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For Immediate Release |
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Local Music News Column....by Tom Lounges BEATIN’
IT BACK TO KOUTS... Aside from taking part
in the Paul Callaway Memorial Concert (see pages 5 and 6) this month,
we’re heading out to Cronies
Charhouse & Gin Mill in Kouts for a bash on April
26. Since our last Beat
Bash at Cronies incited a raging snowstorm, we have held off
returning to those cornfields until it was time for our “Spring
Has Sprung Bash.”
Playing for us that
night will be Nast Devin
who adorn our cover this month. Joining
them will be party rock band, Whatzup,
and a pair of Americana roots rock bands ––
Pete Berwick & The Renegades and Steve
Vansak & The Joe Roberts Band.
Showtime is 9:30p.m. Get those Coronas on ice Sam...we’re beatin’ it back to your bar! And Bub… I’m still waitin’ for the blonde with the big breasts! BAND
BITS... •
The early January death of former Alison’s
Mailbox vocalist Paul
Callaway resulted in several of his old musician buddies gathering
together in mourning. From that somber
occasion sprang a brand new regional rock quintet -- 5 Star Deluxe -- who fittingly will make their public debut at the Paul
Callaway Memorial Concert on April 19 at Second Dimensions in
Schererville, IN. 5 Star Deluxe was the
brainchild of former Mailbox guitarist, Steve
Stasny, who chatted up former Felix/Underwhelmed
frontman, Scott Ooastman
and guitarist Steven
VanDerGriend (of Emitter)
about forming a new group.
Talk turned to action once bassist Dave
Schoon (of Emitter) and former Down/Josh
Holmes Band drummer Sean
McNorton agreed to anchor the groove line.
The five have been friends for years and are all veterans of
the Chicagoland recording and live music scene. Given the caliber of
their combined talent and the resumes of this slick ensemble, this
columnist predicts some strong songs forthcoming in no time. There’s
already an official band website: www.fivestardeluxe1@msn.com •
Some old faves from the local music scene have recycled
themselves and are back to rock us again.
Ex-members in equal parts from both The
Concrete Suits and the original Out
Of Time line-ups have hooked up to form a new pop/rock cover band
called Crushed, who are
already getting a strong buzz going just a few weeks after debuting
under their new name. www.crushedrocks.org.
Ex-Ramblin’ Hearts country artist, Bob LeMere, has put together a new group called DoubleShot, which will not limit itself to strictly country music. The band will also embrace old-fashioned/old-school rock ‘n’ roll, according to LeMere, who is singing lead and playing rhythm guitar. Fleshing out DoubleShot, which will perform a even blend of original songs and cover songs, is lead guitarist Ray Vanderlugt, and the former Showdown Band rhythm section -- bassist Ron Rambo and drummer Jim Bradley.
Cryptic Visions, a Hammond-based prog-metal combo who had been searching for a new lead singer for well over a year, have finally gotten lucky. Samantha Guijarro not only sings, but also raps and writes.
•
Since the demise last year of his long-running old school metal
band, Winterkill, guitarist
Jeff West has been busy
assembling a new project with alumni of two other venerable heavy
metal groups from the region.
The new group is called -- god
machine -- and features ex-Gravelbone
drummer Carlos Reices, former Silent
Knights vocalist Beto Perez
and bassist Tony Hurley.
West describes the band as a cross between Nevermore
and Rage Against The Machine. West
expects to begin recording at
Monster Studios in Chicago later this month. •
Former V-90 bass
player Mike Greene has
switched to playing guitar and has officially joined the rising
Chicago power-pop band, MariZen, who are soon to start recording a new
full length CD.
N.W. Indiana singer/songwriter/keytarist, Jeff Abbott, so impressed celebrated artist Michael Rios (who is Carlos Santana’s personal artist and who designed Santana’s Supernatural CD cover among others) with his rendition of Santana’s “Maria Maria” at a show in Los Angeles recently, that Rios presented the humbled Portage musician with an autographed lithograph of his famous artwork. Abbott is currently on a cruise ship with his one-man show. • Congratulations to Highland, Indiana punk rock quartet, Robot Hero, on beating out seven other bands and taking first place in last month’s “Second Annual Highland Parks & Recreation Battle Of The Bands.” Coming in second according to the panel of judges was emo/punk band, Amber. Along with cash and prizes, both groups won a performance slot at the June 12th kick off date of the “Main Square Gazebo Concert Series” in downtown Highland. • Congrats
are also extended to Chi-Town singer/songwriter Ripley Caine, who took top honors in ChicagoMusicScene.com’s
first online song competition, of which Midwest
BEAT was a sponsor and yours truly a judge.
