Mr. Blotto was born in Chicago as an off-night vehicle for musicians who loved each others playing but were in different bands at the time. The only rule was that they would only play what they loved. That philosophy continues today and has led Mr. Blotto into unique musical situations.

Mr. Blotto takes the Jam band asthetic into areas unfamiliar to the standard Jam Scene. They have been known to cover entire albums by Led Zeppelin and the Who as well as perform entire shows of Country and Reggae. Artists as diverse as the Grateful Dead, the Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson and The Velvet Underground have seen their material interpreted by Mr. Blotto in the 2000+ shows the band has performed in the last 15 years, yet covers only pepper the bands hefty catalog of original material stemming from five studio albums and other unreleased crowd favorites.

In association with the Chicago Zappa Collective, Chester’s Gorilla is pleased as punch to present Frank’s album “Broadway The Hard Way”. The album is culled from tour tapes of the election year 1988 and conclude with Frank urging the audience to “get yer butt out there and register to vote, please?” He was in full political and social attack mode after spending much time on Capitol Hill and in the press fighting against Tipper Gore’s campaign for Parental Advisory labels on music. The targets for his low esteem on this album include the Reverend Pat Robertson, Jesse Jackson, the Republican Party, Michael Jackson, the Reverend Pat Robertson, Elvis Presley, Presidents G. H. W. Bush and Nixon, and of course Pat Robertson again. As Frank would have done, we will change some lyrics to skewer the current cast of characters in the news.

Chester’s Gorilla is made up of, as Frank would say, some “pretty good musicians” who have worked with local heroes Hood Smoke, the Model Citizens, Steak House Mints, The Unknown New, The Renegades, M13, Kick The Cat, as well as A Prairie Home Companion, Howard Levy, and Dweezil Zappa.