Tom Schraeder and His Ego

The band name may make Tom Schraeder sound like a bigshot whose Ego is too big to handle, but this is far from the reality. Consider the title in a different light-- the ease with which Americana, soul-inspired Schraeder can make fun of himself and the nine-piece band that rolls out of the van with him at every gig. This feat is often difficult for 23-year old singer and songwriters who have an upright bass, drums, second guitar, keyboards, vibraphone, singing saw, banjo, cello and violin accompanying them at every show... shows like last summer's Lollapalooza without even having a record out.

Jealous, yet? Dying to hear some of Schraeder's creations? The latter we can help you with. Tom Schraeder with, the informal title given to his band as a running-joke, His Ego will be playing the Starlight Concert Series on Thursday, June 19th at Evanston's James Park. The band might be a lot of mouths to feed on tour, but for Schraeder "those songs aren't the same without those instruments."

The trek to Evanston with the full van will not be too difficult for this ambitious young artist; he has gone to place like Los Angeles, New York, and Austin, and was born and raised on Chicago's Northwest Side-- a perfect place to be introduced to the glories of playing guitar by a member of the local rock band the Renfields. In fifth grade, Schraeder had himself a National guitar, lessons, and a yard-raking job to pay for both of the above. Prefering Jimi Hendrix and Velvet Underground over the Butthole Surfers, he soon came upon his other main influences: Graham Parsons, Paul Westerberg and Wilco-- though the edginess emulated in his music is beyond mere imitation.

His varied influences have lead to sophisticated arrangements and insightful lyrics on his first self-released seven song EP-- an album reflecting college-age growing pains from the perspective of a down-to-earth 23-year-old guy. Check out "Whiskey Song" for his experimentation with a backdrop of clinking glasses and rowdy voices, as well as some of his other popular tracks: "Porcelain Doll," "An Easy Way to Cry," and "The Door, the Gutter, the Grave."

The only thing that has continued to inflate for each show Tom and His Ego have played since last summer is the size of the crowd. After a sold-out record release party in November, the band was enlisted as the youngest to play Schubas' prestigious Monday-night "Practice Space" series. Chicago Magazine's Noah Isackson predicts more success in the future: "Tom Schraeder and his Gram Parsons-Wilco-Paul Westerberg-Tim Booth-inspired sound, fresh off Lollapalooza, are on the brink of stardom."

Come to James Park, again, on June 19th at 7:30 pm to attest to Tom Schraeder and His Ego's growing range in musical-styles and audience. For a preview, you must go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD5VfpUha-w&feature=related

And check out his Myspace for more of his bittersweet anthems: http://www.myspace.com/tomschraeder