Chicago Music Explosion

We wish to encourage collaborative International tours and music exchanges

The principal is simple: everyone thinks that everyone else's backyard is exotic, so why not host a couple of bands on your gig circuit in return for those bands doing the same for you?
Most of the acts on this site have either taken part in one of our tour partnerships or have applied for one of our events and scored highly with our peer review and therefore share this philosophy and actively live it.
For those musicians approaching us and wishing to be friends of CMEAS we suggest that you first contact one of our existing friends who's music you enjoy and ask them to check you out. If they also enjoy your music we will then gladly accept your friendship offer.
It is hoped that this will be a first step in working out tour collaborations for you, whether within your own country or across the globe.
Recently, we have had a number of such collaborations turn out very well: Oh My God (Chicago) and Breaking Laces (NYC), Fluttr Effect (Boston) and Brother Big Bad (Minneapolis), Big Baby Ernie (New Jersey Shore) and Kalvin Koolidge (NYC), and Banooba (NYC) and Gandhi (Costa Rica) with the Convulsions (UK).
If you have questions about tour collaboration, CMEAS, who we are, where we are, where we came from, or anything else for that matter, feel free to contact us at [email protected] or check the CMEAS website at www.cmeas.com

Main Upcoming Events

Upcoming events include:UK Spring Tour 2009 - May 7th - 16th 2009

The Chicago Music Explosion, now in its 8th year, presents two roots American acts on tour in the UK playing 10 confirmed shows from May 7th through May 16th propelled by a bus running on waste vegetable oil.

Old Man Brown’s five piece groove machine from Baltimore, Maryland form a perfect companion act with organ and guitar funk blues soul displaying earnest songwriting “captured lightning in a bottle . . . Think Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, or the Black Keys. . . as if Ray Charles and Steve Winwood were singing at the same time.” (Bootleg Magazine) www.oldmanbrown.com
The Drews from Tahuya, Washington are singer-songwriters who are forging “ Americana and roots rock with a renewed sense of urgent audacity” (J-Sin, Smother.net) with “Head-turning, no frills music that's full of chance-taking and imagination.”(Gary von Tersh, Sing Out!). We think swamp boogie blues along the lines of Slim Harpo with a touch of edgy Johnny Cash and Sun Records thrown in the gumbo. www.wearethedrews.com
UK October Tour 2009

The next UK October tour in 2009, that will run from September 23rd - October 4th, 2009 will include gigs throughout the UK (see UK October Tour 2009 for details). Application deadline July 22nd, 2009.
One Planet Festival 2009 - Lancaster

The One Planet Festival 2009, that will run from October 2nd - 11th, 2009 will include gigs throughout Lancaster (see One Planet Festival 2009 for details). Application deadline August 1st, 2009.
UK Spring Tour 2010

The next UK Tour tour in 2010, that will run from May 6th - 16th, 2010 will include gigs throughout the UK (see UK Spring Tour 2010 for details). Application deadline March 1st, 2010
We are now taking applications for these events, see www.cmeas.com for information.

Other events are taking place all year long.
For more information on these events visit CMEAS ( www.cmeas.com ).

Past Events

UK October Tour 2008 - Oct. 1st-10th, 2008

The Chicago Music Explosion, now in its 7th year, presented two USA acts on tour in the UK playing 12 shows from Oct. 1st through Oct. 10th, 2008 propelled by a bus running on vegetable oil.

Butch Ross of Chattanooga, Tennessee has been called "the Bela Fleck of the mountain dulcimer". String backwards and held like a guitar, he employs a variety of techniques borrowed from mandolin, guitar, banjo and even the South American quarto to play everything from traditional folk and old-time music, to contemporary music, original compositions and even the occasional Bach piece. www.butchross.com
Matt O'Ree, of New Jersey, has been crowned "King of the Blues guitar" by bluesman B.B. King and with his band, has won four 2005 Asbury Music Awards at the Legendary Stone Pony for Best Blues Band, Best Guitarist, Best Local Release - "Shelf Life", Best Song of the Year - "Saints & Sinners", has been a finalist in the Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Competition, and has even been invited to Les Pauls’ birthday bash. www.mattoree.com
See UK October Tour 2008 for details.
One Planet Festival - Lancaster - Oct. 10th-12th, 2008

Kayla Kavanagh, Gerry Jablonski, The Convulsions, Matt O’Ree Band, Butch Ross, New Riverside Jazzband, Slovenian Men’s Choir, and Sam Lay Cuban Jazz Quintet performed over the One Planet Festival Weekend, Oct. 10th – 12th in various venues in the historic city of Lancaster. The musicians were either powered from sustainable tariffs, didn’t need electricity, received power from sustainably charged batteries, and/or bicycle generators.
See www.oneplanetfestival.com for details.

