Items filtered by date: November 2007

A super rock pop group is hard to find. Anyone that covers music from multiple eras can be a great find as long as they are playing good music from each era. Where can you find a band that will do melodic music from the 60’s until now? The answer is The Klank.

These guys are as cool as a band can get. A five piece band takes the stage tearing it up as not many bands do. When they come out and start their set with a little Cheap Trick, you really don’t know if they are taking prisoners or just lining up the bodies after they knock you dead.

As their set unfolds Shawn Stuckey the lead singer wails his way through a song by Paul McCartney. Within his vocal range you will find no significant barriers that keep him from entertaining a crowd. He just tore it up within every note sung and just kept giving it his all.

Larry Meger on the drums has a precision hit to everything he does and doesn’t seem to run out of gas ever. His timing and capabilities are quite clear on each song and he never seems to stop hitting with a dynamic range that is just fantastic. The man must have a built in clock.

The low end master is Joe Kuehl. The man didn’t have a monster bass rig and it wasn’t needed for the kind of music that was being done. This bass master jumped in and played his parts and locked with the drummer the entire time. A wrecking ball couldn’t knock his timing off. 

Peter Kuehl jumped back and forth between six string and twelve string guitars depending on the song and what was needed. He held his own within their songs of choice to play and he did it with a certain charm. This man’s ability was clear on everything as he is quite an amazing musician.

Completing this pop group on lead guitar was Johnny Million. He tore up the neck during so many songs that if there was an abuse agency to call for battered guitars, a call could’ve been placed. At the end of the show, he purposely ripped and busted all the strings off of his guitar providing a show, not just music.   

This band covered classic rock songs from The Beatles, The Cars, Elvis Costello, and others. Their versions of other songs were right on the money and they will steal the show from the bands that come on after them. In most professional bands, they would not want to follow The Klank.

The set list that they played is being kept a secret as it really needs to be a surprise what this band does. It was a shock to the people in the crowd and if a person goes to their show, they won’t want the shock factor taken from them. It needs to be experienced firsthand what they do.

If you are looking for a kick ass power pop band to go see live, you may want to find the band The Klank. Within everything they sing and perform, concert goers can’t go wrong with this band as their choice for the band of the day. Their entertaining quality is superb and rises above most of the rest of the bands within the Chicago area. Simple question to ask; are you ready to rock? 

AlterEgo is a musical ensemble that just kicks ass! They have an ability to keep an audience in seats watching every move they make. Their show at Tiger O’Stylies (6300 W. Ogden Ave. Berwyn, Illinois) just rocked all the way through the show. They were fantastic.

The band AlterEgo sounded great all night long on Saturday. The sweet sound system at Tiger O’Stylies might be oversized for the room, but it rivals the PA at most clubs twice this size. With a mix and matched set of cabinets from JBL to Yorkville, they fill the room with a crisp clean sound.

Mark Berry on lead vocals has a great range and hits notes with perfection. His vocal ability proved that he isn’t just a guy who could sing karaoke and joined a band. The quality of his vocals was superb throughout everything he sang. His stage presence was strong as he talked in between songs and danced as if no one was looking. Occasionally he was looking out of the corner of his eyes at the audience to see if they were enjoying the show and they were.

Vern Cranor is a hard hitting drummer that kept the clock going throughout every beat of each and every song. This professional player hit the skins on his kit with dynamics. He has skills that show within the snare rolls that rang out. He had some good hand over hand techniques as well that were comparable to Max Weinberg. He had just a small kit and he didn’t need anything fancy. This guy could’ve played pots and pans and made them sound good.  

The low end was provided by Rik Menconi and his awesome bass rig. Playing through an Eden bass amp and his sweet Musicman bass, his tone was superb. The amazing feeling of oomph came from the stage in sweet ways that were almost stealth like. You didn’t just hear him play, you felt him shake the club. His fingers flew around the neck of the bass and held everything together as he locked with the drummer.   

