Paul Heinz

Original Fiction, Music and Essays

Upcoming Gigs And Band info

Click on shaded dates below for specifics of my upcoming performances.
If you prefer to view a list rather than a calendar, please click here.
Scroll down for descriptions of my various bands.

 
 

My Regular Bands

I'm lucky to have played keyboards in various bands around the Greater Chicago Area with lots of different genres to please varied tastes. I'm currently playing with the following acts:

Anchors Away is a Yacht Rock extravaganza comprised of some of Chicago’s most seasoned musicians. We’re sailing away with Hall & Oates, Christopher Cross, Little River Band, Olivia Newton-John, Ace, Toto, Climax Blues Band and Firefall. All those tunes you secretly love in one place! Like us on Facebook!

Second Time Around is a terrific classic rock band, performing songs from the 70s and 80s with three-part harmonies, perfectly replicated guitar solos and a grumbling Hammond by yours truly to fill out the sound.


My Past Bands

When I started playing again in the 2010s, I got to play with several great acts. They helped me get my live music career (such as it is) rolling again after fifteen years of at-home-fatherdom.

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Cold 45 offered a modern take on soul, with a five-piece band presenting a blend of dance-inducing songs that span the decades: from 60s Motown to the soul renaissance of the 2010s. From Smokey, Etta and Dusty to Winehouse, Jessie J., Tedeschi Trucks, Leon Bridges and Duffy. We had a great run from 2019 to 2022.

Block 37 is no longer an active band, but it was a great run from 2015-2019! We played power pop gems from the 70s to today. From The Cars to The Clash, from Matthew Sweet to The Black Keys, from Passion PIt to Tom Petty. Perhaps the best setlist I’ll ever have the pleasure of playing.

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The Chi-Town Showstoppers gave me my reentry into performing back in 2011, and what a great band to lead the way! The group breathed new life into sets containing a mix of classic R&B, rock, funk, swing, and jazz standards. With six blaring horns, this was a musical tour de force.

Ken Slauf and I performed with varying lineups, usually as a duo or trio in a group officially known as Crazy Wizdom. Pursuing a lighter fare, we covered anything from jazz standards to an acoustic take on Britney Spears!  Van Morrison, Sting, Lyle Lovett, 60s classics, Marc Cohn and all sorts of goodies made it into our regular set.

For over a decade, you could find me playing on many Sundays at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church, where a great band and I contributed inspiring contemporary Christian songs for a great congregation.


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