The Changes are a quartet of talented musicians who hail from the windy city of Chicago. Darren (Singer/guitar), Dave (guitar / vocals / songwriter), Rob (bass), and Jonny (drums) all worked together to self-produce their recently released debut album, Today is Tonight. They have played with the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs, The Futureheads, The Walkmen, and many more.
Jubilant, genuine, and romanti -- these are the words bassist Rob Kallick uses to describe the musical style that drives The Changes. As soon as he started playing with his fellow bandmates, he knew it was the right situation for him. "There is something to be said for band chemistry and I felt it right away. That is not something you can prepare for. It's a combination of luck and being in the right place at the right time. Fortunately for the four of us, we all got very lucky finding each other!"
Growing up, Kallick loved all of the big time pop music playing on the radio. "I loved whatever was huge on the radio—be it Phil Collins, Wham!, or MC Hammer. Then grunge was huge for me—Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins. Songs with big hooks, big choruses, and strong melodies were what I was attracted to. Today, it's a little different as I don't listen to the radio nearly as much, but I definitely have a number of 'guilty' pleasures that are right in line with how I was at ten-years-old."
Music isn't his only inspiration. "Roger Ebert, the movie critic, has been a huge influence on me. He has a huge heart and loves movies so much, it's infectious. I try to bring that (love) to music as much as possible."
His love of music outlasted the worst experience he ever had on stage, which only included a two-member audience... who just happened to be his parents. We won't even talk about the guitar Dave accidentally left behind in the parking lot that night! Even with a few bad shots here and there, the best shows are more than enough to make up for the less-than-perfect show. "New Year's Eve at Schubas last year, we went on at 11:59 p.m. and the energy in the room was out of control. As soon as we started playing, I knew it would be my favorite show ever."
Article comments