Mr. Blotto was born in Chicago as an off-night vehicle for musicians who loved each others playing but were in different bands at the time. The only rule was that they would only play what they loved. That philosophy continues today and has led Mr. Blotto into unique musical situations.

Mr. Blotto takes the Jam band asthetic into areas unfamiliar to the standard Jam Scene. They have been known to cover entire albums by Led Zeppelin and the Who as well as perform entire shows of Country and Reggae. Artists as diverse as the Grateful Dead, the Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson and The Velvet Underground have seen their material interpreted by Mr. Blotto in the 2000+ shows the band has performed in the last 15 years, yet covers only pepper the bands hefty catalog of original material stemming from five studio albums and other unreleased crowd favorites.

As the founding member and lead guitarist of the former Chicago-based band Jamestown, Matthew Scharpf is no stranger to the Chicago music scene. He has been playing music in one form or another throughout the Midwest for over twenty years. At the core of it Matthew is a singer-songwriter whose lyrics are introspective, observant, and meaningful. With his band the Strangers and Saints he has once again established himself as one of Chicago’s must see acts. Their New Folk sound, reminiscent of The Beatles, Counting Crows, Del Amitri, and Paul Westerberg, is highlighted by Matthew’s poignant songwriting and their hard hitting rhythm section, while their energy and passion for music is evident in their live performances.

Lakeside Collective was formed on a cold fall night, on the Northside of Chicago. We met through school and open ears. After spending the time jamming and creating we decided to pursue what we had.

Still an early band we are moving quickly on the scene and playing as much as possible, trying to express our art and the limits in which we are willing to go for improvisation.

We hope we can make you groove.