“Black’s Backbone is not just a band, it’s a f***ing art project .”

Band members Blizzle and NAE have spent the past two years merging their original songs in an interactive concert where audience members can play the visuals.

Band leader Blizzle found his groove by rebelling against his classical upbringing and pursuing jazz – a path unheard of in his family of Grammy-winning classical virtuosos. Hundreds of transcriptions and hours spent listening to 60’s and 70’s vinyl prepared him to start writing slammin’ grooves and eventually collaborating with lyricist Patrick “Sully” Sullivan.

NAE met Blizzle as he was chilling outside his recording studio sipping a Guinness and she told him about her most recent obsession: writing synth pop music about synthetic plants in shopping malls, the subject of her experimental video art. From there, one of the several collaborations that have defined Black’s Backbone was forged. Blizzle and NAE have since been working alongside award-winning Creative Coder Nathan Glynn (Starcraft, Rocket Cat, Coca-Cola, Marriott).

Black’s Backbone has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, has collaborated with local art exhibitions at Parallax in Pilsen and Carlson Tower Galleries at North Park University, as well as with Artists of the Industry, The Artist Space, The Wilmette Theatre, Synth House Chicago Museum, The Wilmette Public Library, Chicago House musicians, and youth songwriters from local Park District summer camps. Their performances and outreach bring creativity in music, art, and coding to the community. Their art has been described as a “pop opera” that is quirky, theatrical, and “s*** I’ve never seen before.”