Happy New Year… I’ve been away too long. Though in the case of social media, perhaps not long enough yet! Thanks to everyone who came to SPACE in early January to celebrate the release of Matt Tiegler’s fine record “Hands Free Down Hill”. It was also great to play my own music with a full band for the first time in over 4 years. I’ll try to post a live video at some point in the not too distant future.
I’m looking forward to a musical pilgrimage to Ft Atkinson Wisconsin with my pal Steve Dawson to play at Cafe Carpe. It’s March 9, which also happens to be my birthday. Cafe Carpe’ is like sacred ground: An intimate listening room, family-owned and run, with a bar & restaurant out front. It’s a place where magic tends to happen. Capacity 50, with theater seating. We’ll do two sets featuring songs by both of us and others. Ft Atkinson is 2 hours outside Chicago, and closer for Madison & Milwaukee area folks. If you were thinking of a musical road trip, this would be a good one to try. Tickets and info at link above. 🙏
Tommi Zender with Matt Tiegler Band record release 10/15 show is rescheduled for Thursday Jan 4th, 2024. All tickets from 10/15 will be honored, and additional ones are now available here.
We are very sorry that we need to POSTPONE Steve Dawson with Tommi Zender @ Art Makers Outpost (609 South Blvd in Evanston) Sunday Oct 22. Steve & Tommi are also going to reschedule their Cafe Carpe’ show in Wisconsin for early 2024, date TBA.
Matt Tiegler‘s new record “Hands Free Down Hill” will be released Friday Oct 6 via Bandcamp (and other platforms). Tommi Zender‘s group is playing it’s first show in over 3 1/2 years! Matt Tiegler Band opens to celebrate his new album’s release. Sunday October 15, 7pm @ SPACE in Evanston. Limited reserved table & GA seats available now (click the SPACE link). The band for the evening features the Lucid Dreams (Steve Dawson, Alton Smith, John Abbey, Larry Brown, along with other special guest Chicago aces TBA!) We had a blast helping Matt make his first record in 20 years. Sample songs at his Bandcamp link above!
Other new show dates…
Steve Dawson with Tommi Zender @ Art Makers Outpost (609 South Blvd in Evanston) Sunday Oct 22. Because Steve & Tommi are performing a special show up in WI at the legendary Cafe Carpe‘ Friday Oct 20 we’ve decided to add one closer to home. Intimate seating/limited capacity… this will feature many of Steve’s songs, a few of Tommi’s and select covers, and maybe a special guest or two. More info & ticket link TBA soon.
Alton Smith presents: Songs of Elton John @ SPACESunday Oct 29, 7pm. Featuring Alton, Tommi, Debbie Kaczynski, John Abbey & Peter Manis playing all the good stuff from the 70’s
Also upcoming fast and future…
Sunday 9/24 @ Glenview Public LibraryTommi Zender Plays1973 2-3pm, FREE. I always look forward to these concerts. A great listening space, where generally nobody yells out for “Freebird” but this time they actually might.
Early warnings…
Autumn Beatles Songbag @ OTS IN PERSON Friday Nov 10
Push Puppets @ Hey Nonny in Arlington Hgts Friday Nov 17
Where does the time go? I haven’t updated since February and that’s arguably yet another horrible career move. So here are upcoming music events I’m happy to be involved with. First though, a hearty thank you to everyone who came to hear Steve Dawson & The Lucid Dreams at the Old Town School of Folk Music’s Square Roots festival. If you missed it, here’s a video sample, shot by the great David Sameshima, who also took most of these nice photos.
I’m happy to announce a NEW record I worked on the past year by Matt Tiegler called “Hands Free Down Hill” is to arrive in September, with a couple preview singles arriving soon. The record was done at King Size, in Chicago with John Abbey engineering, and features Steve Dawson, Gerald Dowd, Lawrence Brown, Max Crawford, and of course me producing & playing electric guitars, along with a bunch of other instruments I’m not generally known for. Matt’s songs are great; the record is a solid 33 1/3 minutes long. Record release show is Sunday Oct 15 @ SPACEin Evanston 7pm.
