DeKalb has a population of 45,734 (taken Summer 2009).

Tonight there is a concert that is a show to definitely catch now that the storms are gone.

Where?: The House Cafe
Address?: 263 E Lincoln HWY
DeKalb, IL 60115


Who's Playing?: Jaik Willis, Rob Reid, and Mason Reed

Time?: 7PM

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Here are a couple videos from a recent Mason Reed performance in Waukegan, IL.







A photo of Jaik Willis from a show at The Cubby Bear on Aug 28, 2009 in Chicago, IL. (Photo taken by Chad Smith)




Rob Reid playing a song earlier this year at Phyllis' Musical Inn (Chicago, IL)


Interstate 88 westbound gets your right to the gig!


The brilliant manager and booking agent for The House Cafe, ......Matthew!!!!! Good people all around at this venue. Get out of Danville, Illinois for the night and go see this show. ShareThis

Been a while for me to contribute, but I am back.

To begin again, here are some snaps from a show I had the pleasure to attend today in Waukegan, Illinois at a venue called The Brick. Today was the last day that The Brick was to be open. The doors done gone ahead and shuttered shut at the hour of 3 in the afternoon.

The reason I went to The Brick was not to say goodbye to the venue, but to catch as many songs as I could from Mason Reed as he performed an afternoon of music for the locals by the lakefront.


I had heard of Mason nearly 4 years ago from a co-worker of mine. It had taken me a few years to finally hear his music, which I did get my dirty hands on earlier this year. The album that Mason is currently touring in support of, entitled 'You Can't Come Back From Heaven' is quite a nice set of songs. When I sat down and heard him sing his first stanza today I just couldn't believe I was hearing the voice that I was actually hearing. Very cool. Gotta admit, the travelers of this world deserve much credit for doing what they do. My bandmate from the past 9 years, Chris Darby, is currently touring quite like Mason is, sleeping in the car if that is all that comes up after the show, just goin' for it. Mason tells me that he is nearing the tail-end of an 8-week stretch on the highways, byways, and sideways of the country. From what I gather, of the 7 months that have taken place this year, Mason seems to have been touring for the better part of it. He is a very nice fella to chat with, and surely he has stories to tell. Go ahead and see if he is making it into your town soon, if not, invite him to play a house show in your apartment, basement, garage, kitchen, dining room, or your favorite pub in town.



He played many a song today that I wished I had personally written. I do hope you can catch him soon before he goes on and runs back to Los Angeles, California, the place that is currently his hometown.




















Catch Mason Reed at any or all of the following tour dates:

Upcoming Shows
Aug 1 2010 (10pm) Bremen Cafe Milwaukee, WI
Aug 4 2010 (6pm) The House Cafe (Mason Reed, Jaik Willis, Rob Reid) DeKalb,IL
Aug 6 2010 (9pm) Miss Kitty's Grape Escape Galena, IL
Aug 7 2010 (8pm) The Blue Room Cafe Hammond, IN
Aug 8 2010 (8pm) Elbo Room Chicago, IL
Aug 10 2010 (8pm) Rachel's Cafe Bloomington, IN
Aug 12 2010 (11pm) Lynagh's Irish Pub Lexington, KY
Aug 18 2010 (10pm) The Nick Birmingham, AL ShareThis

Rob Reid
Sunday, March 14th
11 AM
Logan Square Farmers Market
2135 N Milwaukee Ave. (Congress Theater Lobby)

Kevin Flynn & the Avondale Ramblers
Wednesday, March 17th
10:30 PM
Abbey Pub
3420 West Grace

Jessica Robbins and Matt Crews
Thursday, March 18th
9 PM
Schubas
3159 N. Southport Ave.
Jessica Robbins CD Release Show!!!

Them Damn Kids and Danny Price and the Loose Change
Friday, March 19th
9 PM The Horseshoe
4115 N. Lincoln Ave.

The Sometimes Family
2100 W. Belmont Ave.

Davy Jay Sparrow
Saturday March 20th
9 pm
Relax Lounge
1450 W. Chicago Avenue

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Jeff Breakey and John Elstad Wed Feb 10 2010 at Phyllis' Musical Inn


Raul Cotaquispe playing a song from his set during the Songwriter night at Phyllis' on Wed Feb 10, 2010.



Guy Grace, Dr. Julie, and Hoyne along with Rob Reid - Feb 10 2010 Wed Phyllis' Musical Inn


more of that Guy Grace fella playing the Rascal's songs. ShareThis

This was an interesting way to spend Valentine's Day. These are taken from some work done toward a yet to be released Chris Darby EP.



Erin Frisby on vocals. Erin is in a couple of bands: In Miniature and Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray. Erin actually spent time with us and then ran off to do vocals at another studio only moments after finishing her parts for this project.



Maxon on vocals and Breakey as Engineer.




Darby on vocals.




