Hello all & Happy New Year!
2009 saw some wonderful things happen for the band & we're looking foward to a fantastic 2010.
Thanks for all of your support, we hope to see you all soon!
The benefit signed to
the EM-Press label
EM-press has officially given the band a "home" & will be releasing the new CD "eleventh hour grace" on the label in early spring of this year. Special thanks to Mark & Ron for their belief & dedication to the project! New EM-press updates,links, & photos coming soon.
Hanson Guitars'
newest artist
John has officially joined the roster @ Chicago based Hanson Guitars & is thrilled to be the company's newest endorsed artist. Catch john playing the Hanson Cigno @ upcoming shows & check out these beautiful instruments as well as the artist page @ hansonmusicalinstruments.com
Austin 2010
The fellas will be heading to Austin TX in March for multiple performances during the 2010 SXSW festival. They will also be taking this opportunity to tour again along the way. Check back for dates & details.
WYKT spins new songs
The band would like to thank WYKT's tim lamping for playing a number of songs off of the upcoming release as well as interviewing john on the "homegrown tones" program on 105.5 FM in December. The full band will be performing live on the program. In the near future...details & dates to follow.
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Jeff julian joins the benefit! It is with enormous exitement that we officially announce the addition of a fourth member to the benefit family. Jeff julian, long time friend & founding member of both deconstructing jim & the jolietrock company will be climbing on board w/ john, jeff & barret in support of the band’s forthcoming full length release this fall. Check back for a full bio, interview, photos & updates soon!
New cd goes to mastering The long awaited follow up to the ep loud as silence is officially off to mastering! The new 12 song effort which will be called eleventh hour grace is slated for release this fall. The new collection finds the fellas in top form & once again features the incomparable dave lill of stylus fame behind the board as well as sharing the producers duties this time around! Look forward to hearing the benefit bigger & better than ever before…check back for details & a “teaser track” in the very near future, & as always thanks for sticking by us & spreading the word!
John plays acoustic as the kick off of the new cd approaches While the final touches on the new cd are being put into place,& jeff & barret are finishing up w/ other tours & work, john has been popping up @ a number of venues bringing a different side of the music to first time listeners as well as dedicated fans of the band. Most recently he appeared in chicago @ the cubby bear for a late night set of new tunes mixed w/ some old favorites! Check the show schedule for details on when & where to see john solo as well as the full band somewhere near you soon!
new recording!
john, jeff, & barret will begin recording the follow up to 'loud as silence' on may 30th. the guys will once again be working w/ dave lill & luke farran of 1bit studios on a full length cd of brand new original material. check back for updates & look for the new record this fall! photos from the sessions & out-takes will be posted regularly on this site as well as on the myspace page. the band will be performing a lot of the new material this summer, so please make sure to stop by & say hello!
the sunday night sessions on WJOL
john condron & mark eleveld host the sunday night sessions on WJOL, bringing you the best of what's going on in the creative community right here in your own back yard! every other sunday night beginning may 13th on WJOL 1340 AM & streaming online to the world @ www.wjol.com
new montage video for "loud as silence"
hello to all! check out the new montage video for "loud as silence" below. includes footage from philly, new york, boston, new jersey, chicago & joliet...w/ quite a bit from john's old neighborhood! hope you like it & thanks for all of the support...
Uncommon Ground has put together a 'radio show' of previously recorded live tunes from John & the lads at UG. Go to uncommonground.com click the 'ear' on Feb 8, and enjoy a good listen. They did a really nice job selecting cuts, putting it together.
Helium Records picks up “loud as silence” for digital distribution & ringtones Chicago's Helium Records has added the band's latest effort to the list of music available for downloads & ringtones... (yes ringtones)
you can even buy the ringtones as gifts & send them to your friends! Please check out the website below...cool outlet for unsigned acts to have all the “bells & whistles” that the big boys have. www.heliumrecords.com
Channel 6 airs first set of music!
