In these tough economic times, it’s hard to find a silver lining.  Local arts especially have taken a hit, and that includes venues and artists alike.  The reality is that local bands across the city are struggling to bring their fans out to support live music.

Enter the Chicago Roots Collective.

The collective—also known as the CRC—is a group of ten highly motivated, independent, local bands who have defied the urge to step on the other guy to get ahead.  Though their genres range from reggae to pop to Americana, the CRC has banded together to form a community of musicians.  The premise is simple:  by working together, each individual band benefits.

The history of the CRC traces back to last year’s Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival, where members of the collective performed at the Congress Theater along with The David Grisman Quintet and The Avett Brothers.

Mike Raspatello, one of the founders of the festival, and current friend of the collective, explains how it all got started.  “It was a really exciting night for local music.  We had independently thrown this festival, and it allowed area bands who had been carving out separate niches in the Chicago music scene to connect with each other and realize there was a shared experience among them.”

Peter Manhart of Molehill explains: “We share the struggle of independent musicians, but we also share the dream.  And in that sense, there is a genuine respect and appreciation among the bands for each other’s music, and a desire to help each other along the journey to success.”

Matt Hartgering of Cobalt and the Hired Guns agrees. “The spirit of the CRC is really about collaboration and a cooperative spirit, and when you’ve got ten bands who are highly talented and driven, it’s easy to embrace those qualities.”

“When you have ten bands attending each others shows, there is a large group of supporters in the audience that wouldn’t have been there otherwise.” says Donnie Biggins of The Shams Band.

In fact, the next CRC show will feature all ten bands for $10.  The event will take place at 6pm on Saturday, September 19 at The Cubby Bear – Wrigleyville.  While the undertaking is ambitious, there are no mysterious benefactors, booking agents, or promotional companies funding or organizing the show.

“It’s just us.  We’re a group of bands that believe our destiny is in our own hands, and the only way we reach our goals is by working our butts off,” says Danny Surico of The Future Laureates.

In planning for events such as this, band representatives meet once a month to discuss ideas and share resources.  It’s a sort of “tribal council” of local indie bands, where veterans like Mike Mangione, How Far to Austin, and Todd Kessler have become mentors for upstarts like Goodbyehome, The Future Laureates, and Band Called Catch.

How to book a tour, strategies for contacting media outlets, networking resources, and promotional ideas are all being shared.

One recent product of these brainstorming sessions was the CRC logo design contest. Local artists were given the chance to submit designs and choose from prizes including $200, 4 tickets to the 2009 Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival, and a merchandise package from all ten bands.  The contest was held as a way to spark interest in the collective, but it was also pragmatic.

“In the most basic sense, we needed a logo for the CRC,” says TateTroelstrup of How Far to Austin.  “But at the same time, we were able to develop relationships with other area artists that, long term, can benefit both parties.”

One such artist is Amy Olchowski, a recently graduated graphic design major from Loyola University Chicago.  While her logo designs ultimately didn’t earn the top prize, she was asked to use her ideas to make a poster for the upcoming CRC show at the  Cubby Bear. “The Chicago Roots Collective gives not only local musicians, but all kinds of artists the opportunity to showcase their talents, and therefore, creating a full community collaborative effort.”

Brian Wise of Jackpot Donnie sums it up “We feel like the world is at out fingertips.  Our collective potential is there and we’re moving forward toward the same goal, on the same journey.”
Click here to hear the Chicago Roots Collective

“The Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival will prove to be the next great landmark in Chicago music culture” – Herschel Concepcion, Jambase.com

Chicago, IL – September 5th, 2009. The Congress Theater, in conjunction with Chicago independents Kingtello Presents, is proud to announce the second coming of the 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 all-ages one-day event, held on Saturday, December 12th from 11am to midnight, 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.