Schroeder on drums.




Darby on rhythm guitars and lead vocals.




Maxon on guitar.




Suzuka on harmonica and vocals and additional photography.





Breakey as Engineer and Maxon on guitars and vocals.




Darby on guitar and vocals





Gairroes on bass





Julio on guitar and percussion.



Somehow I was able to convince these fine folks to let me take photos of them while they recorded on Valentine's Day this past Sunday. Here are a couple of the whole lot to offer.

To keep abreast on Chris Darby developments, check out the following:

www.chrisdarbymusic.com
www.sixtyyearswar.com
www.myspace.com/chrisdarby ShareThis

Lest I go to sleep and forget in the morning....On Saturday Feb 13, 2010 there are two local Chicago shows of note. Either show is a great option. All participating musicians are good folk to chat with, say hello if you go.


Rebecca Sometimes (of The Sometimes Family) will be playing at:

The Store
2002 N Halsted
Chicago, IL
9PM start time (price is free! drinks cost money, though)
the show is with: As Forty Sleeps, Stealth Like a Canoe


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A shot of Ty Maxon in-between songs in Hastings, MI Jan 29 2010 Friday.

The other option is to see if you can still attend a house show located in Chicago (right by the Rockwell Brown Line). To find out about details, go to: www.reliablerascal.com There is a link on the page where you can find out more. I hope I am not too late with this posting if you really want to go. The show is going to feature both Ty Maxon and Rob Reid. I can't post the address, but write to Rob at his website to find out the details. The show starts at 7PM, and it's BYOB with a requested $10 donation at the door.


Here's a shot of Rob Reid playing at Phyllis' Musical Inn on Wed Feb 10 2010


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One fun little note about Rebecca is that she helps keep, along with the help of her band, a nice little blog about their band's life. Check it out below:

http://www.thesometimesfamily.blogspot.com/


Listen well, and thank you for reading!

- Updater ShareThis

Here are a couple of quick photos from the evening of music that occurred last night at Phyllis' Musical Inn at 1800 W Division St., Chicago, IL. This is the 56th year of Phyllis' being in business. It was good to see Clem Jaskot, the owner of the bar, and Kenny, drummer from the band Anxiety High.

These such evenings are the brainchild of Chris Darby, local singer-songwriter. He has been doing these events for two years or so, and has been playing the local Chicago area and the midwest for the past 7 years. Chris will be embarking on an adventurous outing come this next July 2010. Please check out Chris's music at

www.myspace.com/chrisdarby

www.chrisdarbymusic.com

Chris arranged for a few local musicians to play a set of songs that they might not be typically doing on any other night. The challenge of the night was to assign a cluster of six willing musicians to learn roughly 5 to 7 songs of one of the other participating musicians. The night ensued as follows:

Guy Grace played Rob Reid songs
Rob Reid played Guy Grace songs
Raul Cotaquispe play Jeff Breakey songs
Jeff Breakey played Raul Cotaquispe songs
Ryan Suzuka played Ty Maxon songs
Ty Maxon played Ryan Suzuka songs
Chris Darby played a song from everyone that participated

NOTES on the photos: the battery to the camera cancelled out right after the Ryan Suzuka set, so I focused on getting a full song on video before it faded out. None of the Ty Maxon photos turned out due to photographer error.




Guy Grace played Rob Reid songs during the Songwriter night.


Guy Grace and his backing band: Dr. Julie on violin/percussion, and Hoyne on guitars


Rob Reid playing Guy Grace songs



Raul Cotaquispe playing Jeff Breakey songs



Jeff Breakey and his guitarist John Elstad playing Raul Cotaquispe songs.



A pretty terrible picture from the back of the bar, but it offers a little perspective.



Another shot of Rob Reid playing the Guy Grace songs



This photo really typifies Guy Grace on stage. The fella barely remains still, and that made for a great performance.



This shot with Rob Reid, Hoyne, Guy Grace, and Dr. Julie.



Show Highlights:

Ty Maxon covered two songs of Ryan Suzuka's, one of which, I believe, was his last song of the night. Impeccable. A riveting performance. I wish I had a recording.

Chris Darby singing a cover of Guy Grace's 'Beautiful Man'. Darby went into a vocal range I had never seen before in the years that I have been fortunate enough to watch him perform live. The bar erupted in applause after that song. I wish I had a recording.

All told, it was a wonderful time and pleasant evening just to sit down and listen to these folks engrossed in their craft.


Quote of the Night: "Chris, Phil, she needs a husband." - Clem Jaskot



See other photos from the night here:

The next in the Singer-Songwriter Series is on April 28, 2010 Wednesday.



Stay tuned for videos to be posted on this here blog. And, thank you for reading!