The first set of acoustic performances from our cd release show at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet is currently being aired on channel 6 in joliet multiple times a day!
The set includes guest appearances from many of our friends in the music community & will be included in the soon to be released dvd documenting the last year or so of the band's existence. Also to be included are the second electric set footage from the east coast tour & a number of candid & interview clips!
Check back for updates on the progress of the dvd & please tune in if you can & catch the program on channel 6!
02/02/07
Just a quick thank you to all who helped make our cd release show a success! The evening's happenings were recorded & are currently being viewed & listened to for an upcoming release. We would especially like to thank rich, eric, craig & all @ bicentennial park theatre for their “above & beyond” effort, mark & ron from e-m press for their ideas, support & belief, big eddie j. for his tireless efforts on our behalf leading up to the event (including things that were certainly not his responsibility), all of our friends that helped with sales & I.D.s & all manner of necessary leg work, all @ chicago st. pub, the amazing musicians that helped us celebrate the evening, & all who came out to support what wound up being a truly great night of music! Please keep supporting local artists wherever you live & whenever you find them.
12/06 Press Release john condron & the benefit release new
6 song ep “loud as silence” Read the full release.
Hello all...we just wanted to thank everyone for a fantastic year! These last couple months have been a little slow, but with good reason...the recording & pressing of a new ep, a wedding in ireland, barret's month long tour w/ trinity in japan, & the planning of the upcoming year's local & touring schedule...complete with the recording(audio & video) of a live performance to kick it all off in late january! We're really looking forward to seeing you all in the near future. Have a great holiday season, be safe & don't forget to spread the word...we need all the help we can get taking over the world in 2007...& as always PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE support local artists wherever & whenever you find them.
Help our grass roots campaign by spreading the word to the ranks of the myspace faithful everywhere!
barret harvey returns from month long tour of japan!
our favorite drummer is back from the far east w/ a new love for the culture & people of japan & a few new “toys” from yamaha! barret has been endorsed by the yamaha drum company for years now, but this tour of japan w/ the trinity dance company was his first opportunity to visit the place where all things yamaha are conceived & put into practice. As if the royal treatment from the president & staff of the company weren't enough, barret was taken to the main yamaha factory & given the opportunity to design & help build a “barret harvey custom” snare drum, which he will be playing in upcoming performances w/ the benefit. congrats to barret... he deserves it & it's good to have him back on the throne!
Alaska w/ the T.I.D.C.! john & barret recently had the priveledge of touring Alaska, accompanying the famed trinity dance co. from Chicago. The tour consisted of 10 performances in 4 cities from the 5th to the 14th of march. The performances earned high marks from fans & critics alike, & included a new original song, "dunfanaghy", written just days before leaving for the trip, which john sang & played w/ barret on drums & patrick murray on flute. Barret also thrilled the audiences @ the various performing arts centers w/ a monsterous solo during the second act of each show! Thanks to the people of Alaska & all @ trinity for allowing the guys to play a part in such a fantastic experience! John plans to record "dunfanaghy" & make it available for download within the next couple of weeks.
In late 2005 the benefit headed east for a successful string of shows in NYC, Philly, Boston, etc. before returning to finish up in Chicago. The DVD will include footage from many of the performances as well as candid clips of the band between shows & on the road. The project is currently in production & should be finished by early spring…check back for details & updates!
John Condron & the Benefit appeared on the WGN morning show April 20th, 2006
Tour Update
jc & the benefit hit the coast in late October! John, Jeff & Barret hit the road in late Oct. for two weeks worth of dates on the east coast. The tour kicked off @ Chicago St. Pub (Joliet Il.) On the 23rd of Oct. & took the trio (along w/ long time friends & crew Ed Johnson & Kevin Dillon) to Philly, NYC & Boston (along w/ some additional stops along the way.) The tour wrapped up on the 13th of Nov. @ the legendary Green Mill in Chicago. This trip marked the first time john performed in his home town of Philadelphia in over ten years! The band performed songs off of their two full length cds as well testing out some new material.
