May 13, 2016

 Friday night live at Transistor: singer-songwriters Rebecca Jasso, Robin Bienemann and Rachel Drew. Sound by Jon Monteverde.

Rebecca Jasso started playing guitar at the age of 10. Since then, her aim has been to write the best songs she can. A Chicago native, she studied classical guitar throughout high school, until she quit formal lessons and began to focus on her original tunes.

With a passion for the acoustic guitar, Rebecca draws out its beauty with her finger-style playing, and her songs are vivid stories, replete with mythical creatures.

Visit Rebecca Jasso’s website.

Also available: Rebecca Jasso Transistor performances from:
November 6, 2015
May 29, 2015
May 30, 2014

Robin Bienemann mixes raw and refined early jazz, blues and country guitar with wickedly funny original songs drawing from all eras of popular music -- ragtime to rockabilly to rap. He alternately croons, recites and shouts to express the variety and poetry of human experience with sophisticated lyrics worthy of musical theater. All of this is woven together with the thread of Robin’s distinctive twangy guitar. Imagine Roger Miller, Dan Hicks, and David Byrne combining forces to create a literate, funky, futuristic pop music with deep roots.

Robin has been a staple of the Chicago music scene for over two decades as half of the punk/rockabilly duo Twang Bang, touring the U.S. and Japan. He regularly performs solo, with his wife Jenny Bienemann, and with the Significant Others.

His latest solo album is "Songs About Lessons Learnt." Previous albums include "Songs About Work," "Jenny & Robin Bienemann Live," and two albums with Twang Bang. 

Visit Robin Bienemann's website. 

Chicago native Rachel Drew comes from a musical family. Her parents met as musicians, playing and singing together for a while before they ever began dating. Rachel has been singing, and singing harmony with her family, for as long as she can remember. Long before she ever played or owned a guitar, she was coming up with melodies. She began writing lyrics to the melodies in 2008, and has now written hundreds of songs. She and her band, Rachel Drew & the Bitter Roots, released their first album, "Under the Sun," in February 2016. Her band is Steve Dawson, Gerald Dowd, John Mead and Alton Smith. Rachel is also a support singer for several local bands and songwriters (singing with Phil Angotti, Andrea Bunch's Crumbs Off the Table, Steve Dawson's Funeral Bonsai Wedding, Gerald Dowd, Steve Hughes, Peter Joly, Peter Zeldow, and others). Singing harmony feels like home to Rachel.

 "...blending a strong modern take on rhythmic Memphis Soul, recalling Stax-Volt era performers like Carla Thomas, with doses of introspective folk, classic country and the occasional pop-influenced flourish. In performance and on record, Rachel delivers intelligent lyrics in a soulful, heartfelt manner." 
 - Christopher Alvarado
 
Visit Rachel Drew's website  and Soundcloud page.