FF_110719

frankfortstationdaily.com life & arts
the frankfort station | November 7, 2019 | 21
Frankfort producer, Tinley musician pursue new project
…and the balloons
releases third
single, works on
debut album
3
Will O’Brien
Freelance Reporter
Chris Rollins and Drew
Neely met when Rollins
was a teenager making
music and looking to record.
More than a decade
later, the duo’s back at it,
this time collaborating on
a group called …and the
balloons.
The band’s third single,
“She, Tokyo,” debuted
Oct. 27, on 101.1 WKQX,
and a full album is in the
works. For Rollins, a Tinley
Park resident, and
Neely, of Frankfort, balloons
is a natural progression
of a passion they’ve
both been pursuing since
youth.
Rollins, a 30-something
who manages social media
for a large health care company
during the day, grew
up near Midway airport,
caught the music bug in
middle school and quickly
fell into the greater South
Side pop-punk scene.
Still in high school, Rollins
and his band recorded
demos and short albums
at Neely’s in-home studio
in Oak Lawn. Neely, a
multi-instrumentalist and
self-taught producer who
toured with bands throughout
his 20s, said Rollins
is a fun-loving guy who
takes his craft seriously.
“Not many musicians
are as hard-working and
motivated as Chris,” Neely
said.
“Everyone finds hobbies
during those formative
Pictured is Rollins drumming with Down in Front during the early 2000s.
years,” Rollins said. “I’m
just lucky I picked the
right one.”
Down in Front, a
group for which Rollins
drummed, got hot
in the early 2000s, playing
shows with Fall Out
Boy and the Plain White
T’s.
“We had a lot of local
success and it was a really
exciting time,” Rollins
said.
After six years together,
the band members went
their separate ways. The
singer, Chris Medina,
made it to the top 40 of the
2010 season of American
Idol and continues to enjoy
popularity overseas. The
others are still pursuing
music too, Rollins said.
Rollins played with
several groups in the
years since and all the
while continued writing
songs. A year ago, with a
healthy catalogue of original
tracks, he reconnected
with Neely, whose Off
the Tracks Recording and
Thrifty Records businesses
are based just south of
downtown Frankfort.
After freelancing out
of various studios around
town, Neely, a 44-year-old
father of two, opened the
space a year ago. Off the
Tracks works with musicians
like Rollins who
write songs and need guidance
with what’s next, he
said, while Thrifty manages
distribution and radio
promotion. Neely also
teaches private music lessons
and does audio and
video work for Frankfort
marketing firm Brand-
Design.
“Chris wanted to come
by and check the place
out, and it was like no time
had passed,” Neely said.
“He said, ‘This feels right.
Let’s do it.’”
And do it they have.
The band’s first single,
“I Know It’s Not Safe,”
hit airwaves in July, and
the pair have been steadily
building …and the balloons’
online presence.
Pictured is Tinley Park resident Chris Rollins, the
singer-songwriter behind …and the balloons. PHOTOS
SUBMITTED
SIDEBAR
…and the balloons
Music: andtheballoons.
bandcamp.com
Facebook: www.
facebook.com/
AndTheBalloons/
Future plans include live
shows and perhaps a tour.
Besides Rollins, balloons
features a rotating
cast of musicians, the latest
iteration including
Tinley Park resident Sam
Libretti (bass guitar) and
South Siders Tony Tenerelli
(guitar) and Dominic
Doria (guitar).
Billing the group as
“high energy, alternative
pop-rock,” Rollins said
his influences range from
his teenage years — Green
Day, Local H, Alkaline
Trio — to the classics like
Simon and Garfunkel and
Motown.
For Rollins, creating
music is a form of expression
comparable to painting
or writing a book.
“It’s getting emotions
out, getting stories out
that you didn’t even know
were floating around in
your mind, in your subconscious,”
he said. “You
didn’t know where it was
going, but now here it is,
this tangible thing you created.
And then you can
take it one step further and
share it with people.”
With the …and the
balloons just taking off,
Rollins said he’s content
enjoying the experience,
collaborating with Neely
and seeing where things
go.
“To continue to be able
The …and the balloons
logo.
to do what you love — it’s
just really exciting,” he
said. “I’m looking forward
to whatever the future
holds.”