Yow can go back to his regular gig: bringing the rock.
He’s in a new band (Qui) with a new album (“Love’s Miracle”) and a tour that brings the Los Angeles-based trio to the Empty Bottle on Friday.
It’s Yow’s first rock gig since the Jesus Lizard, one of Chicago’s best bands ever, broke up nearly a decade ago.
“After the Jesus Lizard broke up, I was done,” Yow says. “I didn’t want to be in a band where I just repeat myself.”
Four years ago, he moved to Los Angeles to work as a computer-graphics artist.
But hanging out with Qui --- drummer-vocalist Paul Christensen and guitarist-vocalist Matt Cronk --- changed his mind. Though 17 years younger than the 47-year-old Yow, Christensen and Cronk shared similar tastes in music (nasty) and humor (twisted). It didn’t hurt that Christensen and Cronk were big Jesus Lizard fans, and they invited Yow to join them on stage at shows around L.A. After a while, the part-time trio morphed into a full-time band.
“We did a show in Hollywood last year and afterward it became apparent that I was in the band,” Yow says. “I was really enjoying playing with these guys, because they were teaching me new tricks.”
The new tricks included three-part harmonies, something Yow had never attempted before. “Love’s Miracle” leaves plenty of room for Yow’s deranged vocal spew, but it also showcases a newfound appreciation for melody on “New Orleans” and “A # 1.” Astute covers of Capt. Beefheart’s “Willie the Pimp” and Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” further expand the band’s range.
Christensen and Cronk had been playing together since 2000, and they’re fierce musicians. But when Yow joined in 2006 the band’s profile exponentially increased. Two respected indie labels, Ipecac and Touch & Go, vied to released “Love’s Miracle,” with Ipecac eventually winning out
“We were having a speaker-phone conversation with one of the guys at Ipecac, who told us we were in a no-lose situation trying to decide between two really good labels,” Yow says. “And when we got off the phone, Matt was almost in tears. He said, ‘Can’t lose! My whole life has been a can’t-win situation. I don’t know what to do.’ And then just a couple of months ago we toured Europe. It was the first time Matt and Paul had ever been out of the country, and I had to keep telling myself not to act like some dorky tour guide.”
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