Next up in our Side Kick Series: Test Chicken: Blue Stem

A gem from Steve and Mike, Blue Stem is the second "offical" compilation of Test Chicken songs. Comprised of material spanning from the late 1990's until sometime around 2000 (no one really remembers the specifics anymore), it features solid songwriting, diverse musical sensibilities, and a DIY ethic. We are making it free to download. Just follow the links above or click on the cover art on the left hand side of this page!

Next up in our Side Kick series: The Fish Test: Dome Sessions

Over Labor Day weekend 2001, two tribes converged on a geodesic dome somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Minnesota. The Pick-up band consisted of Dan Ratliff of the Minneapolis-based group Bait-Fish, Mike Wendy and Steve Lutz of the Chicago/Washington D.C. based Test-Chicken, and J.B. Mills and Jonno Woutat who were the connecting thread, having had spent time in each group.

The Dome Sessions contain two distinct elements: the jam sessions that went on inside of the dome and an open-air, outdoor acoustic session, which was captured on a single omni-directional microphone. Songs were learned on the fly and there was a truck-load of improvisation going on. By turns moody & brooding, expansive, and joyously raucus, highlights were culled and became the album.

The Dome Sessions are free to download. Just follow the links above, or click on the album cover art, on the left hand side of this page. Enjoy!

If you enjoy your music rough, raw & real and if you enjoy good jams, this one is for you! 

In light of the fact that Kick Bricks is on haitus, due to Brian's injury, it seems like a good time to put up a few things from our archives, to help shed light on our musical history. The first offerings are two from  Brian and Steve's band prior to Kick Bricks; the self-titled album "Insignificant Others", and the live recording Insignificant Others: Alive on Earth. We are making them free to download. Just follow the links above, or click on the album cover art, on the left hand side of this page. Enjoy!

Kick Bricks' co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Brian Jablo suffered two fractured fingers during a basketball game, earlier this week. He broke the ring and pinky fingers on his left hand, in an injury which required surgery to put pins in his ring finger and which is expected to require at least 8 weeks to heal. As a result, Kick Bricks will be on haitus until further notice. The hope is that Brian will be ready for shows currently in the works for this summer. In the meantime, we wish him a speedy and full recovery. Get well soon Brian!

Kick Bricks took the stage at Grace Street Tap on a chilly Saturday night in early March and delivered 3 hours of rock, funk, hip-hop and reggae to the crowded house. There was a little something for everyone, as the band played a variety of classic covers, orginal tunes, and engaged in a fair amount of improvisation throughout the evening, which peaked when Sock Monkey made a rare public appearance and admirably held down J.B's spot for a while. Another great night!

@ Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL 2.6.13

Continuing their run of Winter 2013 shows, Kick Bricks delivered an unplugged acoustic set at Dream Theatre, singing into the open air without amplification. The Dream Theatre crowd was it's usual boisterous self, at times singing along with the band and always offering up positive energy for us to feed off of. It has been a great start to the new year! Here is a little taste of what it was like, when Brian tore into the Stone's classic "Happy". Next up: Grace Street Tap, on March 2. We hope to see you there!

@ The Store, Chicago, IL 6.11.13

On a blisteringly cold night in January, Kick Bricks helped heat up Bob Dylan Night at Gallery Cabaret. The band spent the evening enjoying the parade of talented musicians who covered songs from across the wide spectrum of Dylan's catalog, then offered up spirited takes on Maggie's Farm, Subterranean Homesick Blues, and a soaring version of Knocking on Heaven's Door. What a blast- it's nights like these that make Chicago the best place on earth! See you next month at Grace Street Tap!

Recently unearthed footage of Kick Bricks in acoustic mode. Enjoy!

Kick Bricks, Bluegrass Thing from Steve Lutz on Vimeo.