News Archives 2004 - Family Groove Company

December 22, 2004: FGC's 2004 Recap!

Happy Holidays from Family Groove Company! We had a great 2004 and would like to share some of this year's accomplishments, as well as announce a few new things in store for the coming year. Read on!

1. Stat-o-rama
The numbers are in! In 2004, FGC played 112 shows in 22 different states, including 3 trips each to the Northeast and South, 2 to the Midatlantic, 1 to Colorado, and dozens of loops around the Midwest. We played 6 summer festivals, including the nationally-known 10,000 Lakes Festival (MN), Summer Camp (IL), and Summerfest (WI), and had a particularly great time headlining SHARE Fest in West Milton, PA. We also drove upwards of 20,000 miles and distributed roughly 10,000 promotional live CDs!

2. New Stuff Galore
2004 also unveiled plenty of new things for FGC, like a slew of original songs and Live CDs, a snazzy line of FGC T-shirts, and an extremely popular website section, "Ice Picks." This year also marked a few notable partnerships, including that with our esteemed booking agent Mike Masuicca of The Mook Agency, and that with a blossoming new music site called BlanksAndPostage.com.

3. The Family Room
We are proud to launch a brand new addition to our website: a bulletin board / chat area for friends and fans of FGC that we have sheepishly dubbed "The Family Room." We welcome everybody to come check it out, register, and start posting! This forum was developed with the fans in mind, so we hope that it will get some good use and will be a fun place to hang. As an incentive (OK, a bribe), in January we'll randomly select several winners from The Family Room's pool of registered users, who will receive one of many FGC prizes, including CDs, T-shirts, posters, stickers, and more!

4. What's in store for 2005?
You can count on plenty of touring! We're on a rampage to perform ridiculous amounts and make as many laps around the country as we can. You can also expect exciting new songs, additional T-shirt styles, some new sticker designs, a band-authored tour blog (and perhaps a brand new website). There are even speculations of a new CD in the works.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season from FGC!

November 30, 2004: Family Groove Company's Cross Town Classic!

FGC is very excited to be offering Chicago another Cross Town Classic this weekend. Friday night will find the band on the North side at the Heartland Café headlining a bill that includes two great bands from the suburbs - The Bigger Half and On the Reload. Then on Saturday, FGC pays the South side a visit with another appearance at Puffer's. Both venues have yielded some incredible performances in the past, and the band would like to encourage folks hailing from both sides of the city to make the cross over for a healthy dose of some Chicago culture!

FGC's Thanksgiving Benefit was a huge success last weekend, and we'd like to thank everybody who brought food and contributed to the cause. It doesn't take much to help a lot of people, and FGC's extended family did a great deal to brighten the holiday season for many people in need. Thank you!

November 21, 2004: FGC Announces Third Annual Thanksgiving Benefit!

Family Groove Company is very happy to announce our Third Annual Thanksgiving Benefit show this Saturday night, November 27th at Griffin's Public House in Chicago. This will mark the third time the band has performed to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and everyone is extremely excited to get into the holiday spirit and do a little to help those in need. The efforts this year will be focused on a canned food drive. Admission into the venue will be free of charge, so the band is asking that you all dig into those cupboards and pantries and bring a little canned food down to the show to help the cause. FGC's two previous Thanksgiving performances were particularly great nights for the band and all who attended - don't miss out on what is sure to be a tremendous night of fun and music!

In other news, next week the band will be hitting the road one last time before the holidays. This short trip will feature stops at the University of Iowa, Western Illinois University, and the University of Illinois to give all the students a little study break before finals. FGC will then round out the weekend with a Cross Town Classic in Chicago, hitting the north side and the south side on Friday and Saturday (check the gigs page for details). Winter Tour 2005 dates will be announced shortly, keep checking the website for the latest updates!

November 8, 2004: Halloween Run a Huge Success - On to the East Coast!