- Updater ShareThis

Folks, I wanted to take a moment to post a recent e-mail interview that we completed with Rob Reid. He is a local singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. One of the bands I am in has traveled quite extensively with Rob, for the past 5 years, throughout the Midwestern states playing our respective brands of original music.

The photos that follow are some vintage Rob Reid from Spring 2006. He was kind enough to come and play at my job at the time. He is always a big hit wherever he plays his songs.



_______________________________________________________

Let's get on with the interview and let Rob do the talking. I hope you enjoy!

Interview begin:

1. You have a new album that was just released in recent weeks, can you tell us about it?

Rob's Response (R): I'm happy that it's finally done. Now I can focus on wrapping up 2009 and hopefully soon re-joining the rest of my friends in the year 2010 by some time in mid-February. I've heard from those who've been, that 2010 is a really good year.

2. Is there a larger story to this album that each of the songs touches on?

(R): There's as much of a coherent plan to this album as there had been to my life at the time I wrote the songs, which is to say almost none at all. The songs were written over a long stretch between 2004 and 2008 when I was struggling with trying to balance all my passions in life, including traveling to Africa, teaching ethnic seniors how to shout "Bingo!", volunteering in India, studying re-use of abandoned cinemas, playing broomball, drinking free vodka under mandate at Polish dive bars, thinking about building robots, etc. Sometimes the inside of my head resembled an old married couple, bickering back and forth and never resolving to consensus but all the while staying married out of obligation.

Back in '06 I hired something of a psychic brain surgeon/hypnotist to help me sort this all out. The title, "The Principles of Crop Rotation" comes from a concept she introduced me to called the "The Universal Cycle of Change". Just as trees know to let their leaves fall off in the autumn and regenerate in the spring, I could learn to more gracefully allow my hobbies to come and go like seasons. When I got tired of playing music, I could let that go and not worry about losing the plateau, while following some new hobby like trying to unlock the mysteries of Elston Avenue, one of the city's loneliest streets. Then when I got back to the music, I was that much fresher and often could fold my newer ideas into older projects.



3. Where did the recording take place? Can you expand a bit. Some of our readers are gearheads.

(R): The actual recording all took place in my home. I didn't want to waste anyone's time but my own. When I finished the tracks, Tim Sandusky mixed and mastered them in his attic.

My home is quintessential Chicago West Side, and not sound insulated, so if you listen real hard you might hear an occasional roaring engine, my neighbor's band in the basement, somebody yelling something about tamales, and possibly even a few gun shots. Most of the guitar tracks were recorded through an amp in the bathroom, where I got this cool echo-ey sound that I found much to my liking.



4. Any secret weapons (music gear) that you use to record Rob Reid albums?

(R): I couldn't distinguish quality gear from a Radio Shack deal if it struck me over the head during a guitar solo. But Populele, one of Avondale's most prominent gearheads, left two extended voice messages for me over the past month- one raving about the sound quality of the StudioProjects VTB pre-amp which I used to record my vocals, and the other proclaiming that he had just bought one himself. It's that good- and very reasonably priced due to its relative anonymity.


5. If there were albums from other musicians that you kept at the fore of your mind, for inspiration, during the recording of this album, what five albums would you narrow that list down to?

(R): Most of what I listened to during that period was anthologies of world music that I found through Chicago Public Library. This probably influenced me subconsciously, but with the exception of a few tracks this is not a world music album. Some more direct influences would include:

Catalpa (Jolie Holland)
The Charts' Greatest Hits
Tusk (Fleetwood Mac)
Nandolo with Love (Francis Bebey)
Living with Ghosts (Patty Griffin)



6. Tell us about any plans that Rob Reid, the musician, has in store for 2010.

(R): Ideas take a long time to germinate. I bought some percussion last winter in an effort to drown out my neighbor's band. I gotta tell you, I enjoy striking a drum more than I do plucking a guitar. I've been practicing. I put my thrift store kitchenware drum kit back together and have been playing that a bit. I can tell you this, my music in 2010 is going to be a lot louder than anything you've heard from me in the past. I'm going to start all of my sentences with the word "I" in 2010. I might have a band called Illinois Bovine Explosion involved in implementing my vision, or I might just hire robots to fill in as band-mates.


7. For live music, what are your top three places to play live Rob Reid shows at in the world.

(R): The Green Lantern, Winona Minnesota circa 2005. There's been nothing like it since- a coffeeshop with no profit motive, a puppet master as barista, and an eclectic magnetism for ballroom dancers and dungeons and dragons veterans alike.

Though it took me some time to warm up to it, I really like Uncommon Ground these days. Jen does a great job on sound. All my friends are getting old, and they're starting to like sitting down at tables instead of standing up at bars.

State Grounds in Hastings, Michigan is another favorite. It's really just the epitome of an unlikely class of songwriter-friendly coffee shops - a small venue owner in a culture-starved town willing to occasionally shell out gas money for a touring artist mostly for the sake of charity and/or his own entertainment. It's not like I've ever brought customers into the place, but he welcomes me back and pays more attention than the aggregate of a roomful of barflies.