Larry Roberts played his guitar and nailed everything he did. The man is a walking juke box from the 80’s. He pulled off great songs like it was second nature to him. Not a lot of bands have a show with such a wide range of songs from the pop era of the 80’s and this man seemed to be leading the show. He played through a Line6 amp with an ESP/LTD guitar and he was great. The band at one point left the stage for a few minutes and he played some of Van Halen’s guitar licks including “Eruption.” 

AlterEgo is entertaining from the start of their show until the finish. The band clearly knows how to set the tone for a party and keep the crowd drinking at all times. Within every note that they played they rocked the house until well after 2:00 a.m.

The songs they covered were great selections to choose. The song “Safety Dance” (Men Without Hats) may have been the highlight of the evening. No other band is doing this song and they did it so well. They also performed “Beat It” (Michael Jackson), “Jenny” (Tommy Tutone), “Your Love” (The Outfield), “Let’s Go” (Prince) and “Hungry Like the Wolf” (Duran Duran).

Another highlight of the night was when they did “Sexy and I Know it” (LMFAO). The song had the girls in the crowd dancing and shaking their money makers. The lyric ran through the little club, “Girl look at that body.” It was definitely not the normal song for a cover band to do. It was a lot of fun. They played songs from Cheap Trick and Buck Cherry as well. The never ending source of music just didn’t seem like it was ever going to stop.

During a break for the band AlterEgo the guitarist brought another band up on stage with him that does music with cookie monster style vocals. As it was musically entertaining, it was not what the concert goers wanted to hear or came to hear. During their two song performance people had enough of that music and the bar thinned out. It is amazing how a band can lose a crowd by making a huge mistake like playing heavy metal at a pop rock show.

Overall the night was a great night for music and AlterEgo really knows how to entertain a crowd. As they finished up their final song you could see in their eyes they were exhausted. They had poured their heart and soul into their performance. It was felt within every amazing second of the show. They know how to rock!

He Said She Said is a power pop rock dance band that knows what the crowd likes. Their show at Chicago City Limits (1712 W. Wise Rd. Schaumburg, Illinois) just kicked ass. At no time were asses just sitting in seats. If you were at this show your feet were tapping or you were dancing up a storm. In front of the stage was a good group of fans dancing all the way up until after 2:00 a.m. They were fantastic!

Lead Singer Tamara Mooshey came forward and charged up this crowd with a strong performance. She was dressed to kill in skimpy clothes, but she wasn’t dressed this way to hide her talent. This woman has a good vocal style that fits the type of music they are doing. She never stopped and neither did the band.

The hard hitting ball of energy drummer Matthew Koller came to this show for one main reason, to rock. Don’t let this group fool you. They are doing a bunch of dance hits, but they truly know how to slam and having this drummer within the band keeps them slamming in time all night long. His clock is right on the money with every beat. 

The low end master Carl Kusch thumped his way around on stage like a seasoned professional. The bass master played through a huge bass stack that was painted like the Chicago flag. His fingers were picking away all night with precision moves on stage. He had the moves and all of the skill to keep them dancing in front of the stage as he locked with the drummer as they became one.

Kerry Ridout completes this four piece band with class. The six string was like an extension of his hands. He played a lot of the funky harmonies that made the songs complete. As this group is mostly oriented around pop, rock, and dance there weren’t a lot of guitar solos that came from him, but the rhythms and leads he played take more skill than being a wanker.

He Said She Said is full of energy and very entertaining if you like this kind of music or not. All four members of this band will sing within songs and vocally they have very good harmonies that compliments the musical covers that they did. Every song was done true to the original. For the lucky people in the audience they really got a treat.

The band pulled off popular rockGuitarist Kerry Ridout  songs like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and Bon Jovi’s “Living on A Prayer.” They played to perfection Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me’ and it sounded very close to Live at Budokan. They played all of the dance hits including a surprising song by Lady Gaga “Bad Romance.” It was nothing but high drive music all evening for the entire time they played. This group might have more energy than the Energizer Bunny.