The band was on a "mission from God" over Halloween weekend, and the shows were fantastic. Many thanks to all those in Macomb, Iowa City, and sweet home Chicago who came out and got down with FGC Blues Brothers style, and helped make the performances a huge success. Special thanks to 56 Hope Road for co-producing the Wise Fools Pub extravaganza with FGC, and to the Low Down Brass Band for making it the party we wanted it to be. Here are some great pictures from the weekend:




	Photos by Greg Harshbarger and Colin Lewis

The band is having a great time in upstate New York this weekend, and would particularly like to thank the great students at St. Lawrence University for their kindness, hospitality, and most of all, for gettin' down with us Friday night! A couple of Pennsylvania and Ohio stops are on the horizon, followed by a return to Chicago for FGC's third annual Thanksgiving Benefit Show at Griffin's Public House. Believe it or not, plans are already in the works for the band's 2005 winter and spring tours, so be sure to check the website often for the latest updates!

October 4, 2004: FGC Announces Second Annual Halloween Weekend Shows!

Family Groove Company is very excited to announce a pair of special Halloween performances Saturday, October 30th at the Green Room in Iowa City, and Sunday, October 31st at Wise Fools Pub in Chicago. The show on 10/30 will mark the second year in a row that FGC has brought their Halloween party to Iowa City. The evening's top secret theme has not yet been revealed, but fans can expect some talented surprise special guests, and a great deal of exciting new material.

On October 31st, Wise Fools Pub will be hosting our Hometown Halloween Jam Session, co-produced by FGC and good friends, 56 Hope Road. 56 and FGC asked the remarkably talented local favorites Low Down Brass Band to join them on what has become a blazing hot bill. Doors open early at 5pm (out of respect for all you nine-to-fivers out there), and music will start shortly thereafter, with each band swapping sets for six full hours! This will be an all too rare opportunity to catch three of Chicago's brightest talents under one roof on a night that is sure to include many sit-ins, inspired impromptu sets, and other surprises. Please join us for what will be an unforgettable night, and show your support for Chicago's homegrown music!

10/30 | The Green Room - Iowa City, IA
10/31 | Wise Fools Pub - Chicago, IL

October 1, 2004: Fall Tour '04 Continues - On to the South!

Having wrapped up the first leg of Fall Tour '04 a couple weeks ago, FGC is off to the races again, and headed back to Dixieland. The Northeast leg of the tour went exceptionally well, highlighted by two brilliant PA performances that concluded the trip. The band was thrilled to headline this year's SHARE fest in Milton, PA, and the great tunes, beautiful light show, and exceedingly friendly, enthusiastic crowd all came together to make for a wonderful night. FGC was also greeted particularly warmly at KClinger's, in Hanover PA, and by a great crowd at UVM, in Burlington, VT. Car troubles threatened to turn the trip into a downer, but several great sets and fantastic audiences made all the stresses a distant memory.

October finds FGC back on the road for a much anticipated (by the band, at least) return to the South. Several dates are still in the process of being confirmed, so please check back for all the latest!


9.18.04 SHARE Fest, West Milton, PA

August 24, 2004: Fall Tour '04 Confirmed Dates Announced! (first leg)
Well, students will be heading back to school all around the country in the next couple weeks, and FGC will be there to meet many of them. The first leg of Fall Tour '04 will be taking the band to the Northeast after a quick weekend in Iowa, and boasts exciting stops in college towns like Iowa City, Burlington, Keene, Cambridge, and Princeton. FGC is also thrilled to be headlining Saturday night at SHARE fest in Milton, PA, a very special three-day camping festival near Janis's hometown of Lemoyne. October and November dates are in the works and will be announced shortly (including some particularly exciting Halloween news), so please be sure to check the website often for all the latest! See you all at the shows!

wrapping up Summer '04…
8/07 | Uncle Fester's - Bloomington, IN
8/14 | Garfield Park Conservatory - Chicago, IL (3:00pm)
8/14 | Landmark Arts Gallery - Chicago, IL (9:00pm)
8/28 | Griffin's Public House - Chicago, IL

10/09 | Puffers - Chicago, IL
many more October and November dates to be announced shortly!

August 22, 2004: Summer Recap!

