By the time you read this, every member of the Changes will have quit his job. He will have left his North Side dwelling behind, and he will be on tour in support of the band's debut, "Today is Tonight." Who are the Changes?
They're the '80s-influenced pop-rockers (vocalist Darren Spitzer, drummer Jonny Basofin, bassist Rob Kallick and guitarist Dave Rothblatt) who sold out a month-long residency at Schubas August 2005. They're renowned for being the only unsigned band invited to last year's Lollapalooza. But even as they gained exposure, most of them worked temp gigs.
(Full disclosure: Kallick worked full-time for Tribune Co.) They were the guys you saw on the "L" or on the street--members of a buzz band hidden in their daily disguise as 9-to-5-ers. That's all over now.
We checked in with Spitzer on his second-to-last day at Kaplan Financial. Since you guys are local, I gotta ask: How 'bout them Bears? So excited.
This is going to be a great year. Rex is throwing great; I'm really impressed that they're going more into his throwing game. I feel like the Bears have been running up the middle for 10 years.
It's time to move the ball. It's time to advance down the field. If they make the Super Bowl, will you take time off the tour?
Well, I'm hoping we play the Super Bowl this year, depending on what happens with the record. So keep your fingers crossed. I think it's going to be Kanye West and us.
What's "Chicago" about the Changes? I think that our anti-rock star leanings maybe create a comfortable sort of environment when you see us play. There seems to be some weird juxtaposition with that and with the recordings themselves.
'Cuz I think the recordings are our chance to sort of fake it and be all the things that we dream about. I think we all love the amazing musician rock star mentality thing or whatever, but that's just not something that we're able to present in real life. But recordings aren't real life.
That's like a dream. That's our chance to get that out. Your music has its share of '80s influences.
Why are the '80s so hot right now? I can't speak for other bands, but for us it's not on purpose. This is just when we grew up.
Maybe those are just sounds we're excited about at the moment. Bands that we like that are doing their thing now, Chicago groups like Aluminum Group and the Sea and Cake, that kind of sound really connected the four of us. And when I heard that music I didn't think of the '80s per se, I just thought it had a soft, pretty sound that I liked.
What's the most unusual show you've played? We have a thousand weird shows. We've done everything under the sun that's weird.
Our first gig ever was at a Goose Island [near North and Clybourn Avenues] and we weren't allowed to play out of our amps and we had to play direct into their PA system. It was the strangest experience of my life. Fans?
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