They did have a young lady come up on stage to play guitar with them for a few songs and she held her own during everything that she played. She was rock solid with her guitar addition to the band and fit their style too. Although her real name is a mystery, she simply goes by Sharky.  

He Said She Said is a power pop rock dance band that knows what a crowd likes. Their show at Chicago City Limits was nothing short of fantastic. If you attended this show and you didn’t enjoy it, you might want to check your pulse, you may be dead. This band can act like a defibrillator just shocking you all the way through to your soul. They are amazing entertainers.

 Guitarist Kerry Ridout

“Anytime someone chooses to record a song you've written it is a thrill and an honor,” Glen Burtnik.

So many people go to their local music shop to buy an instrument and within a year or so they are frustrated and try to sell it. They wind up in pawn shops, on e-bay, craigslist, or stuffed away in a corner of an attic or crawlspace left to be forgotten. Thank the lord almighty that the multi-instrumentalist Glen Burtnik didn’t give up. His talented creativity could’ve been stifled along the way. 

His old instruments didn’t wind up going to a pawn shop either. “No way. I used to smash up my old guitars. I smashed up my first drum kit too. What an idiot!” Glen has learned not to smash up instruments and regrets doing it now, but he never stopped playing. He was asked what instruments he plays and he responded in a very humble way, “Guitar, bass, piano, some banjo. Drums a little, not so much anymore. I’m not really great at any of them, but I can get around on them all.” From his fans and musicians point of view he is very modest. The creative talent that lies within this man is incredible. He may not be on the cover of a virtuoso magazine anytime soon, but this guy can write great songs and has proven so to the masses.

When he was about ten years old Glen began taking drum lesson. A few years later he started goofing around on guitar and this stone started to roll. As he started to gather skill some early performances came his way, “with the school band at assemblies and stuff. Then a couple of little dances with some bands. My first singing guitarist gig? Wow. Maybe 1971 in Rutherford, NJ.”

Glen Burtnik is a musical workhorse. He has been a working musician with earliest releases going back to 1978. Glen wrote songs that appeared in movies like; “Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure,” “Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead,” “Son In Law,” and “Armageddon.” He had experienced success within the 80’s and ended up joining Styx. They both appeared on A&M Records at the same time. In 1990, he started his first stint with Styx with writing and co-writing on some great songs for the album Edge of the Century. Styx toured for the album and went back on hiatus.

In 1992, Patty Smyth and Don Henley performed the song “Sometimes Love Just ain't Enough” that was co written by Smyth and Burtnik. The song reached gold status by RIAA standards and hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Obviously this kind of success was a great feeling for Glen. He continued with his skillful musical pen and co wrote on the Randy Travis hit “Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man.” Some people think he is lucky, but truly this man makes his own luck.

Glen’s success continued when he got the chance to tour with Styx again in 1999 with a completely different lineup. Doing a guitar and bass switch off he filled the shoes of Chuck Panozzo who will come out only for a few songs at shows. Burtnik revisited old songs from the first album they worked on and continued onward up until recording the album Cyclorama and the tours that followed. There has been a common misconception about a song on the album. “Kiss Your Ass Goodbye” at first listens could be misconstrued as a slam at the most recent departure of previous member, Dennis DeYoung. This is not true.

Glen responds, “As for “Kiss your ass goodbye”, the persistence of this rumor that the song was written about Dennis is an indication of; One, an inability to comprehend lyrics; Two an obsession with a certain Midwest rock band; Three, low intelligence.” He apologized for his response and continued with, “I think it’s very obvious what the song is really about,” and he is right. He did endless live shows and soon after decided to depart Styx to be closer to home.

