****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****
Chicago-Based Vocalist Sam Fazio Performs Newly Discovered Cubs Song
Pregame at Gallagher Way on Aug 2
A few years back, just before life-long Chicagoan, WWII veteran, musician, and retired City of Chicago employee Pasquale "P.J." Panico passed away at the age of 95, his grandson found something special.
"I was gathering up his old records for safe keeping and one was clearly not commercially produced," says Rob Sarwark, who grew up in Glenview and was close to his maternal grandfather. "As I uncovered it, I saw that it was a 78 RPM demo record that had the words 'Cubs Song' written on the label. My grandpa's name and another man's name, Paul Geallis [a family friend who passed away in 2012], were also both written on it. No one else in my family had ever heard it -- or of it -- before." Later, Sarwark realized that this was not just any demo: it was a zippy Chicago Cubs booster song that had lain forgotten for close to sixty years.
"Once we heard the tune, which, based on the lyrics, we naturally dubbed 'Come Out to Wrigley Field (The Home of the Cubs),' we knew we had something very special," adds Sarwark. "We have very little reliable background information about the recording. But my family members and I knew right away that it was P.J. singing and playing accordion, probably in the late 1950s or early '60s. And we knew that we had to preserve it."
With the help of Steven Serra, a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and the owner of Small House Studios in Palatine, Illinois, Sarwark has attempted to breathe new life into the original version by digitizing and distributing it. Serra has also put his own spin on "Come Out to Wrigley Field" with a pair of twentieth-century versions. One, in a bluesy rock style ("Wrigleyville Version") and the other, in jazz ("Old Town Version") are available as a special-edition "Cubby Blue" vinyl single (7"/45 RPM) through Tiki Core Records (tikicore.com), a label co-founded by Rob Sarwark and Montreal-based musician and artist Andrew Joncas. All three versions are also streaming on all the major digital platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon, etc.).
“I felt that it was just too good of a song to keep hidden from the world,” says Sarwark. “But my goal, and my grandfather’s, I believe, was for it to one day be performed at Wrigley Field."
When Chicago-based vocalist Sam Fazio, and longtime friend of the Panico family, heard the song he felt exactly the same way. “When I first heard the tune, I knew I wanted to sing it, and somehow perform it at Wrigley Field,” says Fazio. “I wanted to make P.J.'s, and Rob’s, dream a reality."
Fazio performs at venues across the country and has performed pregame/halftime performances for the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls and Cubs. Fazio will perform the song, “Come Out to Wrigley Field”, when he performs as pregame entertainment at Gallagher Way on Wednesday, Aug 2 at 6pm.
“I hope my grandfather is listening that day,” says Sarwark. “We made it happen!”
About Sam Fazio
Vocalist Sam Fazio is well-known in the Chicago music scene. Sam can be seen regularly at many prestigious clubs and theaters throughout the Chicagoland area, as well as performing arts centers, festivals, and clubs throughout the country. Sam has performed at legendary clubs such as Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Andy's Jazz Club, Untitled, and SPACE (Chicago), Catalina (LA), Cliff Bell’s (Detroit), Dakota (Minneapolis), and Iridium, Feinstein's at the Loews Regency, and 54 Below (New York City). Sam has also performed shows at many performing arts centers including Honeywell Center (Wabash), Overture Center (Madison), Trueblood (Washington Island), Thelma Sadoff (Fond du lac), Schauer Arts Center (Hartford), and Metropolis (Chicago). In addition, he has held residencies at many well-known hotels including the LondonHouse, Chicago Hilton, and a 6-year run at the historic Drake Hotel. Sam has performed at many festivals in the Midwest and casinos in Las Vegas, Chicago, and DC—to name a few. Sam has also performed at pregame and/or halftime shows for the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, and Cubs.
Sam's albums have been reviewed by many media outlets, including WGN Radio, Chicago Jazz Magazine, Illinois Entertainer, JazzChicago.net, Keys and Chords, and Jazz Review, among others. He has also performed live on Windy City Live and WGN Midday News. Tracks from Sam's albums can be heard on stations throughout the country and around the world. Sam’s sophomore LP was released on Blujazz records, and his newest holiday album was named one of the best holiday jazz albums by jazz critic Howard Reich. Sam’s recent release, Let’s Go, was produced by the legendary jazz duo Tuck and Patti and included a ten-city Midwest tour.
About Tiki Core Records
Founded by Rob Sarwark and Andrew Joncas in 2011, Tiki Core Records showcases unique artists in the genres of pop, surf, singer-songwriter, novelty, folk, and beyond. The boutique label has released over 75 tracks digitally thus far, with two 7"/45 RPM singles, one 12"/45 RPM EP, and two 12"/33 1/3 RPM LP's available in vinyl. The most recent release is 2023's Shadow Breaker, the sophomore LP by Montreal, Canada's instrumental spycore/prog/psychedelic quartet THE GRUNIONS (https://thegrunionsband.bandcamp.com/).
Fazio is available for on-air performances and interviews, and Sarwark is available for interviews.
For more information, please contact Sam Fazio at [email protected] or 773-726-3965 or Rob Sarwark at [email protected] or 773-951-7175.
