After tinkering around with this album through a variety of bands and musical adventures, Mike Przygoda has finally released "Leaving Here," an album in three acts.
From psychedelic rock to tenderly arranged chamber pop to avant-jazz dabblings to music concrete, a story is told touching on politics, relationships, job dissatisfaction, annoying neighbors, missing cats, the music industry, and Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago.
A veteren of the Chicago music scene, Przygoda has enlisted musicians from the many bands and ensembles to join him on this record including:
VOCALISTS: Seth Gruenwald, Nick Gutierrez, Charles Hammond Jr., Stephen Jansen, Aviva Jaye, Jonathan Keaton, Dan Pavelich, Devin Preitauer, Dre Robinson, Andrea Varias, and Matt Wessel
WOODWINDS: Molly Agnew and KT Somero
BRASS: Tim Borst and Erika Hollenback
STRINGS: Andra Durham, Jon Gauger, Seth Gruenwald, Kristina Lee, Hannah Trobe
DRUMS: Andrea Varias
GUITARS: Myles Kanzer and Paddy Leitsch
BASS: Seth Gruenwald
KEYBOARDS: Nick Gutierrez
With a swirl of orchestral instruments blended in with a rock band rhythm section and augmented by vibraphones, fileophones, choirs of radios, and harmoniums, engineer Stephen Jansen has helped create a sonic adventure through each of the three acts.
Kristen Kaniewski has designed unique packaging for the album that enhances the listening experience.
Mike Przygoda is a classical composer, jazz arranger, rock songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has arranged, produced, and played on many albums for other artists including Kevin O'Donnell, Matt Wessel, Andra Durham, Devin & The Straights, Louis Wu, The Lira Ensemble, etc. He has written an opera, a musical, numerous chamber works, dance and theater scores, and songs for other artists. As a performer, he has toured with Second City as a musical director and Maggie Walters as a multi-instrumentalist.
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