New Demos 2021

Damn Glad To Meet You

As middle-age crisis vanity projects go, this takes the biscuit for sheer quixotic misguided willfulness.  The Dysfunctionells (boldface that), struggling mightily to play above their skill level, will challenge today's youthful audience's capacity for empathy as they parade their decades' worth of well-earned neuroses with no glimmer of shame.  
 Overshadowing the folk-grunge Whitmanesque yawp is the epic display of mental aberration, spanning the gamut from untreated clinical depression to untreated bipolar disorder with stops along the way at schizophrenia, hebephrenia and autism spectrum syndrome, not to mention the collective misplaced and inappropriate narcissism that drives the project.  So, hey, a must-see for students of mental pathology.  However, all are welcome.  

Roll call:  Russell Clark--bass, Vencent Edmonds--drums, Richard Krueger--acoustic guitar, Oliver Steck--accordion, mouth organ, etc., and Vernon Tonges--electric guitar.

Secret Admirer

She's Crazy On You (Shiela)

Little Richard's World of Mirth

INFORMATION ABOUT THE BAND

Members
Russell Clark–bass
Vencent Edmonds–drums
Richard Krueger–acoustic guitar, vocals, songs 
Oliver Steck–accordion, mouth organ, trumpet
Vernon Tonges–electric guitar, banjo, vocals, songs

INFO: 
•	Formed in Chicago, IL in 1991.  Broke up in 1998
•	Began in collaboration with Cardiff Giant in Chicago, who would later go on to create ‘Urinetown, The Musical’, among other things
•	Major Influences/Folks we get compared to: The Holy Modal Rounders (Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber), Michael Hurley, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Loudon Wainwright III, Richard Thompson, Randy Newman, The Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music, lotsa blind guys that played guitar 
•	Backed up the Rounders on their infamous Bottom Line Reunion Show in 1996 in NYC
•	Have played and recorded with Michael Hurley and with Peter Stampfel and with The Rounders…some of these recording have been archived in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (go figure)

Pull Quotes
"As a lifelong fan of True Deep American Strangeness, I came to a realization after leaving Milwaukee for the last
time in 1959: The Truest, Deepest American Strangeness is to be found in the Heartland,the Great Midwest. As a
perfect example, take a song--any song--of Rich Krueger, and you will see exactly what I mean. Rich is an
American Stranger, if I ever did see one." -- Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders

"Talented...highly distinctive songwriter...cerebral, ironic....Richard Thompsonesque" --Michael Parrish, Dirty
Linen

"Krueger's melodies, phrasing, and carefully-crafted lyrics call to mind the very best singer-songwriters: Elvis
Costello, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen. But his vision is very much his own. " -- Jennifer Zogott, Folk Roots
Magazine (Britain)

“Tonges has long been the most vibrant and maniacal performer in a scene full of vibrant maniacs..."  - Justin Hayford, The Chicago Reader

“Long reknowned for his work with local folk-rock outfit, THE DYSFUNCTIONELLS, mildly unhinged singer-songwriter Vernon Tonges takes a well-earned sabbatical from the self-congratulatory world of contemporary rock to hone a bolder and more intimate vision for today's smaller venues. Picking through the detritus of overlooked 20th Century musical forms, he has jerry-rigged a fresh new style, inspired by delta blues, jug bands, ragtime, string band music, post-war jump bands and obscure rockabilly. These brisk and breezy ditties often take abrupt and scary turns into alarming landscapes of casual depravity. An all-out undeclared covert war on precious navel-gazing self-indulgence.” A  big fan

Blather  About The Dysfucntionells

What should you know about The Dysfunctionells, the band that no one wanted, “THE Butt-Ugliest Band in Chicago”.  Well, I’ll tell you…pull up a rock and squat down…

They were and are:
Russell Clark–bass
Vencent Edmonds–drums
Richard Krueger–acoustic guitar, vocals, songs 
Oliver Steck–accordion, mouth organ, trumpet
Vernon Tonges–electric guitar, banjo, vocals, songs

Rich Krueger heard Vernon Tonges for the first time at Earl’s Pub on Lincoln Ave in Chicago the spring of 1987.  Vernon set the stage a-fire with Cole Porter’s “Let’s Misbehave”.  Rich fell in love instantly.  Their band, The Dysfunctionells, hatched out of all the evils that lurk in the mud back in 1991 in part out of  Rich Krueger’s obsessive desire to record a “good” cassette of some his songs (“Tell Me A Story”), and Vernon Tonges desire to gig at Sheffield’s, but they’d only hire him if he had a full band.  Since their emergence from the fetid swamps of young adult pipedreams, and from a love for kinds of music that (particularly at the time- circa 1990) few really ever loved.   I still feel that few still really love this music but more and more a feigning affections.  There are places in hell waiting for some of these folks.

