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20 illinoisentertainer . com june 2018

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We ' re Not in Oglesby Anymore

By Kelley Simms photo by Marisa Klug Morataya hicago-based punk / blues band The Claudettes pull out all the stops on their third full-length album , Dance Scandal in the Gymnasium !, released last month . The 12 eclectic tracks are a musical melting pot of sound that mines various genres , including piano-driven Chicago blues , improvisational soul / jazz and heartfelt punk / rock , all delivered with a quirky , tin-pan alley , neo-vaudevillian swagger . The band consists of heavy-handed pianist Johnny Iguana ( aka Brian Berkowitz ), endearing and seductive vocalist Berit Ulseth , versatile bassist / singer Zach Verdoorn , and spaztastic guest drummer Michael Caskey , who ’ s filling in for regular drummer Danny Yost , who recently suffered a stroke .

When Philadelphia-born Iguana wasn ’ t listening to punk rock growing up , he was playing classical music on an old acoustic piano . When he was 15 years old , his uncle sent him two influential cassette tapes ; Chicago bluesman Junior Wells ’ Hoodoo Man Blues and jazz organist Jimmy Smith ’ s Organ Grinder Swing , Iguana ’ s been hooked on the blues . After moving to New York City at age 22 , Iguana met his idol , Junior Wells , joined his band and relocated to Chicago where he ’ s lived ever since .

Iguana formed The Claudettes as a two-man house band ( piano and drums ) and secured a residency at Claudette ’ s Bar in Oglesby , Illinois in 2010 . Their titular namesake germinated from the extraordinarily eccentric bar owner , who put the band on wages , then schlepped them out to other dive bars after she sold her establishment . Straight out of a whacky burlesque show , Claudette would often interrupt the band on stage to take drink orders . And at one time , the group even donned scrolling name tags that advertised drink and chicken wing specials .

“ We ’ ve broken free from those whole dark early days for several years now ,” Iguana admitted . “ We used to pay homage to that by continuing to take these scrolling drink special licenses with us as just sort of a reminder of the shitholes we ’ ve played in the past . How easy it is to be profound with what you ’ re doing when you ’ re competing against TV and chicken wing specials . I sort of got away from doing that because we ’ ve been writing a lot of really emotional songs . I think at the time that made sense ; we were making a comment with that . But with the material that we ’ re doing now , it would be a distraction .”

The material Iguana is alluding to is on the band ’ s latest album , Dance Scandal in the Gymnasium !, which was produced by Mark Neill , the Grammy-winning producer who was responsible for tweaking the knobs on The Black Keys 2010 commercial break-through album , Brothers . Dance Scandal was recorded using vintage equipment - nostalgic microphones , Marxophones , Mellotrons , rare fuzz pedals and an array of percussion instruments . Neill was very precise with what he wanted to capture during the recording process . He even mixed and mastered the album because he didn ’ t want anyone else messing with his creation .

“ It was a very interesting experience ,” Iguana said of working with Neill . “ He has all this vintage equipment and a really strong concept of what ’ s the right way to record and what ’ s the wrong way to record . He called us an acoustic jazz-piano punk band , so he recorded us like an acoustic band . He had us playing at a very quiet volume . It was a real challenge for our drummer because he had to barely hit the drums . Because by doing so , you can use vintage mikes , and you can use your vintage pre-amps and really turn them up . And that ’ s where you get a big , fat , round sound . It separated the men from the boys to record that way .”

Aside from the band ’ s immense musical chops , Iguana ’ s social commentary and character-based storytelling are equally impressive . From the heartfelt “ Pull Closer to Me ” to the desperate yearning of “ Death and Traffic ,” to the absurdness of the information super-highway with “ Naked on the Internet ” and “ Give It All Up for Good ,” to the endless flag-waving political barbs of “ Bill Played Saxophone ,” the band covers a broad musical spectrum . “ Generally speaking , people say it ’ s hard to define what the band is ,” Iguana said . “[ We ’ re ] not trying to be one of those [ obvious genre ] bands , which is why a lot of head-scratching happens . Like , ‘ What is this ?’”

When it comes to the business aspects of the band , Iguana is multifaceted . He writes all the music and lyrics , maintains the band ’ s vehicle , books the gigs , and coordinates public relations and radio promotions . But he lives for the live shows . “ What ’ s important is pouring your heart into your performance ,” Iguana said . “ We put so much heart into our live shows . All I can do is try to do that more - to put the heart out in front of people and to write good , entertaining , moving music . To me , getting to travel to great cities of the world , playing our own music is the most enriching and rewarding thing in the world .”