Glen parted ways and continued to write and release his own music. He has appeared on several albums and no doubt will ever stop working. “I guess, at this point I don’t have a main instrument. I hover somewhere between the guitar, the piano, the bass and songwriting. I sing a little as well. I am okay at each and suck equally at each as well.” He has a way of putting things into perspective that is just not true. “I usually like to start on guitar and then go back and forth to the piano and guitar.” For guitar gear his equipment of choice or by chance is, “Probably an inexpensive Epiphone which somebody gave me is my most ‘friendly’ guitar. It doesn’t sound as good as my Martin, but it sure feels fun to play. My fave guitar amp is a tiny little Fender Pro Junior, 15 watts through a little 10" speaker!”

One of the biggest influences for a lot of bands and musicians still to date is the Beatles. What better band to influence any musician then the one that did it all. Glen is an artist. Give him a tuba and he will get you something out of it. “Well, my heroes aren’t always my influences. I adore Jimi Hendrix, but that isn’t my style of playing guitar. Influences? Everyone from Stevie Wonder to Regina Spektor.”

Glen was asked questions like; ‘who is your favorite Beatle?’ and ‘what’s your favorite Beatle song?’ “I love all four. Those cultural icons, when they worked together with George Martin, became like extended family to me. Older cousins or uncles I will always look up to. Naming a favorite Beatle song is difficult, as there are so many classics. I adore “She’s Leaving Home” and “Eleanor Rigby” for their lyrics. I love “Within You Without You” and “I Am The Walrus” as recordings, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and “Helter Skelter” rock so mightily. Just too many killer tracks.”  

“I enjoyed meeting Paul McCartney and I loved being introduced to Ringo. I’ve had amazing fun and the list of working with musicians I admire is endless. Like producing a Brian Wilson vocal, for instance and working with Jan Hammer, Neal Schon, John Waite, Kenny Aronoff, Marshall Crenshaw, Sam Moore, Edgar Winter, Phoebe Snow. The list goes on.”

Glen plays in a Beatles cover band that is just phenomenal that appears annually in Chicago and New York. He appears at, “Beatles conventions, as a hired member of a band called Liverpool.” They have been known to make it out to Geneva, Ill. as well. He played for a little while in a Police cover band called Synchronicity II that unfortunately doesn’t exist anymore. “I am currently involved in a number of projects. Among other things, I write, record and release my own songs on iTunes, produce large revues; The British Invasion, The Summer Of Love. I perform with The Orchestra, a band featuring former members of ELO.” He just doesn’t stop!  

Some great solo albums that show off his writing talents are Retrospectacle, Slaves of New Brunswick, and Solo (You Can Hardly Hear). His writing talents have a modern feel to it and show off a lot of good vocal harmonies and pure refined talent. He does work for charity at Christmas and shows his humanitarian side. Not a lot of musicians give back to the public, but this man sure does. He has gone to play some huge shows and never has forgotten where he came from. He is a truly a class act.

Glen Burtnik is a multi-instrumentalist that has played with great musicians. He had success within movies, songs, and has been able to stay in music for a number of years. As the man continues within music, he will continue to write and release songs. Musicians are a dime a dozen, but good ones are hard to find. This man from New Jersey is a great musician. Thankfully he didn’t give up music and his first guitars didn’t go to a pawn shop. It really would have been a waste of talent if he had chosen any other profession.

There is nothing like hanging out with friends at a local night club while a good band is playing live. The music goes through to your soul and sets the tone for the evening. It can be an amazing time as the soundtrack is unveiled by the group on stage. Within the band Trainwreck it is a guaranteed good time for all.

The name of this group is Trainwreck, but they don’t sound like a big group of metal cars crashing into each other. It is just a name. These guys know how to set the mood for a party and get everyone in the crowd involved.

As the music began at Papa T’s in Burbank, Illinois, these guys played the “2112 Overture” by Rush. The four piece rock band took the song, jammed the hell out of it, and the place went crazy. Interestingly enough, the date was 1-21-12 and surely they played it because of the date of the show.

As their set unfolded through the night they kept playing one hit after another within the classic rock world. Performing a condensed version of all three sections of “Another Brick in the Wall” was a highlight of the band’s night. They played their own arrangement of the songs and immediately went into “Young Lust” after that. You can’t go wrong with playing Pink Floyd. It’s always a crowd pleaser.

