Singing the blues is always an upbeat experience for the Chicago Kingsnakes Blues Band.
“For people who aren’t familiar with the music, a lot of people think of it as a kind of low-down ‘my baby just left me’ sad kind of music, but to me it’s very jubilant and happy music…,” Kingsnakes’ lead singer and songwriter Jim “Ang” Anderson said.
The trio will perform live and lively “Chicago-style blues” Oct. 6 at the McCord Gallery and Cultural Center in Palos Park.
Anderson said much of the music will be the band’s original songs. Expect to hear tunes from the group’s latest CD, “South Side Soul,” and from a number of other recordings produced over the last decade.
“I like to play our original music as often as possible,” Anderson said, “but we try to keep that balanced and we never have a set list. The audience reaction will help us decide what direction to go.”
Don’t be afraid to make a request — any request. This group is comfortable performing blues — standards, rhythm and blues or rock ‘n roll, the result of years of experience. “We’ve all sort of played with older blues artists over the years,” Anderson said.
Anderson freelanced with blues bands on Chicago’s South Side as a young musician before starting his own band.
“I really started playing music on the South Side in the Checkerboard Lounge on 43rd Street and at Theresa’s on 48th and Indiana with Junior Wells,” Anderson said.
In 1983, Anderson, 57, started his own band, the “Crawling Kingsnakes,” choosing the name from a John Lee Hooker song but later changing it to Chicago Kingsnakes when he discovered a number of other bands had the same idea.
It was a “cool name” that gave them “local identity,” he said.
Anderson is the only remaining member of the original band. The trio now consists of Anderson on lead guitar, Mike Bailey on bass and Gus Gotsis on drums.
“The band has gone through a couple of iterations over the years, but the band is the best group it’s ever been,” he said.
Despite the size of the band, they are often complimented on their “big sound,” which Anderson credits to their three-part harmony and using their guitars to create the sounds of other instruments.
It’s a combination of talent and passion for music that works.
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“Everybody’s sort of hungry to play,” Anderson said. “When we get together we’re looking forward to the performance.”
The band is a perfect fit for McCord’s recently-opened Anderson Annex for the Arts, McCord marketing director Joshua Wood said. The “overall goal” of the center is to bring in diverse cultural events such as poetry readings, plays, jazz and open mic nights and to make all of the shows in the annex “fairly intimate.”
The center plans to give the blues concert, the third concert since the opening of the annex, a “cabaret feel.” Tables and chairs will replace the concert-style rows of seats so “people can mingle and be more social,” Wood said.
There will not only be plenty of space for socializing in the 1.000 square foot addition, but for dancing, too. And, a complimentary glass of wine or beer included in the price of a $20 ticket will add to the evening’s ambiance.
Tickets will be sold at the door, but seating is limited. Advance reservations are suggested.
Ginger Brashinger is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Chicago Kingsnakes Blues Band
When: 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 6
Where: McCord Gallery and Cultural Center, 9602 W. Creek Road, Palos Park
Admission: $20 includes glass of wine or beer
Information: 708-671-0648 or mccordgallery.org; Chicago Kingsnakes at chicagokingsnakes.weebly.com