Alternative String Project

 

Susan is accepting students interested in learning to play rock violin and viola.  From Led Zeppelin to Joan Jett to the Clash to Coldplay, you’ll learn where to play, what to play, chording, bow patterns, soloing, electronics, and more.  Loosen up your fingers, open up your ears and find your own musical voice. Click for info.

 

Upcoming Shows:

 

6.22.13 - Poi dog Pondering in Aurora.

 

7.21.13 - Poi dog Pondering Sheffield Garden Walk.

 

7.27.13 - Return of Hoot Night, Hideout.

 

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4.30.13 - Nick Tremulis Orchestra at City Winery. Record release of For the Baby Doll. 
Special Guests: Bun E. Carlos and Rick Rizzo.

 

4.22.13 – Los Immortales performance at La Sirena Clandestina.

 

4.8.13 – Sugar Fly with Me performance at City Winery.

4.5.13 – PdP show at the beautiful Tivoli Theatre in Downer’s Grove.

3.26.13 – SMV with Nicholis Tremulis Orchestra at City Winery.  Special Guest: Willie Nile.

3.21.13 – PdP DVD release Gingerman Tavern performance.

2.25.13 – SMV with Nicholis Tremulis Orchestra.  Special Guest: Charlie Sexton.

2.15.13 – Poi dog Pondering tour to Denver and Phoenix.

 

2.9.13 – Poi dog Pondering plays the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.

 

1.29.13 – SMV with Sugar Fly trip hop DJ, vibes and violin at City Winery.

 

1.13.13 – SMV songwriting storytelling show at Space in Evanston with Anne Harris and Cathy Richardson. Unexpectedly rich night.


1.12.13 – Alejandro Escovedo Holiday Spectacular Show at the Moody Theatre in Austin, Texas.  With Charlie Sexton, girls choir, horns lit in red in the balcony.  Majestic.


12.26.12-12.27.12 – Poi dog Pondering two night orchestral show at the City Winery in Chicago.


12.1.12 – Pali Chant Suite performs at Moksha Holiday Party.  The recording of the orchestral and trip hop Pali Chant Suite will be available by spring.

10.25.12-10.27.12 – Poi dog Pondering Austin version performs three nights at the Continental Club in Austin, Texas.


10.23.12 – Clark Street Bridge. Art & Science multi media lecture with cinema musicians and Draft FCB at Northwestern.

10.18.12-10.20.12 – Poi dog Pondering performance at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Doug Fur Lounge in Portland and in Seattle.  We packed lightly and hopped on trains when possible.

9.27.12 – Pali Chant Suite performed at the Goorin Bros. Hat Store.  Love this hat store.  We all left looking foxier than when we arrived.

8.20.12 - Deep Blue Field performs at the new Chicago City Winery at Randolph & Racine.

 

8.17.12 - Austin Chronicle article spotlights SMV’s Musician Guide to the Road. Click to read.

 

8.19.12 - Poi Dog performs for Bicycles Worldwide at Wrigley Field.  Then to Mia Francesca for a pleasant after show dinner of red wine and pasta on the patio.

 

7.31.12 - Members of Poi – SMV, Dag and Max sing the 7th Inning Stretch at Wrigley Field.

 

7.22.12 -  Poi Dog performs at River North Festival.  Super nice festival.  On the river.

 

7.14.12 - Poi dog Pondering Concert in Naperville with full strings and horns.

6.14.12 -  Rare 8fatfat8 performance. Matt Lamb Galleries at the River East Art Center, 435 E. Illinois, benefiting IL Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights. Frank Orrall, SMV and Charlette Wortham. Live PA.

5.26 and 5.27.12 - Memorial Weekend Concert:  Poi dog Pondering Double Header at the Double Door.  Frank Orrall solo record official release of Never Trade These Days.

 

5.20.12 – Susan Voelz and Paul Weitz lead a 3 hour ruesri daton class at Thai Bodywork School of Thai Massage, 537 Custer Ave., Evanston.  Theory, philosophy, breathing technique, 26 poses, culminating in a group performance of the Pali Chant Suite.

4.21.12 - Performed acoustic set and full rock set with Alejandro Escovedo Prairie Centre for the Arts, Schaumburg IL

4.17.12 – SMV and Liam Davis performed at the Cavalcade of Songwriters Show at the Hideout along with Thymme Jones from Cheer Accident and Dag Juhlin.

3.16.12 – Miss V created and recorded music for University of Illinois – Chicago MFA performance of Hansel & Gretel

3.10.12 – Miss V played solo violin at the wedding of Coach Brett Buelma and Jennifer Heilsburg in Madison, Wisconsin.

1.14.12 – Poi played at the gorgeous art deco Paramount Theater in Aurora.

1.5.12 – 1.8.12 Pali Chant Suite traveled to Seattle to perform 8 shows at West of Lenin.  Yes, that’s Anne Harris performing with us!

 

12.17.11 - Pali Chant Suite for Strings and Thai Yoga – Moksha Yoga Riverwest Holiday Party.  Best performance yet with Anne Harris and Vannia Phillips playing violin and room full of yogis.