The other players joined as a result of there each individual missteps and misfortunes.  Russell Clark was a local Hyde Park Jazzer/bassist/jobber/ Vegetarian who had been playing a bit with Rich for a couple years.  Vence Edmunds, a University of Chicago MRI technician and GREAT jazz drummer,  had gone to High School with Russell and brought in for the Tell Me A Story sessions.  Oliver Steck, Rock N Roll God and front man of Hyde Park’s legendary Fang Beach, was also brought in for those sessions (Rich always wanted to get to know him real bad).  

Our song bag was pretty deep back in our day, which was 1991 to 1998.  We could play for hours and hours at one time.  We played the local Chicago clubs. We played Lounge Ax.  We had bluenote artist and jazz great Kurt Elling banging tambourine with us as we played The Charleston in Chicago.   We got banned for The Charleston after one incident involving someone fucking a mannequin, but it really was because we were too loud..  We recorded some music (kind of).  We met and played and in some cases recorded  with our heroes including Trout Fishing in America,  Peter Stampfel of The Holy Modal Rounders, and Michael Hurley. Hel these folks even would come over to the house, or at least sleep in the drive way.  Hurley fixed the squeaky hinges in my home.  We played NYC four times, twice at the Mercury Lounge, twice at the Bottom Line.  We were the backup group for the Holy Modal Rounder Reunion at The Bottom Line in July of 1996.  Christgau heard us play that show.  So did Neil Strauss at The New York Times, who called us self-consciously weird (like that’s some kind of bad thing?).  On a good night we could play a fucking awesome show, although no one noticed really or cared much.  

The band played only a couple shows after that HMR reunion show.  Our last show before we started calling them reunions was The Bucktown Arts Festival in 1998.  Rich left for LA that December. Oliver had already moved I think and Russell would soon move.   The Dysfunctionells were a memory.

We have been consistent on the fact that each reunion will be the last one ever.  Our first last reunion was July of 2002 at Lula Café in Logan Square in Chicago.  Some of us used to hang out there in those days. playing cards, doing card tricks, and drinking tea.  By 2010 it was a high end elegant restaurant.  Go figure.  The reunion was put together on the fly and with short notice.  There is the recording of that show that is available to you now.  The recordist was our hero Paul Kotheimer, who had help from Matt Sohn and his remarkable microphones.  Paul mixed the recording and you can find it here http://richkrueger.bandcamp.com/album/the-dysfunctionells-live-at-lula-cafe-7-2000. 

We had our next last reunion in 2012, again on the fly at The Gallery Cabaret in Bucktown.  That show got recorded by Matt Sohn (although we haven’t done much with it yet) and video was shot but Garrett Lane which can be found on youttube at http://youtu.be/5Cp5JvSvcQU  

There is yet another reunion about to occur in November of 2014.  Hence the creation of this damn facebook page.

Those who couldn’t attend due to scheduling issues, short notice or just plain common sense, have been asking since when we would do it again. The thought of such a thing induced howls of derisive laughter. Apparently we are going to do again one last time over the November 7-9 weekend in Urbana IL, in Chicago  IL, and in Hammond IN.  

That’ll teach them for asking.

This is enticement Vernon scribed for the last of these last reunions:
“As middle-age crisis vanity projects go, this takes the biscuit for sheer quixotic misguided willfulness.  The Dysfunctionells, struggling mightily to play above their skill level, will challenge today’s youthful audience’s capacity for empathy as they parade their decades’ worth of well-earned neuroses with no glimmer of shame.  Overshadowing the folk-grunge Whitmanesque yawp is the epic display of mental aberration, not to mention the collective misplaced and inappropriate narcissism that drives the project.  So, hey, a must-see for students of mental pathology. However, all are welcome.  Roll call:  Russell Clark–bass, Vencent Edmonds–drums, Richard Krueger–acoustic guitar, Oliver Steck–accordion, mouth organ, etc., and Vernon Tonges–electric guitar.”

You can find some The Dysfunctionells’ music here  https://soundcloud.com/richardkrueger/sets but more importantly here on BANDCAMP!!!  http://richkrueger.bandcamp.com/album/the-dysfunctionells-live-at-lula-cafe-7-2000


The Juggernaut Of The Blues

Broke-Dick Busted (And Down 'n Out)

The Wednesday Boys 4:22 CLEAN SINGLE RADIO EDIT

Genre: Americana / R&B / Blue-eyed Soul / AAA/ Van Morrison-esque

Music & Lyrics Rich Krueger (RockinK Music®)
Copyright / Publishing / Licensing
©RockinK Music® / ℗ RockinK Music® / Licensed through BMI (Administered by CD Baby)
©℗ all rights reserved
Master and Synch Licenses available

Blue -eyed soul anthem , with a Van Morrison inspired groove, with a great sax and gospel singer driven band. An ode that says a big beautiful wet ‘F*** You’ to depression.

rich krueger - acoustic guitars, vocals
vence edmonds – drums
bill kavanagh – bass
issac lyons - hammond b3
alan burroughs - electric rhythm and lead guitar
simbryt dortch, alan burroughs & michael scott - heavenly choir
skinny williams – tenor saxophone
oliver steck – piano
paul kotheimer –triangle 
dave bernat –conga

