Ravinia 2019, Issue 3, Week 5

7:30 PM MONDAY, JULY 1, 2019 PAVILION MATT ANDERSEN † –Intermission– STEVE MILLER BAND † Ravinia debut STEVE MILLER BAND Following his college years spent in nearby Wis- consin, Steve Miller took up musical residence in Chicago, but soon decamped for San Francis- co, where he put together the first incarnation of the Steve Miller Band. Signing with Capitol in 1967, the group quickly got to work in the studio, releasing its debut album, Children of the Fu- ture , early the following year, closely followed by Sailor , which quickly rose to number 24 on the Billboard charts with the popularity of “Livin’ in the USA.” Brave New World , featuring the Paul McCartney–backed “My Dark Hour,” followed early in 1969, along with Your Saving Grace lat- er that year and Number 5 in 1970, each making the top 40. After a hiatus, during which Miller recovered from a neck injury, the singer-song- writer reimagined his sound, shifting away from psychedelia to straight-ahead, blues-inflected rock to resounding success on the smash hit The Joker (1973), the title track of which captured the top spot on the charts. The success was no fluke; after three years spent writing and recording, the Steve Miller Band returned with Fly Like an Ea- gle , which produced a trio of hit singles—“Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” and the title track—and Book of Dreams the following year, with its own three hits, “Jet Airliner,” “Jungle Love,” and “Swingtown.” With a greatest-hits album keeping him on the airwaves through the end of the ’70s, Miller again took time off to write, resulting in his third chart-topping hit, the title track off 1982’s Abracadabra . His 1986 album Living in the 20th Century featured the rock radio hit “I Want to Make the World Turn Around,” and at the close of the ’80s, the band resumed steady touring. After a long absence, Miller and the band returned to the studio for Bingo! (2010) and Let Your Hair Down (2011). Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Tonight the Steve Miller Band returns for its sixth season at Ravinia, where it first performed in 2006 MATT ANDERSEN The New Brunswick, Canada, native Matt An- dersen has been out in the world making music since 2002, bringing his blend of electric blues and roots rock to the band Flat Top before marking his own path with a pair of self-re- leased discs, Solo at Sessions (2005) and Live at Liberty House (2006). Regularly putting on some 200 live shows, Andersen saw his audi- ence quickly expand around the world, and in 2007 he made his label debut with Second Time Around . After 2008’s Something in Between and 2009’s Piggyback (a collaboration with har- monica player Mike Stevens) and Live from the Phoenix Theatre , Andersen became the first Ca- nadian to take home top honors from the 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. He dropped three more albums in 2011— Spirit of Christmas , Push Record (The Banff Sessions) with Stevens, and Coal Mining Blues —and the following year he earned three Maple Blues Awards. He would also earn European Blues Awards for Best Solo/Acoustic Act in 2013 and 2016. Andersen joined the roster of True North Records in 2014 for Weightless , produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, which earned him a Juno Award nomination for Roots/Traditional Album of the Year. He followed up in 2016 with Honest Man , and 2018 saw a new concert album, Live at Olympic Hall , added to his discography. The concert stage is his second home: in addition to headlining major festivals, clubs, and theaters throughout North America, Europe, and Australia, Andersen has shared the stage and toured with Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Greg Allman, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Randy Bachman, Little Feat, Jonny Lang, and Serena Ryder, to name a few. Altogether, that road-work ethic has earned Andersen the Canadian Independent Music Association’s Road Gold award. Nevertheless, he’s remained active in the studio, too, earlier this year releasing Halfway Home By Morning . Matt Andersen is making his Ravinia debut. RAVINIA MAGAZINE | JULY 1 – JULY 7, 2019 90