The Back Alley is a five-piece Chicago-based hybrid of Ax and the Hatchetmen’s guitarist Sal Defilippis and bassist Hunter Olshefke who joined frontman Ralph Porter, Jaden Cone (Guitar/Vocals), and Ben Peppler (Drums/Percussion) to perform and record original music from Ralph Porter’s discography while working on finding their own sound with new originals from the band. Although the group’s sound falls into the indie/alternative rock genre, their recordings, especially their live shows integrate elements of jazz and funk as many of the members have studied and played these genres in the past.
Given the young age of the band (Ralph Porter 20, Sal Defilippis 20, Jaden Cone 21, Ben Peppler 20, and Hunter Olshefke 20), they are consistently working on writing new material and playing venues around the Chicagoland area. You can keep up with the band’s upcoming shows and new music through Spotify and social media accounts.
The first album in DZ Riley’s collection, Entropy, follows the steady decline of an elderly man experiencing the various stages of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a heart wrenching and equally beautiful experience that explores the psychological and emotional toll the disease has on those affected by it. All proceeds made by this album are donated to the Alzheimer’s Association
