Faraday Cage to open for Hot Rocks at Windmill fest

Jeff Brandt looks like a typical father as he sits in a booth at Papa Bear Restaurant in Aurora with his two sons. And in many respects, he is exactly that.

As a mechanical engineer at Fermilab in Batavia, Brandt has been in the Aurora area all his life, where he and his wife Jackie currently live with their daughter Emily, and two sons, Alex and Dan. Dan, 18, graduated from West Aurora High this spring and will attend Valparaiso University in the fall to study physics. His brother Alex, 21, is a former engineering student and currently works full time for the Batavia Park District. Yet beyond their work and school lies an unusual bond that gives the two brothers and their father another sort of identity.

For the last three years, Jeff, his two sons and their uncle, Mark Brandt, have been steadily playing and performing in the blues-rock band, Faraday Cage. This weekend's Windmill City Fest in downtown Batavia will mark one of the band's biggest concerts yet, where they will open for the folk group Old Plank All Stars and Rolling Stones tribute band Hot Rocks. The Festival will feature arts and crafts, the Windy City Carnival, and an assortment of outdoor activities. The high-wattage energy of Faraday Cage, however, will kick off the night's main entertainment when the group takes the stage at 5:15 today.

Faraday Cage's blend of family fun began when holiday gatherings with extended relatives turned into musical "jam" sessions, where band rehearsals became common practice once friends and relatives went home.

"We started jamming around Thanksgiving and Christmas," said Alex. "Whenever (Uncle) Mark would come up, he'd bring his guitars, and after the family get-togethers, we'd just jam in the basement 'til Mom made us stop."

Mark, Jeff's brother, plays lead guitar for the ensemble and currently resides in Tennessee. Despite the distance between them, Jeff says the group's sound never suffers. "Mark's a phenomenal guitarist. He's probably the highlight of the band."

Alex shares the guitar duties with his Uncle Mark, while Dan and his dad make up the group's rhythm section playing bass and drums, respectively. "Dan played in the best jazz band at West High since his sophomore year," Jeff said. "He's probably the best musician in the band."

Dan cites jazz heavy weights like Charlie Mingus and Jaco Pastorius as some of his greatest influences, illustrating just one of the group's eclectic musical dynamics. More recent groups like Sound Garden and Alice in Chains are also among the band's favorites, bridging the gap between modern and classic rock.

"We grew up listening to – thanks to this guy (nodding towards Jeff) — Led Zeppelin, bands like that. Classic rock is really our thing," said Dan.

"I'm still sort of amazed that you guys like the kind of music that Mark and I like to play," Jeff added with a smile.

When asked about the band's exotic name, the technical minds of the family became more apparent than ever.

"Michael Faraday is the scientist that invented the first Faraday cage," Jeff explained. "It was an electromagnetic shielding device. He proved that you could shield a component from an electric charge without having a complete covering around it."

Before Jeff could explain any further, Dan couldn't help but interject. "My God, we're geeks," he laughed.

This strength of Faraday Cage's family ties extends not only to common interests, but also works to avoid the personal conflicts that bog down many other bands.

"I think it's actually easier for us as family because we can express our opinions and still know that we love each other," Jeff said. "It really helps get through some of the immaterial stuff and stay focused on what we really like, and that's playing music."