The songs kept pouring out getting the people off their feet to dance and move about the room. An excellent version of “Simple Man” was great for the beer drinkers. A fairly well behaved crowd also enjoyed “Freebird,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and what show would be complete without the Alice in Chains song “Would?”

Drummer Patrick Murphy slams his drum kit with hard precise hits within every song. He keeps the band’s clock on the beat and also sings lead vocals within a lot of songs. The talents within him shine through and he is fun to see play. Within the Chicago music scene he is definitely the cream of the crop of musicians.

Patrick’s brother Jimmy Murphy takes the center position on stage for some sweet vocals as well along with some tasty licks on the guitar. His rock guitar style is an important part to the band as any other member. He knows just what to play and it’s never overdone. He is very skilled at his instrument of choice and within a solo will stay more true to the original musical work of art.

At the stage left position is Jim Tomaszewski on guitar and vocals and he can hold his own on the six string. There is no doubt that this man has skills and knows his way around his instrument. He will throw in some flashier stuff at times doing some finger tapping. It’s quite obvious that he was influenced by Van Halen and he could pick a worse guitar player to be influenced by. 

·Kathy Robinson Tomaszewski

• Kathy Robinson Tomaszewski

Providing the low end and some very smooth vocals is Kenn Keyser. This south paw player fills the stage right position, but thanks to a nice wireless system he can be seen walking about the room interacting with the crowd. His playing compliments the others well in every song and he locks with the drummer.

This band’s main goal is to bring an “arena sized” show to local music venues and they do it so well. They will play a lot of songs true to the original, but on some songs they throw in a nice creative twist showing that they can think outside the box.

As this band has no rules other than to entertain, they will do it by any means necessary. Kathy Tomazewski, Jim’s wife, came up to sing a few songs and the girl has a set of pipes. She belted out “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benetar and it was definitely a worthy version. She also sang “Barracuda” (Heart) and “Call Me” (Blondie) and hit the notes with ease.

This band always seems to have the girls at their shows and no Trainwreck show would be complete without the twins Carla and Angela Annerino. Referred to by one bar patron as “The Doublemint Twins” these two are always there to support bands and take pictures.

In front of the stage people were cutting a rug during most of the songs played. The song that had everyone moving was “Play That Funky Music (White Boy).” Your feet can’t stop moving during the song and there was even a white boy trying to break~dance. Everyone had fun and if they didn’t they were dead. 

 Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and so did this show. They didn’t end it without hitting on some great songs like “Paranoid” (Black Sabbath) and “Free for All” (Ted Nugent). Ending their night was the Neil Young classic “Rockin' in the Free World.” It was a good time.

As the night came and went way too fast it will be a pleasure to see the band Trainwreck again. These guys rocked the house and kept you musically entertained all night long. It was a pleasure to be amongst friendly people and enjoy some live music. It was a night to remember.

AC/DC has long been one of the greatest rock bands to ever exist. They have inspired so many for forty years to play kick ass rock music. Some of them got it right like the AC/DC cover band TNT Chicago. These guys without a doubt know how to rock a house just like the boys from down under.

On a day that most regular people wouldn’t venture out, TNT Chicago took the stage at Penny Road Pub and tore the place up. The snow that hit Chicago caused quite a few fans and even one of the guitarists to miss this show. The band made the necessary adjustments and the show went on as scheduled. In the Chicago Metro area, this is the AC/DC show to see live.

Lead singer Jim Irwin usually doesn’t play guitar in this band, but the seasoned musician stepped up to the plate and covered the rhythm guitar as well as his required vocals. Honestly, the second guitarist wasn’t missed at all musically. Irwin covered all the rhythms just as if it was normally part of the show.

Bass player Stevie Conlon is the low end master within this group and sings backing vocals as well. The limber fingers rolled out the notes during every song keeping the rhythms tight. Feeling the bass within your chest and body made you feel as if you were part of the song.