Chicago-Based Vocalist Sam Fazio Performs Newly Discovered Cubs Song
Pregame at Gallagher Way on Aug 2
A few years back, just before life-long Chicagoan, WWII veteran, musician, and retired City of Chicago employee Pasquale "P.J." Panico passed away at the age of 95, his grandson found something special.
"I was gathering up his old records for safe keeping and one was clearly not commercially produced," says Rob Sarwark, who grew up in Glenview and was close to his maternal grandfather. "As I uncovered it, I saw that it was a 78 RPM demo record that had the words 'Cubs Song' written on the label. My grandpa's name and another man's name, Paul Geallis [a family friend who passed away in 2012], were also both written on it. No one else in my family had ever heard it -- or of it -- before." Later, Sarwark realized that this was not just any demo: it was a zippy Chicago Cubs booster song that had lain forgotten for close to sixty years.
"Once we heard the tune, which, based on the lyrics, we naturally dubbed 'Come Out to Wrigley Field (The Home of the Cubs),' we knew we had something very special," adds Sarwark. "We have very little reliable background information about the recording. But my family members and I knew right away that it was P.J. singing and playing accordion, probably in the late 1950s or early '60s. And we knew that we had to preserve it."
With the help of Steven Serra, a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and the owner of Small House Studios in Palatine, Illinois, Sarwark has attempted to breathe new life into the original version by digitizing and distributing it. Serra has also put his own spin on "Come Out to Wrigley Field" with a pair of twentieth-century versions. One, in a bluesy rock style ("Wrigleyville Version") and the other, in jazz ("Old Town Version") are available as a special-edition "Cubby Blue" vinyl single (7"/45 RPM) through Tiki Core Records (tikicore.com), a label co-founded by Rob Sarwark and Montreal-based musician and artist Andrew Joncas. All three versions are also streaming on all the major digital platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon, etc.).
“I felt that it was just too good of a song to keep hidden from the world,” says Sarwark. “But my goal, and my grandfather’s, I believe, was for it to one day be performed at Wrigley Field."
When Chicago-based vocalist Sam Fazio, and longtime friend of the Panico family, heard the song he felt exactly the same way. “When I first heard the tune, I knew I wanted to sing it, and somehow perform it at Wrigley Field,” says Fazio. “I wanted to make P.J.'s, and Rob’s, dream a reality."
Fazio performs at venues across the country and has performed pregame/halftime performances for the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls and Cubs. Fazio will perform the song, “Come Out to Wrigley Field”, when he performs as pregame entertainment at Gallagher Way on Wednesday, Aug 2 at 6pm.
“I hope my grandfather is listening that day,” says Sarwark. “We made it happen!”
About Sam Fazio
Vocalist Sam Fazio is well-known in the Chicago music scene. Sam can be seen regularly at many prestigious clubs and theaters throughout the Chicagoland area, as well as performing arts centers, festivals, and clubs throughout the country. Sam has performed at legendary clubs such as Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Andy's Jazz Club, Untitled, and SPACE (Chicago), Catalina (LA), Cliff Bell’s (Detroit), Dakota (Minneapolis), and Iridium, Feinstein's at the Loews Regency, and 54 Below (New York City). Sam has also performed shows at many performing arts centers including Honeywell Center (Wabash), Overture Center (Madison), Trueblood (Washington Island), Thelma Sadoff (Fond du lac), Schauer Arts Center (Hartford), and Metropolis (Chicago). In addition, he has held residencies at many well-known hotels including the LondonHouse, Chicago Hilton, and a 6-year run at the historic Drake Hotel. Sam has performed at many festivals in the Midwest and casinos in Las Vegas, Chicago, and DC—to name a few. Sam has also performed at pregame and/or halftime shows for the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, and Cubs.
Sam's albums have been reviewed by many media outlets, including WGN Radio, Chicago Jazz Magazine, Illinois Entertainer, JazzChicago.net, Keys and Chords, and Jazz Review, among others. He has also performed live on Windy City Live and WGN Midday News. Tracks from Sam's albums can be heard on stations throughout the country and around the world. Sam’s sophomore LP was released on Blujazz records, and his newest holiday album was named one of the best holiday jazz albums by jazz critic Howard Reich. Sam’s recent release, Let’s Go, was produced by the legendary jazz duo Tuck and Patti and included a ten-city Midwest tour.
About Tiki Core Records
Founded by Rob Sarwark and Andrew Joncas in 2011, Tiki Core Records showcases unique artists in the genres of pop, surf, singer-songwriter, novelty, folk, and beyond. The boutique label has released over 75 tracks digitally thus far, with two 7"/45 RPM singles, one 12"/45 RPM EP, and two 12"/33 1/3 RPM LP's available in vinyl. The most recent release is 2023's Shadow Breaker, the sophomore LP by Montreal, Canada's instrumental spycore/prog/psychedelic quartet THE GRUNIONS (https://thegrunionsband.bandcamp.com/).
Fazio is available for on-air performances and interviews, and Sarwark is available for interviews.
For more information, please contact Sam Fazio at [email protected] or 773-726-3965 or Rob Sarwark at [email protected] or 773-951-7175.
