(7/28/08) | Past News |
UCG Residency, Elbo Room Banner, Leopold Group Show (6/03/08)
May was freaking awesome. No joke. With performances everywhere from Champaign to Madison (where we rocked out the World's Largest Johnsonville Brat Fest! Brat Fest Pics ), it was kicking to say the least. And now back to our regularly scheduled broadcast:
So I'm Uncommon Ground's resident artist for the month of June! (ALL SHOWS ALL AGES AND FREE)
Every Wednesday in June I'm playing at Uncommon Ground with friends of my choosing! I'm going to have some fun with it, and each night I'm going to play a differently themed set and with different guests. For a complete guide check out This Page. As a quick reminder, these nights are free admission, but once the room is full they don't let anyone else in :( The only way to technically guarantee a seat is to call them up and make reservations at (773)929-3680.
Remember this picture??? It was taken by Chris Petruniak at our Elbo Room show in March, and now Elbo Room has decided to put a gigantic banner outside (like 13 feet long) using it! So look for it next time you pass the Elbo Room! They're producing the banners as you read this very text.
Also, some new songs (and some original demos of old favorites) of mine were used in the new modern dance piece "Of Mind and Sky" by the Leopold Group. They rock, and you should come see the show June 27 or June 29! Just to entice you further, here's a link to get discount tickets: Leopold Group Show Discount Tickets.
The last bit of news is that GREEN EYES (my modern dance folk rock song-cycle goodness choreographed by Lizzie Leopold and directed by Jessica Redish with book by all three of us) was admitted into the New York International Fringe Festival this summer! More news on that soon as I'll have more to tell :)
-Bri
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Obama Ad, Martyrs', Festivals, and a Residency! (5/1/08)
So the piano music from my song "Snowfall" is currently being used as background music for an amazing 'Obama in 30 seconds' spot by Rider Strong (who played Sean on Boy Meets World). Currently, the spot was picked as one of 15 finalists from over 1000 entries, and is being judged by celebrities right now to see if it will win and air nationally! Now celebrities are generally the wisest among us I know (otherwise why would they be famous?), but there's also a people's choice award, which goes by (you guessed it), people's votes! So to see the ad, and vote if you're so inclined, click below!
Also, we're playing Martyrs' in May! For those of you that don't know, it's a hybrid of awesome venue with a great stage, lights, and sound and a great atmosphere with food, quality drinks, and table service. And to top it off, we're playing early! They don't take reservations, but they do sell tickets in advance, and since we're the first act, it's easy to get in there to have dinner beforehand and get great seats! Martyrs' Website
Brian Mazzaferri and the Tenured Professors
LIVE @ Martyrs
3855 N. Lincoln, Chicago
Wednesday, May 28, 7:30PM
$6, 21 and over.
We've also been invited to play a bunch of festivals this summer! Here are the notables and some information on each:
Bratfest - Madison, WI - May 25
Villa Park Summerfest - Villa Park, IL - Jun. 21
Midwest Acoustic Music Festival - Elkhart Lake, WI - Jun .28
And this is a total heads-up for June, but I was just selected to be the Uncommon Ground Artist-In-Residence! This means I'll be playing there every Wednesday night in June, with guests of my choosing (to be announced soon). It's mostly going to be solo acoustic, so I'll be switching up the setlist and taking requests (I think one night's even going to be a preview of the next album. shhhh don't tell), and there's also going to be a Brian Mazzaferri and Friends night where you get to hear Hari, Packy, and Mike each play some of their solo material. It's going to be a blast. Oh and did I forget to mention it's ALL AGES AND FREE!
And I'll leave you with a few pics from the Earth Day benefit at the Double Door, photos all by Alana Grelyak.
-Brian
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Elbo Room Review, Earth Day Benefit, and More Radio Play! (4/5/08)
So Alana Grelyak from Lumino Magazine (awesome Chicago nightlife online mag) came out to see us at the Elbo Room and wrote an amazing review (and got some great pictures!) She gave us 4 stars out of 4 for both art and entertainment. Here's some excerpts:
"It gave one cause to believe than any song placed into Mazzaferri's hands might be turned into a work of musical loveliness."