Completing the other half of the rhythm section is Peter Jones on drums. He kept the timing with precision hits as wood chips occasionally flew off of his sticks. As the drums locked with the bass it really seemed as if this rhythm section became one entity.

Mike Sawinski filled one of the most important roles in an AC/DC band, the lead guitar role of Angus Young. Not just any guitarist can pull off these incredible licks handed down from a masterful band, but somehow Mike pulls it off just like the record. He is just phenomenal!!

As the night went on, the band played so many songs to perfection it was sick. All four of the musicians that showed up were of top notch caliber and played to amazing levels of expertise. WOW!!

The long list of songs within their set were a treat to hear. Songs like “Back in Black,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” “Sin City,” and “Back in Black” shook the floor and walls of Penny Road all night long. These guys didn’t just come out with the hit songs. They went back to some “B” side material as well. For the real AC/DC fans, this was an impressive show.

 The band gathered audience participation on “Thunderstruck” at the beginning to help lay down a nice groove. “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, Thunder!” bellowed from the stage and the audience. They pumped the crowd up well and did their jobs as entertainers.

During the song “TNT” a young lady by the name of Debra was invited on stage to sing and dance with the band. She provided an extra show by shaking and dancing around for the guys in the room. Behind the microphone she appeared to be having the time of her life. When the song was over she was smiling from ear to ear. She animated the words, “Knockin' me out with those American thighs” as she grabbed her own during “You Shook Me All Night Long.” The temperature within the room seemed to go a little higher within her erotic dance moves.

The band kept playing until completely exhausted. Every bit of the show was a great time for all the attendees to this concert. The courageous fans that had the balls to make it through the snow were just amazed. It was a great time.

The members of AC/DC would be proud to see their songs done right. All the little intricacies of this band were pulled off by TNT Chicago flawlessly. Very simply, these guys F’n rock!! It’s about time someone covered this band so true to the original. If you go to a TNT Chicago show wanting to see blood, “You got it!!!!”    

A thin, pale boy sits in his boxers at the foot of a small, twin bed when you enter the third floor of the Flat Irons Building.  He’ll be the narrator and key figure in the 90-minute story of technology, morality, and obsession.  It’s a frightening tale of internet manipulation that almost ends fatally, but what is most frightening is that the story is true.

Inspired by the 2004 Vanity Fair article, “U Want Me 2 Kill Him,” Carlos Murillo has penned a morality tale of how young neurosis and technology can collide to create a digital world as dangerous as our own.  In “dark play, or stories for boys” (written in lowercase like a lazy IM conversation), 16-year old Nick seduces his classmate Adam in a chat room using the gorgeous, perfect, and perfectly fake woman Rachel.  In real life, this woman had no body, but this fictional female is embodied in the play, reciting the lines of text as if she is a fully fleshed character.  Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Mosley’s staging is so engaging that you forget most of the dialogue takes place while characters sit at a computer screen.  Besides being compelling, frightening, and well-acted, “dark play” is an excellent example of how technological interactions which consume so much of our contemporary lives can be meaningfully staged using traditional theatrical conventions.

Just as thespians create characters to illicit emotion, so too does Nick craft a three-dimensional digital Delilah.  The difference, however, is that theatergoers are conscious of their manipulation.  They may suspend their disbelief, but they know they are merely players on a stage, a fact they’re reminded of come curtain call.  But there is no curtain call in the online roman in “dark play.”  The truth is only revealed after a nearly-fatal ending, which appears quickly in the play, and despite being the actual event, feels somewhat false.   Ironically, the strength of “dark play” is also its weakness.  The climax might be real, but it diverges so far from the play’s reality that the ending feels somewhat contrived.  It’s deeply ironic that a true ending feels false.

That said, the bulk of “dark play” is theatrical and entertaining, chronicling what a British prosecutor called “an Internet soap opera moving from one scene to another, each character and story line more fantastic than the last."  It’s a startling exploration of a young boy’s psyche, which is all the more frightening when you realize we are only a few keystrokes away from doing the same.

