Chicago Cy

This year’s ChesterFest promises to bring an eclectic mix of music, sure to please any of the thousands of attendees expected to show up throughout the day.

And that’s only from one band.

Marking their first return to the festival since its first year in 2001, Chicago Cy will once again take the stage, covering songs ranging from those released in the 20s and 30s up until more present day chart- toppers, as well as a few original creations thrown into the mix.

“We don’t know yet exactly what we will play; we will have to just look at the crowd. We’ll probably run a gambit of songs and try to hit everyone with at least one song, from grandparents to teens,” says Cy Taggart, founder of and guitar player for Chicago Cy. “We are just going to give people a taste of the Chicago Cy band.”

A lifelong musician, Taggart first found music at a young age, singing in his church and playing cello trumpet and drums throughout elementary school. After discovering the guitar while in high school, he continued to refine his talents, eventually joining the band Solid Gold Fish Bowl as well as forming the acoustic band Down to Earth. Later joining the Boucan Brothers and “super group” CBJR, Taggart worked with Bobby Jorgensen and Chip Farnsworth in an electric trio called Blind Carbon Copy, the basis of which eventually formed Chicago Cy.

Since then, Chicago Cy has gone through a few member changes, while still keeping their same sound. Forming their current lineup in 2006, Chicago Cy now includes Taggart on guitar and vocals, Chester native Tim Stanton on bass and vocals, and Tom Lenahan on drums and vocals.

“We are a very vocal group,” says Taggart. “There are a lot of songs where all three of us are harmonizing; we even sing some of the missing horn parts in some of our swing songs.”

Serving primarily as a cover band, Chicago Cy performs it all, from Louie Armstrong, the Beatles, and the Doors to Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Green Day, and everything in between. However, don’t come expecting just the standard cover song.

“We do a lot of covers, but we call them uncovers,” says Taggart. “A lot of times, we change the groove and the beat, but keep the integrity of the song. For example, we might do ‘Let it Be’ with a reggae beat. We just like to twist the songs in our own way.”

As attendees will be gearing up to hear a new sound on their favorite songs, members of Chicago Cy are readying themselves to check out the new Village Green.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” says Taggart. “ChesterFest was a much smaller venue in its first year and the event and the Village Green have both built up a lot since then. There will probably be a lot people there who don’t really like seeing shows downtown, so I’m excited to bring Chicago Cy to them.”

Though this will be his first time playing ChesterFest with Chicago Cy, Stanton is no stranger to the ChesterFest stage. In the festival’s second year, he performed with the band Gumbo Fire, leaving him well-prepared for what to expect.

“I’m really excited to play, since this will be the first time I have played there after the development in the Green. I’m anxious to see how we sound,” says Stanton. “Plus, we’ve played a lot throughout the area, so it will be nice to play in front of the home crowd.”

Chicago Cy will perform at ChesterFest on September 13 at 3 p.m. For more information on the band, visit www.cytaggart.com. Copies of their CD, It’s Alright, will be available for sale at ChesterFest.

nderatto@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

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