Bad With Names

Bad With Names is a 5-piece fusion rock band that began in January of 2006 and is based out of the western suburbs of Chicago, IL. Bad With Names' writing and musical influences include Umphrey's McGee, Sublime, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dream Theatre, Steely Dan, Dispatch, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, 311, and much more. The six musicians who comprise Bad With Names are committed and steadfast in their mission of bridging the gaps between popular musical genres so smoothly that people cannot help but move.

Kevin Hopkins is the drummer and one of the main writers for the band. His musical training originated with learning classical piano for 8 years, later switching to drums and percussion during his elementary school days. It was in high school where he also developed an interest in playing guitar and song writing. He attended high school with percussionist and vocalist Bob Pennisi. Bob began playing drumset in grade school with additional focus on clarinet in his early years. Bob and Kevin came from diverse musical backgrounds having played numerous other instruments in a wide range of different groups. Together, they began writing music along with friend John Ferguson to play at coffee shops and for friends. Eventually Bob and Kevin had both settled on moving to Charleston, IL, to study music at Eastern Illinois University.

After a semester of missed classes, parties, and near asphyxiation, Kevin found himself in a car headed back to the suburbs. On that cold December evening, he decided that he would start a band. A few days later Kevin called up a guitarist and a bassist that he knew. With these players he started crafting the unique sound of Bad With Names. In January, they started playing together frequently. It was the first group that any of them had been in where they could just sit down and start playing.

After several months of playing as a quartet, Kevin convinced his good friend, guitar/vocalist John Ferguson, to check out the practice sessions that were going on in the basement. John and Kevin had played guitar together here and there in high school and knew each other's styles well. A few weeks later Kevin called up Bob and told him that he was the last ingredient in this jazz funk stew. Bob was focusing on his conga skills and had developed a knack for vocal lines and harmony. The four got together on a summer afternoon and did what they used to do. They just started playing.

Soon after, the band developed several songs for their repertoire. They played a few gigs a year to keep their skills sharp between '07 and '08. Continuing to hone and develop their music, they decided to undertake an album in June '08. With the album nearly complete and a fire in their bellies, Bad With Names decided its time to tackle the live scene. With several shows in '09, they have already shown many venues that they can both draw a crowd and entice new audience members. Bad With Names has played some prestigious Chicago venues, such as The Elbo Room, Kinetic Playground, Martyr's, and The Congress Theatre. Also, Bad With Names frequents many local pubs and venues, playing sets up to three hours.

To contact Bad With Names about booking or promotion, you can email us at: badwithnames@gmail.com

Or call Chris Hopkins at: (630) 940-4462.

Check out our MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/badwithnamesmusic