Now for the music docket!
Thursday 7/20 TZ solo concert 6-7pm @ River Park Field House 5100 N Francisco. This is part of their FREE summer concert series. Bring a picnic blanket or lawn chair! Located east of the river, just south of Foster Ave. A beautiful park! I look forward to playing some favorites (& some of my music too!) And maybe even toss some frisbee when the music’s over.
Friday 7/21 – Summertime Beatles Songbag @ Old Town School of Folk Music IN PERSON 7:30-9pm. Sign up here recommended in advance! Come play/sing some great Beatles tunes with me.
Saturday 7/29 – An Evening of Neil Young @ Martyrs with John Mead’s True Believers (an all-star line up of Steve Dawson, John Abbey, Alton Smith, Gregg Ostrom, John Mead & me!). We play 2 sets… one acoustic & one electric… tix avail here. 8:30pm $15
Thursday 8/4 – TZ solo @ River Roast 315 N. LaSalle Street Chicago, IL. 5-7pm. It’s been awhile since I’ve done the human jukebox happy hour thing in downtown Chicago. This is a new venue for me; I’m told the food is REALLY good. Indoor performance, just north of the river, near public trans & valet parking avail. No cover. C’mon out Lincoln Park & downtown people!
Friday 8/4 – Wilco Songbag @ Old Town School of Folk Music IN PERSON, 7:30-9pm. Come and play/sing a fine selection of Jeff Tweedy songs with me (and maybe some Uncle Tupelo & Golden Smog bonus tracks). Advance sign up recommended here.
Further into fall shows:
Sunday 9/3 Labor Day Weekend– Tommi Zender with Tom Ryan @ Sketchbook Brewing in SKOKIE (I know, it’s confusing sometimes) 4-6 pm, lots of your favorite songs, no cover, tips encouraged!
Sunday 9/24 @ Glenview Public LibraryTommi Zender Plays1973 2-3pm, FREE. I always look forward to these concerts. A great listening space, where generally nobody yells out for “Freebird” but this time they actually might.
Friday October 20th – Steve Dawson & Tommi Zender @ Cafe Carpe’ in Ft. Atkinson WI, 8:30pm, 2 sets. One of the best intimate listening rooms on the planet, family owner-operated, with love. Well worth a road trip, especially in the fall. Great food and drinks… come early to eat! Advance tickets very much recommended here. We’ll play way more of Steve’s songs, because I really REALLY like them, and truth be told I’ve forgotten a lot of mine. Of course we’ll do some of our favorite classics, tag-teaming instrumentation. Possibly we’ll even rope in a special guest.
Now I leave you with “Men Looking at Gear Onstage”. (with Downtown Lawrence Brown)
Push Puppets@ SPACE Friday Feb 17. The new band I’ve joined has it’s first practically-in-Chicago show. A powerful live act with great musicians featuring top-shelf pop songwriting by Erich Specht. Sample a variety of songs from the brand new album “Allegory Grey” on BANDCAMP. Joining us on the bill are the wonderful duo of Rachel Drew & Rob Newhouse. As of this writing there are still limited seats left at SPACE here. The new record will be available at on limited edition PURPLE vinyl. I highly recommend attending this show!
Here is a 3 min video of Erich & Tommi playing “Small Doses” by Push Puppets acoustically.
WORKSHOPS Coming up SOON: Tommi Zender Old Town School of Folk Music ONLINE winter workshops. Winter Beatles Songbag Friday Feb 10, 7:30pm. Fretboard Geography workshop Saturday afternoon Feb 11, 2-3:30pm. Advance sign-up is recommended.
