Strung Out

Send us Fan Mail Molly Lenz is great at building.  A carpenter of sorts in the sense that she is able to build community through her house concerts.  These concerts are well known in the Chicago area and attract musicians from across the country.   But you may ask, "what goes into making a successful house concert?"  This is where Lenz comes in.  Starting back in New Jersey, she created...

Send us Fan Mail Molly Lenz is great at building.  A carpenter of sorts in the sense that she is able to build community through her house concerts.  These concerts are well known in the Chicago area and attract musicians from across the country.   But you may ask, "what goes into making a successful house concert?"  This is where Lenz comes in.  Starting back in New Jersey, she created...

Send us Fan Mail Molly Lenz grew up in Rogers Park, Chicago and from early on, her ambition was to be involved in music.  That passion resulted in a career as a DJ for a station in New Jersey, where she met her husband, who had of all things, a record store.  Molly was able to curate her own tunes there at the station, bringing listeners unheard of musicians who were not mainstream.  The record st...

Send us Fan Mail James Weigel is a journeyman musician.  He devotes much of his time working at the local music shop, Flatts and Sharpe, teaching students on a variety of instruments.  He then also spends a great deal of time performing for various venues throughout Chicago.  These venues range from the local watering hole to more listening friendly rooms.  Those lucky enough to be able to listen...

Send us Fan Mail When James Weigel left his home in Metamora, Illinois for Chicago, he brought along his central Illinois, no-nonsense rural outlook on life and choosing a musical path.  Central Illinois is rich in great musical traditions--from REO Speedwagon to Alison Krauss to the late Dan Fogelberg.  Weigel draws from that tradition and has made a home for himself up north, while keeping that...

Send us Fan Mail Justin Gillam is a member of the Chicago area-based Americana band, the Mudflapps.  He also studied literature and is an avid painter.  He is also a brilliant solo artist and lyricist.  Gillam's lyrics are about the human condition--the idea that to build something beautiful and worthwhile also requires a willingness to destroy what is there.  In other words, creativity is no...

Send us Fan Mail Every so often, one comes across a person who is "the real thing" living an authentic life, with little regard to fame, fortune, family or even food for that matter.  Enter Justin Gillam, a person who lives for his passion, creating music that is raw, honest and blunt.  There is no clever wording, no symbolism hidden behind a word.  Gillam writes from his heart, from his...

Send us Fan Mail Barrett Tasky is one of those rare gems you discover right in your back yard.  Tasky has an amazing broad base of music, recording and performance that culminates in his latest project, Barrett's Hidden Agenda.  The man literally plays a multitude of instruments.  His studio has everything from a standup bass to a Hammond B3.  He is adept at mandolin, guitar, saxophone---the...

Send us Fan Mail Barrett Tasky is one of those rare gems you discover right in your back yard.  This episode title (based on a comment of Barrett's) is accurate in that, like a pyramid of Egypt, Tasky has an amazing broad base of music, recording and performance that culminates in his latest project, Barrett's Hidden Agenda.  The man literally plays a multitude of instruments.  His studi...

Send us Fan Mail Take a drum teacher, add songwriting, arranging and divide between an eclectic marching band and a duo that does looping, bass lines vocally and rocks as full band would.  Keeping true to the beat of his drum, Hershyl Edwards is a powerhouse, performing with Macca Pazza, whose Wikipedia page describes as "an interdisciplinary instrumental music and performance ensemble."...

Send us Fan Mail Take a drum teacher, add songwriting, arranging and divide between an eclectic marching band and a duo that does looping, bass lines vocally and rocks as full band would.  Keeping true to the beat of his drum, Hershyl Edwards is a powerhouse, performing with Macca Pazza, whose Wikipedia page describes as "an interdisciplinary instrumental music and performance ensemble."...

Send us Fan Mail Nic Nepomiachi (aka DoctorStarcrumbs) in his second interview, lifts the curtain on his creative process in making a song.  Nepomiachi is a great songwriter, arranger and performer.  The song takes front seat when it comes to how to present it.  Therefore, one can hear various influences in service to the lyrics and mood Nepomiachi wants the listener to hear.  He also creates with...

Send us Fan Mail Nic Nepomiachi (aka Dr. Starcrumbs) is leading a creative life journey to various galaxies in which he explores musical realms most people wouldn’t or couldn’t experience.  Running a club in Telluride, Colorado with his dad.  Playing drums in different bands in Colorado. Opening a club in Chicago. Closing that club in Chicago. Playing in bands in Chicago. Collaborating on albums. ...

