Sat, Apr 16- 9:30pm - $10

 



The Right Now - 10th Anniversary!

The Right Now's pop-meets-soul sound is more than a vehicle for Stefanie Berecz's captivating voice. The celebration of thoughtful, catchy songwriting and intricate arrangements evokes a subtle sophistication in the tradition of Quincy Jones’ 70s and 80s masterpieces. Since 2008 the band has toured much of the United States and released three acclaimed albums, racking up placements in television, national commercials, and the multi-million-selling video game Watch Dogs .The Right Now’s Chicago roots permeate their music and performances: breezy horn lines sit atop soul grooves old and new, all while Berecz elevates one audience after another with her “classic yet contemporary voice” ( Philadelphia Inquirer ). College radio stations from Asheville to Seattle put 2012’s Gets Over You on the CMJ charts, and critics nationwide have championed TRN as “the real deal” ( Pittsburgh City Paper ). The seven-piece band landed an official Record Store Day release in 2012—all 750 copies sold out immediately—and collaborated with New York label Deep&Disco on a remix project. The Right Now has opened for Fitz & The Tantrums, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Rebirth Brass Band, Bettye LaVette, Lee Fields, and many others along the way.The newest album Starlight examines a complicated world through the eyes of the fighter, the lover, the philosopher, the addict, the mother. It covers musical ground as diverse as the city that spawned TRN: dance beat elation, synth-pop grandeur, intimate ballads, and gritty soul. Buoyed by fuzzed-out guitars and a menacing drum beat, Berecz relates a tale of corruption and innocence lost in “Everything is Broken:”No one ever told himNo one ever showed him Underneath the gold trim Everything was brokenStarlight hit the streets in February 2017 to critical acclaim. NPR’s Sound Opinions hailed Berecz’s performance as “stronger...than Adele” while others dubbed the songs “insanely infectious and incredibly well crafted” ( Tomorrow's Verse ). The Right Now played two sold out headlining shows in Chicago in addition to tour dates all over the Midwest and East Coast.Both on Starlight and in their acclaimed live shows, Berecz and The Right Now confront the darkness of modern times head on, utilizing their music as a beacon to navigate to safer ground. The band continues to tour behind Starlight in 2018.