"Although it was short in time, Mazzaferri's performance was short on nothing else."
Click Here to Read The Full Review
Also, as you may have read in Chicago Athlete this month, or in NewCity this week, or just know about cuz you're cool and visit this website all the time, we're playing a big Earth Day benefit in support of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation this month! It should be a real blast, if you're coming out to one show in the next few months come out and support this great cause and party with us!
Brian Mazzaferri and the Middle Management
LIVE @ The Double Door
1572 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
Sunday, Apr. 20 - 7:00PM doors, 8:00PM Show
$10, 21 and over.
with Breakers Broken, The Johns, and Packy Lundholm
Finally, as you may have also heard over the airwaves, we're getting played more on 90.9FM in the Chicagoland area, by DJ Lilli Kuzma on WDCB, including a featured spot in her April Fools broadcast (using "Silly Song" of course). Woot for independent radio!
So we hope to see you out and about! If you see one of us, the password is Banana, use it to get a free hug from Hari
-Brian
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Licensing Deal, Podcasts, Elbo Room, and an upcoming Earth Day Benefit (3/1/08)
Check it out! Half of the tracks from All Roads Lead To Roads are now being licensed by Songs With Vision, an awesome LA company that's looking to place the tracks in Film, TV, and Video Games. We're very excited to be working with them!
Also, in the past couple months tracks from All Roads have been used in a slew of podcasts. Here's a quick clickable list of some highlights:
FolkCast (They're in the UK!)
Supernatural Podcast
Buffy Between the Lines
That Blue Jeans Guy
LoveHouse Radio
We've got a show coming up at the Elbo Room on Friday Mar. 28 too, and it's being taped for a local TV Show called Rock Tracks, so please come on out and help us make it a thrilling and exciting concert (and be on TV!)
Finally, mark your calendars for April 20, cuz there's a big Earth Day Benfit Bash at the Double Door! It's being put on by Sophic Records and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and it's going to be awesome. We're playing, along with our friends Breaker's Broken, The Johns, and our very own Packy Lundholm, One Man Band. This one's not to be missed.
And I'll leave you with the marquis from our show last Saturday at the Underground Lounge. We performed as "Brian Mazzaferri and the 8 Bits" and we got an even better Marquis:
-Brian
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C0nsensus Review, Expanding Shows, and Garageband.com Accolades (2/1/08)
Is it really February already? I suppose it is, and despite the fact that January flew by, a whole lot did actually happen.
First of all, "All We Are" got a great review at www.c0nsensus.com! You can Click Here to read it, they gave the song 7.06/10 overall, which is pretty favorable by their standards.
And while we're on the subject, "All We Are" was selected as the GarageBand.com Folk-Rock Track of the day! Alright I admit it happened last month, but I hadn't had a chance to post it yet. So there.
Admittedly I've gone out of order, but as many of you know our shows are getting bigger. Uncommon Ground was so packed on Jan. 26th that they were turning people away! (Speaking of which I apologize profusely to those who were turned away, we're playing bigger venues in the coming months for sure to make sure you all get in!) We're playing next at the Underground Lounge (a fun Wrigleyville club) on Saturday, Feb. 23rd (Check out the Shows page for details).
So with an excited and fond farewell, I'll leave you with a picture taken by the wonderful Mark Brink (www.myspace.com/MarkBrinkMusic) at the Uncommon Ground show.
Happy February!
-Brian
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New Year, New Song, New Shows (1/11/08)
So it's 2008, and Change is the new buzzword. Everyone's thinking and talking about America. In that spirit I thought I'd release a new song, one I wrote a few months back about America. It's called Lime Green Lamborghini, and yes, it is rather sarcastic at times. Enjoy!
"Lime Green Lamborghini" (right click here and hit 'save target as')
We've also got some cool stuff coming up, a chill ALL AGES show on Jan. 26th at Uncommon Ground (check the shows page for details), and we're headed into the Chicago Acoustic Underground studio on Tuesday to record for their podcast. We'll be sure to post a link to that as soon as it's available.
