Kevin Pollack & The NuTown Band

Singer/songwriter/actor Kevin Pollack wrote a really cool song for his wife that is now available on line. Called “Something Good is Coming Down,” Kevin talks about the motivation and reason behind the new hip song. A really interesting week in the arts on this week’s podcast…check it out! - WGN Radio

Kevin Pollack has released the music video for his song 'Man About Town.' The music video, directed by Deric Gochenauer, follows a man anxious to meet a girl for a date, and once they are together it seems as if the whole town is following their love around, acting as the dancers to their musical number romance. The music video matches the tone of the upbeat song perfectly, making for an all-around feel good experience. - BroadwayWorld.com

This week, Paul goes behind the curtain with Chicago songwriter/singer/actor Kevin Pollack who discusses the process behind his new single, “Man About Town.” Known all over as one of the Blooze Brothers, Kevin is frequently seen on Chicago stages and soon to appear in Las Vegas. - WGN Radio

Kevin Pollack is a Chicago singer-songwriter (and actor) who’s just released the first video from his new collection of songs, called “Man About Town”. Kevin discusses his musical influences and his many side-gigs (including playing “Joliet Jake” in the tribute band The Blooze Brothers), and shares the ups and downs of the music biz, including inspiration from The Temptations and The Four Tops, songwriting as therapy, and such career highlights as performing in Las Vegas and playing rock icons like Joe Cocker, Billy Joel, and…Roger Ebert?! - Reduced Shakespeare Company

Kevin Pollack calls it NuTown, a throwback style meshing Motown classics with a new energy.

And that assessment is spot on.

The Chicago-area singer-songwriter, actor, talent buyer and fest-thrower recognized how some big players on the national scene — Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake, for example — were tapping into a retro sound with considerable mainstream success.

“I didn’t exactly want to go that route,” Pollack said. “I wanted to create a new sound with an old sound that people love.”

The result? A new video for his recent single, “Man About Town,” an upbeat number that channels the best of the classic soul and Motown groups that most influence him, but with a modern vibe. The video premiered nationally earlier this week.

“After writing ‘Something Good’ (a song Pollack wrote for his wife for their wedding), I wanted to write another upbeat one,” he said. “I wrote the chorus first. I wanted it to be hook-y enough to tell a story, and then I formed everything around it. I thought about a date night I had and figured ‘Man About Town’ would be a perfect date night song.”

And it is. With its energetic vibe and uplifting melody, it’s a song that feels ripped straight from a rom-com soundtrack. But with updated twists and a fun, lighthearted video.

“I’m always positive. I don’t swear in my lyrics. With all the negativity in the world right now you need positive things to bring you up. Every song I write is like a party,” he said. ”And as an actor, I wanted to show who I am on the acting side of things. To make the video a mini musical a la ‘La La Land’ while telling a story, which ties me back to the singer-songwriter aspect.”

Starring in the video — which cuts between scripted scenes and studio performance clips — Pollack is no stranger to the stage. He has already earned a reputation around Chicago with many theatrical roles as well as a winning stint in the Black Ensemble Theater’s production of “Men of Soul.” But perhaps he’s best known for his ongoing role as Jake in the long-running Blooze Brothers tribute act. He’s been touring with the band and playing the role for the last four years, to much acclaim.

Pollack has also been a talent buyer at Reggies, and has been recognized internationally as the founder of the annual Progtoberfest progressive rock weekend.

With all this on his plate, it seems unlikely that someone would have time to focus on his own songwriting. But somehow the Buffalo Grove native and current Glenview resident makes it work, with new songs and an eventual EP coming into play. - Chicago Sound Check

Kevin Pollack

New single - "Man About Town" - WGN TV

Kevin Pollack’s proud to be a Blooze Brother, but a musical style he describes as NuTown is bursting out of him.

Known by fans in McHenry County and throughout the Chicago area as Joliet Jake
Blooze in the popular show band honoring the music of the original Blues Brothers, Pollack also is making a name for himself as a solo artist.

He describes his music as a mix between the old songs of Motown and songs of today from artists such as Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake, hence NuTown.

He’s released a video for his recent single, “Man About Town” – a song now played on area radio stations and available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and other major online sites – and will perform with Las Vegas’ top headliner Frankie Moreno on Oct. 24 in Las Vegas.

“It blew up,” he said of his solo career.

“To make a living as a songwriter, it’s a difficult dream to have,” he said. “Many go after it, but you have to have hope that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere, and you’ve just got to keep going.”

Pollack joined Blooze Brothers – often seen on stages at festivals and such throughout McHenry County and performing Jan. 4 at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake – in 2015.

Featuring various artists through the years, the show band has toured the Chicago area and beyond for more than 25 years. They not only play the traditional blues and classic rock music made by the original Blues Brothers for movies, television and albums, they embody the spirit of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in the stage show.

Pollack also performs in area theater productions, most recently cast as The Arbiter in “Chess,” opening Nov. 8 at PM&L Theatre in Antioch.

“I’ve been a songwriter since I was a teenager,” he said. “I wanted to run with that dream.The acting world is great, but my real passion is music, and getting to release my own sound is what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Pollack first gained attention for his solo music when, with the help of the Blooze Brothers band, he performed a song he wrote, “Something Good,” to surprise his wife.

Those who heard it encouraged him to venture out on his own.

“I thought maybe I’m on to something here, so I started writing more songs,” he said.

He filmed the video for “Man About Town,” which can be seen on YouTube, with the help of about 40 friends and family members throughout the area. Scenes take place at his home in Glenview, his office in Schaumburg and Jonie’s Pizzeria in Long Grove, among other places.

Dancers from Dance For Me Performing Center in Elk Grove Village also helped out. Depicting a date night with his wife, Katherine, the video features a sort of flash mob of dancers.

“It turned into something very magical,” Pollack said.

The success of the video isn’t the only thing making him smile these days as he’s gained a publicist and been contacted by music producers.

He could hardly believe when his musical influence, Frankie Moreno, invited him to perform two of his songs with Moreno’s Las Vegas band.

“It’s a dream come true,” he said. - Northwest Herald

With summer winding down, it’s time for a focus on Fall, and singer Kevin Pollack is out of the gate early. His August song debut of “Man About Town” is part of a once-a-month song release schedule for autumn, culminating in an EP release in December. “Man About Town” is a swinging tune about a swinging soul.

Kevin Pollack is a fixture around Chicago with his acting – he portrayed Roger Ebert in the musical “The Black/White Love Play” – and singing, especially through his role as Jake in The Blues Brothers tribute act The Blooze Brothers. Lately he’s been writing and performing his own music, beginning last year with “Something Good (Is Coming Down),” a song he wrote as a gift to his wife at their wedding. After getting some local traction for that single, including some radio and stadium play, he put together his once-a-month strategy for 2019, and kicked it off with “Man About Town.” - Hollywood Chicago