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.

Downers Groove is a jam band that originated in Downers Grove, Illinois. The band was founded by guitarist Danny Mazzarella and drummer John Hayes in 2011 after becoming acquainted on a different musical project. The two quickly realized their musical connection, and have since been rehearsing and performing in Chicago and the West Suburbs with bassist Josh Izzo. As of late, Mazzarella’s childhood friend and high school bandmate, Joe Skonie, solidified the band’s line-up on keyboards. The band blends rock, jazz, funk, fusion, folk, blues, and leaves space for these avenues to be explored through extensive improvisation.