And just for fun, here's a little tryptych of myself, Hari, and Packy at a Barnes and Noble in-store performance a few weeks ago.
Until soon!
-Brian
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Lumino Magazine Review, Wisconsin Tour Wraps Up, New Recordings Coming Soon (12/14/07)
So "All Roads Lead To Roads" got a great review in Lumino Magazine! 3.5 Stars for Entertainment and 4 Stars for Art (out of 4 stars), you can read the review here:
Lumino Magazine Reviews "All Roads Lead To Roads"
As the Holidays roll in, the Great Wisconsin Tour has come to a close. Thanks to all the wonderful folks I met on the road, and I hope to head back out again soon. For now though, the guys and I are gearing up for some big Chicago shows to come, including an all-ages at Uncommon Ground, then shows at WiseFools Pub and Elbo Room to follow.
Finally, I've been in the studio lately brewing up some new stuff, starting some crazy new sounds and as always writing like crazy. Keep your ears peeled, as I may post links to new songs on my blog soon! Until then, farewell, and here's a few pics from the recent 3160 Show with Jon Scarpelli of The Johns, and Breakers Broken.
-Brian
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Brian Mazzaferri and the Webelos @ the Elbo Room (11/12/07)
Talk about a kickass Monday night:
So we kicked out some jams, playing with Kirkland (awesome band) and Somersault Factory. It was one hell of a show, thank you all for coming out! It went so well, they're looking to have us back for a weekend gig, and who are we to refuse?
There's some fun stuff coming up too, we're heading into the Chicago Acoustic Underground studio in a couple weeks to record a podcast with them, and there's a songwriter night (for those of you who like the pared-down versions) at 3160 in a couple weeks as well (check out the shows page for details)
So keep checkin back, there's always new stuff happening!
-Brian
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CD Release Show Success! Elbo Room coming up soon, FREE CD DEAL. (10/30/07)
So the CD Release show was a blast! Just ask these fun people:
A great time was had at Uncommon Ground, thank you all who could make it out, you definitely made it an amazing experience. Now onward and upward!
The next show is a very important one for us, first of all it's the first FULL BAND show, with Packy Lundholm joining Mike, Hari, and myself to fill out the lineup with drums. More importantly though, we need to impress the Elbo Room and bring out as many people as we can so that we can play there again in the future! So here's the details on the show:
The Elbo Room - 2871 N. Lincoln, Chicago, IL
Monday, Nov. 12, 8:30PM
Ages: 21+ (sorry, we'll keep the all ages shows coming though!)
Cover: $5
And, most importantly, just to give some extra incentive to come to the show, for this show only if you bring a friend who has never seen us perform live before, you'll get a FREE CD! It's that simple. So come on out, I'll see you in 2 weeks!
-Brian
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Website Up, Mailing List, CD's On Sale, First Review (10/20/07)
So, the website is up! Exciting things are on their way as well, first of all be sure to sign up for the new and improved email list using the form on the left so we can keep you up to date now that the CD is out!
Speaking of which, my debut CD "All Roads Lead To Roads" is on sale as of NOW! You can get your copy by clicking on the "BUY NOW" button to the left, or by downloading it on iTunes (just search Brian Mazzaferri) if you're all digital like that. If you order from here though we also send some stickers and fun stuff with the CD.
Also, an exciting piece of news to launch with, "All Roads Lead To Roads" just got a great review on IndieMusicStop.com! Check it out!
Finally, if you're in Chicago come on out for the CD-Release show at Uncommon Ground! It's Friday, Oct. 26th, at 11PM, all ages and FREE at a really cool coffeehouse on the North Side of Chicago. Also, I'll be joined by Mike Mentzer on guitar and vocals and Hari Chelluri on bass, so it should be a great time. For more details check out the Shows page!
So welcome to the new site, stop back often for more news, blogs, show info, and fun merch that will be available soon!
-Brian
