News Archives 2005 - Family Groove Company

[NEWS] - December 30, 2005

With the New Year just around the corner, click here for a recap of FGC's 2005 and what's on tap for 2006. Happy New Year!!

[NEWS] - December 4, 2005

Winter appears to be upon us, and those of you keeping track will have noted that FGC did not show its groove wielding head much this past month of November. No, the band has been burrowed away, working tirelessly day and night at…what? Well, the big news won't be announced for a little while yet, but rest assured, there will be news, and it will be BIG.

The big news for the moment though, is that FGC will be throwing a New Year's Eve bash this year in Oshkosh, WI. The overwhelmingly supportive fans the band has met at UW/Oshkosh in recent months have just been terrific, and if there's anyone FGC ought to ring in the New Year with, it's them. We can't wait to see you again, Oshkosh crew - we're gonna have a BLAST! Special thanks to Matt Burchstead for the custom New Year's poster!

FGC did make several public appearances last month, and a fantastic time was had by the many in attendance. The band would like to thank good friends Seeker and the terrific audience that showed up to see us at the Rocket Theater in Rock Island. That same weekend, FGC positively brought the house down at the Heartland Café where a tremendous crowd pushed the band through a marathon set. Big thanks go out to Midnight Special for getting things rolling on what turned out to be a spectacular night.

Most recently, FGC hosted their 4th annual Thanksgiving Benefit at Griffin's Public House in Chicago, and rounded up a veritable mountain of canned goods for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. FGC was thrilled to see this performance become the unofficial after party for the Phil Lesh show at the Chicago Theater, as the walls were just about bursting at the seams by the end of the night. It was wall to wall Heads at Griffin's that night, and when the band launched into their funk version of New Speedway Boogie to pay humble tribute to Phil's Chicago tour stop, the place went beserk.

Looking ahead into the month of December, in addition to the New Year's Eve blow out in Oshkosh, FGC will once again be sharing a bill with good friends Starrunner, this time for a performance at Otto's in Dekalb, IL. Later in the month, the band will be joining good friends Phix for a great night at the Double Door.

There is a tremendous amount of exciting news to look forward to in the world of FGC - be sure to check the website often for all the latest!

[NEWS] - November 1, 2005

Happy Halloween! October was a terrific month for FGC, particularly with respect to college town appearances. In the last couple weeks, the band has had HUGE nights at the University of Wisconsin/Oshkosh, Western Illinois University, Millikin University, the University of Illinois, and Iowa University. FGC was thrilled to have finally made it up to Oshkosh, which figures to be a regular stop in the band's travels, and had a terrific time supporting Lotus at the Canopy Club in Urbana, IL. The crowds were overwhelmingly supportive, and we can't wait to see you all again!

More recently, Family Groove Company celebrated Halloween with great three dates in Chicago, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids. This year's Top Gun theme allowed the band to treat audiences to classic tunes by Kenny Loggins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Otis Redding, and afforded Jordan (Maverick) and Mattias (Goose) the opportunity to treat one lucky lady at each show to their Righteous Brothers stylings with a cappella performances of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling". The shows were a big hit, and the band would like to thank the great audiences on all three nights for coming out and making the evenings so much fun.

Looking ahead, FGC's touring schedule is going to lighten a bit as we near the holidays. A big all ages show is on the books for November 19th at the Heartland Café, and the band is proud to be bringing its 4th annual Thanksgiving Benefit back to Griffin's on November 26th. On December 9th, FGC will be teaming up once again with good friends Starrunner for a great show at Otto's in Dekalb, IL.

The limited number of November performances should not lead anyone to believe that the FGC machine is slowing down, however…quite the contrary, in fact. The band expects to be making several HUGE announcements in the coming weeks and months, so be sure to stay tuned!

[NEWS] September 18, 2005

Hope everyone's been having a great summer - FGC has been having a blast! August began with a tremendous headlining appearance at Farmapalooza in Eagle River, WI, and ended with a fantastic set at the inaugural F.U.N.K. fest in Bean Blossom, IN. The band was then particularly busy Labor Day weekend with five performances in as many nights in some of our favorite Midwest towns. Each night was a highlight in its own right, as the band made stops in Macomb and Rock Island on the IL side of the Mississippi, and Iowa City, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids on the other side of the Ole Miss.

More recently, after a quick jaunt out east, FGC was seen tearing it up in Minnesota - the band's first return to the land of lakes since 2004's 10,000 Lakes Festival. The performance at Carleton College had to have been the best of the weekend, though the show at the Rueb, and the band's appearance at the Tree Frog Music festival offered stiff competition. Big thanks go out to Mark and the rest of Down Lo for all their help!

