hiatus

Always in search of new venues, we played a show at Silvie's on Irving Park at the behest of Diana Lawrence--an amazing singer and pianist who writes fun, quirky pop songs. Also on the program was Corbett Lunsford and his Mysteriam project.

Silvie's is a particular genre of bar in Chicago that has almost no regulars; it is almost exclusively supported by the bands' friends who fork over the modest cover and drink the cheap beer. It always seems like an ill-fated business model, but maybe other bands have more friends to make up for the off-nights.

On a typical night at Silvie's, the crowd generally seems to reflect the dingy carpet and neon lights of the venue and the rough, edgy grit of the bands. On an atypical night, the crowd is a who's-who of the Chicago theater and arts communities who are having their first experience at Silvie's to watch three diverse groups, brought together more by personal loyalties than musical aesthetics.

Our program was fairly typical, it being hard to find the time to compose quality music that fits in a diverse variety of venues, but we introduced a new arrangement of the Smiths' "How Soon is Now?" The arrangement has a lot of potential that I'm hoping to flesh out in coming months.

Overall, a successful experience but one that didn't lead to new prospects--ultimately unsustainable.