SLuMP

In 2002, two dads got the kids to sleep and broke out their dusty old guitars to bang out some tunes. One thing lead to another, new members joined and SLuMP was formed. Although SLuMP had fun and found success playing top Chicago music venues, their hearts were set on playing sets their kids could enjoy. In addition to the core SLuMPsters, the band has made steps to create a community of south side guest musicians (our superfriends) who frequently join the band by adding vocals, harmonica, percussion, saxophone and additional keys. This dynamic brings a great energy to live shows, which are currently almost exclusively in family friendly settings. Furthermore, SLuMP has taken it a step further to encourage kids to partcipate while at the shows. SLuMP shows often feature kids on percussion instruments (e.g. cowbell and maracas), doing art to be displayed on stage and/or running the light show and dancing. As anybody who has ever seen a Disney or Pixar film knows, playing to the kids is essential but there also has to be something for the adults. As such, we play music that the adults appreciate. We do not play Barney music. Instead, we have a great time playing music from the 60's on up to the present and our set-lists are always full of surprises. We'd like to think that our efforts, coupled with Guitar Hero and Rock Band, will get the young generations liking quality, well-written classic rock and pop music, - maybe to the degree that there Ipods will feature music of their parent's generation. It could happen...