Mucca Pazza creates unique blend of rock, brass-band sounds
It's not going out on a limb to say that Mucca Pazza sounds like no other Chicago-area band.
The sprawling ensemble, which features more than 20 members from the city and suburbs, throws everything but the kitchen sink into its unique sound - and the sink will probably be added before too long.
Spin one of Mucca's records and you'll hear classical strings, marching-band brass, jazzy percussion, punk-rock guitar, the list goes on. Somehow, it all works.
The band, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is about to release a new album, "L.Y.A." Mucca will launch the record with a Halloween show at Chicago's Lincoln Hall.
"I'm excited about the album," said suburban native Greg Hirte, Mucca's violinist. "The songs are 'meatier' than what we've done in the past, and we explore some new sounds."
Hirte grew up in Glenview and Northbrook. He started playing the violin at age 4, and he honed his skills in both the orchestra and the marching band at Glenbrook South High School.
Hirte joined Mucca Pazza shortly after it formed in 2004. He was attracted to the musical side of the band, of course, but also to its theatrical side. Mucca Pazza is known for its inventive visuals and flamboyant, high-energy stage shows.
"While I was growing up I played a lot of music for theater, and I'm an actor as well, so I've always loved the theatrical side of music," Hirte said. "It's probably no surprise, then, that Mucca always made perfect sense to me."
"L.Y.A.," the new album, features compositions from a number of the band members. As is typical for a Mucca record, the songs pull from a wide array of genres, forms and sounds. The song "All Out of Bubblegum" starts with a driving beat and some surf-guitar licks and then stops on a dime to make way for blasts of horn. "Holiday on Ice" is built around frenetic, whirling brass and percussion that send the listener on a psychedelic circus ride.
The album also delivers some dreamier, more cinematic moments, like "Rise of the Elementals," one of Hirte's favorite tracks. The song unfolds like a piece from the soundtrack to a European spy movie or Western.
Hirte said that while the band members do collaborate on songs occasionally, the tracks often arrive nearly fully formed by the primary songwriters.
"That's the thing about Mucca - there are some amazing musicians and composers in the band," he said. "That's what makes it such a special project."
Mucca Pazza has long been a Chicago-area cult favorite, but it has made an impression nationally, as well. The band has performed on television shows like "Lake Night with Conan O'Brien" and played major festivals like the Montreal Jazz Fest.
Hirte splits his time between the band and his theater work. (He will perform in the upcoming production of "A Christmas Carol" at the Goodman Theatre.) He said he's looking forward to seeing how fans react to the new album.
"The attention Mucca has gotten is great - it's amazing, actually," he said. "It's not like any of us did this expecting some huge wave of success or whatever. We're just people who love performing music. But people have responded, which makes being in this band a really great ride."
Mucca Pazza (Record release/10th anniversary show)
When: 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31
Where: Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago,
Tickets: $25