Back in 1997, jazz saxophonist Frank
Trompeter was fascinated by electronica and trip-hop and began
wondering how those sounds would translate into live music. Along
with drummer Ted Keylon, Trompeter began an experiment that became
the band elevator shoe. After the addition of bassist Bruce
Williams and guitarist Ocean Alexander in early 1998, the group
began performing regularly at local bars and coffeehouses.
In late 1999 Trompeter mentioned to his
friend Trina Madonia that elevator shoe had learned a song from one
of the mix tapes she had lent him, and he was going to sing it.
Instead, Madonia asked to sing the song. “She had never been
in a band before, and I didn’t even know if she could
sing,” Trompeter says. By the end of 2000, elevator shoe’s
focus had shifted, as Madonia became the frontwoman, singing most
of the band’s numbers; the rest of the song list comprised
the instrumentals that had previously been the band’s focus. With Alexis Rogers as the new guitarist and
Scott Neuweg taking over on drums, the band’s familiar lineup
was complete by 2001. In the fall they released their first CD, Occupancy by More Than 119 Persons is Illegal, and became one of the best-attended live shows in
Springfield as the first rock/dance band to play in Jazz Central
Station (called Gumbo Ya-Ya’s at the time). On the Roof, a live
performance recorded by Ric Major during a 2003 JamFest
performance, became the group’s next CD release. In recent
years the band has continued to perform, but finding time for
rehearsal and agreeing on show dates has become increasingly difficult
as its members have reached out in different directions. “We felt the band had run its
course,” says Trompeter, “and we wanted to quit while
it was still successful.” The group may have strayed from
Trompeter’s original vision of a live trip-hop band, but it
carved out a niche in Springfield’s music scene that
won’t soon be filled. “We accomplished a lot but not
what I set out to accomplish,” Trompeter says. “Trina
allowed us to be a palatable mixture with a progressive edge that
wasn’t so far out there no one would like it.”
elevator shoe featuring Trina Madonia
performs a final show at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at the MC Tap (2901
Chatham Rd., 217-726-5633). Happy anniversary to
F5, consistently one of Springfield’s favorite bands since
their first gig at Bootlegger’s on Dec. 13, 1996.
They’ve weathered a few personnel changes but have remained
committed to playing contemporary hits in a way no other local
group has. Illinois Times readers certainly like them — F5 has won
the Best Band category more times than any other combo in town. The
celebration is 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at Buster’s
(1120 Sangamon Ave., 217-522-0552).
The blues head back
home on Friday, Dec. 16, when Bourbon Street (1031 S. Grand Ave.
E., 217-788-5808) hosts Studebaker John and the Hawks, 9 p.m.-1
a.m. The historic bar at the corner of 11th Street and South Grand
Avenue, known as Bruce’s Tavern for many years, was the
original home of Blue Monday, the weekly get-together of the
Illinois Central Blues Club. The ICBC, by the way, celebrates 20
years of existence in 2006. Studebaker John, an old-school harp man
and slide guitarist based in Chicago, deftly mixes classics and
originals with West Coast swing, New Orleans R&B, blues-rock,
and, of course, good ol’ Chicago-style blues. Expect to see
some familiar names from past Blue Mondays, including Jason Ricci,
Rockin’ Jake, and Nick Moss, performing at Bourbon Street in
the next few months.
Big bands rule, but,
unfortunately, they are slowly becoming extinct — so, I say,
honor the musicians who grew up in the era. They are real players
playing some of the best music ever written, recorded, and
performed, and it’s really great dance music as well.
Diversity, led by the magnificent John Sluzalis, plays Friday and
Saturday, Dec. 16 and 17, at the Lime Street Café (951 S.
Durkin Dr., 217-793-1905). On Sunday, Dec. 18, the Bowling Alley
Big Band swings low in a Springfield Jazz Society-sponsored
Christmas show at Spillway Lanes (1025 Outer Park Dr.,
217-546-5221), 6-9 p.m. Also on Sunday, from 5-8 p.m., at VFW Post
755 (2211 Old Jacksonville Rd., 217-546-9515), the Don Smith Band
plays a retirement party honoring Don Howard, longtime host of Sunday Bandstand, a
WMAY (970 AM) morning program dedicated to that glorious big-band
sound.
This article appears in Dec 15-21, 2005.
