SM Jams (…with a Little Help From Their Friends)

SM Jams are the “artists” formerly known as S&M.  Get your mind out of the gutter…Scott Ely (the S) and Mike Hines (the M) make up the rock power duo S&M.  And if a “power duo” didn’t exist before…trademark, it does now!  Total music junkies, their diverse musical interests and skills range from classic rock to bluegrass to funk to the blues.  Scott and Mike have played together in multiple bands over the last decade as a rhythm-lead guitar duo, including S&M, The Merge, The Note Thieves, Lionel Pichie, Whiskey Jezebel and Magoo & Friends.

Whiskey Jezebel (WJ) is SM Jams’ Chicago-based acoustic rock act with their good friend Michelle Hallman (see below), focusing primarily on classic rock covers and some originals. Some of the artists they cover are Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Heart, Elvis, Phish, Queen, Melissa Etheridge, Rolling Stones, The Beatles and many, many more.  While classic rock is their primary genre, their diverse, upbeat setlist also includes 80’s Hair Bands, Country, 90’s Grunge, Jambands, Heavy Metal, Classic Rock ‘n Roll, Pop, R&B, and more.  Contact us for booking WJ.

S&M also actively play with their good buddy Mike “Magoo” McGohan (see below) in two acts–Lionel Pichie (an acoustic act) and Magoo & Friends (full band).  Magoo has organized a great set of rocking Friends for the full band–Tony Orant (of Pink Freud and Hello Dave fame) on keys, Joe Kunkel on drums, Nick Ribaudo (see below) on bass and S&M on guitars and harmonies.  Contact us for info on booking Magoo & Friends.

No matter which band you see, SM Jams gigs are almost always “S&M with Friends” sets.  They love to gig with as many of their musician buddies as possible, including (but definitely not limited to) the following…

 
Michelle Hallman performs, records, writes/arranges songs and tours. She has been a working musician for most of her life, and thrives in the live performance. She is a well-versed singer, perfecting a plethora of styles and genres. Even though she’s a rocker at heart, she has always loved choral music and is extremely knowledgeable in vocal harmonies. Michelle is also an accomplished percussionist and pianist. Michelle has sung/played with the likes of Gregg Allman, Mr. Blotto, Umphree’s McGee, Richard Marx, Freddie Jones Band and The Bodeans.

Magoo is a solo acoustic rock and roll act all unto his own. Magoo has been performing in Chicago based bands since the mid 90s starting with Slim Diggins and the Dumpster Bumbs and later Butter Side Down. He has been with Chicago based Hello Dave since the late 90s, crossing the country and the world for over a decade with our homegrown feelgood Chicago twang. He is now exploring songs he has written over the last decade and is soon releasing a stripped down acoustic album.

Al Wetzel is a published singer/song-writer, accomplished multi-instrumentalist, and live performance veteran.  Formerly the bass player and vocalist of Hello Dave, Al can be seen performing any given night of the week in his band Al Wetzel and the Allstars, his three piece acoustic rock trio GoodFoot, or solo at his favorite venues. He has consistently performed 200+ nights a year throughout his musical career, racking up 3000+ shows and counting.  An evening with Al solo – or his bands – offers a diverse blend of contemporary music fitting any occasion from corporate parties, charity events, and everything in between.

 
Nick Ribaudo is so much a part of S&M that the band could almost go by the acronym SNM instead.  Throughout his musical life as a bassist and drummer, Nick has a been a member of several bands and ensembles within the genres of pop, rock, heavy metal, old time, blues, and funk.  He has played and recorded with Fork, Psychotherapy, Cloud City, Boots In Transit, This Big String Band, Crazy for Jane, Susie Asado, Neil Diamond Phillips, Saved By The Belvedere,  The Merge, Al Wetzel and The Bushwood AllStars.   He has directed and performed in the pit band for several musical theater productions.

John Sabal sings, plays guitar, keyboards, and just about anything that can produce musical notes.  A native of Cleveland, Ohio, John has been performing on the Chicago music scene for more than a dozen years. Raised on a steady diet of prog-rock, synth-pop, and funk, John studied music at Valparaiso University. He’s adept at bass and keyboards as well as guitar and sings everything from country to rock classics like “Sweet Home Alabama” to the Violent Femmes “Blister in the Sun.” John has shared the stage with such artists as Los Lobos, Jorma Kaukonen, The Aquarium Rescue Unit and Cowboy Mouth.

Matt Phelan is a talented singer, songwriter, bass player and lead guitarist who’s latest band is called Garageband, formerly of The VJ Sings and Gringo Starr.  Matt has gigged with S&M on multiple occasions on lead vocals on bass.

S&M also regularly gig with Chuck Wiggins as well as all their friends in Boots in Transit and The Future Burns.

Please contact us for booking. S&M can provide pricing for any event size; sound equipment and engineer will also be provided.