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Gerald Dowd's Song Of The Month Club featuring Dave Sills

(CST, UTC-06) (CST, UTC-06)

FitzGerald's Sidebar, 6615 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn, IL

Excited to share that I will be the “special guest” for February’s Song Of The Month Club. “What’s a Song Of The Month Club,” you ask? Well, it is my good friend/former drummer/occasional co-writer Gerald Dowd’s monthly show at the fabulous FitzGerald’s Sidebar in Berwyn, where both he and his guest have to debut brand new songs. Gerald will kick things off with a solo set, then I’ll do a solo set, and then we’ll kick it into gear when we take the stage together and are joined by my band (Chris Walke, Justin O’Connell, and Adam Gardner)!

Now, I know what you’re thinking. It’s a Thursday. It’s a late start. You have to go to work the next morning. You’ll be tired. But wouldn’t you rather be tired at work because you went out and heard some great live music the night before? Of course you would. I’ve checked the rules, turns out you CAN go out and have fun during the week.

Hey, did I mention there’s barbecue? Yep, delicious barbecue from Babygold BBQ (they even have stuff for vegetarians). Come a little early and eat next door or order from a table in the Sidebar.

Awesome live music (including two world premieres), tasty eats, a cornucopia of adult libations… what’s not to like? So c’mon and get your butt to Berwyn!

See you there, DS

Lakeview East Festival of the Arts

 — (CDT, UTC-05) — (CDT, UTC-05)

Main Stage - Belmont & Broadway, Broadway from Belmont to Hawthorne, Chicago

I'm so pleased to be back out performing live and happy to be doing it at the Lakeview East Festival of the Arts. I'll be joined by stalwarts Chris Walke and Adam Gardner. Our good pal Gerald Dowd is being kind enough to fill in behind the kit (Justin O'Connell sends his regrets). We're going to play a few new ones and (hopefully) your old favorites. Then stick around, because at 5PM, Gerald switches from sticksman to frontman as he leads his own band in a set. See website for Parking info.

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One of the best singer/songwriters you've never heard makes a great, varied album: Like all of the best art, Dave Sills's music is hard to describe in a few sentences. If, like me, you're the kind of person who listens closely to lyrics even the first time you hear a song, the first thing you may notice is that Dave is a smart, emotionally honest guy who works on his songs until they actually are DONE, with not a word wrrong--you can sample any of the songs Spare Rain, Yours & Mine, Habit or Where You Are for a taste, but every song really shows this. I don't mean to over-emphasize that point, but one of my pet peeves involves writers who just "settle" because a song seems "good enough". Dave defnitely isn't one of them. Next you might notice that Dave has a beautiful sense of melody, made clear by the songs Not Far Behind, Where You Are and others. And, he can create a killer rock mood *without* a fast tempo (Yours & Mine; the climaxes and middle section of Put the World Away; All Messed Up) and create a lovely, swaying country-rock grooove too (Habit). He's a fine guitar player with a tight band made up of players that know each other very well. You may hear some influences here and there (Mark Knopfler's early guitar style on "Wrong About You", pub rock in "Bring The Sun"--the best song that Nick Lowe never wrote--or the occasional "country rock" vocal inflection), but they're all used tastefully and don't overwhelm the songs. Plus, they're GOOD themselves. Sampling some tracks should be enough to persuade you to purchase it in one form or another!” - Lloyd Reid Cole, music reviewer

mog.com

How many times can we say / Let's give it one last try?" That's the question Dave Sills opens with on his latest offering. And if you say you can't relate to that, you're either extremely lucky in love or you're lying. Waiting Room is the soundtrack to a breakup, and Sills has a way of putting words and music to all the feelings that accompany such a heart-rending experience. Whether he's singing of frustration ("All Messed Up"), anger ("Wrong About You") or acceptance, Sills' husky tenor really tells it like it is. In "Yours & Mine" he sums up a typical split: "I won't say we'll still be friends, it probably won't be the case / 'Cause we were never friends in the first place." Uplifting it ain't, but Sills softens the blow with Hammond organ, shimmering electric guitars and a drum beat to drive your breakup blues away.” - Mare Wakefield

Performing Songwriter magazine

Dave Sills is a songwriter who continues to get better at his craft. Along with the songs, it's nice to hear the obvious confidence Dave brings to his disc. Faith in one's own work in conjunction with actual talent - that's what the successful people in this business have.” - Richard Milne, DJ and host of Local Anesthetic

— WXRT 93.1 FM Chicago

This 'Room' from Chicago-based Sills is full of edgy rock sketches on the downtrodden side. With a sound at times conjuring both early del Amitri and Ryan Adams, gentle shuffle "Where You Are" and uptempo "Bring The Sun" are standout tracks.” - Guy-Michael Grande

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