We’re Watching Waiting for Todd Carey

Too often, a celebrated artist will release new material, sending scores of devoted fans rushing to pick up the album. But after skimming through the compilation the listener is disappointed and the disc is tossed aside, never to be spun again. This is not the case for Chicagoan Todd Carey’s record , due in stores March 27.

March 9 Carey will perform songs from the album, his third, at Park West, 322 W. Armitage. He will share the stage with other Chi-Town originals Down the Line and Dick Prall.

Carey’s new album blends timeless rock ‘n’ roll roots with contemporary pop melodies laced with a soulful voice that commands attention with witty lyricism. The album features themes of longing throughout; it may not be clear as to what kind, but that is for listeners to interpret and make their own.

“I wanted to cut away the fat and be direct,” said Carey, 27.

From “Ain’t Got Love” to “Goodbye to Another one,” his weighty music evokes all kinds of moods. The heavily rhythmic “Friday Night,” Carey said, embraces “the epitome of what a good night can be.”

A connoisseur of music, Carey has been a student of many instruments, including the acoustic, electric and bass guitars, as well as the piano and harmonica. He has even been known to shake a tambourine once or twice.

Carey’s first stage performance was the song “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots during a 6th or 7th grade house party. “I’ve been playing at bonfires for my friends on the beach in Door County, Wisconsin, since I was a little kid,” he said, referring to his family-owned cabin where he wrote most of Watching Waiting.

“You can just tell how sincere Todd is in his performances,” said Grace Solis, a fan from Pilsin.

“Being in a band is like being in a relationship. It’s like being in love,” he said.

Carey recently moved back to Chicago after a four-year hiatus in Los Angeles, where he studied music at the University of Southern California and performed in the rock ‘n’ roll jam band Telepathy. He returned because he said he missed performing for the fanatical Midwest crowds.

Although Carey said he’s in music mode 24-7, you can find him shooting photos for leisure, catching a Cubs game or hanging out at a local bar near his home in Lakeview.