Summer has just been flying by! Hard to believe it's already late August, but the band is certain there's still a lot of warm weather left, and there are definitely a lot of great shows coming up. But first, a brief recap…

Summer '04 has marked some real breakthrough performances for FGC. Highlights would no doubt include stellar high profile sets at Summercamp, Summerfest, and 10,000 Lakes, which featured a surprise second FGC appearance on the last day of the festival. As if a second set wasn't enough, when some of Galactic's gear failed to arrive, keyboardist Rich Vogel asked if he could play Jordan's Rhodes during their set up on the main stage Sunday night (see pic below). After having a blast watching Galactic's set from just a few feet behind Stanton Moore, Jordan had the opportunity to raise the bar even higher, when he was invited up on to Sunshine Stage to check out the MMW set looking over Medeski's shoulder. After coming down from the stage following MMW's set, Jordan didn't speak for approximately three days.

FGC had a great tour through the South for several weeks in July. The band had a blast at the Blue Sky Festival in Washington, IL, hanging out with friends like Buddha's Belly and The Station, and enjoyed their debut Mississippi performance in Jackson (where a single-show record for selling t-shirts was set). Jackson was followed by a great weekend in Tennessee, where FGC's new friends, Secret Gossip, were tremendously gracious hosts. Secret Gossip lead guitarist Chris McElroy hooked the band up with a Friday night gig in Nashville, a fantastic audience, AND four badges to the Summer NAMM show! Not much more one could ask for - thanks Chris!

Later in the tour, FGC made their debut appearance in Raleigh, NC at the Pour House, and Jordan would like to send many thanks out to his good friend Zepi, who drove a long way to see him, and helped him out with some serious gear woes. The tour was capped off by two fantastic PA shows - one in Acme at the Full House Fest, where the band met new friends NBFB and The Brakes, and one in Hanover at the legendary KClinger's Tavern. All told, an excellent trip.

July 20, 2004: FGC in the news!

We are pleased to announce that 2 of our favorite music websites have published exclusive articles about FGC. Check out Glide Magazine for a tell-all interview with Jordan, and then cruise over to Jambands.ca to read a raving review!

July 14, 2004: Summer Tour 2004 Confirmed Dates

This year's summer tour was a little stubborn coming together, but FGC is finally ready to announce the confirmed dates for Summer Tour '04.

June 23, 2004: Family Groove Company Summer Festival Watch - Part IV

FGC is extremely happy to confirm that the band will be appearing at this year's 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, MN on 4th of July Weekend. Adam, Janis, Jordan, and Mattias are all thrilled to have such a wonderful opportunity to reach so many new listeners. FGC is scheduled to perform at 1:30pm on Saturday afternoon (July 3rd) on the Field Stage, and the boys (and girl) plan to be on hand for the entire weekend to enjoy all the great music, and to promote their butts off. Headliners for the festival (three full days of music!) include Galactic, John Mayer, String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, MMW, and many more.

FGC's summer festival schedule 2004 to date…

Stay tuned for more Summer Tour '04 updates!

June 22, 2004: Family Groove Company Summer Festival Watch - Part III

FGC is pleased to announce that the band will be performing Friday night, July 16th at the Blue Sky Music Festival near Peoria, IL, an event that will feature many of the Midwest's brightest young talents. This festival will kick off the band's first extended tour of the summer, a three week journey that will take the group through IL, OH, MS, Nashville (for a NAMM show performance), GA, NC, and PA. The tour will culminate with another festival appearance at the Full House Festival at the Church of Universal Love and Music in Acme, PA. August will likely see the band making a return to the South (they seem to like FGC in Dixieland!), and in September, FGC will be off to the Northeast on a tour that will include a headlining appearance at SHARE fest near Harrisburg, PA. FGC is still waiting on some exciting summer festival news, so please continue to check the website for all the latest! See you all at the shows!

June 20, 2004: Family Groove Company Summer Festival Watch - Part II

FGC brought their fresh Chicago grooves to the Landmark Arts Gallery for a summer solstice party at the Taste of Randolph St. This was a very exciting event that featured the work of many local Chicago artists, and included fire dancers, a fashion show, and a great FGC set. The band would like to thank Dan Baron and WC Records for making it all happen.