Thanks to everyone who came to hear Alton Smith & Friends big Elton John show at the City Winery. (Photo by Kat) Also thanks to folks who braved the bad weather for a Jarvis Square Pottery experimental duo show I did with percussionist Tim Mulvenna. An electric guitar & percussion improvisation from that snowy night, shot by photographer David Sameshima can be found here! The video is about 9 minutes. Some of David’s photos are below!
Early warming warning… Phil Angotti & Tommi Zender duo show @ Sketchbook Brewery, Sunday March 12, 3-5pm, no cover, donation encouraged.
As always I am thankful for your support. My music is available to sample or purchase in physical format via my BANDCAMP page. I hope to see you at the upcoming Push Puppets show, a workshop or future concert! Peace. -Tommi
You thought we were done for the year? Not so fast! Late inning Pravda Records ‘pop-up’ show: Steve Dawson & The Lucid Dreams @ SPACE 8PM Wed 12/28 filling in for Guided By Voices. Also performing are The Service 7pm & Josh Caterer Trio 9pm Tickets here. All these bands are phenomenal… get out of the house & come hang out to toast the new year early. For more info on Steve Dawson go here.
Push Puppets@ SPACE Friday Feb 17. This is the new band I joined this past October, and the first Chicago area show. Sample some songs, and what critics are saying about the new record “Allegory Grey” at https://www.pushpuppets.net. Reserve a seat at SPACE here. You are going to love this band!
Songs of Elton John @ City Winery Sunday Jan 22, 7pm. Alton Smith, Tommi Zender, Debbie Kaczynski, John Abbey & Peter Manis play Elton classics from 1969-75. Nobody does Elton like Alton! It’s been a few years & we are looking forward to this one. Tickets here.
Tommi Zender & Tim Mulvenna @ Jarvis Pottery Saturday Jan 28, 8pm. Tommi’s long-awaited return to this excellent intimate listening room. Percussionist Tim Mulvenna is a highly intuitive versatile musician who plays with great dexterity & sensitivity. He will accompany Tommi for original songs, covers, and they will play a second set of improvised grooves & soundscapes. This will be magic. $15 suggested donation, doors at 7pm, BYOB.
Tommi Zender Old Town School of Folk Music ONLINE winter workshops. Winter Beatles Songbag Friday Feb 10, 7:30pm. Fretboard Geography workshop Saturday Feb 11, 2-3:30pm. Advance sign-up is recommended.
Early warming warning… Tommi Zender & Phil Angotti duo show @ Sketchbook Brewery, Sunday March 12, 3-5pm
Phil Angotti & Tommi Zender @ Sketchbook Brewing, Skokie IL Labor Day Weekend
Well I’ve certainly let this place go in the past half year. Let’s catch up! I played a few great shows with Steve Dawson & The Lucid Dreams, including a road trip to St.Louis opening for The Jayhawks! We started production on my friend Matt Tiegler’s new album (at King Size with John Abbey). I snuck in a great duo show with my old pal Phil Angotti at Sketchbook Brewing (pictured above) and did some drumming with Dan Holohan Band at Ye Ol’ Montrose Salon. And a whole lot more but hey, here’s what’s coming next:
Friday Oct 7 Neil Young Songbag @ Old Town School of Folk Music, 7:30-9 pm IN PERSON, in Lincoln Square. Participants take home a generous packet of songs. Sign up link above.
Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young in concert, circa 1970. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Also at OTS in November… Friday Nov 18, Autumn Beatles Songbag 7:30pmIN PERSON and Saturday Nov 19, ONLINE Fretboard Geography Workshop 1:00-2:30pm The last session of classes for 2022 starts October 24th… advance sign up recommended (Beatles Acoustic, Guitar 4ever, Folk Rock Acoustic, Eclectic Electric Ensemble, and Wilco Acoustic Songbook ONLINE are the classes I’ll offer) www.oldtownschool.org
I joined a new band! The new album by Push Puppets “Allegory Grey” is available as of September 30 via BANDCAMP. Check it out! We’ll be playing the new record and more at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights Friday Oct 14. Limited seated tickets avail here. Don’t miss it!