Note from jc
Hello all, just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for their support out east over the last couple of weeks...the tour was a success on a number of levels & seeing you all night after night made us realize why we still do this! i'm really looking forward to taking a look @ all the footage & photos over the next few weeks, so if anyone has any pictures or stories or comments about the trip please e-mail them to me or post them on our message board.
Thanks again for everything, we'll see you soon, jc
Barret Harvey joins the benefit John & Jeff would like to take this opportunity to formally announce the addition of drummer Barret Harvey, & to welcome him to the “benefit”. Those of you who have caught the band’s live performances over the past month or so have no doubt noticed his formidable presence behind the kit. Barret’s unique style & personality have ushered in another era for the band, & to watch he & Jeff go back & forth as a rhythm section is truly a pleasure. He also performs with Jeff in the Chicago based group “Burn Rome Burn”. Barret is sponsored by Yamaha drums, is an “in demand” session player, & teaches in the Chicagoland area. Make sure to come out & welcome him to the family!
John Condron payed tribute to Jeff Buckley Condron among a host of other credited musicians from around the world performed at the7th Annual Buckley Birthday Tribute concert on November 16th & 17th 2004 at Uncommon Ground in Chicago, IL.
2004 marked the 10th anniversary of the release of the revered, "Grace," the album which secured Jeff Buckley a place in the pantheon of great songwriters and in the hearts of music lovers and musicians all over. As an American troubadour, Jeff had already toured internationally and released "Grace", when he died tragically in 1997 at the age of 31. Committed to sharing the gift of music with people, Jeff’s legacy is the influence of his musical style on others.
John Condron in the Joliet Herald
Johnny C. in L.A.
Published in the Herald News 12/28/03
Joliet teacher Mark Eleveld, editor of "The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip Hop, & the Poetry of a New Generation," recently enjoyed the L.A. release of his book. The book is a compilation of current poetry featuring works written by morethan 40 of the most influential contemporary performance poets. Actor Viggo Mortensen, of "Lord of the Rings" fame, wrote the last section of the book, called "Youth Speaks." He has four books of poetry out. At the end of November, Eleveld and local musician John Condron, who also runs the Chicago Street Bar and Grill, went to L.A. for the event. Condron provided all of the music for the show and even accompanied Viggo Mortensen while he read a couple of poems.
Joliet musician refreshing to rock-n-roll
By Joseph Sanders
Music scenes are born. Who would have thought the lumberjack backwoods of Aberdeen or Olympia, Wash., could have been the springboard for the Seattle music explosion in the early '90s? Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Sound Garden were born out of this West Coast region, and all three bands were responsible for saving rock-n-roll from it's big-haired coffin. Who's to say then that a place like Joliet can't breed the next scene? And who is to say Philadelphia-born singer/songwriter John Condron, now from Joliet, couldn't be just such an artist to spearhead the movement? His music certainly is that good.
John Condron plays with Viggo Mortensen from Lord of the Rings, check paragraph five
October 31, 2003
Lord of the Rings' Star Leads Benefit to Help Independent Bookstore
October 30, 2003
For about five months now, Midnight Special's planned reopening on Second Street in Santa Monica has been hampered by financial woes and unexpected delays. Now, a movie star, a famous slam poet, three independent presses, and a literary arts club want to help put the bookstore back on its feet.
The benefit signed to
Hello all...we just wanted to thank everyone for a fantastic year! These last couple months have been a little slow, but with good reason...the recording & pressing of a new ep, a wedding in ireland, barret's month long tour w/ trinity in japan, & the planning of the upcoming year's local & touring schedule...complete with the recording(audio & video) of a live performance to kick it all off in late january! We're really looking forward to seeing you all in the near future. Have a great holiday season, be safe & don't forget to spread the word...we need all the help we can get taking over the world in 2007...& as always PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE support local artists wherever & whenever you find them.
John Condron and Kenny Wayne Shepherd
