yin” and “yang” swirl logo.
“I am really into the zodiac. I’m a Libra. A Libra’s description is ‘balance and harmony’ and that is what the ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ also means,” concluded Field. “That’s what the four of us have –– balance and harmony –– and it’s great!”
For more Zodiac information and upcoming live dates: www.zodiac69.com
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