Steve Dawson & The Lucid Dreams @ Fitzgeralds Friday Nov 11 Get tickets… you need to hear this wonderful band. Steve Dawson, Alton Smith, Tommi Zender, John Abbey, Larry Brown & Diane Christiansen. Last show for awhile. Jess Robbins (Course) opens.
Steve Dawson & The Lucid Dreams opening for The Jayhawks, St Louis MO
Hello music lovers… I have new music available for purchase on Bandcamp. The song is called ”Lets Get Lost”. It was improvised mostly in real time in December of 2021, drawing inspiration from some happy places. The song is several minutes in length and I’ve made three extra mixes; one of them is just ”guitars & kalimba”!
There is a video on YouTube featuring many of those happy places. I recommend selecting the HD quality setting! The cover art is a sand sculpture by Janet Moore Schraeder. The recording was mastered by Carl Saff in Chicago. It’s my hope this music will take you on a sonic vacation.
The first Friday of every month Bandcamp pays 100% of sales to artists directly. March 4th (march forth!) is the next one, as well as being my dear mother’s 80th birthday! This music is exclusive to Bandcamp… you won’t find it on other music streaming platforms. I like to encourage patronage of music artists directly in general; Bandcamp is one of the best ways for you to do this.
Jarvis Square Pottery April 9th is CANCELLED. it may be rescheduled at a later date
Tommi’s Old Town School classes for Session 2 start March 1st IN PERSON!!! Beatles Acoustic Songbook, Guitar Forever, Folk Rock Acoustic, Eclectic Electric Ensemble and ONLINE classes Saturdays: California Songbook & British Rock
Tommi’s Old Town School classes for Session 2 start March 1st IN PERSON!!! Beatles Acoustic Songbook, Guitar Forever, Folk Rock Acoustic, Eclectic Electric Ensemble and ONLINE classes Saturdays: California Songbook & British Rock
Hello, it’s me. I’ve been mostly absent from the internet, enjoying music, family, food, frisbee, White Sox, books, some vacation, and well…real life. I have some performances this fall to let you know about, after a long hiatus.
Saturday Oct 2 – Jarvis Square Pottery 1439 W Jarvis (773) 655-7197 The first Saturday monthly residency in a great listening room. I’ll play solo for the first one. Music starts at 8pm, with two 40 min sets. Must be vaccinated & masked indoors BYOB; suggested donation. There will be a nice outdoor area with a speaker to monitor the music as well. (also appearing on Sat Nov 6th with a special guest TBA)
Jarvis Square Pottery Music Room
Thursday Oct 14 – SPACE in Evanston1245 Chicago Ave. 7:00pm doors. Tz plays a solo set opening for David Singer & The Sweet Science. Hosting the show is comedian Richard Laible, who will help bring this to Smothers Brothers level. Vaccination mandatory as well as mask. Reserved table seating available in this great expanded listening room. Click the SPACE link above for more ticket info.
Friday Nov 12 – Old Town School of Folk Music in Szold Hall Tom Ryan’s record release show with Dan Holohan Band opening. 8pm show vaccination required & masks (unless something changes). This show is going to be great. It’s been rescheduled twice, because it matters. The backing band for both sets includes Steve Dawson, Alton Smith, John Abbey, & Tommi Zender.
Sunday Dec 19 – Steve Dawson & The Lucid Dreams @ SPACE in Evanston (2 sets) door at 6pm; show at 7pm. This show will sell out–grab tickets soon! The Lucid Dreams are: Steve Dawson, Diane Christiansen, Tommi Zender, Alton Smith, John Abbey & Larry Brown. This is the first indoor listening room celebration of Steve’s newest record “At the Bottom of The Canyon, In The Branches of a Tree”. Read about it here.
Tommi Zender 