By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
April 7, 1989
It’s not difficult to understand why the BoDeans have such a devout fan base. They’re not only good, but they’ve been consistently good since they released their debut album 10 years ago.
The BoDeans’ lineup has changed over the past 13 years, but the nucleus of Sammy Llanas and Kurt Neumann has remained constant. The two singer-songwriter-guitarists continue to define the band’s harmonious rock sound, as they do on their latest album, “Blend.” The Wisconsin-based group, which also includes bassist Bob Griffin, drummer Nick Kitsos and accordionist Danny Federici, will play most of the record when they headline tonight and Saturday at the Arie Crown Theatre.
Guitarist Llanas took a break from rehearsals to fill in readers on what’s up with the BoDeans, his side project and those persistent rumors that the band is breaking up.
Q. Your song “Closer to Free” is known to some TV fans as the theme song for “Party of Five.” Are you a fan of the show?
Llanas: I hadn’t watched the show until they started using our song. Actually, before we gave them permission to use it, they sent us some tapes of the series and we were really impressed with the writing and acting. It seemed to have a higher production value than more things on TV. It also dealt with pertinent issues of the day that kids are going through.
Q. You deal with some pertinent issues with your music. You have a song called “All I Ever Wanted” that’s about sexual abuse. Where did that come from?
Llanas: Everybody knows somebody who has been through this. I don’t really know firsthand because I have had such a lucky existence and never had to deal with any problems like this. But I’m very fascinated by people. Sometimes I’ll just see them on the streets and some are obviously going through some rough patches. I wonder how they got there and what happened along the way that led them there, and sometimes that translates into a song.
Q. Where do you live these days?
Llanas: I live in a residence hotel in Milwaukee. There’s really no difference between this and an apartment, except that there’s maid service, which is great! It’s nice because I don’t have to sign a lease and it’s a very secure building. Plus, there’s something romantic about living in a hotel . . .
Q. How much unity is there in the way you and Kurt prepare material?
Llanas: Well, we’re obviously united in that we’re a band. But I basically sing all the songs I write and Kurt does the same with his. When we perform them live, there’s obviously collaboration from everyone and a different dynamic than what’s happening in the studio.
Q. You’ve also got a side project. The last I heard, you hadn’t picked a name for it yet. What stage is that at now?
Llanas: I hope to call it Absinthe. We’ve already played a few shows and we had a show planned at the Double Door (in the Wicker Park neighborhood) a while ago but we postponed that so it wouldn’t conflict with the BoDeans show. (Absinthe will play Dec. 21 at the Double Door. It’s sold out.) It’s a trio, and it’s pretty different from the BoDeans. I’d say it’s darker, and . . . (laughs) we tend to drone. I started this project last fall. Guy Hoffman (who used to drum for the BoDeans) lives in the same building as I do, and the place where we live has a lobby. So we just got together and tried to get a gig in the lobby. It was really fun. It just sort of took off from there. It’s important for me to let all the fans know though that my solo show isn’t about me playing BoDeans songs. I play a handful of (BoDeans) songs that I wrote, but the majority are songs that won’t be familiar to them.
Q. Whenever an artist does a solo project, rumors fly that the band is breaking up. What’s the status of the BoDeans?
Llanas: We’re still really enjoying what we’re doing; otherwise we would make other arrangements. I think that having outside interests just strengthened what we do together. Someone asked me if it had grown old working with the same band, and to tell you the truth, we had such fun making “Blend.” There was no pressure.
