Brass Transit: The Best Chicago Tribute Band, Even Better Than Current Chicago.

[WeatherWiseCDC]

I'm not sure if you guys talk much about tribute bands here, but in the case of Chicago, I think it's a necessary thread. Most here might acknowledge that Chicago took a bit of a dive some time before "You're the Inspiration" was released. The unfortunate loss of Terry Kath left a void in the band that was difficult to fill. When Peter Cetera left, that would have also been disappointing to those who appreciated his vocals. While Jason Scheff may be an adequate replacement, I had not found a truly "great" Peter Cetera sound-alike throughout my time researching this topic. There's no doubt Scheff is trying to mimic Cetera. Kenny Cetera, Peter's own younger brother, has some of Peter's voice in his genes, but doesn't have the fullness of the elder Cetera's voice. It has seemed that, over the past few decades, the band has slipped and become merely a shadow of its former self. I didn't think the sound of old Chicago could ever be performed again.

That is, until I discovered a tribute band called Brass Transit. They're based in Ontario, Canada but have toured the surrounding region as well. The band consists of lead vocalist Neil Donell, a multiple-Juno Award nominee and "the most recorded voice in Canada." The band's website says he is "possessed of an uncanny ability for mimicry, and with better than four octaves at his disposal, he has, over the years, been called upon to reproduce the voices of literally hundreds of other artists."

http://www.brasstransit.com/brass-transit-the-band.html

The other band members have major experience in the Canadian music industry as well and have multiple Emmys and Junos to add to their repertoire. Most importantly, they might be the closest band experience right now to vintage Chicago. Donell sings Terry Kath's, Robert Lamm's, and Peter Cetera's parts, while other members contribute vocals on select songs (such as Don Breithaupt as Robert Lamm on "Wake Up Sunshine").

Here are a couple performances. I'll let you guys be the judges:







They may even be more authentic to old Chicago than the actual band itself right now, no offense to the band.

I'd love to hear some thoughts!