Against the backdrop of an official Chicago landmark and one of the last of the classic “movie palaces,” fans will be treated to a party with a purpose, featuring 3 stages and 25 bands for less than the typical price of the headliners alone. Six-time Grammy-winner Béla Fleck and his Flecktones will unite for their first Chicago date together since mid-2007, as Béla has been devoting extended stints to the likes of the Sparrow Quartet, The Africa Project, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain.

They’ll be joined by Philadelphia’s psych-folk harmonizers, Dr. Dog, who’ve rapidly ascended the public consciousness this year with breakout performances at both Coachella and Camp Bisco. The Emmitt-Nershi Band, uniting Leftover Salmon’s mandolin and vocals (Drew Emmitt) with the songwriting and flat-picking guitar of the String Cheese Incident (Billy Nershi), joins the party as well. And Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater, proudly declared “Chicago’s premier blues entertainer” by the Chicago Tribune, will properly represent the scene that put his city on the international music map.

Tickets for the festival go on sale on Saturday, September 12^th at 9am CST for $35 through the event’s website (cbbfestival.com), ticketmaster.com, and clubtix.net.

The Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival will offer a musical reprieve from the merciless Chicago Winter by adapting elements of a summer music festival to the historic and intimate indoor setting In addition to 13 hours of 3 stages worth of nonstop music, the day’s activities will also include a pickin’ circle, a live-art exhibition and indoor gallery, charitable raffles, film screenings, the original Blues Brothers car, and impromptu marching band performances.

In between main stage sets, an array of performers will treat festival-goers to special “pop-up” sets from the Congress Theater’s historic balcony.

Joing the Headliners on the Main Stage – Last Banjo Standing Contest: Organizers have announced that they will once again hold the “LAST BANJO STANDING,” an online contest that scours Chicagoland to find the top bluegrass or blues inspired artist. The winner, as voted on by fans, family, friends and music lovers around the city will join the headliners on the main stage roster. Sign up and vote at cbbfestival.com/contest.

About the Charities:

And while the festival will serve to break a band or two, festival-goers will get to help children. A portion of ticket proceeds will be donated to two non-profit organizations, the Saving tiny Hearts Society (www.savingtinyhearts.org), and Prevent Child Abuse America (www.preventchildabuse.org)

Lineup:

The complete artist roster includes:

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones

Dr. Dog

Emmitt-Nershi Band

Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater

The Giving Tree Band

Josh Phillips Folk Festival

Van Ghost

Majors Junction

Chicago Farmer

Jaik Willis

Mike Mangione & The Band

Holy Ghost Tent Revival

Tangleweed

Environmental Encroachment

Squeeze-bot

GreenSugar

How Far to Austin

Liberty Bluegrass Band

The Right Now

Cobalt & the Hired Guns

The Shams Band

Goodbyehome

The Junior League Band

· Sample them all at cbbfestival.com

About the Congress Theater:

The Congress Theater (www.congresschicago.com) is an official Chicago City Landmark and one of the largest and most unique entertainment venues in the entire city. Over a quarter-million music fans visit the Congress each year to see acts such as The Shins, Girl Talk, Prince, Tiesto, The Roots, The Killers, Ludacris and Dave Chappelle in one the last of the city’s classic movie ‘palaces.’

Built in 1926 and designed by Friedstein & Co, the 4,000 capacity theatre features a mix of architectural styles, including neo-classical and Italian Baroque, with an elaborate domed auditorium covered with decorations in stone, terra-cotta, and plaster. In addition to the main theater, the venue also features a spacious four-story Entrance Pavilion, Skybox Suites and private meeting rooms and exhibition areas. The theater is located in the burgeoning Logan Square/Bucktown/Wicker Park area, the seat of the artistic and music communities in the Midwest. It sits perfectly situated, in close proximity to the immense variety of ethic and social communities that it serves, just blocks from the 90/94 expressway, Metra and CTA blue line trains.

Got questions about what the show will be like, what the rules will be, or what we’ll be wearing? Feel free to e-mail us at Michael.raspatello@gmail.com. Hopefully, however, here are some of the answers you were looking for….