The Revelations feat. Tre Williams

 Welcome to The Revelations featuring Tré Williams (Decision Records/Traffic Entertainment). Here, there are no teenage whines, no auto tune, no samples: nothing but pure, unadulterated soul sung by a red dirt artist with the vocal chops of yesterday’s soul legends and played by a band with passion and talent. The Revelations featuring Tré Williams represents a renewed dawning in soul music, one that marries the concrete jungle grit of the streets with the midnight blues of the rural South. The rawness of Stax and propulsive drive of Motown has been re-imagined for contemporary listeners needing relief from timeless problems. Far from a historical artifact straining to use yesterday’s sound as tomorrow’s gimmick, the songs painstakingly crafted on the Revelations’ debut project, Deep Soul, are born from the pain, frustrations and experience of soul men struggling to give expression to their lives and loves through song. To cull the level of unabashed honesty present on these tunes requires a return to one’s roots to give them the proper weight, meaning and, most importantly, a resonance for the world.Few voices resonate like that of baritone powerhouse Tré Williams. As bandmate and supporting vocalist, Rell, declared, “His voice fills a room.” One listen is all it takes to be hooked to his silk and gravel tone reminiscent of David Ruffin and Johnnie Taylor. But the awe and respect for Tré’s cavernous four-octave instrument is not limited to fellow vocalists. Ever since Tré first left the projects of Daytona Beach, Florida for New York, his church- honed artistry and searing sound has enraptured anyone who encounters it, from the ever-critical audience of Harlem, New York’s Amateur Night at the Apollo, to the rap game’s seasoned veterans up and down the east coast. His soul-shaking baritone landed him on Petey Pablo’s 2004 title track of Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry; “I-95,” the 2005 track by Styles P of The L.O.X.; and into a record contract with hip-hop icon Nas’s Ill Will Records, who had Tré shining on the single “Let There Be Light” off Nas’s Hip-Hop Is Dead. Although years of hip-hop grind earned Tré industry praise and accolades, his much-anticipated 2007 debut, The Depths of My Soul, was never released.Rell, Tré’s Deep Soul co-lyricist, has his own hip-hop story of glory and patience. The first R&B male singer signed to Roc-a-fella Records, the multi-talented Rell was a featured vocalist or lyricist on the label’s releases for nearly a decade. A self-professed team player, Rell has worked with a virtual “who’s who” of urban music, including: Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq, Kanye West, and Dr. Dre. While Rell released a few singles of his own—including the club anthem “Love For Free”—his much-anticipated album never materialized amidst the much-publicized devolution of the founding partnership of Roc-a-fella. Far from bitter, Rell moved on to greater success in founding an independent record label in his native South Carolina, writing the title track to Usher’s Here I Stand (2008) and several others for his forthcoming solo project, and, eventually combining forces with Tré to lend his refined tenor-baritone and proven pen to Deep Soul. .Both Tré and Rell have experienced the kind of rough times characteristic of hip hop lore. These hard knocks experiences, however, have brought a man’s man sensibilities to these vulnerable stories about love, loss and life. Both also agree that the organic magic they’ve created with The Revelations’ producer Bob Perry, an A&R man for Koch Records and former owner of Landspeed Records, could never have happened under their previous label deals. .Certainly independently releasing a sample- and rapper-free album sporting all live instrumentation from singer/songwriters best known for their hip hop contributions was an unconventional move in today’s skittish music business. It took the bold vision of hip hop producer Bob Perry (AZ, Dwele, Cormega), a crate-digging soul connoisseur with his own 15 year hip hop pedigree to look past the project’s obvious challenges to claim that rare opportunity to create that special magic his idols Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin did with Ray and Aretha. It only took one listen to Tré Williams’ voice to know that his desire to re-imagine Southern Soul for a contemporary audience could finally be realized. Soon Perry was putting together a band of esteemed talents and tirelessly working with Tré and Rell at Chop Shop Recording in Brooklyn NY.For all involved in The Revelations featuring Tré Williams, it seems patience has its rewards. Even if Deep Soul wasn’t such an irrefutable instant classic, working everyday to create its unique sound with The Revelations band is hitting the jackpot for any singer or producer. Imagine with rich experience of crafting and jamming with esteemed guitarist Wes Mingus (Bilal, Leela James), drummer Gintas Janusonis (Erykah Badu, Branford Marsalis), bassist Josh Werner (Matisyahu, Sly and Robbie), keyboardist Borahm Lee (Wyclef, Lauryn Hill) and legendary arranger and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Adams (Herbie Mann, Eddie Kendricks, The Main Ingrediant, Black Ivory and many more). Now imagine seeing them in a live show that will rival the live revues of James Brown or Ike and Tina Turner.It appears with the release of Deep Soul and the debut of The Revelations featuring Tré Williams; real music fans have hit their own lottery, one of rich music where nothing’s artificial, nothing’s counterfeit, and everything’s just pure, all natural soul.


Vertikal

VertiKal is a 9-piece Neo-Soulcollective whoʼs sound issophisticated, using rhythmic andstylistic elements from traditionsaround the world while drawing onmany soulful American musical styles.VertiKal has performed for capacitycrowds throughout the city of Chicago.Founded by Chicago-based guitaristAnthony Allamandola in summer of ʼ06, Vertikal has always strived to represent anartist-based musical expression that creates a broader, more nuanced product. Thewriting process include collaborative efforts where compositions start with individualsof the band and eventually include the personalityʼs of the individual members.VertiKal consistently stirs Chicagoʼs music scene by drawing a diverse following thatgrows by the show. Live performances combine personal expression withinterpersonal interaction that makes for exhilarating experiences, captivatingaudiences whether large or small. VertiKal currently holds a monthly slot at theUnderground Wonderbar and has performed for filled-out audiences at the DoubleDoor, the Metro, Schubas and Lincoln Hall. In 2007, VertiKal was voted audiencefavorite at the Emergenza national final, with Lorin Cohen earning “best bass player”nods! In 2011, their dynamic 



Price: $10