This is an intimate, seated dinner show! We offer full food & beverage service throughout the show. Check out our menus at uncommonground.com
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Seating: 7:30 pm / Show: 8:00 pm / All Ages
Bluefront
“Jam-packed with Zreczny’s engrossing and often unconventional tunes, Aftershocks showcases his talent for breathy vocals that belie the seriousness of his subject matter and a warbling intimacy that draws comparisons to Elliot Smith or Neutral Milk Hotel." Chicago Crowd Surfer
Alan Zreczny’s songs are narrative poems set to spirited melodies, which he performs on the guitar and piano, solo and with his band bluefront. Aftershocks is bluefront’s second release, a journey into the reverberation of emotional aftershocks in shimmering melodies and instrumentation. Aftershocks was celebrated at a full house release party in spring 2019, featuring special guests Janet Bean (Eleventh Dream Day, Freakwater) and veteran musician/composer/producer Nicholas Tremulis.
The title track, Aftershocks, was written after watching a news report about an earthquake. “They were talking about the aftershocks, and it started a process of thinking about the correlation to emotional aftershocks. It could be a flash of a memory or another kind of reminder, and then the whole thing would sort of hit again”. As for the other songs on the album, “they were chosen because they just seemed to fit in and pick up on that theme”.
A Chicago native, the singer-songwriter first picked up a guitar at the age of ten, growing up in a house always filled with music and music lessons. His love for music and writing remained under the surface while he went to college, law school and grad school. He went to work at a large corporation as in-house counsel, traveling the world and later moved on to a law firm…but the thoughts about creating music were ever present. “I always thought of being a musician and writing songs as the most fulfilling modes of self-expression”.
And then, a terrible break-up happened, and a door opened. A former girlfriend had given him a notebook to write in and Zreczny found himself “filling it up with things, much of which had to do with that relationship”. Not long after, Zreczny met Bean when they worked together at the law firm and the two became friends. “I started going to her shows and I was inspired. It moved me to turn some of what I wrote into songs.” During one visit Bean saw all of the the guitar paraphernalia and looked at Zreczny pointedly. “She asked if I had written any songs and I mentioned two. She asked to hear them”. But Zreczny wasn’t quite ready. “There was a lot of negotiating. And I know the next time she came over she had a bottle of wine.” Bean finally wore him down and her reaction was instant. She told Zreczny that his songs were beautiful and then Zreczny couldn’t believe what he was hearing when Bean asked him to teach her the songs so she could play them at her next show and then asked him to join her and her band on stage.
Zreczny started to test drive playing out at open mic nights and from there, there was no turning back. Zreczny started playing out more and soon thereafter was joined by long-time collaborator Jason Steele on guitar. Together they recorded Zreczny’s first record, The Arbor Sessions. Zreczny began landing more gigs at beloved venues like Uncommon Ground, The Elbo Room, The Gallery Cabaret, The Red Line Tap and the popular Old Town Art Fair and eventually filled out the band with Nick Kabat on drums and Mark Burns on bass.
“I know everyone says this, but it’s true, I really love the band. My favorite part of the whole thing is bringing in a new song and watching what happens, how it changes and how it feels all based on what Jason, Nick and Mark do.” bluefront has performed at Subterranean, The House Cafe, Uncommon Ground, The Old Town Art Fair and The Cubby Bear among others and appeared on WGN Radio and the Chicago Acoustic Underground podcast.
Over the years Zreczny has created an imaginative and truly original body of work with lyrics that often put a new twist on age-old sayings giving them a fresh, surprising new meaning.
“Aftershocks” was recorded at Electrical Audio by Scott Steinman, mixed at GardenView Sound Studio by Scott Steinman for Studiomedia Recording and mastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Services.
Aftershocks is available on CD, vinyl and at your favorite digital store.
WEBSITE - https://www.bluefrontmusic.com/
INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/bluefrontmusic/
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/bluefrontmusic/
SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6K6oGR8jRPioS2dMXj8ldS?si=-P6LmCeTR-S2CgQmjSBk8g&nd=1
YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/@bluefrontmusic
BANDCAMP - https://alanzrecznybluefront.bandcamp.com/
EMAIL - alan@bluefrontmusic.com
Matthew Morgan
Refusing to be labeled, or pigeon-holed into folk stereotypes Matthew Morgan joins the ranks of similar progressive singer songwriters such as Aimee Mann, Crys Matthews, and Orville Peck. With a warm tenor voice floating above delicate arrangements his songs feel less like stories than paintings. Popdose writes, “There's something significant about a poignant troubadour who leaves his heart on the table and bares his soul without reserve.”
Matthew released his debut CD with Chicago’s acoustic indie label, CAUDog Records in 2012 immediately going on tour around the Midwest and Southern US states in cohort with his band, The Lost Brigade. The touring resulted in sold out shows headlining at Chicago's famous Double Door nightclub and House of Blues and opportunities to share the stage with more notorious acts at music festivals including opening for Dave Davies (The Kinks) and Company of Thieves at Taste of Lincoln Ave (Chicago) and SXSW (Austin) in 2013.
Seeking a more introspective sound to his song craft Morgan parted ways with The Lost Brigade in 2014 and recorded a new solo EP that was released independently the following year titled, ‘Empathy For Inanimate Objects’. Empathy as a whole was very well received and Morgan garnered his first published reviews and the inclusion in the "Best of 2015" by the Nashville Music Guide while drawing comparisons to artists like Elliott Smith and Tom Brosseau.
However, things were about to change radically in both good and bad ways. A new relationship would blossom into marriage, but the joyfulness of newfound love would be stifled by the grief of losing a parent to illness, further compounded by the global pandemic. Like many artists, Matthew would take this time off to look inward and take stock of the things that really matter. The result of this reflection would be a brand new album, 'Timepiece' composed of songs crafted as a testament; a time capsule to document the highs and lows of living through one of the most challenging and significant periods in modern history.
WEBSITE - http://matthewmorganmusic.com
INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/mattmorganmus/
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/mattmorgansmusic
SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/artist/62prLHhK9CTnRqVucn0Z9j
YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/user/matthewmorganmusic1
BANDCAMP - https://matthewmorgan.bandcamp.com
EMAIL - matthew@matthewmorganmusic.com
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