The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

    Local band Good Luck Jane balances school work with shows, new album

    There is no shortage of talent at the University of Illinois. The many bands, acting groups, dance companies and art exhibits make it easy to find. Yet every once in a while, a group sets itself apart by showing their commitment to becoming something more.

    Good Luck Jane, a local band formed on campus last year, has made it known that they are talented, dedicated and here to stay. —linebreak—At midnight last Saturday, Good Luck Jane took the stage at the Canopy Club, 708 S. Goodwin Avenue.

    The crowd waited with anticipation and cheered as they heard vocalist Joey Busse, sophomore in DGS, sing the first words of Good Luck Jane’s original song, “Hollywood.” Though it was not their first show, it was different because they were able to play more originals than ever before.

    Over the past year, the young men of Good Luck Jane have worked hard to make their band into something real.

    They have gone from a couple guys jamming together, playing mostly cover shows, to a band who has released a professionally recorded CD with all original songs.

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    Their E.P., “Word of the Week,” was recorded this summer at Down Beat Studios in Chicago. Good Luck Jane worked with Mike Govaere, the former drummer of Every Avenue, a pop-rock band that is signed with Fearless Records.

    The E.P. includes five original songs — “Hollywood,” “Last Sunday,” “Trying,” “Here Again” and “Dream Catcher.”

    Recording an E.P. in a professional studio has had its challenges.

    “Up until now, we used to record at my house, so there were no time restrictions,” said Drew Slutsky, sophomore in DGS and the band’s guitarist and keyboardist.

    “Recording this E.P. required us to plan ahead and map the songs out ahead of time.”

    Good Luck Jane has made their CD available for purchase at a variety of places including iTunes, bigcartel.com, Napster, Limewire, Rhapsody.com and Amazon.com. The band also sells their CD at merchandise tables set up at their shows.

    Good Luck Jane also dedicated a lot of time this summer to getting their Myspace and YouTube pages up and running.

    After only two months, the songs on their Myspace page have over 15,000 plays.

    With all of the hard work that the young men put towards music over the past year, they have been able to enjoy some rewards.

    “When we finished recording, we listened to the CD on the way home from the studio,” said Jake Cooper, sophomore in Media and drummer for the band.

    “It was a great feeling,” Busse added.

    Writing and arranging original songs also required a lot of work. —linebreak—“Sometimes I don’t know what I want for the music so I’ll leave lyrics without music or melodies and wait for the band to work together,” Slutsky said.

    Slutsky writes a majority of the songs; however, it takes the entire band to make them complete.

    “We all add our input on arrangements and work together to transform his songs into Good Luck Jane songs,” said Dan Wywrot, sophomore in Business and the band’s guitarist.

    Good Luck Jane would like to continue growing.

    They will be playing more local shows and will be promoting their new CD.

    The young men are dedicating time to working on their live set. “We are cutting back on covers,” Busse said. “We don’t want to be seen as a cover band.”

    Other original Good Luck Jane songs include “Like You Did Before” and “Like I Do.”

    “It’s tough because until we are well known, people just want to hear songs they know,” Cooper said.

    “Hopefully Good Luck Jane can become a band that is recognizable.” —linebreak—Good Luck Jane’s next show on campus is Oct. 7 at The Canopy Club.

    You can listen to their music for free at www.myspace.com/goodluckjane.

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