In other news, Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI is just around the corner, and FGC is very excited to announce that the band was invited to perform on the Emerging Artist Stage on Sunday, June 27th at 2pm. For those not already familiar with the festival, it is far and away the largest in the Midwest, and features artists spanning the musical spectrum, from CSN&Y, Tower of Power, moe., and ekoostik hookah, to John Mayer and Britney Spears. FGC is hoping you all will come out and show your support, as they will surely be swimming in a big pond.

June 15, 2004: Family Groove Company Summer Festival Watch!

Summer's here, and FGC's gearing up for a fantastic Summer '04 schedule. The band's summer festival appearances got off to a great start with a brilliant set at Summer Camp in Chillicothe, IL, a lovely festival headlined by such bright talents as Medeski, Martin and Wood, Charlie Hunter, and moe. The band played on a beautiful Saturday afternoon before a great crowd on the Camping Stage. This no doubt marked the first FGC experience for many of those in attendance, and the band was thrilled to have had such a great opportunity to reach so many new ears. The FGC team is very happy to say that over 600 live CDs were passed out in that weekend alone! Mother Nature was a little tough on day two of the festival - a tornado threat caused those in charge to make the tough choice to evacuate the park, and reschedule all of the performances for the following day. Because only one of three stages was in working order after the storm hit, a very limited number of bands were able to be rescheduled, and many talented, hard working bands did not get to play at all. Adam, Janis, Jordan, and Mattias are all extremely grateful for how lucky FGC was to get their set in before the storms rolled in.

April 27, 2004: 10,000 Lakes Festival Contest

Just a couple clicks of your mouse might help FGC get a slot in this year's 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota, whose headlining acts include John Mayer, MM&W, and Galactic. The festival is having a contest for smaller bands to win a performance slot partially determined by fan voting at the website. Click here to cast your vote. No email address required, the entire process will only take you a few seconds, and you can vote as many times as you want before May 7. The festival committee says they will pay special attention to votes accompanied by comments, so we'd greatly appreciate those folks that have a couple extra moments to enter some positive feedback about FGC.

March 19, 2004: FGC to appear at Summer Camp 2004!

Family Groove Company is very happy to confirm that the band will be appearing at this year's Summer Camp festival, to be held at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL on Memorial Day weekend. This incredible two day festival features an impressive roster of acts including moe., Medeski, Martin and Wood, Charlie Hunter, Umphrey's McGee, Particle, and many more. Fans will be able to catch FGC on the Camping Stage, Saturday afternoon (exact set times will be posted shortly). The band has a tremendous set in store for the Summer Camp crowd, and would like to encourage everyone to come out to Three Sisters Park on Memorial weekend to support FGC and enjoy two lovely days of fantastic music.

March 16, 2004: Spring is here!

Well, the Chicago weather may not show it, but this Saturday is the first day of spring. FGC will be kicking off Spring Tour '04 with a great hometown gig at the Beat Kitchen, and will then be heading west to the lovely Rocky Mountains. Spring Tour starts with a bang in Colorado, with a marathon run of eleven shows in ten days. Highlights include debut appearances in Durango and Telluride, and a much anticipated return to the Aspen area. The band will be catching Denver on the way out, with a stop in St. Louis and a couple as yet unconfirmed shows before returning to Chicago. After some Midwest touring in mid-April - including another big Iowa City show - the band will be heading back to the Northeast for a string of dates in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Stay tuned for the confirmed "leg two" schedule.

That's all for now - be sure to check the website for further Spring Tour updates (as well as some exciting summer festival news!).

Spring Tour '04 - CO leg

March 1, 2004: Greetings from the South!

Family Groove Company is in the midst of the second leg of Winter Tour '04, a trip that first took the band through the great state of Michigan, and now finds FGC on their debut journey through Dixieland. The Northeast leg of the tour wrapped up really well, with two great homecoming shows for Janis in Harrisburg and York, PA. The performances in Burlington over the previous weekend were a blast, and the band would like to thank Jenni Bean from UVM for all her help. Jordan would also like to send a special thank you out to his brother Gregg for flying out to Vermont for the weekend of shows on a much appreciated surprise visit.

