Bio

Ahhh to be described as “Country” these days is so confusing. Are you talking about the pop music being churned out utilizing proven formulas sure to be a “Country” radio hit or are you referring to the more traditional styles of Cash, Jennings or Nelson? Truth is neither is an accurate depiction of Majors Junction but the latter is definitely nearer to their neighborhood. Rich textures created by the band have been described as “Plush Lonesome Western Blues”. Attracting a listener base whose musical taste transcends different genres, Majors Junction produces a diverse meld of country honky-tonk blues with folk undertones and hints of bluegrass pickin’ and good old rock & roll. It is a unique sound that celebrates individuality and hard work, two qualities the band shares with its hometown of Chicago.

Majors Junction is one of the original founders of the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival and have performed with artists including… The Traveling McCoury’s, The Avett Brothers, David Grisman, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Dale Watson, Father John Misty, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Andrew Bird and many more.

The band came onto the scene in 2003 with their debut release “A Desert Oasis“. Local garnered praise has propelled the group to better gigs and a growing fan base. Their second release “Confluence” in 2006 received uplifting reviews from the US and abroad. Providing upbeat rockers and smooth ballads the album shows off the songwriting and performance abilities that put this band at the forefront of the Chicago music scene. “Good Versus Evil” (August 2009) had them mining the roots of American music, Majors Junction gain inspiration from blues, country and rock, handling each with male/female dual vocals and a clear love for the forms that inspired them.

The band was busy in 2016 launching “Black Capped Chickadee” on January 1, 2016, “Dust Storm Diaries“(March 11th), “Red Tape” (May 20th), “Lightning Rod” (August 12th) and “Shot & Frayed” (October 21st). The back log in releases was a direct result of the band leaders producing offspring for the last 5 years. For a list of the 53 song marathon release and featured song schedule click here.

The latest release of “El Corral” in March 2022 has the band exploring new vocal guests and writers to help paint the ever changing landscape that is Majors Junction.

The husband and wife duo of Mike Mulcahy and Heather O’Brien along with Heather’s sisters Kiley Ruggerio and Lindsey O’Benks provide the upfront harmonies that give the band a rich sound. Mulcahy plays guitar and writes the majority of songs for the band having song topics ranging from the serious such as war, nuclear proliferation, addiction, religious intolerance to the absurd like a future ruled by robots or the dumb things someone searching for love might do. Other members of the band include Ira Sussman on upright bass, Colin Williams on the drums and Jim Croke on lead guitar. Colin also co-produces all of the albums with Mulcahy and has been with the band since its start back in 2002. Marc “Baby J'”Johns has been writing and playing with Majors Junction since its conception and brings “Baby J’s” unmistakeable creativity and energy to the Junction in studio and on stage alike.

Beyond the core of Majors Junction there is a family of musicians throughout Chicago that joins the band regularly to satiate any musical palate. Singer/songwriter Lindsey O’Brien, guitarist Matt Gandurski of Grit & The Double Knit and Northside Southpaws, drummer Mark Janus, bassist Tom Conlon, Multi-instrumentalist Michael Scott Duplessis, upright bass player Roger Sherman, pedal steel ace Brian Wilkie of the Hoyle Brothers, fiddle player Allie Kral, Wavy Dave of Cornmeal and slide guitar player John Hasbrouck of the Northside Southpaws, guitarists Matt Goodman and Scott Leff are just a few of the musicians that join the band live and in studio.

Majors Junction can be regularly seen and heard in and around Chicago at clubs like Martyrs’, Schubas, Honky Tonk BBQ, The House of Blues, Fitzgerald’s and The Hideout, and also perform at festivals like the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival, Bucktown Arts Fest, Taste of Chicago and The Hideout’s all day/night jam “A Day in the Country”.