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arrive as I’d envisioned, with her singing
them so beautifully. It’s like, ‘My plan! It
worked! It’s alive!’”
The song “You Drummers Keep
Breaking My Heart” tells a tale years in the
making, reaching back to Iguana’s history
with oh my god. The lyrics recast Iguana’s
history in the rhythm section as one frac-
tious and failed romance after another.
“Every verse in the song is true, about my
past drummers leaving me in some way,”
says Iguana. “Whether by death, illness or
as one lyric says, ‘one got sick of me, the
other just got sick.’ But I thought it was a
good idea to have Berit sing as if they’re
her past boyfriends, rather than my past
bandmates.”
“The Sun Will Fool You” is a tender and
perceptive observation with roots at home.
“My nine-year-old noted that the February
sun in Chicago was big and bright but
offered zero heat,” says Iguana. “‘You
know, the sun will fool you,’ he said in the
car. It made me think about people who
everyone thinks are warm, but they’re
actually brutally cold. And how all of us,
sometimes, turn on that cold and hurt
those we love just to gain advantage or
exact revenge. It’s a uniquely human skill
that causes a lot of pain.”
Ulseth shines on shades of star-crossed
romance, including the rockabilly “Bad
Babe Losin’ Touch,” the restless tango “I
Swear to God I Will,” and the brash kiss-off
“Declined.” “Berit loves to sing country
and has that warm, pure country tone, and
yet also went to jazz school for vocals,”
says Iguana. “I think she’s ideally suited
for torch songs, and she’s got an air of mys-
tery that adds an extra layer of seduction.”
Bassist Zach Verdoorn steps forward to
sing lead on “I Don’t Do That Stuff
Anymore,” an evocative portrait of
teenage years and their combination of lust
for life and near-death experiences. “Zach
and I had shared stories of dramatically
dumb choices made during our high
school years,” Iguana says. “We talked
about a fondness for those times, but also
our collective head-shaking at the almost
unbelievable recklessness. Also, Zach has a
beautiful voice that I wanted to feature.
There’s a real vulnerability to his singing.”
Verdoorn burns up the fretboard on
“24/5,” a comical song in which Ulseth
urges an overzealous lover to give it a rest,
already.
The album’s impact aligns with the
band’s overall purpose. Iguana wants The
Claudettes to spark joy despite contrary
circumstances, and he figures what works
for him will work for others. “Travel
around in a van playing music you’ve
written. This is my advice to myself and
everyone else. Just figure out a way to do
that. I don’t know how people get by with-
out music.”
Appearing April 3 at FitzGerald’s,
Berwyn.
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Since 1975 Ranger has supplied recording and sound system support for the Chicagoland area.
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