About Me
...Once Upon a time
On a bleak Tuesday evening in September 2006, a weary but ambitious recent graduate school dropout took the stage at an open mic on the north side of Chicago, Illinois. There were maybe seven or eight other people in the room when he took the stage and proceeded to indulge the audience of other open mic attendees with some acoustic pop songs about an ex-lover. The songs were well received, but this newly converted ex-classical musician felt somewhat uneasy about singing soothing and melancholy music to a room full of men, so to liven up the room which had been bombarded by songs about ex-girlfriends the entire night, he turned up his left eyebrow, changed his facial demeanor from 'sincere, gentle, heartbroken' to 'devious, cunning, and perverted', and began singing what would become his trademark song Time To Go.
Several months passed during which Chris Zonada made several solo appearances performing set lists of original music that sounded like someone had set their iTunes to 'random' listening to a 30 minute stream of music without a consistent identifiable style, voice, or subject. Like most solo acoustic artists, he felt the next evolution to being a singer-songwriter is to form a band. However, as a conservatory-trained classical composer and experienced event producer, it was not a simple rock band that he had in mind. In homage and tribute to some of the progressive art-rock-pop icons of the last 40 years, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, and Prince, Zonada was determined to assemble a consortium of musicians who embraced the chameleon-like qualities of the music he was determined to infect the Chicago music scene with. As it could not be done alone by any means, Zonada joined forces with members of the alt-rock band Arlum(Randall Anderson II, Jack Beshoar) and former drummer of Thelonius Funk(Dan Gus).
On Friday the 13th, July 2007, Black (Cat) Umbrella Brigade made its debut performing rich, full versions of Zonada's pop rock songs in addition to premiering the more eccentric and deviant songs such as Casanova with a two-part horn section and a newly added feature co-vocalist Meghan Phillip. Although the show was well received, it wasn't enough to adequately communicate the artistic message that the songwriter had in mind. "We need a Tuba".
Gearing up for their second public appearance as Black Umbrella Brigade, Zonada made contact with professional Orchestral Tubist William Ragland Russell who was currently holding a position with the Chicago Civic Orchestra. As it turns out, this guy had chops and could wail away on a Tuba just as well as BUB's new lead guitarist/mandolin player (Jon Haverkamp from Thelonius Monk and Bird ate my Donut).
It was by that Autumn, in a crowded multi-purpose room at Strawdog Theatre Company, Black Umbrella Brigade had achieved its truest form as an ensemble with the spirit of Vaudeville and sketch comedy locked inside of a rock band. The group has since performed at some of Chicago's regular local band hangouts such as Tonic Room, the Orphanage, Lilly's, and the Red Line Tap recruiting a fan base that is turning into somewhat of a cult akin to that of a Rocky Horror Picture Show in the sense that the audience participates during the live show by singing along or screaming things in Yiddish. In the months to come throughout 2008, Black Umbrella Brigade aims to steak its claim as a headline-worthy live music show throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest by continuing to uphold its notoriety not just as a rock band but an intense live-action experience for all audiences.
Press Release
Black Umbrella Brigade: The sarcastic nature of the name alone says it all. Should you ever drunkenly stumble upon them at a live gig, in the Windy City or abroad, you're certain to be startled, bewildered, amused. And you'll probably want to dance, too. Singer-songwriter Zonada hand-picked the raucous BUB to help assemble the patchwork of eclectic genres that compose the project's versatile sound, from klezmer to swing to German beerhall-style sing along. If you're lucky enough to see the full band in action, if nothing else, you'll find a whole new appreciation for the tuba.
Although you can pick up a copy of their live demo on a homemade CD, the group is really in its element at the live gigs, hence the mighty "Magic Wheat and Barley Juice" - an ode to the joys of beer-vision and lowered standards - and "Time to Go...", a touching piece about staggering home after a few too many. The group simmers along with up-tempo, high energy sets, encouraging the crowd to dance and sing-along. Zonada's stellar songwriting ties the act together...his witty lyrics dancing along the funky groove of the tight BUB rhythm section as in the dance-able "My Favorite Song" and the show stopper "Casanova" - featuring vocalist/actress Meghan Phillip singing some cryptically provocative lyrics.
Kenneth Witzgall, 2008
