Post by rockfan on Jun 25, 2009 8:48:09 GMT -5
www.southtownstar.com/entertainment...hammers.article
Lovehammers look forward to playing at Taste of Chicago
(http://www.southtownstar.com/entertainment/firstlook/virtusio/1635722,062509GigLovehammers.article)
June 25, 2009
BY Jessi Virtusio, Gig of the Week
When local band members dream of big gigs, they often want to play the Metro in Chicago or fill the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park.
But, for the members of the Lovehammers, performing at the Taste of Chicago was the hoped-for big show.
"One thing we always wanted was to be on the main stage of Taste of Chicago," vocalist Marty Casey said during a break from prepping the release show for the band's single "Guns" at the House of Blues in Chicago.
"It was the magical dream gig. It wasn't Madison Square Garden. It wasn't the old Chicago Stadium. The one thing we wanted was to play the main stage of Taste of Chicago.
"When it came around this year and there was the opportunity to do it, we were willing to drop anything to go and do it.
"It's something we've gone to every year. It's another thing we want to make a story of our lives and to say, 'We did it.' "
The band will perform Sunday at the Petrillo Music Shell in Chicago's Grant Park as part of the big festival.
The Lovehammers' new CD, "Heavy Crown" will be released July 21, and shows the story of what guitarist Billy Sawilchik, drummer Bobby Kourelis, bassist Dino Kourelis, and Casey have been through.
"Sonically, it's the most evolved record we've had," Casey said.
"This is our self-produced record. It really incorporated our own ideas. It's all over the place.
"There are some really intense songs. There's some aggressive songs. There's some bright, sunny tunes. It's the usual mix of Lovehammers.
"We took a lot more chances. We went on departures and did whatever we wanted to do without anything in mind.
"We just felt like we wanted to enjoy ourselves and to have this time. We're all so busy as individuals. We just really enjoyed it.
"We'd come in with ideas. Then we just finished those songs, just having a good time and experiencing stuff and throwing different stuff at each other to try and almost astonish somebody.
"When we were doing individual songs, I was thinking, 'How are these pieces going to fit together?' In the end, it made this unique picture.
"It was the quickest one we've ever done. We wrote it, recorded it and completed it in three months' time. We are very excited about that."
Although many in the Chicago area have followed the Lovehammers for years, the band with Southland roots became well-known when Casey was the runner-up on the television show "Rock Star: INXS."
Part of that experience, including Epic Records releasing the "Marty Casey and the Lovehammers" CD in 2006, is what led the group to stick with a do-it-yourself mentality this time around.
That is why the new CD will be released through Record Executives Everyday People Records.
"Prior to even 'Rock Star,' we had released a massive amount of records on our own," said Casey, who grew up in Hickory Hills.
"We've been doing everything on our own. We're operating as a pretty substantial indie. We got Universal to distribute the record. We just hired a marketing team, a radio team - everything a label does."
Casey, who considers Chicago's Beverly community a second home, said those who check out the Lovehammers at the Taste of Chicago will get a mix of the new and the old during the band's one-hour set.
"It's one of those records that goes over so well live," he said of "Heavy Crown."
"That's what we do best live - throw it at everybody and make everybody move. We're really showcasing a lot of tunes, and we'll anchor everything with our tunes that get everybody going."
For Casey, it is the Lovehammers' "This Town" that is a favorite to perform live.
"It's a call-and-response thing with the fans," he said.
"It's interesting. The fans know their part, and they know I know their part. We all wait for each other to deliver. It's where the band extends from more than the stage."
The connection the Lovehammers - who have known each other since they were 9 years old - have with their fans is undeniable.
"We've been around for so long that when you come to one of our shows, you will know somebody at the show," said Casey, who now lives in Chicago.
"As exciting as the band members are and the band is, there's so many interesting people in the crowd.
"There's no particular demographic. There's no race. There's no color. There's such an amazing mix of people.
"The band members get really excited about it. We're just happy that it extended beyond a band that people like.
"It's a little community. It's the Hammerheads. It's nowhere near the Grateful Dead or Phish , but it's a nice little niche. It's a very positive energy experience."
The fact that the longtime friends are still cranking out the tunes in the Lovehammers is a testament to the strength of music.
"Just being together and still in this band and, year after year, getting the opportunity to release new records, we're blessed," Casey said.
"Anything else that happens as a result of it is completely icing. We're lucky, and we know it."
