Music to Your Ears
by Cheri Kemp
Within the halls, walls and warehouses of Crest Foods, you find many employees who can make music. In some in- stances, the music bug has passed down a generation to the children of our employees who are working toward a career in music. In this article, we will introduce you to 5 musicians, 3 of which are Crest employees. Meet Todd Lorenc & Jeff Kagay
When not plucking the strings of his bass guitar, Todd Lorenc, first shift Mix, can also be found playing the lead or rhythm guitar in one of his four bands. Yes, he is in four different bands, each with their own unique sound. In Chameleon, a jazz trio, Todd and his band mates can be found playing at local small venues like coffee houses, book stores and fundrais ers. When Todd changes style of music to early rock and roll, like the Beatles, he can be found playing bass guitar with Jeff Kagay who works in the Karlin Warehouse. Jeff plays lead and rhythm in this 2 piece group, called Flying Fish. These two can be heard belting out Beatles tunes as well as other 60’s and 70’s music, again in small venues in the Sauk Valley area.
Jeff & Todd
Jeff said when he was about 6 years old he saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan TV show and was hooked. “I knew right away I was going to be a guitar player. I would use an old broom stick to pretend I had a guitar!” Jeff also plays a little banjo and bass guitar. The birth of Flying Fish happened as the result of a fireside jam session with Todd Lorenc. “I am 14 years older than Todd so I am like his big brother. Todd was invited to a bachelor party at my house that my son and his friend were having. Todd and I started talking about music and found out that we both loved the Beatles. I told Todd I had a couple of acoustic guitars. We grabbed those and sat by the campfire for three hours and jammed. That was 10 years ago! Our first gig, which was not paid, was at The Next Picture Show Gallery in Dixon. From there word of mouth spread and we started getting paying jobs. Todd began playing music when he was about 15. “My dad was a semi-professional sax player in bands around Chicago and Joliet so I was raised around music. He was my main influence. I did not want to play a horn but I knew I wanted to play music.” So if you are keeping score, that is two bands for Todd. The third band that Todd plays in is called Firefly. Todd’s wife, Shelly, is also in this band where she and her best friend are the vocalists. Shelly plays drums now and then also, so music is in the Lorenc family. Firefly is a five piece band that plays pop covers. “Any of our bands are for hire for weddings, parties, family reunions, fundraisers and other events. When I play at coffee houses or Books on First, I just tell them to give me the dates they have available. Then I can see which of the 3 bands I am in can fit the schedule.” The fourth and final band is the Abiding Word Worship team where Todd and his wife play and sing for their church services and functions along with other talented musicians in their church. Meet Burn N’ Bush
Burn N’ Bush is a 2 man acoustic band, consisting of Rod Burnette (his wife Lynn works in Payroll), and Dave Bushman, Scheduling Expeditor. “We started in late 2009. We basically got together to learn Christmas songs for a Christmas party and we took off from there” said Bushman. Dave plays a 12 string acoustic guitar and sings while Rod also sings and plays a Cajon. For those of you unfamiliar with a Cajon, pronounced Ka-Hon, it is a 2 sided box instrument made of thin plywood. The person playing the Cajon sits on
Rod & Dave
18 Crest Ink April, May & June 2016
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