12.2.11 - Poi dog Pondering Tale of Two Cities – the Austin years and the Chicago years – Metro.  Both nights were filmed for live DVD.

11. 18.11 - Susan performs with Alejandro Escovedo in NYC at the Rubin Art Museum.

11.10.11 - Poi performs in San Francisco at Swedish American Music Hall.

11.3.11 - Pali Chant Suite for Strings and Thai Yoga special filming event at Moksha Logan Square.

7.24.11 – Poi dog Pondering performs at the Sheffield Garden Walk in Chicago at 7:30.

6.18.11 – United Sounds of America – Austin, Texas arrived at the home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and transformed the magnificent space of Symphony Hall into a roadhouse, a gospel church, a front porch and a rock club with Alejandro Escovedo, Susan Voelz, Butch Hancock, Roky Erickson, Rosie Flores and others.

4.20.11 – Thailand. Susan studied thai massage with Homprang, met with various Thai healers, and concluded her trip playing solo at a club called Sudsanan in Chiang Mai.

2.15.11 – SMV and Liam Davis team up to sing at the 2nd Annual Love Hangover show at the Dark Room.

2.4.11 and 2.5.11 -  Poi dog Pondering rocked the soul of the Vic Theatre.

12.2.10 -  Grammy Nomination Announcement!  SMV and Alison Chesley recorded strings on the Grammy nominated Justin Robert's children's record entitled 'Jungle Gym'. 

12.2.10 - SMV and Liam Davis perform at the Feast or Famine Hoot Night at Schubas. SMV brought hoot night up from Austin in the mid 90’s. Chicago embraced it with fun and flair. After a few years, she handed the reigns over to Sir Thomas Dunning who carries on the tradition from Dublin, Ireland.

10.14.10 - SMV and Liam Davis perform at the Primitive Gallery for Mindful Medicine Worldwide.

10.11.10 - SMV performs onstage with Belle & Sebastian at the Chicago Theatre. They are my new favorite band.

10.03.10 - SMV performs on stage with Broken Social Scene at the Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee.

10.02.10 - SMV performs on stage with Broken Social Scene at the Riviera in Chicago.

8.26.10 - Poi dog Pondering returns to Ravinia with a big big show of horns, strings, House-o-Matic Dancers, and guests.

8.16.10 - Intimate performance at the Temple Gallery in Pilsen with Anne Harris.

8.03.10 - Caught the Seu George show at the Logan Square Auditorium and loved it.

7.23.10 - Performed for the Chicago School of Thai Massage open house at the Board of Trade Bldg.

7.17.10 - Pitchfork TV taping with Broken Social Scene at Lincoln Hall.

7.16.10 - Pitchfork Music Festival playing violin with Broken Social Scene.

7.10.10 - Performed at the Morseland Café: “…like watching Jean luc Ponty on mescaline….”

6.26.10 - Performed on a co-bill with Anne Harris at the Acorn Theatre in Three Oaks, MI.

6.23.10 - Opened up the Amy Cook show at Schubas. “Susan Voelz reminded us why we love to listen to music.” Chris Searle, drummer, facebook post.

5.29.10 - Opened for the Bo Deans at the Acorn Theatre in Three Oaks Michigan.

5.21.10 - Timeout Chicago recommended concert of the weekend: Sister Triple Happiness at the Hideout (triple bill of Susan Voelz, Helen Money and Peg Simone) .

5.04.10 - Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record featuring Susan Voelz (often cited as Susan Belle in the press) on violin is released.

4.08 - 4.10.10 - Poi dog Pondering and 8fat fat 8 travel to Texas to perform in Austin and Fort Worth.

3.27.10 - Poi dog Pondering performance on the south side at the Beverly Arts Center with our new best friends The Old Ceremony from North Carolina.

3.26.10 - Poi dog Pondering in Milwaukee at Shank Hall. Frank and Susan play on WMSE and talk Hawaii with Sonya. Opening act is The Old Ceremony whom Frank mis-identifies as The Old Cemetery. He blames the Mescal.

3.11.10 - Watched the band Skybox at Lincoln Hall and shared a beer with my long lost niece.

3.10.10 - The Poi trio performed a Living Room Set in St. Louis on the 16th floor of a renovated brick warehouse. The president was in town and we watched Obama supporters and protestors yell at each other, and bomb sniffing dogs search cars going into the hotel

3.6.10 - Juicy Wine Company (site of my book release) has changed hands but first we must have a party. Deep Blue Field performed, El Dandy dj’ed. We drank red wine from big goblets outside on the 30 degree deck.

2.26 and 2.27.10 - Poi dog Pondering at the Metropolis in Arlington Heights.

2.22.10 - Alison Chesley and I recorded strings at a new studio on Campbell for a country artist named?

2.15.10 - The first Love Hangover Show in Chicago with Liam Davis at the Double Door. Our songs: Die 4 U, Let my Love Open the Door, Stop Draggin’ My heart Around.

2.11.10 - The Octavia String Quartet performed with Sleeping at Last at Lincoln Hall.

2.2.10 - I was pleased to be a guest dj on WXRT’s Eclectic Company with Nick Tremulis. Theme: “soundtrack of the road” songs.

1.2.10 - Poi dog Pondering at Lincoln Hall.