Life Aint That Long

The Wednesday Boys

Listen/Buy Apple Music

The Wednesday Boys (Clean Single Version)

What Is It That You Want? 3:20 CLEAN RADIO EDIT

Genre: Americana / R&B / Blue-eyed Soul / Indie Rock

Music & Lyrics Rich Krueger (RockinK Music®)
Copyright / Publishing / Licensing
©RockinK Music® / ℗ RockinK Music® / Licensed through BMI (Administered by CD Baby)
©℗ all rights reserved
Master and Synch Licenses available

A piano and horn section driven song with a feel like James Brown’s Down and Out In New York City meets Ray Charles Mary Ann. A song which testifys about the impact on me of the death of a couple friends who died way too young. Don’t we all want just one more year?

rich krueger - piano, vocals
vence edmonds – drums, bongos
bill kavanagh – bass
issac lyons - hammond b3
alan burroughs - electric rhythm and lead guitar
The SW3 horns – skinny williams on saxophone, norman palm on trombone, leon q allen on trumpet
horn arrangement by will simms

What Is It That You Want?

What Is It That You Want (Clean Single Version)

The impetus for this nine song solo acoustic collection was to demo of "The Ballad of Mary O'Connor" for its authors, my friends Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis, the authors of "Urinetown", having written the song for The NY Times Magazine (11/01). I performed their song for a J Dakota Powell event entitled “Brave New World: American Theater's Response to 9/11” on anniversary of 9/11 held at Town Hall NYC on anniversary of 9/11.  The other songs were recorded then as well because I hadn’t yet demoed them & for the first time ever I was in an actual professional recording studio & hey why the hell not, eh?

The Troth Sessions

Heaven

Buy The Troth Sessions

There's A Wideness In God's Mercy

The Uncertainty Principle (After Heidenberg)

The One You Love

The Ballad of Mary O'COnnor

The Ballad Of Mary O'Connor

Love is Gonna Break the Fall

Amazing

Love Is Gonna Break The Fall

Charlie Guitar

True True Love

I can be completely reconstructed out of debris found on most ordinary city streets. 

 Rich Krueger, a singer-songwriter based now in Chicago Il (formerly in Duke City, NM , before that LA, and before that Chicago, Illinois), was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, NYC in 1960, during that difficult period of transition after the Spanish-American War. It was a Wednesday and rained the whole following week. He has been writing and performing, solo and with his band The Dysfunctionells, largely in Chicago, but also in NYC and Kerrville, since 1985. The Dysfunctionells have backed up the Holy Modal Rounders at their reunion at The Bottom Line in NYC, and The Dysfunctionells have recorded with Peter Stampfel of the HMR. Rich has a self-produced song demo on CD entitled "Personal Overachievement Rich Krueger" or PORK for short, and the next album tenatively entitiled TROTH, or maybe Pledged Fidelity, is half in the can. He does not bowl. There are literally tens of rabid Rich Krueger fans scattered all over the globe...poor sods all. .. He can be contacted by e-mail at richard.krueger@yahoo.com. 

 Here are what some critics, DJs, and other performers have to say about him... "Talented...highly distinctive songwriter...cerebral, ironic....Richard Thompsonesque" --Michael Parrish, Dirty Linen 

 "Krueger's melodies, phrasing, and carefully-crafted lyrics call to mind the very best singer-songwriters: Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen. But his vision is very much his own. " -- Jennifer Zogott, Folk Roots Magazine (Britain) 

 "As a lifelong fan of True Deep American Strangeness, I came to a realization after leaving Milwaukee for the last time in 1959: The Truest, Deepest American Strangeness is to be found in the Heartland,the Great Midwest. As a perfect example, take a song--any song--of Rich Krueger, and you will see exactly what I mean. Rich is an American Stranger, if I ever did see one." -- Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders 

 " The high point of my trip to Kerrville in 1996...Quirky, unique, original...A breath of fresh air amid the quagmire of mediocre self-produced CDs" -- Jack Hardy 

 "Rich Krueger's songs come from the less traveled roads of the heart. I look forward to going there with him." -- Ezra Idlet of Trout Fishing in America
 
links
I collated some links you all may be interested in:

 

The Dysfunctionells " Little Richard's World of Mirth" Vdeo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFI8SuktziU

 

‘Charlie Holley and The Cripples’ with some background on “Ain’t It So Nice Outside Today”

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=122120090162

Story of visiting the Loaves and Fishes Shelter in Sacramento with some background on “In Betweeen Kingfishers”

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=195925070162

A complete list of my song and lyrics...a work in progress

http://wwwpissoceanrainstormhightide.blogspot.com/2012/03/collected-lyrics-for-first-100-songs-by.html

 

Some of my songs on reverbnation

http://www.reverbnation.com/richkrueger

My YouTube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/rkruegervideo

My blog

http://wwwpissoceanrainstormhightide.blogspot.com/

Some of my songs on soundcloud

http://soundcloud.com/richardkrueger


richard.krueger@yahoo.com

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