"Every middle child's being sent into the wild, like a dingo finding wombats finding wombats being assholes."

And now, more about the music.

Elvisbride (l to r): Matt Test, Tom Vale, Taylor Bibat, Casey Cunningham and Troy Martin.

The backstory of Elvisbride is far too intricate to be conveyed by an outsider to the world they're creating, and while I am an epic fan, I am most certainly an outsider. I'll let one of their number fill you in.

The band began as a play:

Last winter, my friend Jayita Bhattacharya and I wrote a piece for the Curious Theatre Branch's Rhinoceros Theatre festival, compromisingly titled ElvisBride: Some Prepared Notes to Clarify the Impending Jubilation. It was a widely ambitious mix of surreal kitchen sink dialog, Robert Ashley drone opera, video monologing, and live music. To quote The Hunchback Variations, "our collaboration was doomed." My apartment had just flooded out, leaving me transient for the bulk of the rehearsal/writing process, and Jayita broke her leg opening night. Needless to say, there was slight tinge of albatrossity to the project.

Luckily we had compiled, mostly through begging, strong arming, and tantrum throwing, a tremendously talented team of performers, musicians, and tech folks who were game for whatever dumbass thing we threw at them. That's the extent of both my sucking up and alliterating, but you get the point. Beau O'Reilly, the curator of Rhino, asked us to perform a few songs at the Viaduct theatre to promote the show, and in a castoff-turned-fortuitous moment, my friend Michael Martin suggested we become a band. He claims we still owe him a quarter for taking him up on it.

After a couple week post show cooling off period, I proposed the idea to the group, because nothing entices veteran performers quite like the prospect of an unending rehearsal process with no fixed goal and only a vague notion of what the hell you're doing. And that's basically what starting a band is. But its also totally awesome, because you're in a band, and who doesn't want to be in a band? Almost everyone from the show said yes. I'm still shocked.

We've spent a lot of time since then stumbling around, rehearsing, playing gigs when we weren't quite ready, rehearsing some more, writing more, playing more, playing better, figuring out a balance between the theatricality and musicality, playing really well, casually swearing, coordinating our outfits, buying matching sweat bands. The stuff you do when you're in a band. The important stuff.

-Matt Test, ElvisBride

We of the Ruckus stumbled upon Elvisbride rather fortuitously, having performed on opposing nights of this year's Et Cetera festival (thanks a bunch, The Mill!) We were all hooked right away, and I think you will be, too. This is a remarkably talented bunch, and they've found a pretty fascinating blend of gothic folk and theatricality that is unlike anything else I've seen. They all have some serious game musically, are entertaining as hell to watch, play a slew of instruments, and have really rockin' sweatbands. It's a truly unique sound, paired with lyrics that veer from comic to terrifying and explore subjects as diverse as the malevolent spirits of otters and self-cannibalism.

They also have the distinction of being far-and-away the largest band that'll be playing in TELL IT. They might all fit on our little platform... but I have no idea where the cello and the saw are going to go.

Catch Elvisbride all over Chicago, all the time -- bars, theaters, coffee shops, rooftops, etc -- but if you want to see them work the banjo into a Flaming Lips tune, you'll have to see them in TELL IT & SPEAK IT & THINK IT & BREATHE IT. They'll be going on Tuesday October 27th and Tuesday November 3rd. Tickets here.

Oh, and for the curious: here's a preview of the-play-that-begot-the-band:

"I know that you've been wandering around this town looking for a cure, but you just better shoot me down."

When we started getting ready for TELL IT..., one thing was clear to me.

IF: a play is a 'music play',

THEN: there must be both play and music.

I mean, I love plays, and I love music, and if we're going to create plays about music we had better have an awful lot of both. You've been hearing from some of the people who are bringing the former. Here's one of the latter.

Louis and the Hunt, aside from having a great name, are a really killer band. A three-piece that can go from the most delicate, lyric sound you could imagine to wall-to-wall rock and roll at the drop of a hat, they are frankly not to be trifled with. They will trick you into whistling and then steal your metaphorical lunch money. They'll make sounds so ethereal that you'll swear you've gone to church and then they'll blow the doors off. If it were appropriate to use expletives on this, our faithful blog, I would say that they will eff your ess right up.

People are drawn to different bands, singers, writers for wildly different reasons. I can be drawn in by any number of things: a great and surprising percussionist, a vocalist with a unique and effortless sound, a killer horn section, a remarkable turn of phrase or two, inventiveness in structure, a great marriage of technical skill and unabashed rock and roll abandon -- all of these things can hook me. Well, Louis and the Hunt have yet to throw trumpets my way, but otherwise that list pretty much sums it up. They've got seven or eight tracks up on their MySpace, including the brand-new and seriously lovely 'The Wolf and I', a lyric from which appears as the title for this blog-entry-thing.

It's been a busy month for these three gentlemen. This Saturday they're playing a fundraiser for Wunderkammer Magazine alongside another band, two poets and a visual artist. Apparently October is the month of multidisciplinary collaborations that involve Louis and the Hunt. They'll be playing the first Sunday and second Monday of TELL IT..., they're (I think?) recording an album, and along the way played a hell of a show at Schubas. Check it, along with a brief but really interesting interview with vocalist/songwriter Ryne Estwing:

Wunderkammer Artist Series: Louis & The Hunt from jmharper on Vimeo

I think you'll love them as much as we do. And I mean, really -- who doesn't want to see that guy sing an Elvis Costello song, a Paris Hilton song, and six or seven others in one night?