SHOW SCHEDULE

*2 Stages, a Balcony, 18 Acts, and Costumed Marching Band “Environmental Encroachment” parading throughout the venue at impromptu times

MAIN STAGE
12:30-1:15pm – Donnie Biggins
1:15-1:30 – Tangleweed
1:30-2:15 - Dollar Store
2:15-2:45 – Tangleweed/Chicago Sketch Comedy Troupe “Cell Camp”
2:45-3:30 – Billy Childers
3:30-4:00 – Tangleweed/Chicago Sketch Comedy Troupe“Cell Camp”
4:00-4:45 – Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials
4:45-5:15 – Tangleweed/Chicago Sketch Comedy Troupe“Cell Camp”
5:15-6:15 – Majors Junction
6:15-6:45 – Tangleweed/Chicago Sketch Comedy Troupe“Cell Camp”
6:45-7:45 – Ha Ha Tonka
7:45-8:15 – The Giving Tree Band
8:15-9:45 - David Grisman Quintet
9:45-10:15 – The Giving Tree Band
10:15-However Long They Want – The Avett Brothers

Jambase.com’s 312 PAVILION STAGE
Noon-12:45 – Blue Room Hero
1:00-1:45 – Cobalt & the Hired Guns
2:00-2:45 - Lindsey O’Brien Band & Friends
3:00-3:45 - Mike Mangione
4:00-4:45 – Jessica Lee
5:00-5:45 – How Far to Austin
6:00-6:45 – Blue Mother Tupelo
7:00-8:00 – Blackdog

• This show is All Ages, runs from 11am-Midnight-ish, tickets are $31 until day-of, when it increases (if there are any left)

• Unlimited Re-Entry: Can come and go freely to and from the theater until 5pm.  AFTER 5PM YOU CAN STILL ARRIVE.  All this means is that once you’ve left the building after 5pm, you can’t come back in.  As in, if you leave at 4:59 you can still get stamped and come back any time throughout the night.  However a minute later that would not be an option. 

• Smoking lounge access without leaving the theater. Security is about as strong as a one-armed swimmer (as in “weak”)

• Sketch Comedy throughout the day from Chicago Sketch Comedy Group “Cell Camp”

• An open jam session and picking circle from the second the doors open. Musicians are all invited to bring their instruments and participate. There’ll be an “instrument check” along with the coat check so that you don’t have to lug your noisemaker around with you all day.

• Over 50 booths of artists, vendors, and charitable causes. Artists will be creating their art on-site and selling it while the Saving Tiny Hearts Society will be raffling off swag from the artists

• The theater is located at 2135 N. Milwaukee (just north of Armitage). There is street parking available all around the theater, as well as very cheap reserved parking by clicking here

• Traveling to the theater is easy via the CTA, as it is within two blocks of the Blue Line train stations at California (& Milwaukee) and Western (& Milwaukee) which operate twenty four hours a day. The theater is also served by the following bus routes: #52 Kedzie/Calfornia, #56 Milwaukee, #73 Armitage, #49 Western (www.transitchicago.com)

• The theater is also a quick walk or bus ride from the METRA train station at Clybourn & Ashland on the Union Pacific District Northwest line. Exit the station to the south to transfer to the #73 Armitage bus going west on Cortland Ave. to the theater.

• The “Official After-Party” will be held at Chicago’s #1 rock club The Elbo Room immediately following the show. Entry is free with your festival ticket. Check out more details at elboroomchicago.com

•A WARM FUZZY FEELING FOR MAKING THIS EVENT AMAZING AND HELPING PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME!

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had a handful of our artists featured on podcasts around the land, including the Chicago staple that is Michael Teach’s Chicago Acoustic Underground , In Search of a Song, and Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour.