Jessi Virtusio can be reached at jvirtusio@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8854.
Lovehammers look forward to playing at Taste of Chicago
(http://www.southtownstar.com/entertainment/firstlook/virtusio/1635722,062509GigLovehammers.article)
June 25, 2009
BY Jessi Virtusio, Gig of the Week
When local band members dream of big gigs, they often want to play the Metro in Chicago or fill the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park.
But, for the members of the Lovehammers, performing at the Taste of Chicago was the hoped-for big show.
"One thing we always wanted was to be on the main stage of Taste of Chicago," vocalist Marty Casey said during a break from prepping the release show for the band's single "Guns" at the House of Blues in Chicago.
"It was the magical dream gig. It wasn't Madison Square Garden. It wasn't the old Chicago Stadium. The one thing we wanted was to play the main stage of Taste of Chicago.
"When it came around this year and there was the opportunity to do it, we were willing to drop anything to go and do it.
"It's something we've gone to every year. It's another thing we want to make a story of our lives and to say, 'We did it.' "
The band will perform Sunday at the Petrillo Music Shell in Chicago's Grant Park as part of the big festival.
The Lovehammers' new CD, "Heavy Crown" will be released July 21, and shows the story of what guitarist Billy Sawilchik, drummer Bobby Kourelis, bassist Dino Kourelis, and Casey have been through.
"Sonically, it's the most evolved record we've had," Casey said.
"This is our self-produced record. It really incorporated our own ideas. It's all over the place.
"There are some really intense songs. There's some aggressive songs. There's some bright, sunny tunes. It's the usual mix of Lovehammers.
"We took a lot more chances. We went on departures and did whatever we wanted to do without anything in mind.
"We just felt like we wanted to enjoy ourselves and to have this time. We're all so busy as individuals. We just really enjoyed it.
"We'd come in with ideas. Then we just finished those songs, just having a good time and experiencing stuff and throwing different stuff at each other to try and almost astonish somebody.
"When we were doing individual songs, I was thinking, 'How are these pieces going to fit together?' In the end, it made this unique picture.
"It was the quickest one we've ever done. We wrote it, recorded it and completed it in three months' time. We are very excited about that."
Although many in the Chicago area have followed the Lovehammers for years, the band with Southland roots became well-known when Casey was the runner-up on the television show "Rock Star: INXS."
Part of that experience, including Epic Records releasing the "Marty Casey and the Lovehammers" CD in 2006, is what led the group to stick with a do-it-yourself mentality this time around.
That is why the new CD will be released through Record Executives Everyday People Records.
"Prior to even 'Rock Star,' we had released a massive amount of records on our own," said Casey, who grew up in Hickory Hills.
"We've been doing everything on our own. We're operating as a pretty substantial indie. We got Universal to distribute the record. We just hired a marketing team, a radio team - everything a label does."
Casey, who considers Chicago's Beverly community a second home, said those who check out the Lovehammers at the Taste of Chicago will get a mix of the new and the old during the band's one-hour set.
"It's one of those records that goes over so well live," he said of "Heavy Crown."
"That's what we do best live - throw it at everybody and make everybody move. We're really showcasing a lot of tunes, and we'll anchor everything with our tunes that get everybody going."
For Casey, it is the Lovehammers' "This Town" that is a favorite to perform live.
"It's a call-and-response thing with the fans," he said.
"It's interesting. The fans know their part, and they know I know their part. We all wait for each other to deliver. It's where the band extends from more than the stage."
The connection the Lovehammers - who have known each other since they were 9 years old - have with their fans is undeniable.
"We've been around for so long that when you come to one of our shows, you will know somebody at the show," said Casey, who now lives in Chicago.
"As exciting as the band members are and the band is, there's so many interesting people in the crowd.
"There's no particular demographic. There's no race. There's no color. There's such an amazing mix of people.
"The band members get really excited about it. We're just happy that it extended beyond a band that people like.
"It's a little community. It's the Hammerheads. It's nowhere near the Grateful Dead or Phish , but it's a nice little niche. It's a very positive energy experience."
The fact that the longtime friends are still cranking out the tunes in the Lovehammers is a testament to the strength of music.
"Just being together and still in this band and, year after year, getting the opportunity to release new records, we're blessed," Casey said.
"Anything else that happens as a result of it is completely icing. We're lucky, and we know it."
Jessi Virtusio can be reached at jvirtusio@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8854.
