Electronic Press Kit

Alan Zreczny’s songs are narrative poems set to spirited melodies, which he performs on the guitar and piano, solo and with his band bluefront. Aftershocks is bluefront’s second release, a journey into the reverberation of emotional aftershocks in shimmering melodies and instrumentation. Aftershocks was celebrated at a full house release party in the spring of 2019, featuring special guests Janet Bean (Eleventh Dream Day, Freakwater) and veteran musician/composer/producer Nicholas Tremulis.

The title track, Aftershocks, was written after watching a news report about an earthquake. “They were talking about the aftershocks, and it started a process of thinking about the correlation to emotional aftershocks. It could be a flash of memory or another kind of reminder, and then the whole thing would sort of hit again”. As for the other songs on the album, “they were chosen because they just seemed to fit in and pick up on that theme”.

“Take Your Letter.  Not too long ago I was cleaning out my room at my parents' house and found a note I had written to a woman while in college. Surprisingly, it seems my approach during our four years at school of letting her come to me didn’t work so when I finally found myself sitting near her one day at the library I thought I had my chance…but I didn’t give her the note.  Although I hadn’t remotely thought about that note since my senior year, reading it that day brought me right back to the reading room where we were studying, the light in the room, the knot in my stomach and the feeling of wondering what if . . .”

A Chicago native, the singer-songwriter first picked up a guitar at the age of ten, growing up in a house always filled with music and music lessons.  His love for music and writing remained while he went to college, law school and grad school. He went to work at a large corporation as in-house counsel, traveling the world and later moved on to a law firm . . . but the thoughts about creating music were ever-present.  “I always thought of being a musician and writing songs as the most fulfilling modes of self-expression”.

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And then, a terrible break-up happened, and a door opened.  A former girlfriend had given him a notebook to write in and Zreczny found himself “filling it up with things, much of which had to do with that relationship”. Not long after, Zreczny met Bean when they worked together at the law firm and the two became friends.  “I started going to her shows and I was inspired. It moved me to turn some of what I had written into songs.” During one visit Bean saw all of the guitar paraphernalia and looked at Zreczny pointedly.  “She asked if I had written any songs and I mentioned two.  She asked to hear them”.  But Zreczny wasn’t quite ready.  “There was a lot of negotiating. And I know the next time she came over she had a bottle of wine.” Bean finally wore him down and her reaction was instant.