Chamber Strings (Kevin Junior) - Live 1998 & 2007 (soundboard)

The Double Door
Chicago, IL
Jan. 20, 2007

soundboard recording (quality: Ex-; webstream capture)

01 Flashing Star
02 Thank My Lucky Stars 
03 Last Lovers
04 The Fool Sings Without Any Song

05 For the Happy Endings 

Comeback Concert, Jan. 2007 in Chicago
photo by Brian James

06 A Broken Man
07 I Can't Lose
08 Let Me Live My Own Life
09 I Come Apart
10 Month of Sundays
11 It's No Wonder
12 Make It Through the Summer
13 Everyday Is Christmas
14 band intros
15 Beautiful You
16 Telegram (Where’s My Horn?)
17 No More Songs
18 Dead Man's Poise
19 Times Are Hard for a Dreamer
20 D.R.I.N.K.
21 Our Dead Friends

ROB SEZ: What can I say about the amazing Chamber Strings? If you're familiar with this band, you know what was so special about them: founder/leader Kevin Junior and his musical vision, which encompassed the best elements of pop and rock from the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Ohio, Junior befriended brothers Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks, collaborating with both before their deaths. Junior formed the Chamber Strings in the late 1990s and recorded two stellar albums with the group: Gospel Morning (1997) and Month of Sundays (2001), both of which are worth seeking out. Junior's subsequent battle with drug addiction nearly sank him and his band. Fortunately, he survived years of depression, addiction, and homelessness. When Junior emerged, he re-connected with members of the Chamber Strings, and staged this comeback concert in his adopted hometown of Chicago. Though he never recorded another long player before his death in 2016, Junior's musical legacy is a beautiful one. HUGE THANKS to Glorious Noise & Whiskey Bender Productions for making this recording and to Tom R. for sharing it. Thanks also to Stork and WFMU for hosting the Chamber Strings for a live session in 1998, which I've included here.

Watch the whole show HERE. Wanna know more? Check out this documentary about Kevin Junior and the Chamber Strings.

WFMU Live Session 

The Chamber Strings in 2008, after the comeback

The Stork Club
East Orange, N.J.
April 18, 1998

soundboard recording (quality: Ex-; 

webstream capture) 

01 Everyday Is Christmas
02 Telegram (Where's My Horn?)
03 Flashing Star
04 I Can't Lose
06 Dead Man's Poise

Note: track 05, It's Not Worth Fighting, was officially released on Ruins, the 2009 Kevin Junior / Chamber Strings rarities comp, which is why it's excluded here

FLAC lossless capture, lossy sources

MP3@320