Arts & Entertainment

Oak Park Man Creates Program to Form New Bands

Resident Kevin Reid, who has extensive experience in the music industry, is running a nine-week program to teach people the ins and outs of being in a band, complete with a live performance and recording studio session at the end.

Oak Park resident Kevin Reid knows what it takes to start a band. He's performed in bands, taught musicians and worked in Nashville and Los Angeles on producing and songwriting.

The most important thing to do, he says, is to just start playing. And he's giving people that opportunity with a new program, Rock Performance & Studio Recording in Oak Park.

Reid’s company, Audio Tribe, has partnered with Sonic Palace recording studio owner, Matt Mercado, to offer three new bands work in a nine-week session where they can learn cover songs. All of it leads up to a live gig June 20 at FitzGerald's in Berwyn and a recording studio session at Sonic Palace. He said he's still looking for bass, keys and drums in the adult bands.

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"I want to give them the real band experience," Reid said. "Not just learning the songs, but everything else from what they need to pack for a show to how to effectively communicate with other members in the band." 

Reid has been in love with music his entire life. His father was a singer and played the trumpet, and as early as preschool Reid was involved in a music program. He started playing piano and drums in third grade, and by seventh grade he had his first band. He later performed in the alt-rock Chicago band Native Altar

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In 1989 he opened Musical Expressions in Naperville, and in 2002 he created a rock band program similar to the one he'll run in Oak Park. But that was a lot larger—he had as many as 585 students at the Naperville location, which he sold when he moved to Los Angeles to produce a music project. He also spent time in Nashville honing his songwriting. 

He moved to Oak Park after his time in LA and now teaches private music lessons here.

"I've found home," he said. “The arts are incredibly supported here. I love the diversity and the urban suburb feel. Many are students who have never been in a band before. It’s essential to have that group component."

And that's what he hopes to give students in this program. After the first program ends, Reid intends to do it again in the second half of the year and carry it into the following year. He's also interested in working with any young vocalists, whom he can help make demos and make connections in the industry.

For more information about the program, contact Reid at kevin@audiotribemusic.com or 615-693-9317. Learn more at the Audio Tribe Music website.

"I can help encourage the students, teach them about working together and, most of all, just to be creative," he said. "Don't think, just do it and have fun." 


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