Local Band Makeshift Defines Do-It-Yourself

Before March 2008, Frankfort resident Chris Kezon had never touched a guitar. Then a friend came over one day and picked up one of his sister’s old kid guitars.

“He played 'Stairway to Heaven,' and when I heard it, that was it. That was all I wanted to do in high school from then on was play guitar,” Kezon said.

Undeterred by the fact that he couldn’t read music or play any other instruments, Kezon began to teach himself by working with online tutorials and guitar tabs. His friend (and guitar player) Pat Nagle also helped him along the way.

Two years later, Kezon was ready for bigger challenges. He and Nagle decided they should put a band together and compete in the 2010 Battle of the Bands, sponsored by Lincoln-Way High School District 210 in conjunction with the annual Asset Celebration.

The pieces quickly fell into place, a band assembled and two weeks later, Makeshift took second in the Battle of the Bands. A few months later, the group found themselves playing five 30-minute sets on one of the side stages at Great America. The band also sold 50 copies of its demo CD that day. Other performances followed over the summer. Not a bad start for a band whose lead singer and rhythm guitarist never did anything musical until his sophomore year of high school.

However, both Kezon and Nagle graduated in May 2010, which meant that in August, Kezon headed down to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, while Nagle went to Bradley University in Peoria. Bandmates Jake Wagstaff and Dave Gent were still at Lincoln-Way Central High School with bassist Joe Messersmith at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.

“The first couple of months of college were tough," Kezon said. "We took a short break from performing, but we actually wrote a lot of songs while we didn’t have any shows." 

"We" being the key word, as collaborative is how Kezon describes the creative process that drives the band.

“Since I’m the vocalist, I like to write my own lyrics so I can feel the emotion,” he said. “Then I write a riff on the guitar. I play it until I’ve got it memorized. Then I play it for the band and everybody comes up with their own part.”

While one definition of their name means temporary, Makeshift is far from that. In the year that’s passed since their first performance, they have moved their original saxophone player back to keys and added Lincoln-Way East High School senior saxophonist John Smith to the group, solidifying their sound, which mixes rock, blues, reggae and pop rock.

“We were all connected by outside sources, and now we’re all really good friends,” Kezon said of his bandmates.

Makeshift also means do-it-yourself, which perhaps better defines the group. From Kezon’s self-taught roots to the band's collaborative songwriting to its independently produced demo CD to Kezon’s dedication to marketing the band, Makeshift clearly has no trouble doing what it takes to make a name for themselves in the Chicago band scene … and beyond.

“We’re definitely going to release our first full-length album at the start of the summer using a downtown recording studio,” said Kezon, who will be transferring to Columbia College in Chicago this fall.

He’s also created an electronic press kit and begun applying for various festivals and gigs through sonicbids.com, as well as signed up with CDBaby, which put Makeshift's demo on iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon.

“We have our sights set high for the summer,” Kezon said, “and I think we’ll have a good one.”

To contact Kezon and Makeshift, find them on Facebook or email them at makeshiftchicago@gmail.com.

Upcoming Performances

Where: The Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
When: 8-11 p.m. Friday, March 25
How much? Tickets are $9, and it's a 21-and-older show.

Where: MoJoes, 22 W. Cass St., Joliet
When: 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, April 1. Makeshift opens for the Trippin’ Billies, a nationally known Dave Matthews cover band.
How much? Tickets are $8, and it's a 21-and-older show.