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The Singer and The Song features three full sets of music for dancing, drinking and listening, with the exciting bonus of a new song from each band, written from a word prompt given in advance.
The artists also pay tribute to Chicago’s music roots by covering a song by another local artist, present or past.
At its heart, this series is a showcase for the incredible songwriting talent of the Chicago music scene, with an emphasis on Country, but including the broadest definitions of Americana.
The monthly event is often hosted by the show’s curators; Brandon Good, Lawrence Peters, and Matt Gandurski, each a key player in Chicago’s music community.
Brandon Reisdorf
https://www.brandonreisdorf.com/
IG: @brandonreisdorf
Brandon Reisdorf writes folk-rock songs with a poet’s eye and a lot of heart. Writing from the brink of burnout, his songs weave dark humor, biting protest, and quiet grief into a music that makes the disillusioned and defiant feel a little less alone.
Brandon lives in the woods of northern Illinois, but he’ll travel almost anywhere to play his songs to good people. He also performs regularly on violin/fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo with several regional acts. Brandon maintains a home studio and has worked as producer, engineer, and session musician on hundreds of tracks.
Brandon first picked up the violin in 1999, the the guitar a year later, eventually going on to study Music Theory/Composition and Philosophy before turning to folk music. His songwriting draws from influences like John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Blaze Foley, Todd Snider, and Phil Ochs, mixed with current events and political theory. Brandon’s songs punch up, and he’s not afraid to say what he thinks needs to be said. His first record, Political Songs for Political People, was released on the 4th of July in 2020. He released a major single, “The Elephant in the Room” in 2024, in memory of a friend who passed away. He is working on a new record of social commentary songs, to be released soon.
Annalee Koehn & Chuck Cox
IG: annaleeandchuck
Join us for a great set of tunes from Annalee Koehn and Chuck Cox, with special guest Jess Baldissero.
This dynamic group plays moving original songs featuring soulful vocals, close
harmonies, and instrumental breaks on guitar and fiddle.
Their repertoire is based in Country music, with elements from many American Roots Music styles such as Blues and early R&B.
Annalee Koehn is a singer, guitar-player and songwriter, and founding member of fiddle-driven bands Blackest Crow and Ship of Fools, vocal group Sweeter Gift, and hasworked and she has recorded with local artists such as Blue State Cowboys, Mark Dvorak, and Urban Djin.
Chuck Cox is a singer-songwriter who performs as a solo artist, is the leader of the bluegrass band Cox’s Army, and has production or instrumental credits on fourteen albums.
Jess Baldissero performs original music with her own group Joybird, Old -Time music in a duo with Aaron Smith, Bluegrass with Big Sadie, and tours with Buffalo Nichols.
#QueerCountry Bandwagon
https://www.facebook.com/qcbandwagon
IG: qcbandwagon
#QueerCountry Bandwagon plays queer songs by country artists and country songs by queer artists. The band recently released its first two singles: "Big Gay Truck" and "It's Never Too Late (To Be Who You Are)" QCB has been gigging around Chicago for more than two years, playing shows at venues including Judson & Moore, Café Mustache, The Hideout and Dorothy Downstairs. In 2024, QCB was honored to be included in the lineup for the first multi-day queer-country festival: Lavender Prairie Fest in Chicago. The band toured to Louisville and Nashville in 2025, including a performance at the Queer Roots showcase at Americanafest in Nashville.