Coming up around the corner, FGC is very happy to be paying a visit to all of our Cleveland friends this weekend, followed by the band's debut appearance in Ann Arbor, MI. Rounding out next weekend, FGC is thrilled to have been asked to be a part of Rock For Relief on Sunday, September 25th in Deerfield, IL. FGC will be performing in support of the Red Cross and the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund - click here for more details.

October is shaping up to be very busy - a Halloween Run (set to include stops in Chicago and Iowa City) is already in place, and the band is looking forward to a highly anticipated performance at the University of Wisconsin/Oshkosh on October 14th. Additional dates can be found on the tour page, and new ones will be added shortly, so be sure to stay tuned for all the latest.

Hope all of our Chicago friends are enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having! See you soon!

[NEWS] August 14, 2005 - FGC's Got F.U.N.K.!!!!

Family Groove Company is very happy to announce that the band is confirmed to appear at the first F.U.N.K. Fest (Friends uv Nature and Knowledge) produced by Jay Goldberg Entertainment. The festival is to be held over the last weekend of August at the Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Park in Morgantown, IN (just south of Indianapolis). FGC is scheduled to help get the party rolling by beginning the festivities with a Friday Night pre-party on August 26th. Other featured acts for the weekend include Victor Wooten, Keller Williams, ekoostik hookah, Umphrey's McGee, and many more! More details about the Friday night festivities will follow shortly - check www.jaytv.com/funkfestival for the latest updates.

[NEWS] August 7, 2005 - What A Weekend!

The last four weeks have been chock full of highlights for FGC, none greater than their incredible appearance at Farmapalooza 2005 last weekend. The band was thrilled to headline Saturday's festivities, and took the stage for a marathon two and a half hour set following an impressive fireworks display. We would like to thank John Schneider and the rest of the Farmapalooza staff for putting together a first rate operation, and for making FGC part of such a special event. Good friends Zach and Liz also played a vital role in FGC's Farmapalooza appearance, and for that the band is very grateful. Finally, FGC would like to thank the overwhelmingly appreciative fans in attendance this year for all their enthusiasm and support.

Also of note, the band had a fantastic trip through the South in mid-July. FGC played to particularly fun audiences in both Huntsville and Auburn, AL, and we'd like to say hi to new friends, Susan, Lindsay, Jacob, Sam, and Robert. The heat and humidity made for an exhausting trip, but the great time the band had in Huntsville and Auburn, as well as in Knoxville, TN, and Columbia and Charleston, SC more than made up for it. FGC would also like to thank good friends Secret Gossip for (once again) treating us so well in Nashville.

The band is really excited for their upcoming Midwest dates in the month of August. Still feeling the adrenaline from Farmapalooza, the band will head over to Schaumburg, IL this Wednesday, and then head down to Urbana for a highly anticipated return to the Canopy Club. Both performances are 18 and up, and are followed by an all ages performance at the Minglewood in Rockford, IL on 8/19. FGC will then head back the band's home away from home, Griffin's Public House in Chicago, on 8/20.

Lots of Fall Tour dates will be posted soon - be sure to check the website for all the latest info! See you at the shows!

[NEWS] July 8, 2005 - Greetings from PA!

We've reached the heart of the summer now, and the band is thrilled to be out on the road in the midst of such lovely weather. No blizzards and icy roads for FGC, thank you very much! June saw the band visiting with old friends and making new ones while covering ground from Chicago to the east coast and back. New stops included a very pleasant trip through the Adirondacks up to Saranac Lake, NY, an appearance at the Gathering music festival in Pulaski, NY, and the band's first visit to Columbus, OH at Ruby Tuesdays. As for old favorites, FGC had a blast hitting both KClinger's locations in PA, and returning to Stanley's in Cincinnati. More recently, the band enjoyed another terrific show at Griffin's Public House in sweet home Chicago. Playing in Chi-town is always fun, but Griffin's has really come to feel like home.

FGC also had the pleasure of providing the musical entertainment at a very special occasion: Mike and Heather Aleckson's wedding. This was a memorable night of jazz standards and Beatles tunes, and the band is very grateful to the Alecksons for making FGC a part of their big day. Congratulations newlyweds!!>

Looking forward, the band is very excited to be appearing at Flarnadio Fest 2005 in Kempton, PA on July 10th. Following a quick return to Pennsylvania, FGC will be stopping in Cleveland and Detroit on the way back to Chicago for yet another hometown appearance at the Heartland Café on July 16th. This will be an all ages event, and the band can't wait to see some of the terrific people that introduced themselves at Summer Camp this year.

