Ed Anderson is scheduled to perform on the main stage twice Saturday at Hopstring Fest, Joliet's annual celebration of craft beer and Americana music: as a solo artist at 1:20 p.m. and with his band Magic Box at 4:10 p.m.
Hopstring Fest is from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug. 24, at Silver Cross Field, the city's ballpark at 1 Mayor Art Schultz Drive in downtown Joliet. Tickets are $20 each and available at the door or Chicago Street Pub, 75 N. Chicago St. Visit http://www.hopstringfest.com/ for a full schedule.
Ed Anderson and Scott Tipping have been making music and mayhem together since the late 1990s, when they hosted an open mic featuring drunken jazz artists, angry poets and puppeteers.
Ed moved on to found roots rock trio Backyard Tire Fire in 2001. Through the 2000s, the band toured relentlessly, recording five albums and two EPs.
Scott went on to become a mainstay of the Chicago music scene, playing and touring with bands like Mighty Blue Kings, Peter Himmelman, The Steak House Mints and Dayna Malow.
Their paths crossed again in 2008 when Ed asked Scott to join Backyard Tire Fire on tour to round out the band’s sound. BTF’s album "Good To Be," produced by Steve Berlin, saw them touring the country, headlining shows and opening for the likes of Los Lobos, Buddy Guy, ZZ Top and Cracker.
In back alleys, dank hotel rooms and a van that at least once tried to kill its masters, a new music partnership was formed, and when Backyard Tire Fire decided to take a break from touring, Scott and Ed chose to bring together some of their favorite Chicago musicians to work on new songs: Steve Gillis (drums), Scott Stevenson (keys and vocals) and Matt Thompson (bass).
The new project features songs by both Ed and Scott, staying true to the rock-and-roll tradition of BTF while transitioning into a more dynamic, harmony-oriented sound. Visit www.magicboxrock.wordpress.com to learn more.
As a solo performer, Anderson says he was 16 when his dad taught him some chords on a guitar. In his early 20s his mother asked him if he'd ever thought about writing his own songs. Two decades later he's written hundreds. He loves melody and words and thinks about both 24/7.
"I've gigged everywhere from the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta with the Squirrel Nut Zippers to the Bowery Ballroom in NYC with Los Lobos to the US Cellular Coliseum in my hometown of Bloomington, IL with the great ZZ Top to the Independent out in San Francisco with the Cold War Kids. And I've had the chance to meet and play with some of my heroes along the way," Anderson says.
"I love how Neil Young attacks the guitar. And when Keith & Mick sing together. And truly appreciate the lyrical genius of Warren Zevon. I love the Beatles and Nick Drake and Hank Williams. I dig music that comes from the heart. Music with soul. And that's what I'm trying to do ... write tunes from the heart that folks can identify with."
Visit http://edwarddavidanderson.com/ to learn more.