Catch Louis and the Hunt all over Chicago, all of the time -- but specifically at the side project on October 25th and November 2nd as one of three bands taking part in TELL IT & SPEAK IT & THINK IT & BREATHE IT. Go see them before they get huge and you can't afford to. Tickets here.

The Ruckus gets ready to TELL IT...

Game on.

Meanwhile, in the travels of the Ruckus...

We of The Ruckus are spread like butter through the rocky crevices of these United States. We've got one in Florida, one in California, two in New York and a whole slew of FOTrucks in every nook and cranny you can imagine. (FOT•ruck |fôtrək| (noun) - a word just in this minute coined by Allison Shoemaker that indicates a person or animal that is a 'Friend of The Ruckus'). While I wish they could all serve the cause in person, their lives have taken them elsewhere. In the case of company member and logo-bearer Seth Miller, he's ended up in Brooklyn, the land where skinny jeans go to die. (Nothing but love for you, Brooklyn.)

What is he doing there?

Seth, along with fellow FOTrucks George Frye, Mark Jaynes and Joe Stratton, are Not Blood, Paint. They're killer. You can find them on iTunes, MySpace, YouTube, and a bunch of other places -- and last week, their album 'Pure Electron' was reviewed by The Deli Magazine. They've "created a new breed of rock that is at times earthy, at others cerebral while remaining melodious and true to its roots." Awesome, right? You can read the whole thing here. We're proud.

You may have also heard them in the pre-show music for HEIST PLAY, if you were in on that action. It's the one with the phrase 'you and your opposable thumbs' in it. Difficult phrase to miss.

What else is Seth up to? Well, you can check out his work as a playwright in October/November as a part of 'TELL IT & SPEAK IT & THINK IT & BREATHE IT.' You can have him serve you food, if you're rich and live in New York City. Or you can send him emails and beg him to visit, if you're the Chicago contingent of The Ruckus.

Also, Seth? You owe me a rewrite. Love, Allison.

Next time, in 'Meanwhile, in the travels of The Ruckus...': Ghafir Akbar and the mysteries of Sarasota. Hint: great weather! MFA candidates!

Highlights of a Noir Bar

Last night was pretty amazing. Here is a list of my favorite parts of the evening:

• A borrowed long cigarette holder
• A black beret, purchased at American Apparel for $24
• Playing my ukulele in front of a full bar for the first time ever!
• Byron starting to chant my name during the set
• Melissa’s vintage dress that fit her perfectly
• Red, red lipstick
• Allison’s mid-party costume change
• Ryan’s awesome 40’s hair
• Josh’s fedora & trench coat
• Mitch playing the most amazing set with the most amazing guitar – complete with “Moondance”
• Running into an old friend I hadn’t seen in at least a year, if not two. It’s a small world, people.
• I almost forgot – open bar! 2 G&T, 1 whiskey diet
• Intro-ing Money Money Money
• Byron’s reaction to the MMM intro
• MONEY MONEY MONEY. They were seriously awesome
• Raffle!
• Winning the perfect raffle prize for me! Comic books and a bike tune-up!
• Stopping on the way home for a bottle of water. A lot of singing and screaming and drinking does not treat your throat well.

Thanks to everyone who came out and had a great time supporting and partying for The Ruckus!

Love,
Katie

Katie & Aaron Talk Music Over a Ukulele& Bongos Rehearsal

From actor Katie Canavan

If you haven’t heard – I will be playing a completely unoriginal ukulele set at our fundraiser this Thursday, August 6th, at the Spot. Get there at about 7:15 to catch me playing some covers, backed percussively by Aaron Dean.

Aaron and I got together on Saturday to play some music and prepare for the fundraiser. Since I first picked it up in January, I have had a fiery passion for the ukulele. Maybe it’s because it’s so small? So easy? Either way, it’s been fun and I’m addicted to playing covers on my tiny instrument. Not to give anything away, but we play quite a few upbeat pop songs, including “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.”

The latter, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” holds a special place in my heart. Within our rehearsal process for Heist, we have talked a lot about music. About expressing your emotions more deeply using music and letting music do the talking when you feel as if you’ve run out of things to say. This song – WYSLMT – is a perfect example of music that captures a moment in history, and uses the melody and lyrics to express the contradiction between inner and outer self. Although at first glance it appears to be a sugary pop ballad sung by teenage girls, a close examination of the lyrics reveals a narrative that almost everyone has experienced: the uncertainty of love and affection within the bloom of teenage sexuality. This deeper message shrouded in upbeat guitar and tight harmonies tugs at my heartstrings. I love few songs as much as pop songs with sad lyrics. This is the kind of song I can use in my acting. This is the kind of complex emotion that music makes more accessible. This is where I turn when I’m having trouble opening a door to a character.

I hope you’ll be able to come out on Thursday and see what Aaron and I have done with “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” and 6 other pop & indie favorites. Although we only worked on it for about 15 minutes, it’s worth a listen. Plus we will be dressed as beatniks, and how could you pass up a black beret?