Throw these on in your new fancy earbuds and enjoy the sweet stylings of The Giving Tree Band, How Far to Austin, Majors Junction, and Eli Jones (who played our official pre-party at Fitzgerald’s last week)

Radio Relics Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival Special from WRLR: http://www.mypodcast.com/cached/radiorelics_20081118_0903-332937-159989-2-25.mp3

Green Arrow Radio’s Preview: http://www.greenarrowradio.com/2008/11/18/chicago-bluegrass-blues/

The Giving Tree Band: http://www.woodsongs.com/showlist.asp

The Giving Tree Band: http://isoas.wordpress.com/category/1-americana/the-giving-tree-band/

David Grisman Quintet: http://isoas.wordpress.com/category/1-americana/david-grisman/

Eli Jones: http://chicagoacoustic.net/podcasts/episode-167—eli-jones.html

How Far to Austin: http://chicagoacoustic.net/podcasts/episode-166—how-far-to-austin.html

Majors Junction: http://chicagoacoustic.net/podcasts/episode-169—majors-junction.html

And for the greatest acappella performance in the history of anything:

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).

By Amy Schwartz, cbbfestival.com Senior Correspondent,

The Chicago Blue Grass & Blues Festival’s Pavilion Stage, to be placed atop the Congress Theater’s epic grand staircase, shouldn’t be overlooked this coming November at the fest’s inaugural gathering. Showcasing an eclectic mix of unique and newsworthy up-and-comers, the Pavilion Stage eight will host artists from around the corner and around the country, adding Nashville, Colorado, and Cleveland staples to a roster of Chicago’s local crowd pleasers.

Blackdog, sounding like something old made new, stays true to the roots of rock with an upbeat blues sound full of riffs that make you feel like a badass if you happen to be enjoying them while walking down the street. They are the type of band that rockers of many different colors can agree on.

Blue Mother Tupelo has a soulful richness that sometimes sounds as if literally created atop an Appalachian foothill or knee-deep in a bayou. This duo proclaims itself to be “swampadelic.” Micol Davis belts and soothes as she sings soft-yet-soulful and energetic ballads. Ricky Davis brings a southern twist to the vocals as the couple sings both together and apart on their tracks.

How Far to Austin is a Chicago-based rock band with a bright future. Poised to soon work with famed Elton John, Led Zeppelin and George Harrison producer Stuart Epps, HFTA boast the unique combination of Derrick Mitchell and Katie Troelstrup on vocals. Separating them even further from the typical rock act, Nick Ranucci’s injects an edgier incarnation of another Epps project; Fleetwood Mac.

Jessica Lee is an R&B entrepreneur with a taste for sultry jazz , gospel, and a hint of soul. Her passion for live music shows with every note she belts.

Mike Mangione is a Chicago-based folk rock band with strong ties to Milwaukee. They’ll calm your nerves with its uplifting and smooth sound made whole by the gracious flow of the cello, violin, vocals and guitars.

The Lindsey O’Brien Band & Friends returns to Chicago via Colorado, with a sound that’s frankly too hard to characterize. From a rich musical Chicago family, count on host of siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and friends to join Lindsey on stage.

Cobalt & the Hired Guns is a young band with a folk-punk sound and a strong dose of energy. They mix it up as they remind us that the piano always has a place in rock ‘n’ roll, and never forget to add some horns as they sing about their hometown of Chicago. Lately, their carbon-neutral record production has brought this group of good people some added momentum.

Blackdog: Fans of Zeppelin? Probably.

Blue Room Hero is a former Madison band that carried their crowd with them to Chicago after college. They’ve built up a fanbase of folks that know their lyrics and remember them when, but never discourage a newcomer from joining the circus that is their live sets.

Check out each of these acts at their individual artist pages at cbbfestival.com.

Pavilion Stage Lineup:

Noon – 12:45 – Blue Room Hero
1 – 1:45 – Cobalt & the Hired Guns
2 – 2:45 – Lindsey OʼBrien Band & Friends
3- 3:45 – Mike Mangione
4 – 4:45 – Jessica Lee
5-5:45 – How Far to Austin
6 – 6:45 – Blue Mother Tupelo
7 – 7:45 – Blackdog