Tag: Music

December Shows

As school rolls into finals week and my teaching duties lighten up going into the holidays, I have some time to reflect on the wild year I’ve had so far. Interestingly, my “Spotify Wrapped” playlist consists almost entirely of music that I’ve had to learn for a gig or class, and so it provides a good overview of my music making this year.

At the top of the list you can find the fascinating collection of Studies in African Rhythm that I learned for an international-themed classical piano recital. There’s also plenty of other classical piano pieces, along with other classical works I had to teach in school, hard rock (Ricky Liontones), smooth R&B (Smooth Tuba Tuesday), and a host of other popular hits that I played with cover bands and jazz standards from combo gigs. Highlights of the music that I didn’t have to learn for a gig include Mdou Moctar, Hiatus Kaiyote, Arooj Aftab, Brittany Howard, and Kim Gordon (look them up if you don’t know them).

I have a couple of shows to announce today, with more very exciting things to come. First, on December 13, I’ll be playing with Ricky Liontones at Liar’s Club for the millionth time this year, this time opening for Masonic Wave. We’ll also be paying tribute to Ricky’s original band from a decade ago, Polite Machines, with music from their catalog.

Next, on December 20, we’ll be a part of a major event happening at The Piazza in Aurora. Put on by Rock 95.5 in Chicago, “Holiday Havoc” will feature a slew of major rock artists, including Anberlin and Eve 6, and yes, us! What’s more, I’ve been told that you can save $5 on your ticket if you buy them online using this link and the code “ricky” at checkout!

Shows this week and next

I’ve got a couple of shows to announce— the first one is tomorrow night! I’ll be playing bass with Ricky Liontones as we perform the first Queens of the Stone Age album in its entirety, an homage to the 25th anniversary of the record’s original release. But that’s not all… There will also be a tribute to the Violent Femmes’ eponymous debut on its 40th anniversary, and a big band (!) performance of the Led Zeppelin classic “Houses of the Holy”, in full, by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Players, in celebration of that record’s 50th anniversary. This is all part of Ian’s Classic Albums Night, a regular staple of the vast musical empire that Reggies has created in Chicago. It’s going to be a very full night with a wide variety of styles, so come by at 7 and enjoy the evening!

After some private engagements over the weekend, the next official show to announce is on Wednesday, October 4, at Bookclub. This time, the Ricky Liontones Revue hits the stage with Kansas City rockers The Sounds Of Many, as well as Chicago’s own Lost Pyramids. Shoot me a message if you’re interested in catching this awesome show and I’ll give you the address đŸ€™

As always, stay tuned for future announcements!

Summertime (And the gigging is easy)

Happy Flag Day, and Happy Pride Month! You can get the latest pride flag design on all our merch at Slapsauce.com, and use the code PRIDE23 for 10% off your entire order—this month only!

In other news…

Last weekend’s run with the Chicago Tap Theatre was simply amazing. Synesthete was honestly one of the most incredible projects I’ve have the privilege to be a part of, and I really hope that it makes a return someday.

In the meantime, I’ve got a more gigs coming up!

6/16 1PM @ O’Hare Airport

6/16 9PM @ House of Blues

6/30 (Time TBA) @ Irish American Heritage Center

7/1 7PM @ Studio Lockport

For now these are my final performances before a two week vacation in Michigan. I’ll be needing that time off, especially since I’ll be going straight into a Midwest mini-tour afterwards (stay tuned for news on that!)

Can a Tuesday be smooth without tuba? Click here to find out!

More shows in September and October!

We played a sweet show at Boat Drinks in Chicago this Tuesday!

I’ve been hard at work performing for the good folks of Chicago and beyond. In addition to playing bass at Boat Drinks and other bars, I’ve also been playing plenty of tuba and keys (check out the latest Smooth Tuba Tuesday!).

Chicago has such a great diversity of musical opportunities—I’ve even had the chance to play rock, blues, jazz, and classical sets all in the same week! Even with everything I’m already doing, I’m still striving to acquire new skills as a musician, and seeking new creative outlets for musical performance.

If you’re interested in supporting my music in its various forms, you can come see me at these shows over the next few weeks:

Saturday 9/24 – Taylor Street Organ Trio @ One Allegiance Brewing (Chicago Ridge)

Friday 9/30 – Ricky Liontones Trio @ Honky Tonk BBQ (Pilsen)

Saturday 10/8 – Ricky Liontones Revue @ Metal Monkey Brewing (Romeoville)

Sunday 10/9 – Taylor Street Organ Trio @ Mockingbird Bar & Garden (East Dundee)

I have more shows to announce soon, including some exciting tour dates in October and November, so stay tuned for those announcements!

Teaching at Saint Xavier University

I’ve accepted an adjunct faculty position at Saint Xavier University, where I will be teaching Aural Skills to undergraduate music majors and minors. The ability to listen is one of the most important skills a musician can have, and I’m honored for the opportunity to be helping young musicians develop this skill to their fullest potential.

Maxo Kream – Punken

Now that we’ve heard some good old New York boom bap from Dave East, it’s time to switch things up to that Houston trap. Maxo Kream sounds great in his debut here, flowing over crispy Southern-fried beats with confidence and ease. Like Dave East (and most rappers, for that matter), he’s heavily invested in proving his own authenticity. Also like Dave East, he accomplishes this by telling real stories of his life on the streets. Maxo’s stories are more like quick anecdotes, though, none of which as far-reaching as Dave East’s track-length epics. This is because Maxo Kream is a man of the streets, and he makes it clear that he doesn’t aspire to anything greater than that by keeping things as simple as possible.

