Like all great Chicago music genres, blues is in a constant state of flux. Or rather, there are opposing sides working within the genre. There are the musicians interested in sticking to conventional norms, and there are the musicians interested in exposing the music to newer, curious audiences.
Enter Blue Tuesdays. The new weekly party at Logan Square nightlife hot spot East Room fits somewhere in the middle. Hosted by young yet seasoned performers Champagne and Reefer (Paul Gulyas and Steve Stone) and Cole DeGenova, Blue Tuesdays aims to bridge the gap between blues as we traditionally understand it and the new crop of musicians working in and around the genre in the city.
“We’ve gravitated away from playing just to play, and the East Room is the best place for that,” Gulyas said.
That means no one night is like another. Indeed, for the month of September they will welcome a who’s who of young bands and vocalists to take their turns at the mic. Jazz vocalist Lili K kicked off the month and upcoming participants include rock band The O’My’s and multigenre enthusiast Netherfriends.
To engage a larger audience, the evening has expanded beyond the scope of just blues to include funk and soul — basically, music that has heart and a groove.
“I think blues in Chicago is intertwined with a lot of music that came from it. The funk scene, the jazz scene, the soul scene,” DeGenova offered. “I think if Chicago is going to have a sound of its own, it’s going to be based in blues. Even the hip-hop that’s been coming out of Chicago is based in blues tradition.”
That may seem like a daunting, overcrowded effort, but the precise, progressive lineup points to careful curation. If you are new to the blues (or to funk or to soul) you’ll probably feel welcome and enjoy the evening.
“Everyone here on this evening is a really good player, but in no way, shape or form are we trying to dumb it down,” Stone said. “It’s more about a feeling.”
But that doesn’t mean the performers have abandoned the sound and style that they’ve always felt most at home within. Both Champagne and Reefer, along with DeGenova, regularly perform for one another. For the former, that means classic blues to warm up the crowd and set up the evening ahead. For the latter, that means contemporary funk and soul accompanied by his raucous backing band.
And besides introducing younger Chicago audiences to the classic sound of blues, the two hope to also bring what they describe as the “authenticity” lost in a large swath of music from today.
“Anyone of any age can recognize authenticity, and young people have a (nonsense) meter off the charts, so we’re trying to bring it back to that and make it exciting for younger people,” Gulyas said.
What exactly is authenticity, at least in their words? Music at its simplest, most compelling, most organic and most heartfelt. “Authenticity is being honest and not covering it up with any stylized elements or empty playing,” Gulyas said. “It’s about what’s the message and getting other people to identify with you.”
Speaking with the three is like getting a quick glimpse of what is to come each Tuesday.
“I think blues is pretty much about authenticity at its core,” Gulyas said. “It can come out as any type of genre, whether you want to call it soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock ‘n’ roll, I think they’re all rooted in blues.”
Britt Julious is a freelancer.
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When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: East Room, 2828 W. Medill Ave.
Tickets: Free (21+); 773-530-1478 or www.eastroomchicago.com