Caine’s song “Hey
Mister” from her Sweet Pickle Music CD, Lover,
earned her 10 hours of studio time at Alien
Sound Studios, a 1/4 page ad in this righteous rag and a $200 gift
certificate to Guitar Center. Taking home Guitar Center gift certificates in second and third place, respectively, were -- The Sleepers (with “Queen Green” ) and Quarterstick (with “Scarecrow”). The band slowjane
took fourth place with a really nice vocal harmony piece called, “Nice
Warm, Clean Shot.” I
honestly expected them to place higher in the final four. To find out
about the soon to start second online song competition, log on at: www.chicago-music-scene.com • The
Steepwater Band will hit the Big Apple this month to play the
stages of two historic venues –– CBGB’s
at 7p.m. on April 23 and Paul Colby’s The
Bitter End at 11p.m. on April 24th. Get info at: www.steepwater.com Region rockers Hott Damn, have added an extra “T” to their name and celebrated their first year anniversary last month. The group has traded their weekly “Humpday Hoedown” on Wednesdays at Shannon’s Landing in Lansing for a new “Thursday Throwdown” at Ricciardi’s in Highland. The band is currently writing/recording a full length CD. More info: www.nowthatshottdamn • Condolences go out to Steepwater’s drummer Joey Winters on the March 11 death of his father, James Winters, following a year-long battle with cancer. Mr. Winters resided in Brazil, Indiana. ROLLIN’ TAPE & RETAILIN’ •
A new CD is in the works from modern rockers,
Forty Piece Choir, who are said to be “working diligently on a
12-song set of originals”. Nearly
half the cuts -- “A-Frame
House,” “Keep On...Keepin’ On,” “Heart Of Love,”
“Tennessee” and “Not
About Me” -- are completed and in the can.
Expect it ready for release in mid-to-late summer.
The as-yet-untitled collection is the quintet’s third album
to date and the follow up to last year’s well-received, “Face
Your Fear “ CD. Keep up
with them at: www.fortypiecechoir.com •
Former Griffith drummer Troy
Farrell, who played locally in the early ‘90s with BRAT and more recently has toured/recorded with ex-White
Lion vocalist Mike Tramp,
just finished recording the drum tracks for the forthcoming solo CD
from ex-Enuff Z’Nuff vocalist, Donnie
Vie.
Farrell is also the current house drummer at the Cat Club in
Hollywood for com“Happenin’
Harry’s Hollyweird Wednesdays,” a
weekly all-star jam session, where Farrell backs up a “Who’s
Who” of once famous glam-rockers.
Keep up with Farrell at: http://home.earthlink.net/~drummertroy •
The South Side’s best known progressive metal group, Ion
Vein, has announced that the laborious 21-months they have spent
working on their new full-length CD is soon to pay off.
The long wait is over at last, as mastering was recently
completed by Joe Gastwirt, and the CD jacket artwork is in the finishing stages.
An official CD release date will be announced soon. For more: www.ionvein.com •
The windy city’s venerable rootsy rock combo, Urban
Twang, will host a CD release party for -- Vintage -- their latest
disc (their first for Chicago-based indie Sweet Pickle Records) on May
4 at Schuba’s. Preview
tunes at: www.sweetpicklemusic.com •
SoPro, the South
Chicago musical booking/management company headed up by my old pal, Buddy Monaco, has made available for free downloads in its entirety
the original song, “Another
Day Of Infamy/Mighty Mighty America.”
The patriotic song was co-written after the 9/11 attacks by
renown Chicago guitarist Joe
Jammer and Monaco.
Find it and other Pro-American/Military-themed songs ready for
downloading at: www.sopromusic.com •
Singer/songwriter Jim
Peterik has announced
plans for a third World Stage
album. It will once again feature a bevy of well known musicians.
In the meantime, his fans can snatch up
“Don’t Fight The Feeling...And More”, a newly released
2-CD set of Peterik’s post-Ides of March/pre-Survivor
solo recordings.
Peterik has also written a book, “Songwriting For Dummies,” which is keeping him busy doing book signings at the moment. Midwest BEAT hopes to sponsor a N.W Indiana book-signing with Peterik in the near future. Watch here for details... SUZANNE’S
STEPPIN’ OUT...
DeYoung recently
completed work on her first novel,
“A Love Foretold,” a 225-page fictional piece which she
described as –– “a
paranormal mystery set in Chicago during the early 1990s.”
The tale is rife with plenty of adventure and intrigue for the
guys and plenty of
romance for the girls.
Suzanne’s rock star
husband is so proud of her debut book, that he composed a special
song, aptly called –– “A
Love Foretold” –– which is being included as a CD single
inside the book’s back cover. More info: www.dennisdeyoung.com
I just got my advance
copy of the book at press time and look forward to reading it between
deadlines.
Catch you next month! |
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Suzanne
DeYoung