In Ben Westhoff’s book Dirty South, he attributes the rise of Southern hip-hop in the last few decades to their popular appeal. Rather than dazzling with quick-fire lyrics and complex rhyme schemes, Southern rap focuses on hard-hitting hooks that are simple and accessible. Maxo Kream captures that spirit perfectly.

N.Flying – The Hottest: N.Flying

A couple of weeks ago I explored J-pop with Shuta Sueyoshi’s solo debut, and today I’m trekking across the Pacific once again, this time to South Korea. I think K-pop and J-pop share some features, but it’s important to remember that they’re not the same thing. While both are based on the Western model of the corporate-manufactured boy band, they vary in the way that they treat these influences. K-pop seems to embrace rapping more readily, as this group exhibits. Perhaps K-pop has more dance influences and less of a rock bend than J-pop, but I’m really not qualified to say that with any certainty. Indeed, the more I listen to this music the less I seem to understand about it.

I mentioned in my earlier post about Shuta Sueyoshi’s album that I considered forward-driving harmony a staple of J-pop, but N.Flying also has this tendency, particularly in the opener “Don’t Forget This.” As I listen to more K-pop and J-Pop bands, I’m sure I’ll develop a more accurate idea of what differentiates these kinds of music. Of course, the only thing that really makes this K-pop is the fact that the members are Korean. Much like the dreaded “singer/songwriter,” I’m cautious of genres like these that are defined by non-musical factors. K-pop is such a cultural phenomenon, though, that I can’t really see this music being described as anything else.

Anderson East – Encore

The title “Singer/Songwriter” seems like a death sentence—anyone garnered that title occupies a gigantic pit of musicians who seem to have nothing in common other than the fact that they ostensibly write songs and then sing them. To think that Anderson East is in the same category as Paul Simon, Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, and Sufjan Stevens is kind of absurd when you think about it. East’s music fits much better into the category of blues, with plenty of soul and Southern rock to make it his own. There’s something about the frontman, though, the singular musical force who is the voice behind all of the musical material, that is stigmatizing to us as listeners. In other words, people would rather know that this is a one-man show than have any idea what kind of music it is. As a music nerd, I’m always intrigued when extramusical factors like this play into people’s perceptions of music. Would this album be received differently if it were released by the Anderson East Band? What if Anderson East wasn’t even in the band name?

With the exception of the Beatles and maybe a few others, almost no band has ever achieved the iconic status of singular artists by the likes of Michael Jackson, Elvis, Madonna, Prince, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, etc. So it would seem like the title of “Singer/Songwriter” is no more than a cheap attempt at that kind of glory by association. None of the above artists, though, would be considered singer/songwriters (though most of them did, in fact, write songs and then sing them). This is because they transcended the category, inspiring future imitators and eventually becoming entirely new genres.

Tonight Alive – Underworld

My first thought when cracking open this album was, “since when did Underworld play rock?” Indeed, had I realized that Underworld was the name of the album and not the artist, I probably wouldn’t have listened. That’s no diss to *double-checks artist name* Tonight Alive, it just means that I have my listening predilections just like anyone else. This is exactly why I listen to as much music as I do—it often forces me into strange new corners that lie outside of my musical comfort zone.

My second impression was that this was a pretty decent Christian rock band (wrong again). The hyper-slick production quality, conventional song forms, square riffing, and vague lyrics about love and spirituality all seemed to point to one of the world’s most despised genres. Again, I need to temper this by saying that I myself don’t mind Christian rock, it’s just that those who don’t like it seem to hate it passionately. Once religion gets added to a musical idea, it opens a whole can of worms that incites opinions far beyond the music. I personally respect people who use music as a vehicle of praise and worship.

This, however, is not Christian rock. Somehow, knowing that a band sounds like this and doesn’t even have a divine mission is especially disappointing.

Jiƙí BělohlĂĄvek & Czech Philharmonic Orchestra – Smetana: MĂĄ Vlast

This is interesting for a change. As someone who studied classical music theory through six years of college, I should have sound opinions here. I would never claim nearly the same expertise as the Czech Philharmonic, though—Smetana is their national composer, their J.P. Sousa if you will. And this is Smetana’s most admired work, even if most of us today only know the second movement. It was written at a time in which the Czech Republic was pining for statehood, and Smetana quickly became a voice for his people. MĂĄ Vlast (“My Country”) is full of this nationalist passion, a sentiment that was extremely fashionable in European music of the time.

The orchestra performs the piece incredibly well—they obviously know the piece thoroughly (they’ve also recorded this in the past with Rafael Kubelik at the baton). The Moldau flows as effortlessly as I’ve heard any orchestra perform it. Through the impeccable smoothness of it all, though, it’s sometimes difficult to hear that passion that fueled the work’s composition. You almost want to hear this orchestra become a little emotionally unstable as they perform their crown jewel. This is a Decca recording, though, and they have a reputation of high-quality productions to maintain. Now I wonder how the orchestra would sound live, free from the slick hands of studio producers. Probably awesome.