Following the Heartland, the band will hit the road again for a two-week trip through the South, and will return to the Midwest in time for Farmapalooza 2005 in Eagle River, WI! Ticket sales info for Farmapalooza will be posted on the site shortly, as will quite a few new tour dates, taking the band through to the end of summer and into early fall. Lots of exciting stuff, so please stay tuned!

[NEWS] June 3, 2005 - Summer Camp 2005!!!

What a fantastic weekend! FGC played a killer set Saturday afternoon, and had a blast all weekend meeting new fans, and making new friends. We'd like to send our warmest thanks to the entire Oshkosh crew for coming down, and in particular to Zach, the intrepid traveler and their fearless ringleader. The band would like to encourage all the good people that snapped photos with us over the weekend to email them into us - we'd love to see them and throw them up on the site! Special thanks also go out to our good friend Anderson for all his help, and to Lindsay, who is quickly becoming the band's official photographer. We can't say enough about the warm reception we received both during our set, and throughout the entire weekend…our thanks go out to all of you!

The band's May residency at Wise Fools Pub was also a huge success. We were very excited to debut two new songs over the course of the month - a groovy tune called "Bird'n'Diz", and a funky instrumental called "Byron's Got the Time," and also had fun digging into the vault for a couple tunes we hadn't played in quite awhile. We'd like to congratulate our Summer Camp contest winners once again, Ted Quinn and Bill Clyde, and thank the great bands that joined us for the month - MWC, Deuce, Euforquestra, and Revision.

Looking ahead, FGC finds itself on the East Coast again this weekend. Several performances in upstate New York include a highly anticipated appearance at The Gathering music festival in Pulaski, NY, this Sunday afternoon. From there, the band heads south into Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and is particularly looking forward to seeing the good folks at KClinger's in both Hanover and Etters. Later in the summer, FGC's looking forward to a number of Chicago appearances, as well as stops in several Midwest markets. Finally, we haven't forgotten about our good friends in the South! Stay tuned for the announcement of our Summer Southern Tour dates, kicking off in late July.

Here's how Summer Tour '05 is shaping up through June…

[NEWS] April 30, 2005 - FGC'S SUMMER CAMP WARM UP

Family Groove Company will be appearing at Wise Fools Pub on the last three Wednesdays in May (5/11, 5/18, and 5/25) to get the Summer Camp fun started a little early this year. Even more exciting, Jay Goldberg and JayTV have offered up two free tickets to Summer Camp '05, one to be given away at EACH of the first two performances! Click here for more details and a discounted flyer!

These are sure to be three fantastic nights of music, filled with new material, and surprise guests (more details to follow). Come on out and help the band welcome in the summer weather, all the while getting your dancing shoes warmed up for Summer Camp '05 on Memorial Day Weekend!

[NEWS] April 12, 2005 - FGC CONFIRMED FOR FARMAPALOOZA 2005!

We are very happy to announce that Family Groove Company will be performing at this year's Farmapalooza in Eagle River, WI. Many thanks surely go out to all those of you who took a moment to cast your vote for FGC (particularly our kick ass Oshkosh crew!) - there's no doubt your support made a difference. With a great new location, and a fantastic line up set to be announced shortly, Farmapalooza 2005 is shaping up to be a tremendous weekend of fun and music! Hope to see you all there!

Farmapalooza 2005 | August 5-7
Hi-Pines Campground, Eagle River, WI
www.farmapalooza.org
Set times and ticket info to be announced shortly!

[NEWS] April 2, 2005 - FGC RETURNS TO SUMMER CAMP!

The band is thrilled to be included in the first round of acts confirmed to appear at Summer Camp 2005, and is looking forward to another great weekend of music. Set times and stage info will be announced shortly - check out www.jaytv.com/summercamp2005 for more info!

Speaking of festivals, help FGC get a slot in this year's Farmapalooza Festival in Wisconsin. Take a quick second and cast your vote here.

[NEWS] March 28, 2005 - NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED!

After hundreds of grueling hours of work by FGC's website guru (Janis) and graphic arts specialist (Adam), Family Groove Company's new online home is up and ready for your surfing pleasure. The band is thrilled with how the new site has turned out, and is eager for fans and friends alike to dive in and take a look. Be sure to check out the new and improved photo albums, the fun stuff added to the "etc." page, and of course, FGC's new online store. We're always interested in input from our extended family, so please don't be shy and let us know what you think!

In band news, FGC is happily entrenched in the midst of a particularly busy touring schedule, to the tune of 35 shows in 34 cities, in just 65 days from late February to the end April. Poor weather conditions made for a tough first leg through the Northeast, but the snow was no match for the blast the band had at the Funk Box with new friends, The Bridge. Special thanks surely go out to Bat, a tremendously supportive new fan who helped make FGC's debut Baltimore appearance a memorable one.