On April 9^th, 1947, a meeting took place that would change sports and society forever. Branch Rickey, the General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is about to break the color barrier by calling up Jackie Robinson, who would be the Major League’s first black player and he is looking for support. The play takes place in a single hotel room where Mr. Rickey hosts renowned boxer Joe Louis, actor/activist Paul Robeson, entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Jackie Robinson himself. As the meeting progresses, the often heated debate to support the move to African American communities by the three influential leaders takes on many faces, as trust, what is best for the future of Jackie and the advancement of blacks in America, risks and motives are all challenged or reviewed.   

Finely directed by ensemble member J. Nicole Brooks, Lookingglass’ production of “Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting” has all the elements of a wholly entertaining play. The cast is exceptional. Simply put Larry Neumann, Jr. is superb as Mr. Rickey, Javon Johnson is heartwarming as Jackie Robinson, James Vincent Meredith is electric as the skeptical Paul Robeson, Ernest Perry is pure gold as Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Joe Lewis couldn’t have been played better than by Anthony Fleming III. Kevin Douglas also brings with him terrific comic timing to his character Clancy Hope, the awestruck bellhop. A lapse of interest never takes place in this dialogue driven production that easily holds the audiences attention for the entire 90 minutes.

“Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting” is significant. This powerful play is eye opening, warm and educational.  

“Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting is playing through February 19 at Lookingglass Theatre located in Chicago’s historic Water Tower Water Works (821 N. Michigan). For more information visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org.    

Huge rock bands like Judas Priest are imitated all the time. Cover bands climb out of the woodwork to put together bad versions of the works of art by this iconic band. Some of them are just horrible, but others are quite amazing. Within the band Sin After Sin are five talented musicians that if you close your eyes, you think you are actually listening to Judas Priest themselves.

On a freezing cold January night, Sin After Sin took the stage around 10:00 P.M. at Bobby McGee’s (10139 S. Harlem in Chicago Ridge, Illinois). This group of professional musicians played the music of this great heavy metal band note for note. To enjoy this band you don’t have to be a fan of Judas Priest. If you truly enjoy music, these guys are musical entertainers.

For the real Judas Priest fans, this is a treat to see. These guys pulled out songs that Priest themselves don’t even do anymore. They will perform more from a diehard fan perspective than anything else. This is the most elite version of a cover band that could possibly ever exist and thankfully they are here in the Chicago area.

Each musician within this group is a show all by itself. The rhythm section is about as tight as you can get. With the thundering tree trunk fingers of Brent Sullivan on Bass, it locks with the timekeeper on drums, Ed Pukstis. The hard hitting drummer and the bottom end paint the canvas for the rest of the band to shine on.

Vocalist Steven Reimer nails the high notes like never seen before in any cover band. His range and sound is very wide and dynamic. The guitars are provided by two six string masters, Al Contreras and Briant Daniel. Both of these guys know all the ins and outs of their instruments and display it well within every song.

Songs that can be heard within a Sin After Sin show are; “Electric Eye,” “Dissident Aggressor,” “Hell Bent for Leather,” “Desert Plaines,” “Exciter,” “Starbreaker,” “The Ripper,” “Green Manalishi,” “Stained Class,” “Devil’s Child,” “Grinder,” “Diamonds and Rust,” “Breaking the Law” and many more.

There may have only been five guys on stage, but this band owes a lot of credit to the sixth man for the night, the sound man. The man behind the board had a very good ear for mixing. He even had a portable mixing pad so he could walk around the room and make adjustments depending on what he was hearing in the different parts of the room. He provided a very high quality level of sound for Sin After Sin and made this cold January night a party to remember.  

The band Sin After Sin is an awesome act to see in a live setting. They perform all the great songs of the band Judas Priest. This group of musicians will take a stage and completely and totally satisfy the heavy metal music fans in attendance. Any opportunity to see this band live should be taken. The heavy band Sin After Sin are truly “Metal Gods!”