John Greenfield
A low-volume but high-energy combo, John Greenfield's Rock
Band is not your average pop group. Greenfield does whatever it takes
to connect with the audience: frantically strumming his acoustic, hand
clapping, leading sing-alongs, even putting down the guitar to dance.
Roth echoes the singer's deadpan humor with "melodic", Vaudeville-style
drumming. And Farmer's supportive, Ramones-esque bass provides the eye
of the hurricane.But it's Greenfield's unusual lyrics that make the Rock
Band's music truly unique. Built around improvisation and based on true
stories, his songs cover the four basic topics of rocking, romance, loneliness
and geography. Whether he is saluting a Chicago songstress in "Liz
Phair", discussing the history of Bjork's homeland in "Icelandic
Sagas" or expressing a secret longing for the Pacific Northwest in
"Portland", Greenfield tells stories heard not heard elsewhere
in rock music.
Artist history
John Greenfield's Rock Band is fronted by singer-songwriter-guitarist
John Greenfield. Greenfield has been a fixture in the Chicago music scene
for a decade, playing with countless Windy City acts during the '90s,
ranging from the roots-rock outfit the Farmers to blues guitarist Rockin'
Johnny, to masked surf instrumentalists the Hideaways. Most recently,
he has played bass with folk rocker John Huss and power-pop legend Slink
Moss. In the summer of 1999, Greenfield formed John Greenfield's Rock
Band to showcase his own frontman abilities. With Ella Farmer (a veteran
of the all-woman punk group, Ting) on bass and drummer Eric Roth (also
of X-Vessel, featuring former members of Number One Cup), the Rock Band
has built a loyal following through passionate, energetic live shows,
two of which are represented on the debut CD "Chicago Songs"
on Roxtar records. The group has performed at Metro, the Empty Bottle,
Lounge Ax, the Hideout, Beat Kitchen and other Chicago venues and will
soon be playing regional and national shows. Check out John Greenfield's
website at www.mp3./ChicagoRock.
Click here to see video of John's performance of "Liz Phair" as it appeared on HoundDog #4.
Click here to see video of John's performance of "Portland" as it appeared on HoundDog #5.