[Cover photo credit to Timothy Hiatt]
Having released six albums on Forty Below Records and Yellow Dog Records, Chicago “Garage cabaret” band The Claudettes have begun a new raft of recordings and video creations. Claudettes founder/songwriter/pianist Johnny Iguana asked his frequent collaborator JQ to co-Produce the new Claudettes tracks with him. Recently JQ and Johnny Iguana have received attention for their work composing the original score for popular FX/Hulu series The Bear.
The Claudettes have released the new single and video “No Matter How Much”.
Johnny Iguana wanted to introduce Rachel Williams, who has been singing with the band since December 2022, with music videos.
Johnny says:
Rachel’s vocal on this song is magnetic, from the near-whispered first line to the big payoff at the end. Rachel had worked with filmmaker Dorian Weinzimmer and recommended him. Dorian and I hit it off during our first phone conversation. An obscure Simpsons reference Dorian made—one I have, myself, made before—sealed the deal.
The song itself is a “darkly comic outburst of frustration over having been cheated by a bogus bottle of magic potion.”
In addition to forming and composing for the Claudettes, Johnny Iguana has played piano on three Grammy-nominated albums and has performed on recordings featuring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Johnny Winter, Derek Trucks, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Gary Clark Jr., Shemekia Copeland and more.
JQ is a DJ, composer, producer and actor who has earned an HBO Comedy Award, starred in an MTV series, and seen his productions with the Q Brothers sell out venues from Chicago to NY to London.
The Claudettes continue their 2023 touring with these concerts:
Nov. 3: Nightshop, Bloomington, IL
Nov. 4: BB’s, St. Louis, MO
Nov. 10: The Acorn Theater, Three Oaks, MI
Nov. 11: The Venue, Aurora, IL
Nov. 30: Jilly’s Music Room, Akron, OH
Dec. 1: Natalie’s Grandview, Columbus, OH
Dec. 2: The Rose Bowl, Urbana, IL
Dec. 7: Cadieux Café, Detroit, MI
Dec. 8: The Alluvion, Traverse City, MI
Dec. 9: Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL
Dec. 14: Turf Club, St. Paul, MN
Dec. 15: CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, IA
Dec. 16: North Street Cabaret, Madison WI
