Rich Krueger releases long-awaited album

Rich Krueger

The long awaited full-length album by Chicago folk rocker, Rich Krueger, Life Aint That Long is released on  Friday, January 26th with a celebration performance to be held in Berwyn, IL.

Here’s Krueger’s sound as described by The Pasadena Weekly:

“Veteran Chicago guitarist/pianist Krueger delivers a winningly unpretentious, lyric-focused set that plugs in at the intersection where folk, rock and melodic pop jawbone and flip off genre distinctions. Country fiddle, R&B sax, gospel piano and harmonies make satisfying musical sense backdropping Krueger’s free-ranging perspectives.”

Rich Krueger, who is now based in Chicago, IL, was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, NYC. He has been writing and performing with his band The Dysfunctionells since 1985. The Dysfunctionells, (who describe themselves as “THE Butt-Ugliest Band in Chicago”) have backed up the Holy Modal Rounders at their reunion at The Bottom Line in NYC, and Krueger has recorded with Peter Stampfel on his own and with the band.

This summer Krueger released an EP Overpass, which was the pre-cursor to two solo albums he plans to release with Life Aint That Long being the first of the two. Overpass draws songs from each of the projects and features many great musicians from Chicago, Tulsa, Pennsylvania and New York City including John Fulbright who plays accordion on the song, ‘In Between Kingfish’ (which is set to release with the 2nd project). Krueger’s friend and fellow musician, Robbie Fulks has claimed that “(Overpass) is the best thing Rich Krueger has done to date.”

The folk rock Bible, Dirty Linen (no longer in print) has called Krueger’s music “Richard Thompsonesque”, and Anti-folk noted that, “Krueger is an old folkie at heart (although an esotericist in practice), and has a folkie’s love of text above all.” Just this year Krueger was chosen as one of the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Finalists. His love of text shines on Life Ain’t That Long. He performs original songs with well-made, intelligent, thoughtful and sometimes disturbing lyrics. His songs are story songs with characters that aren’t always fully aware of or are in denial about what is happening to them. The songs are usually touched by humor, even the songs with heavy topics. They challenge his listener’s beliefs, not just massage their prejudices.

Artist’s website: http://richkrueger.com/

‘In Between Kingfish’:


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