LeRoy Fredrick Bach is an American musician, composer, and music producer. [1] He has hosted musical gatherings, fostered musical collaborations, and led bands in Chicago since 1990. Bach is perhaps best known for his work as a multi-instrumentalist in the band Wilco from 1997 through 2004. [2]
Bach was born in Chicago in 1964. He attended high school in Rockford, Illinois, and spent two years at Berklee College of Music in Boston. From 1986 until 1989 he lived in Champaign, Illinois, then moved to Chicago with founders of the avant-garde silk-screen company Propaganda. Propaganda settled in the Clark and Belmont area, and their live-work space became associated with the area's arts and music counterculture.
Bach was a founding member of Sub Pop artists Five Style, circa 1993. From 1995 until 2010 Bach was an employee of the Rainbo Club in Chicago.
Bach began playing with Wilco in 1997, replacing touring steel guitarist Bob Egan. Bach's work with the band began on tours for Mermaid Avenue ; the first album he played on was Summerteeth . He contributed extensively to the albums Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born , playing keyboards, guitar, bass, and saxophone. The group received one Grammy Award and two nominations during Bach's tenure with the band.
In January 2004, Wilco announced via their official website that Bach was no longer a member of the group. [3] The statement continued, "We'll all miss working with him and, of course, wish him the best in what comes next." [3] A source close to the band told Billboard that it was Bach's decision to leave the group. [4] He was replaced by multi-instrumentalists Nels Cline and Pat Sansone. [5]
Bach has played with Joan of Arc, Theaster Gates, Will Oldham, Rob Mazurek, The Autumn Defense, Liz Phair, Beth Orton, Andrew Bird, Iron and Wine, and Dwain Story. He maintained an 18-month residency at the Hideout, in Chicago, with singing partner Edward Burch, and co-produced Sonny Smith's 2006 album Fruitvale. In 2006 Bach was Artist-in-Residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts in California.
From 2008-2013 Bach collaborated with artist, musician, and urban planner Theaster Gates. In 2009, Bach and Gates set to music the poems of slave potter Dave Drake, which were performed at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Bach performed regularly with Gates' ensemble, The Black Monks of Mississippi, including performances at the 2010 Whitney Biennial and dOCUMENTA (13).
Since 1994 Bach has been[ when? ] a regular collaborator with Chicago poet and songwriter Marvin Tate, producing Tate's 2007 album, The Family Swim, and the 2013 release, "Tim Kinsella sings the songs of Marvin Tate by LeRoy Bach featuring Angel Olsen." [2]
In May 2011 Bach played guitar in the musical, The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World, at Playwrights Horizons, New York. In 2012 he accompanied Emily Bergl during a two-week run at the famed Cafe Carlyle in New York.
Bach was a 2013 artist-in-residence at the University of Chicago. He is a 2014 artist-in-Residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts, as well as the Djerassi Artist Residence Program, and he will serve as 2014/2015 Interpreter-in-Residence at the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago.
Bach produced Golden Sings That Have Been Sung [6] (2016) and Deafman Glance [7] (2018) by Ryley Walker.
Wilco is an American rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004 the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released thirteen studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with Billy Bragg and one with the Minus 5.
Yuka Honda is a Japanese-American musician who resides in New York City. She is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and co-founder of the band Cibo Matto. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with a diverse array of musicians, including Petra Haden, Sean Lennon, Mike Watt, Nels Cline, Tricky, Harper Simon, Beastie Boys, Los Lobos, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Mitchell Froom, Medeski Martin & Wood, Marc Ribot, Yoshimi P-We, Arto Lindsay, Edie Brickell, Vincent Gallo, Luscious Jackson, Dave Douglas, Bernie Worrell, and Caetano Veloso.
Joan of Arc was an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois named after the French saint Joan of Arc. They formed in 1995, following the breakup of Cap'n Jazz.
A Ghost Is Born is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Wilco. Released on June 22, 2004, it features singer Jeff Tweedy on lead guitar more than any previous Wilco album. The band streamed the album online free, and offered a five-song EP to purchasers.
Nels Courtney Cline is an American guitarist and composer. He has been a guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004.
The Black Gang was a rock music trio formed in 1997 by American musician Mike Watt to record and tour behind his second solo album, Contemplating The Engine Room. Of all of the "project" Watt has formed since the disbanding of Firehose in 1994, The Black Gang has gone through the most permutations of any of Watt's backing groups.
Patrick (Pat) Sansone is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, musician, and music producer. He is a member of Wilco, The Autumn Defense, and Mellotron Variations and has worked with Jonathan Wilson, Andrew Bird, Jamie Lidell, and others.
Tim Kinsella is an American musician, author, and film director from Chicago, Illinois.
Kicking Television: Live in Chicago is a live album by Chicago alternative rock band Wilco, released on November 15, 2005, by Nonesuch Records. The album consists of material from four live shows at Chicago's Vic Theater recorded May 4, 2005 to May 7, 2005. Although the band filmed the concerts, they decided not to release the footage as a DVD. It was the band's first album with an expanded lineup featuring Nels Cline and Pat Sansone.
Glenn Kotche is an American drummer and composer, best known for his involvement in the band Wilco. He was named the 40th greatest drummer of all time by Gigwise in 2008.
Sky Blue Sky is the sixth studio album by American rock band Wilco, released on May 15, 2007 by Nonesuch Records. Originally announced on January 17, 2007 at a show in Nashville, Tennessee, it was the band's first studio album with guitarist Nels Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. Before its release, the band streamed the entire album on its official website and offered a free download of "What Light".
David Vandervelde is an American indie pop songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his solo work and his studio collaborations with Wilco's Jay Bennett.
Theaster Gates is an American social practice installation artist and a professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he still lives and works.
Angel Olsen is an American singer-songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri who lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Ryley Walker is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rockford, Illinois.
Golden Sings That Have Been Sung is the third studio album by American musician Ryley Walker. It was released in August 2016 under Dead Oceans Records.
Deafman Glance is the fourth studio album by American musician Ryley Walker. It was released in May 2018 under Dead Oceans Records.
Tim Kinsella Sings the Songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach Featuring Angel Olsen is a 2013 collaborative album by Tim Kinsella, Marvin Tate, Leroy Bach, and Angel Olsen.
Marvin Tate is an American artist, poet, and singer-songwriter from Chicago.
The Lillywhite Sessions is the fifth solo studio album by American musician Ryley Walker. It was released on November 16, 2018, through Dead Oceans. The album is a track-by-track cover of The Lillywhite Sessions, a popular bootleg album by Dave Matthews Band, which primarily consists of demos for material which was temporarily shelved before being re-recorded for the band's 2002 album Busted Stuff.