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THE JOURNEY ZONE
http://www.journey-zone.com
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Steve Smith Modern Drummer Interview Excerpts
Kevin Chalfant Streator Times-Press Article
By Wanda Micklos
Deep in the heart of downtown
Grand Ridge, population 560,
musician Kevin Chalfant works in
his studio.
The building was once known as
“The Village Roost,” a well-known
local restaurant; it now feeds
Chalfant’s music appetite.
In his office he is surrounded by
autographed pictures of musicians,
framed photos of Trisha Yearwood,
The Storm, Journey, .38 Specials,
The JuJu Kings and Jenny Way. A
large, tri-fold board is filled with
photos of John, Paul, George and
Ringo, with a drumhead sporting a
signature of the Beatles’ original
drummer, Pete Best, in the middle.
He sits in a high-back, maroon-colored office chair with an Elvis Presley clock
quietly ticking behind him.
Chalfant, a 1973 graduate of Streator High School, is the lead singer for Two
Fires and The Storm, and will soon be going on tour throughout the United
States.
He’ll be traveling “basically from Wisconsin to Colorado, then on to
California,” he said.
Written on a message pad sitting in front of him was a note about a concert
being planned for later this year for his band, Two Fires, in Colorado. A
return phone call must be made to confirm time and place.
Throughout the summer he is booked under both names, Two Fires and The
Storm. Some places want one group, some another, he said, explaining the
musicians are the same people, but the music differs in their sets.
Chalfant will be sharing his voice with as few as 500 people and as many as
20,000. The venue includes headlining shows in clubs, fairs and festivals. “It’s
all fun ... playing for people who want to see and hear you,” he said.
The entire group will be traveling on the tour bus Chalfant recently obtained.
The silver and blue coach, the “Silver Eagle,” fondly nicknamed “The Sugar
Shack,” is parked nearby his studio in Grand Ridge.
“We laugh, sleep, and watch movies while traveling,” he said.
Chalfant is still in the process of confirming dates and locations for the tour
with performances beginning to trickle in for June and escalating through the
fall.
The original group of The Storm, with three musicians from the
world-renowned band Journey, toured from 1992-1993 with Bryan Adams
and Peter Frampton. “Then the music scene changed,” said Chalfant. “Rap
music was the rage,” so it (the group) put it (music) aside for awhile.”
Chalfant lived in California for 13 years prior to relocating back to his roots
with his partner and wife, Judy, and their three children. His oldest is now in
the music business with Sony Music in Nashville.
“It’s kind of interesting how rock and roll has changed quite a bit. It’s quite
diverse,” he said.
The Storms’ last CD was released in 1993, releasing other songs on a
compilation disc after that, he noted.
One such record is “The Day America Cried” with the song “The Sum of Our
Hearts,” inspired by a young boy, Raleigh Crouch of Streator, who died from
a rare form of cancer. The CD was released after the September 11 terrorist
attacks in America. Another song on the disc is “Waiting for the World to
Change,” by Chalfant and The Storm.
Chalfant performed in “Breakfast with The Beatles” at the House of Blues, in
a concert where everyone had some type of connection with the Beatles.
“I was one of the local Chicago area guys who worked with the sponsor of
the show ‘The Rainbow Foundation’ before,” said Chalfant. (Rainbow
Foundation helps children and families in crisis.)
As it turned out, it was held the day after Beatle George Harrison died.The
host was Sam Leach, the Beatles’ original promoter from Liverpool, England.
Chalfant was the opening act, performing the Beatle tune “Oh, Darling.” He
was surprised to discover that his performance was on major network news.
Performing in this event whetted his appetite to get back into performing after
The Storm died out.
Two Fires first recorded in 1999 where Chalfant hired some “great studio
musicians.
“Records don’t just happen. They are constructed like a house,” needing a
good foundation, he said. He also said making a record is one aspect of
music, with performing another.
He plans to “knock the chunks off the band” by performing live at “The
Lounge” in Peru on May 31.
“You can lose touch with your listeners if you don’t see the people face to
face,” he said, adding “it’s like building a new race car that never gets on the
track.”
Chalfant is ready to get back on the “track” and is taking the band back on
tour.
Local musicians performing with Chalfant’s new group are Streatorites
Michael Gardner, Chuck Giacinto and Randy Hatzer. Other local musicians
include Timmy Higgins of Tonica, Mike Higgins of Oglesby and The Storm’s
original guitarist Josh Ramos from Pismo Beach, Calif.
Last Updated 02 July, 2007 (DHG)
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