The Main Squeeze was born in Bloomington from a collaboration between five IU students — two of whom remain in the group — in 2010.
Ben Silverstein, the band’s keyboard player and an original member, said the band wrote and played on stages around Bloomington during its first years until it reached a level of acumen where a Midwest tour seemed like the logical next step.
Silverstein said the “old-school rock-funk-rap-meets-new-elements” band sees old friends and fans each year it returns to perform in Bloomington.
“That’s where we started, it will forever be a very important part of our career,” he said.
In 2012, the Main Squeeze’s members moved to Chicago, where they could be part of a larger music scene but stay close to their backgrounds in Indiana.
“We didn’t want to just leave after putting in all of that work,” Silverstein said.
Two years ago, music producer Randy Jackson of “American Idol” flew into Indianapolis, then drove to Bloomington, where he watched the Main Squeeze perform at the Bluebird, Silverstein said.
Jackson produced the band’s second full-length album, “Mind Your Head,” which came out in September.
Silverstein said listeners at the Bluebird who are familiar with the Main Squeeze’s music will hear a “maturation” in the band’s sound since its original work.
“It’s not a shift (in sound) so much as the next step in what we’ve been going for,” Silverstein said.
Working with Jackson meant the Main Squeeze spent much of the past two years in Los Angeles, where they plan to move soon, Silverstein said.
“We’re ready to just dive in headfirst,” Silverstein said.
The band’s web page describes the music of The Main Squeeze as “Stevie Wonder meets (the) Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
Silverstein said he hadn’t chosen that descriptor and in fact would hesitate to choose two bands to sum up the band’s sound.
“It’s tough to put a band like ours in a box like that,” Silverstein said. “I would probably name, like, 10 bands if I have to, but at the same time we want to be our own thing.”