The second leg of the tour brought the band through the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and they still managed to get snowed on. With a temperature range that spanned 80 degrees in Columbia, SC, all the way down to 26 degrees in Etters, PA, FGC no doubt proved their adaptability to extreme climates at both ends of the spectrum. Great new friends, and fellow mid-westerners, Zach and Ian from Oshkosh, WI made the Charleston, SC stop particularly fun - FGC's looking forward to meeting the rest of the Oshkosh crew, guys! Other highlights included killer nights at Barley's Taproom in Knoxville, and at The Minglewood in Columbia.

The band is now on their way westward into the lovely Colorado Rockies for a tour through some of their favorite ski towns. FGC loves playing in the mountains, and is looking forward to getting a little skiing in too!

Several new dates are expected to be added to the April schedule, and be sure to look for summer tour dates to be added soon!

Enjoy the new site, and we'll see you all at the shows!

February 1, 2005: Winter Tour '05 Confirmed Dates!

FGC's first tour dates of 2005 are here! As previously announced, the tour will kick off in Chicago with an all ages show at the Heartland Café on Friday, February 18th. From there, the band will head out on a 14 city tour that will take the boys (and girl) through the Northeast, the Southeast, and a few new Mid-Atlantic spots in between. Highlights of the NE leg of the tour include a big night opening for Sam Kininger (of Soulive fame) at the Eclipse Theater in Waitsfield, VT, and a greatly anticipated return to Nectar's in Burlington, VT. These performances will be followed by an exciting show at Wilbert's in Cleveland, supporting the monstrously talented John Novello Band, and a special night at the Southgate House in Newport, KY to benefit muscular dystrophy. Further south, the band's looking forward to debut appearances in Blacksburg, VA, and Columbia and Charleston, SC, as well as big return trips to Raleigh, NC and Knoxville, TN.

Looking ahead, FGC will be heading west to Colorado at the end of March, and will spend much of the first part of April touring some of their favorite mountain towns. Look for Spring Tour '05 dates to be announced soon! Due to a very dense touring schedule, February's Chicago appearance at the Heartland Café will be FGC's last until April 15th and 16th, when the band has another Cross-Town Classic planned. Be sure not to miss the band's only Chicago appearance this winter!

Jordan's voice is continuing to recover well - many thanks to all of you who have emailed kind thoughts and warm wishes. He's looking forward to talking (with you all) soon!

Several more winter tour dates are in the works - check back on the website often for all the latest!

January 21, 2005: A Long Overdue Update…

A belated happy new year to everyone - it's been a while since anyone's heard anything from FGC! As you'll see, the band's silence has been in parts both figurative and literal. Many of you will recall that the band's last half dozen or so shows to close out '04 were strictly instrumental sets. This was due to some difficulties Jordan was having with his voice, and doctor's orders that he take a break from singing. Shortly before the New Year, Jordan was told that surgery would be required to get his voice back on track. It turned out that a small polyp had formed on one of his vocal folds, and was unlikely to go away by itself. Vocal fold polyps are a fairly common ailment for singers, and are caused by excessive strain on the voice. If the vocal folds are made to bleed, the blood will sometimes collect into a polyp, weighing down the vocal fold, and disrupting the voice's ability to produce pitch.

Jordan went in for the surgery on Wednesday, January 19th, and it went very well. The recovery process requires that he not speak for the week following the procedure, so we won't be hearing much from him for a little while. The doctors' orders are also keeping Jordan out of smoky bars for the next month, which has unfortunately caused the band to cancel their touring plans for late January and much of February. Janis, Adam, and Mattias plan to perform as a guitar-led power trio for two nights in Indiana, but, Adam's wild fantasies notwithstanding, FGC's first appearance of 2005 will be in Chicago on February 18th at the Heartland Café. New friends from Bloomington, IN, East Race, will support. The FGC team isn't exactly sure how much singing Jordan will be doing that night, but everyone is feeling very optimistic.

Looking further ahead, the band is eager to jump head first into an aggressive touring schedule, making up for the time lost by 2005's late start. FGC will be hitting the road in late February, and plans to tour steadily through May. Trips through the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic states, the South, and Colorado are in the works, and the band is hopeful that confirmed tours dates will be ready for release in the next couple days.

Jordan would like to send his thanks to everyone that's shown so much support over the last month, and can't wait to be singing again. Visit FGC's new forum, The Family Room, to check out a message from the silent man himself, and check back on the website soon to see some before and after pictures of his vocal chords!

See you all soon!

2005