David Jayko and Mary Sheridan went on their first date on Groundhog Day 2023. They instantly hit it off personally — and musically.
“We saw our shadows,” said Sheridan, of Park Ridge. “We had a connection artistically and musically.”
Sheridan, who had been playing with her best friend, Karen Zeller of Park Ridge, in various bands since 1981, invited Jayko, of North Chicago, to join them in a musical project they dubbed Chiron’s Dream. Jim Dodis, who plays lead guitar and bouzouki and sings vocals, is also part of the ensemble.
After six months of collaboration, the group found themselves unexpectedly in the spotlight for a chance to participate in the Audacy.com 10th Annual We Can Survive Benefit Concert.
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They gained enough online votes to make it to the quarter finals of the opening act competition for Audacy’s upcoming concert with headliners Maroon 5, OneRepublic and Kelly Clarkson. The event benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The competition featured 25,000 musical acts. Chiron’s Dream finished in the top 300 but on ultimately lost the competition to bands who have been together for many years and accumulated thousands of fans, said Jayko, who plays keyboards, guitar, bass and drums.
“It was based on votes from the public,” he said. “It’s not like they were listening to the music. If they were listening to the music, I feel like we’d win hands down.”
“It was remarkable we got as far as we did,” Zeller said. “It was Mary’s push and drive, saying, ‘Hey people, look what we have.'”
Often using music written by Jayko, Sheridan, who is lead singer and rhythm guitarist, wrote the lyrics for many of the songs the group has accumulated. Chiron’s Dream covers a wide range of musical styles.
“We’re singer-songwriter, funky, folky and quirky as hell,” said Zeller, who also sings and plays rhythm guitar. “Mary’s songs are Pixy Stix, Mountain Dew and Krispy Kreme all wrapped into one with the biggest heart I’ve ever met.”
With more than 400 originals among the members, it’s difficult to define the band’s sound, Sheridan said. “We’re hard rock, pop and R-and-B,” she said. “We’ve got the full gamut of what we can play.”
The band’s most successful songs have been streamed thousands of times on the band’s Spotify page, they said. “Sire” has been played more than 23,000 times, and “Night Angel” more than 12,400 times, Sheridan said.
Chiron’s Dream chose to enter the We Can Survive competition because each member had experienced friends or family members – 10 in all – who committed suicide, she said.
Sheridan wrote “For Jonno, Call 988? in memory of a friend who killed himself and to encourage those considering suicide to call 988, the suicide help line, she said.
“Knowing the concert was a good cause, we decided to participate,” Sheridan said. “Music is healing, and we thought the event would be fun. We in no way expected to make it to the finals.”
“For Jonno, Call 988? is “about what I would say to him if the hotline existed today, to get him to stop, pick up the phone and use the resources available,” she said.
The three founding members are not holding out to “make it big,” but they each believe anything is possible in today’s music industry.
“It just takes one song to go viral,” said Jayko, who played with a touring version of the Lovin’ Spoonful from 1992-93. “The music business has changed. With the internet, anything is possible. The songs we have are ridiculously commercial, and there is an audience for it.”
Zeller agreed.
“How many stars have come from YouTube?” she said. “You can’t discount anything anymore. With social media and other venues, you can come as you are and people can relate.”
None of the three said they were disappointed they didn’t win the competition.
“We were thrilled we made it that far,” Sheridan said. “When you understand that we have not played together for 56 years with a fan base, we know we did really well.”
“It was for a good cause,” Zeller said. “You can’t be mad at that. It softens the blow.”