8. What was the last album that was recommended to you, by any one of your friends, that you have found to be a very good recommendation?

(R): While I'm often buried in stacks of cryptic/obscure albums from the distant past and from abroad, I do a terrible job of keeping up with what's new in the music world.

My sister, now that she has mellowed out and no longer "drives like a getaway driver for a bankrobber on a Sunday afternoon" has gotten really good at finding new and interesting music.

This past Christmas, she picked up "Wooden Arms" by Patrick Watson for me, and I love it.


9. Of other musicians that exist in the world, name one artist or group that is active right now, and making great music, that just doesn't get noticed enough by other media outlets.

(R): Musicians all know that mainstream media outlets consistently ignore musicianship and talent in favor of slicker and more accessible sounds or images, but Portuguese fado music has received a knife to the back far more damaging than most starving American musicians could rightfully complain about, due to Portugal's longstanding underdog status as well as fado's association with the repressive regime of Antonio Salazar last century.

Ana Moura is my favorite fadista singing today- successful in her own right, but unknown to probably 95% of Americans.


________________________________________________


Rob will be playing a house concert this Saturday Feb 13 2010. For those that are interested in seeing him live, go to the following website for more details: www.reliablerascal.com. Rob will be playing a set and then Ty Maxon will also play a set of songs. Should be an amazing time.

Please visit the following for more information on Rob Reid and Ty Maxon.

www.reliablerascal.com
www.myspace.com/tymaxon
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A few photos from the southern rim of Lake Michigan







Somehow the traffic cooperated and allowed us to slip out of town right quick. The Damn Kids had an extra spot in the car for a silly blogger, so there might be a few updates this weekend of the various activities. Right now we just made it east of Interstate 65. Chris, from Them Damn Kids, popped in the latest Rob Reid album which features the song 'Engineer from Gary'. The song references a place Rob refers to as 'Gary City Church'. Chris did the math and convinced Julio and Ty Maxon that they could pay a quick visit to the church and still make it to the show on-time. An amazing structure it is, this church. The length of their visit inside was all of 9 minutes and 49 seconds while I waited with the gear in the car listening to the jazz station from the College of DuPage. The photos they brought back with them on the camera are remarkable. This place is a sight to behold, for certain.



But, onward we are. Eastbound on Interstate 94 toward Kalamazoo, then to Hastings to go see Bob Dickinson at State Grounds CFHS. The air crisp, lake-effect flurries. The whole bit. Should be a good night tonight.







Here's a Rob Reid cut from his latest album 'The Principles of Crop Rotation'.

Rob Reid - Engineer from Gary.mp3

Thanks for reading!

- Tour Updater ShareThis

cover art for latest Rob Reid album 'The Principles of Crop Rotation'

I thought I would post this little bit from a few weeks ago. This is a photo taken at the Rob Reid/ Them Damn Kids show at Uncommon Ground on Tues Dec 29 2009. Rob Reid officially released his latest record on that night 'The Principles of Crop Rotation'. The photos of the cables and the gear always pique my attention. Along those lines, here are the instruments of choice for Rob Reid. Every musician is a chemist.

Rob's album, and music, in generally, is fantastic. Try to catch his next show at Phyllis' Musical Inn on Tues Feb 10 2010. The address is: 1800 W Division St., Chicago, IL 60622. Rob will be taking part in a night showcasing a few local singer-songwriters. This particular night, I believe, will involve each of the writers playing one another's songs. The night will be hosted by Chris Darby.



I am a fan of live recordings. I love seeing the myriad of possibilities in live performance, and then being able to capture that one moment, whether the medium be an audio recorder or a video camera. The live recording listed below is actually the audio feed from a video of Rob performing a few weeks ago. The reason I didn't post the video is because there is a non-verbal interaction between Rob and the audience that is actually quite priceless, but on video (upon further review) I determined it would be a bit distracting, were I to go on with posting it. Rob did a really nice job of this track that night, it's a pretty fine performance, and so I thought listing it might be an alright course of action.

www.reliablerascal.com


Rob Reid - Tuvalu - live Fri Jan 1 2010 Kenosha WI.mp3 ShareThis

Whiskers is REALLY tired. It was a great evening in Milwaukee. We saw our friend Pezzettino again, that was brilliant of her to come out to a second performance in one day. Now we are are all eating loads of food bought from Walgreens by Rob Reid and Chris Darby, this was after determining that Grub Hub doesn't help us in Wauwatosa, WI at the early hour of 2:30 AM, nor does that fine American establishment, Denny's. Denny's doesn't open until 4AM.

3 shows in one day. Fun and we have earned the right to be deservedly tired.

Thank you for reading!

Mr. Whiskers ShareThis