by Josh Downs, Senior cbbfestival.com Correspondent, dtrain692@yahoo.com
From Left: Derrick Mitchell, a bunch of Oak Parkers
On November 22nd, Chicago’s Congress Theater will host the first annual Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival. This all day festival will offer music fans a diverse range of acts, including bluegrass music pioneer David Grisman and red-hot American Recordings poster boys, the Avett Brothers. For Oak Parkers, however, the festival offers a special treat as several native talents are featured on the bill, including How Far to Austin, Blue Room Hero, and contest winner Donnie Biggins.
Also included in the mix is festival director Mike Raspatello, a River Forest resident who graduated from OPRF in 1999. “As expected, Oak Park had a lot of great talent to choose from in finding artists for this event. I knew a lot of these guys in High School and have enjoyed watching their careers grow.”
Blue Room Hero is a three piece rock ensemble that formed at the University of Wisconsin when OPRF alumnus and current teacher Doug Hill brought his drums to Mike Neeb’s bass and Jason Napp’s guitar. They built a large and loyal following in Madison as well as back home in Oak Park. The festival represents not only their highest profile gig, but also their last performance together.
How Far to Austin features guitarist Tate Troelstrup, drummer Paul Obis, bassist Colin Fahey, and saxophonist Nick Ranucci, all alumni of Oak Park River Forest High School. The band likes to think of themselves as “hot as a pistol rock ‘n roll laced with incredible lyrical depth; keen musicianship; and unforgettable vocal melodies that border on the addictive.” Last year, they released their first LP, “The Moment has Arrived” and are now preparing to go back into the studio with legendary producer Stuart Epps, fresh off of recording an album for Oasis at the studio he co-owns in Wales with Jimmy Paige.
When asked about how growing up in Oak Park has influenced his musical stylings, Troelstrup said, “I went to Holmes school on the north side of town, great music program and I tried my hand at a new band instrument each year on top of piano. Once I got my hands on a guitar I popped over to see Sal Salvato at Guitar Fun and started my rock ‘n roll journey.”
Donnie Biggins in the blazer, Doug Hill on the set
When Donnie Biggins entered the “Last Banjo Standing Contest” to determine the final act on the mainstage, he knew he had the support of an entire community behind him. A truly grassroots voting effort propelled him to victory in the contest. “When I won this contest, my Father sent me a text message that said “It takes a Village.” The support from Oak Park helped get me into the top 5 artists. It is because of the community’s belief in me that I was selected to play at the festival. I think there is a lot of young talent in Oak Park just waiting to be released into the world. We come from a community unlike any other. The environment we surround ourselves with, whether it is the schools, block parties, or backyard gatherings, sets us up to be successful.”
Both Troelstrup and Biggins credit some local Oak Park businesses with helping their musical development. Biggins spoke glowingly about Val Camilletti, owner of Val’s Halla Records. “I went to Val’s in August looking for advice on advancing my music publicly. We talked for about an hour about current music and the musical experiences she’s had in her lifetime. She told me to go to The Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park, Chicago. Conveniently I was moving to Rogers Park at the end of the month to begin my student teaching in the Chicago Public Schools and have been playing at The Heartland Cafe once a week. It will be nice to go back to Val’s with the CBGB Festival ad with my name on it and thank her for the advice.”
Troelstrup also spoke magnanimously when asked if any local music hotspots had an influence on him. “Most definitely! Guitar Fun is where I took my first guitar lessons, and where I turned to any time I had a gear question. Val at Val’s Halla always special ordered whatever random record I absolutely had to have any given week. I was always pretty loyal to Val’s, but Second Hand Tunes did have a great t-shirt selection and often times had newer records in a lot faster. All three were important because my experiences at each was positive – really nice people very interested in music, and in the case of Sal at Guitar Fun, very supportive of t
Val of Val's Halla and her trusty friend and coworker
he endeavors of young musicians just cutting their teeth.”
Raspatello says “The idea of this festival was to give some up and coming artists a chance to share the bill with some big name acts, and help out the Saving Tiny Hearts Society while doing it. I’m happy to be able to include some native Oak Parkers in what will be a wonderful celebration of art and music.”
Tickets are $31 and are on sale now on cbbfestival.com, ticketmaster.com, and frontgatetickets.com, A portion of the sales will go to benefit the Saving Tiny Hearts Society (Savingtinyhearts.org)
About the Festival:
On November 22nd, 2008, the Congress Theater will host the inaugural Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival (cbbfestival.com). While rooted in the foot-stomping influences of bluegrass and blues, the festival will transport the concertgoer through the genre-defying evolution of music today. The one-day event will serve as a tribute to two schools of music that continue to shape and inspire contemporary rock, jamband, funk, folk, roots, Americana, and indie cultures, while allowing festivalgoers to save a heart. A portion of each $31 ticket will be donated to the Saving tiny Hearts Society (www.savingtinyhearts.org), an non-profit organization that raises money for America’s #1 birth defect, congenital heart defects (CHD).
