Chicago has long been an institution of diverse music genres, but bluegrass and roots music aren’t typically associated with it. Cornmeal, a Chicago roots band, is one act maintaining a folk presence despite the city’s constant output of contemporary music and its fluid artistic environment.
Cornmeal bassist Chris Gangi said his band’s music is “difficult to describe” — a phrase that partners well with Chicago’s ever-changing musical landscape.
“We kind of run the gambit,” Gangi said. “A lot of people describe it a lot of different ways. Essentially, it’s acoustic Americana. A lot of people call it ‘jamgrass.’”
Because bluegrass and roots music aren’t associated directly with Chicago, Cornmeal’s sound is an extra piece in the jigsaw puzzle of the city’s music. Despite playing from an outsider’s perspective, Cornmeal’s fans are devoted to broadening the American music spectrum — which, in this case, means taking music back to the beginning.
“It’s a little bit of an outcast these days,” Gangi said. “We’ve always felt the stigma of being an outcast in Chicago because it’s so heavily based in blues and rock, but there is really an incredibly supportive music community in Chicago … for bluegrass-based bands. But it’s definitely something that you have to seek out, I think. Over the years, we’ve sort of become one of the staple bands that has been around for a long time. Everyone knows what to expect when they see us.”
Bluegrass musicians have long carried a reputation of being technically proficient with their instruments. This practical prowess has since evolved into the subgenre of jam bands, which rely heavily on improvisation and extended versions of songs.
Though this generally can be seen as a positive aspect of music, jam bands often get criticized for being unskilled songwriters that play drawn-out performances with little to no lyrics or other components of lyricism. This deficiency can detract from a band’s musical reputation.
With the term “jam band” carrying both positive and negative connotations, Cornmeal has long embraced the name.
“It’s definitely a jam band,” Gangi said. “There was a long time where we kind of fought against that moniker. We’ve slowly come to rationalize the fact that there’s really no other truth to it besides that. We definitely use multiple influences from all types of genres, and they all sort of seep in together. It’s cooked in this big melting pot that we call ‘bluegrass.’”
Gangi explained the transformation that Cornmeal underwent in recent years. Lineup changes, which are common among jam bands, have caused the group to re-evaluate its approach to performing and its newfound potential in music.
“About two years ago, we saw three of the five members leave due to personal changes and … some people just wanted to get off the road,” Gangi said. “We are in that process of reforming and redefining what we do. It’s definitely been beneficial. It seems that every time we go through a slight change, it just drives new life into the entity and brings in so much new influence. It takes the band in a deeper, further direction than we could have thought possible.”
Since its 2001 debut album, “In the Kitchen,” Cornmeal has released a steady course of records, including two live albums that have cemented the Chicago group as an enjoyable performing force. With a reformed lineup, Cornmeal plans to step back into the studio to add to its modest collection of work.
“Our biggest fault over the last five or six years has been spending too much time on the road,” Gangi said. “It was difficult for us to sit down and focus on a record. We literally just went into the studio two weeks ago and tracked down songs. We are in the process of creating an album, and it’s definitely our most ambitious to date.”
Cornmeal is scheduled to play the Varsity Theatre tonight, with doors opening at 8 p.m.