Send us Fan Mail ‪@MartinMcCormack‬ Strung Out Episode 259, Martin continues his interview with Charlie Otto, a Chicago singer-songwriter, who has been part of a myriad of bands such as This Must be the Band and DJ no DJ.  A seasoned performer, Otto has played alongside many amazingly talented people including some of his musical idols, like Umphrey’s McGee and members of King Crimson and Smashing...

Send us Fan Mail Strung Out Episode 258 interviews Charlie Otto, a Chicago singer-songwriter, who has been part of a myriad of bands such as This Must be the Band and DJ no DJ.  A seasoned performer, Otto has played alongside many amazingly talented people including some of his musical idols, like Umphrey’s McGee and members of King Crimson and Smashing Pumpkins.   What's intriguing about Ott...

Send us Fan Mail Jim Tashjian started out studying jazz guitar in university, which brought him into many different musical projects.  He drifted toward, pop and rock, drawn by the interest of songwriting.  Bands like District 97, Miss Remember, Storm Jameson are but a few of the music groups that Tashjian has had a commanding hand in.  Our second interview focuses on Tashjian's songwriting p...

Send us Fan Mail In our media-saturated world, it is easy to overlook the many artists that thrive without labels, without big tours, without all the hoopla and soap opera intrigue that accompanies "success" these days.  These individuals thrive on their own terms, and such is the multi-talented songwriter, guitarist and band mate of several successful independent groups, Jim Tashjian. ...

Send us Fan Mail Leslie Beukelman is an artist that draws on his rural upbringing, her college education into jazz and performance and her first-hand entrepreneurial experience as a full-time working musician to be an expert on how to make a living at music.  Her songs are honest, rooted in her experiences with growing up, facing life challenges and being joyful in her art.  A great source of wisd...

Send us Fan Mail Leslie Beukelman grew up in Sandwich, Illinois.  Her parents were musicians and perhaps her drummer mother (who was performing while 8 months pregnant with Lelsie) that instilled the desire to write and make music.   After a degree in jazz performance/jazz studies from Roosevelt University, Beukelman had a choice of a myriad places to bring her many talents.  She chose to stay in...

Send us Fan Mail Kelli Owens Hutton has had it all--and has had it as well.  A musician, once signed to Atlantic Records, Owens Hutton found herself: midlife, middle class, midwestern and in crisis.  Raising a family and wondering what to do with her rock n' roll, she founded MomCore--an exploration of the famous saying "all men lead lives of quiet desperation" but from the perspect...

Send us Fan Mail Kelli Owens Hutton walks the walk.  A Berklee College of Music graduate, she was signed with Atlantic Records for a while, pursuing the rock and roll dream.  Then life stepped in, (as life has a way of doing) and Kelli found herself married, middle-aged, middle class and a mother.   What's a rocker to do?   Find a genre, that's what.  From her experience as both an artis...

Send us Fan Mail Five-time grammy nominee Liam Davis has not only spent his life with some pretty amazing bands, but he has also produced some pretty amazing bands and artists. Furthermore, he has also started teaching on unique techniques for song crafting.  This podcast is a must view/listen for anyone who wants to either learn how to write a song or pick up a few tips on how to make a good song...

Send us Fan Mail Liam Davis is a multi-faceted musician, songwriter, and producer.  The Grammy-nominated musician not only is part of the Chicago band Frisbee, he has his own solo career. songwriting workshops and has been part of such projects as Justin Davis, The Diff, Part-time lovers and Soft Opening. His website is www.liamdavis.com. Support the show We are always grateful to have you listeni...

Send us Fan Mail There are singer-songwriters out there who are so good at making other singer-songwriters look so good that we forget how good they are.  Nora O'Connor is one such singer-songwriter. The folks she has toured and recorded with are a who's-who of Americana music: The Decemberists, Neko Case, and The New Pornographers.  But make no mistake, O'Connor is a singer-songwri...

Send us Fan Mail Nora O'Connor has been a mainstay of the Americana music scene in Chicago, having toured and recorded with The Decemberists, Neko Case, and The New Pornographers, to mention a few.  She is also a prolific songwriter and musician.  Her latest album, "My Heart" goes for the heart with an amazing array of finely crafted tunes.  Nora's voice is honest and moving, h...