Stray Bolts

Stray Bolts is a Chicago-based Americana rock trio inspired by a myriad of American roots music forms. Stray Bolts has been performing in concert since 2017.

COLLECTIVELY

Drawing inspiration from the idea that collaboratively played music reveals itself in a pure way when it isn’t being driven by the design of any single individual but rather is being mutually drawn from a universal tempest of creation shared by all, and as this tumult of inspiration strikes, like a storm, occasionally there is a stray bolt that branches out in an unexpected uncontrived direction revealing something previously unseen or unknown to its participants. Our Stray Bolt started from a collective creative point of mutual interest but branched out in a way that was wholly unique even to its own performers - Al Camus (guitars-vocals- songwriting), Christopher Kondrath (bass-song arrangements), and John Roche (drums-percussion-vocals). The band entered Electrical Audio studio in the spring of 2022 to record its first album which is scheduled to be released by year’s end.

INDIVIDUALLY

Al (Discreta/The Streems) is an international artist with an eclectic background in rock and roll, free-jazz, and classical composition - once leading an avant-garde musical ensemble in a conceptual operetta of Mozart’s Starling which he performed across Europe. He began performing music at an early age in his family's band, and later he honed his skills through public performances on the streets of Europe. His previous band, The Streems, was a Chicago-based high-power blues rock band, combining elements of alternative, punk and noise rock. The band, which began in 2008, produced 3 albums and played at many venues around Chicago and beyond.

Christopher, (Earl Hooker, Peabo Bryson, Fabulous Flippers, Commander Cody, Zach Brock, Drama Junkies, Buddy Miles, Elmore James Jr) has met and performed with and/or laid down studio tracks for many storied characters in the music industry as a session musician for Capitol Records, a session musician for ABC Specials, and as a symphony orchestra bassist for several local symphonies. He's a trained orchestral musician, but Chris can play jazz/fusion, progressive bass chording and finger style, rhythm and blues, Delta finger style, Willie Dixon double bass style, and walking Chicago style blues.

John (The Gyps/Great Plains Gypsies/Horse Named Bill) began performing music in DeKalb, Illinois in the late 80's while living with the funky folk-rock band June Bug Massacre. John moved to Wicker Park in Chicago and began playing drums full time in 1992 with folk rockers A Horse Named Bill. In 1995, and for the next 20+ years, John drummed with the Americana folk-blues band Great Plains Gypsies (later truncated in name and personnel to The Gyps) on six full length albums and played hundreds of shows in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. John also loves Irish music and currently plays bodhran in Irish folk band Ar Ais Aris.