Train Company

Last Login 01/24/12

• Chicago, IL
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Connected as Rob Lejman (390 friends)

With roots deep in the bedrock of local blues and jazz, Chicago-based Train Company (John Zozzaro, guitar/vocals; Mark Alletag, saxophone/guitar/flute/clarinet; Rob Lejman, drums; and Mike DeWitte, bass/vocals) mix rock, indie and folk with thumping lyrical heart for a new kind of old sound that draws comparisons to idols Clapton and Van Morrison as often as new classics The Black Keys and Andrew Bird. Horn sections, string arrangements and vocal trio fill out a musical cornucopia that has set toes tapping all the way from the city by the lake to Middlewest Fest and South by Southwest to college towns back east.

The band was born when Zozzaro, who fostered his songwriting skills in New York City with contemporaries that would later form Twin Sister, was blown away by Alletag’s performance at a jazz session at Northern Illinois University in 2007. Zozzaro bought Alletag, an NIU music major, a drink. Several rounds later, the pair was preparing to mix their musical worlds. Zozzaro’s former drummer, Lejman, and bassist, DeWitte, quickly completed the lineup – sewing up the band’s trademark balance of musicality and raw energy. The group chose their moniker to honor Zozzaro’s early collaborations with other NYC musicians in train car visitor boxes, which became the breeding grounds for most of the songs on the band’s debut recording.

In the handful of years since a shared love of jazz and blues brought them together, Train Company has reached “a sound and chemistry that portrays a band that has been together for over a decade” (thetravelingyeti.com) and established themselves as an opener for national acts, joining Blues Traveler at Chicago’s House of Blues in 2010, and taking the stage for a sold-out show at the same venue in 2011 with the Counting Crows.

The group followed up their 2009, self-titled debut recording – a vibrant and uplifting introduction - with 2010’s “Change EP,” revealing a band eager to bring new flavors to their inherent Chicago blues sound. Both releases came to fruition without a label and garnered critical praise, as well as an expanded following for the group, while Train Company’s music found airtime on Chicago’s 93XRT and college radio across the country. Today, Train Company maintains a hectic schedule of independently booked gigs, tours and festivals, and has gained a reputation as “a classy rock band that blends a lot of influences and funnels them into a passionate (and sweaty) performance ... delivered confidently” (Chicago.com/music).

In August, Train Company hunkered down in Chicago to record their second studio recording – their most ambitious recording project to date. Sam Wyatt, who joined the group after the “Change EP” session and also holds a music degree from NIU, contributes piano, organ and keytar known to bring the house down, while female vocal trio Busy Brynn & The Bees supply traditional soul inflections, as well as hints of rock, jazz and opera. The driving and energetic performance Train Company is known for live are exemplified in Rolling-Stones-esque horn arrangements, as well as modern interpretations akin to Spoon, while a string quartet brings a sonic balance of delicate verve to the final landscape. The resulting sound belies a group testing the boundaries of its influences and forging a new, eclectic rock and roll sound soaked with youth, raw energy and a clear love for the music.