So far, the South has treated the band exceptionally well. The tour started with another fun night at Cicero's in St. Louis, helped out in no small part by our new friends Earth Sol. Two great nights in Tennessee followed, both of which were headlined by the great Moonshine Still from Georgia. Night one found the bands at the legendary Exit/In in Nashville, and night two yielded a packed house at Wall Street in Murfreesboro. All of the Moonshine Still guys are remarkably friendly, and FGC would particularly like to thank Rentz for the fantastic southern cooking.

Coming up this week will be great shows at the Brandyhouse in Atlanta, GA, and the Aiken Brewing Company in Aiken, SC. This weekend will find the band making their third stop in TN at Barley's Taproom in Knoxville, and their debut Alabama appearance at The Brick in Decatur.

Spring Tour 2004 is just around the corner! The tour will be kicked off in Chicago at the Beat Kitchen on March 20th, and will feature a marathon tour through Colorado. Spring Tour dates will be announced shortly - be sure to check the website often for all the latest!

So long from Dixie - see y'all at the shows!

Winter Tour 2004 - Leg Two

January 9, 2004: Winter Tour 2004 Update!

FGC is very happy to announce the first two legs of Winter Tour 2004! This trip will take the band on a whirlwind tour through the great state of Iowa, followed by a much anticipated return to the Northeast. Highlights include what is sure to be another terrific show in Iowa City, debut appearances in a number of great cities like Rochester, NY and Hartford, CT, a pair of shows with the talented Cerulean City from NYC, and an exciting hometown performance for Janis in Harrisburg, PA. The band is currently hard at work spreading the word about the upcoming performances, and can't wait to dive head first into a heavy touring schedule.

Have a friend that lives in one of our tour stops? Think they'd like to be turned on to FGC? If you're interested in helping us get the word out, please email us - your assistance is greatly appreciated!

WINTER TOUR 2004

For more detailed info, please check the gigs page.

January 6, 2004: Wise Fools Pub show just added!!

Looks like the band will be making an unexpected Chicago appearance this week - FGC has agreed to join the bill with The One-Eyed Show at the Wise Fools Pub THIS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10TH. Due to a heavy winter touring schedule, FGC does not currently have any further Chicago appearances on the books, so it may be a little while until the next one. Hope you all can make it despite the late notice!

January 2, 2004: Happy New Year!

2004 is here already…whoa. Everyone in the band hopes you all had a wonderful holiday season, and we all can't wait to hit the ground running for a fantastic 2004! First, a quick recap of the last couple weeks…

Jordan spent much of the holiday season skiing with his family in Colorado, and despite a few minor travel related inconveniences, had a terrific time. He'd like to offer a quick hello to his new friends, Rob and Leslie, with whom he had to share a rental car from Denver to Aspen. Be sure to check the website often for progress reports regarding Jordan's plans to single handedly take down United Airlines. Friendly skies my ass!

Janis spent some time at home in Harrisburg, PA, and out on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. In between these two trips she managed to pick up a New Year's Eve gig, and classic rocked her way into 2004.

Janis and Jordan's travel plans left Adam and Mattias unattended for most of the holidays, and their whereabouts and behavior have not been fully accounted for. It is believed they most likely took to the streets, moonlighting under the monikers Pri Mate and T Bone, leaving no water bottle untouched by vodka.

Looking forward, FGC will be hitting the road for much of the next few months. The band will be rolling through Iowa during caucus time, with shows in our beloved Iowa City, as well as Muscatine, Pomeroy, and Des Moines. At the end of January, FGC will be heading back to the Northeast for gigs in NY, VT, NH, MA, CT, and PA. Included in this tour will be a pair of shows with good friends and a great band, Cerulean City. Finally, a debut tour through the Southeast and a return to Colorado are currently in the works.

Once again, happy New Year to all! As always, keep checking the website for the latest. See you at the shows!

2004