Greg Cahill/Special Consensus

Description

Special Consensus formed in Chicago in 1975 and has been a full-time touring and recording band since then. The band tours nationally and internationally, having performed throughout the USA and in Canada, throughout Europe, South America, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Special C has also appeared on National Public Radio, The Nashville Network, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, and in concert with many symphony orchestras nationwide. In 1984, the Traditional American Music (TAM) Program was created by the band to introduce bluegrass music to students of all ages (K-12 and university). The band has released 20 recordings that have garnered six awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and two GRAMMY nominations (2012 and 2018). The most recent Compass Records 2020 release "Chicago Barn Dance"

Work Sample

"Sea of Heartbreak," written by country artist Don Gibson, is a 3:07 live performance filmed at Eddie Owens Presents in Duluth, GA on November 28, 2021. We often include a "classic country" song in our sets and this is one we recorded years ago but continues to be one of our most requested selections. We all sing and enjoy trading lead vocals and harmony parts throughout our performances.

"Blackbird" was written by Canadian writer/artist J.P. Cormier. This 4:08 performance is a selection from our new "Great Blue North" Compass Records recording to be released May 12, 2023. This was released as a single in the spring of 2022 and we invited our Nashville musician friends Rob Ickes (dobro), Dale Ann Bradley and Amanda Smith (vocals) and our producer/banjo player extraordinaire Alison Brown to join us in the studio for this track. We thoroughly enjoy collaborating with friends and often ask them to join us for a song on our recordings. This release is a tip of the hat to our many Canadian promoter, artist and fan friends we have made throughout over four decades of performing in Canada.

"My Kind of Town," written by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen, is included on our 2020 "Chicago Barn Dance" Compass Records release and we are joined by our fiddle playing friends Mike Barnett and Patrick McAvinue and our producer/banjo player Alison Brown. We always include a few swingy songs or tunes in our repertoire and we listened to the Frank Sinatra version of the song when preparing to record to get the "feel" for the piece. The "Chicago Barn Dance" release coincided with the 45 year anniversary of the band so all songs on the recording were either about Chicago or written by people who were from or had lived in Chicago. We wanted to let the world know that country and bluegrass music really has been featured in Chicago for many years and we truly enjoyed making the video that included shots of well known Chicago landmarks.

We submitted three samples and each presents a different part of our repertoire. "Sea of Heartbreak" is what is often called a "classic country" song from the older country music repertoire (aka 1950s). "Blackbird" was written in recent times by a Canadian writer and has a more contemporary sound for bluegrass music. "My Kind of Town" was written for a musical in the 1960s and has been performed by many singers and swing bands ever since. This is a thumbnail sketch of our recorded and performance repertoire that spans 48 years of recording and touring.

History

Special Consensus formed in Chicago in 1975 and has been a full-time touring and recording band since then. The band tours nationally and internationally, having performed throughout the USA and in Canada, throughout Europe, South America, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Special C has also appeared on National Public Radio, The Nashville Network, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, and in concert with many symphony orchestras nationwide. In 1984, the Traditional American Music (TAM) Program was created by the band to introduce bluegrass music to students of all ages (K-12 and university). The band has released 20 recordings that have garnered six awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and two GRAMMY nominations (2012 and 2018). The most recent Compass Records 2020 release "Chicago Barn Dance"

Artistic Vision

The band attempts to keep a somewhat traditional bluegrass music sound while offering a repertoire that includes original material and also draws from gospel, country and swing music genres. Our mission is to present this traditional sound with acoustic instruments and bluegrass vocal harmonies with a more contemporary twist to appeal to audiences of all ages. Many of our songs sound like older traditional songs but they have been written in more current times and relate to our present day way of life. Songs from other genres may be recognized as such and are then appreciated by audiences unfamiliar with the bluegrass repertoire. We are always seeking to expand the bluegrass music audience as we travel throughout the USA and around the world.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

We created our Traditional American Music (TAM) Program in 1984 to present bluegrass music in schools for students of all ages, from K-12 to high school and college level students. We adapt the presentation according to the age of the student audience that has included school band members and college music majors. We have literally presented this program to over one million students to date.