The Power of Collaboration and Community

This past weekend Kevin and I hit up PJ20 at Alpine Valley. The festival was fantastic. It was so great to see a band that has accomplished so much celebrate their 20th Birthday with dedicated fans and close friends. If you listened and watched closely you could tell that the backstage was a scene.

Taken from Eddie's Ukulele Tour -

There wasn’t one set I caught that didn’t involve some other band member getting on stage and sharing music of another bands catalogue. Members of Pearl Jam make appearances throughout the day in other bands sets and throughout both nights Pearl Jam had guests up and down all night. Witnessing Eddie sing with Glen Hansard again was amazing. My favorite part was seeing dozens of performers join Pearl Jam for “Rockin In the Free World” at the end of the night. The energy was so positive and it is a night I will never forget.

The experience was a very pleasant reminder about the power of collaboration and community within different scenes. It was great to feel it on such a big level and witness some bands I had already been a fan of get to experience such a special night with a much bigger and more accomplished band like Pearl Jam. If seeing Pearl Jam play for 3 hours two nights consecutively wasn’t enough, they sure made it a special occasion! As much as it was about them, it was about sharing music and doing what they love and being grateful for that.


Naturally it got me thinking about all of the friends we have made over the years since we started performing. Some of the best friends I have made in my life have been from the sharing music and putting on shows together.

Seeing 30 musicians jumping around on stage together reminded me so much of the Chicago Noise Machine and how much fun we used to have making appearances on stage with each other. Looking back at that now I am very happy we all took the time to work together and invite each other on stage. Thankfully a lot of those friendships and collaborations/guest appearances have extended past that organization and even after most of those bands dissolved and even more than that.. the I AM Fest continues as a staple for Chicago Independent music as well and so it goes...

I AM Fest 2009 - Chicago Noise Machine and Friends

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am very grateful today that I have been able to play music and meet so many great people in the process. I just wanted to take a minute and honour that.

This weekend Vincent and I will be performing acoustic (sans Kevin) at the Double Door with one of those great people from our friends in a Bullet Called Life. Last week when I was asked if we would like to do an acoustic show and knew Kevin couldn't perform I thought I should ask Aaron if he wanted to join us. Aaron will be playing some guitar and singing with us. He is just a lovely human and he is a hell of a musician... one of those many great people.



Thanks for reading.

Stephen Francis

Memories...I AM FEST....

NOTE: This blog was originally posted to Model Stranger's Official Facebook Page on Monday, June 14th.

One of the most memorable days of my experience as a musician came a year ago.... yesterday. This glorious day of achievement came on June 13th, 2009 when Chicago Noise Machine hosted the largest independent music festival held in Chicago at the Congress Theater.

In addition to procuring serious sponsorship, recruiting 25 bands, 25 artists and 8 short films "CNM" was able to bring in just over 2,800 people through the door to experience a 13
hour extravaganza of music, art, film and lifestyle vendors. It was a very special day for me and the dozens of people that assisted in making the event the success it was. The I AM FEST (Independent Art and Music Festival) was special due to the dedication of many interns, artists,
directors, musicians, technicians and mostly importantly the fans, whom all dedicated themselves to our cause.

If you aren't hip to it and are curious - just how do 9 bands from Chicago end up putting on a festival at the Congress Theater? The endeavor started as a local band collective which we self titled as "The Chicago Noise Machine". CNM was made up of a wide range of 9 musical acts whom had something other than a sound of music in common. Having grown bored with opportunities at each band's disposal this collective found unity in dedicating themselves to trying to put a shot of excitement into what they collectively felt was a tired scene. In a nutshell the concept was simple:

Success in a trying scene could be achieved through joint promotional efforts, collaboration on creative ideas, sharing of networks, and a serious DIY work ethic.

With these core values as our creed, the concept quickly became the agenda. Compilation CDs foreshadowed band collaborations both on and off the stage and within a few months we were a fully functioning machine.

On November 24th, 2008 Chicago Noise Machine hosted its first event. The results were impressive. This 9 band sold out showcase at the Cubby Bear proved our efforts and philosophy to be true. This small showcase was an exciting event for both fans and bands.

Following this one-off and very successful show CNM's ambitions were high and it was decided that we should go bigger for our next event. For the next 6 months CNM put their minds and time into building the I AM FEST, concept and format, from the ground up.

I AM FEST would feature "Lifestyle vendors, bands, artists and directors", primarily rooted in
Chicago. It was painstaking, frustrating, exhausting, educating, fun, exciting, surreal, impossible and brilliant experience. I made many special friends and built relationships that I still have until this day. Love.

As you may have noticed, the format for live and recorded music is continuing to change. Having played a significant role in the development of both the Chicago Noise Machine and the I AM FEST, I am happy to know that alongside many of my peers, we built and shared in something beautiful. To co-create something of this magnitude independently was rewarding and of worth more than words can describe. Our actions were a direct response to a changing business model and our success was in direct relation to our creative perspective, hunger, and work ethic.

As record labels and live music continue to flutter I am pleased to know our joint instinct was not in vain and that our timing was impeccable. I would hope that any individual involved in the development took the same lessons away from the experience. For those of you that were involved, my deepest gratitude goes out to you.

Here are some videos of performance clips and media from last year:
I AM FEST COMMERCIAL

I AM FEST 2009 DOCUMENTARY/HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

MODEL STRANGER AT I AM FEST

I AM very proud to announce that the I AM FEST will be happening again this year!


The date, format, and place have changed since its inception last year, but the philosophy lives on. When given the option to either let the I AM FEST go to the wayside or allow it to live on, the choice was simple.

There couldn't be a more worthy host who could have asked permission to carry the torch. This year's festivities will be hosted by The Elbo Room. It is going to be another great year.