The Wabash Cannonballs - June 5th-29th 2008

The Wabash Cannonballs revisited the UK after their successfull tours in September 2006 and June 2007!

UK Spring Tour 2008

The Chicago Music Explosion, now in its 7th year, presented two international acts on tour playing 12 shows across the UK from May 7th, through May 18th, 2008 propelled by a bus running on vegetable oil.
Vancouver’s Green TaRA , who, armed with a rare voice, a red guitar and bass-heavy beats, launches "sonic-shrapnel bombs of positivity" (NOW Magazine) contrasted well with Northern Ireland's Hovercraft Pirates ’ powerful folk, punk ska “overdriven guitars and groovy drum hooks that will make listeners beg for their live show!" (Radio Indy).

UK October Tour 2007

Curly and the Rocket from Washington DC, joined NYC funksters extraordinaire Banooba for this, our flagship tour of the British Isles. Banooba were invited to co-host this tour after their sensational performance at the CMEAS Costa Rican Tour 2007 in conjunction with previous shortlisted applicants for our 2005 Oct. tour, Gandhi, and the UK group the Convulsions. See UK October Tour 2007 for details.

Big Baby Ernie - August 18th-September 9th

New Jersey group, Big Baby Ernie (part of CME Oct. 2006 Tour) introduced a strange dance craze to the UK last year ("Funky Hot Grits Pants Party").
Despite this, they'd been asked back to play again in the UK for 3 weeks from August through September and have again left a big impression everywhere they played!

The Wabash Cannonballs - June 7th-30th

Last 3 weeks in June the Wabash Cannonballs revisited the UK after their successfull tour last September and along with gigs in England and Scotland they also played their Northern Ireland debut at the Limavady Festival.

Photos from the Limavady Jazz & Blues Festival in Northern Ireland

Photos courtesy of Eva Ménétrier - Thanks Eva!

CME Spring UK Tour 2007 - May 18th-June 3rd

CME Spring showcase in the UK run from May 18th trough June 3rd and featured award winning Canadian musician and film producer, Ebony Tay, chart topping Australian group, Transport, EMERGENZA 2004 winning USA band, Fluttr Effect, and Minneapolis funk favourites, Brother Big Bad.

The Costa Rican 2007 Tour

The Costa Rican band Gandhi (www.grupogandhi.com) hosted a tour in the country where they are the most popular band in exchange for a 10 date tour in the UK hosted by the British punk blues band the Convulsions (www.convulsions.com) .

This tour did take place from February 16th through February 25th and included Gandhi, the Convulsions and Banooba, a New York band selected from many acts.
Some photos from the Costa Rica Tour 2007!

Many thanks to Jarrett and Oscar for the photos!

CMEAS UK October Tour 2006

- Big Baby Ernie - Kalvin Koolidge - Laura Younger -

About CME

The CME was founded in 2001 when a Chicago based band the Convulsions started playing regular gigs in the UK (possibly because the lead singer and harmonica player, Ben Ruth, was an expat from England). Consequently all the Chicago musicians Ben had ever played with also wanted to play in the UK. The first tour comprised no less than five acts, The Convulsions (British punk blues), Kate Brunner (folk), The Juleps (country rock), Pete Special (founder of Big Twist and The Mellow Fellows), Melissa Rose Ziemer (pop, rock), and Soulfix (rock). The tour was a resounding and critically acclaimed success and set a precedent for tours that showcased a wide variety of superb musical talent on the same bill.

The CME tour has taken place in Britain every year until 2006 when, due to the popularity of the event, it started to run twice a year (once in Spring once in Autumn). Acts involved in CME showcases often go on to establish their own tours in the UK.

In 2005 CME went international and started to include tours with bands from all over the world, not just Chicago, in exchange for tours in their own country (thanks to an ongoing partnership with Sonicbids). CME is now organising events in Holland, Costa Rica and Cuba, in addition to the UK, and hopes to expand its remit to include any excellent band in any country that wishes to exchange gigs.

In 2007 CME is organising no less than 6 international tours.

The goal of CME has always been to foster international musical exchanges, collaboration between musical acts, the sharing of gigs and the enjoyement of playing to appreciative audiences of all ages whether it be high school workshops, festival stages, late night clubs, large fields, motorbike rallies or the smallest pub in Wiltshire (it's called the Bassets' Arms).

Click on logo to visit our website