Local resident offers talents to help other musicians

“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

You may not be able to enjoy an in-person performance right now, but many artists are making music for others to relish in the comforts of their home.

Bret Figura misses being able to give live performances so in his free time he is creating music not only for the enjoyment of others, but to benefit musicians whose livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic.

Why the music for a cause?

He put together a Prince-style release and made it available in May on his Bandcamp page for people to download. He didn’t charge for it but ended up getting money from the downloads. “I sent all of the proceeds to the Equal Justice Initiative because there was a lot of civil unrest in the U.S.,” he said.

The support he received encouraged him to keep going.

“I was already going in that direction and thinking I don’t necessarily need any money from the music I’m making,” he said. “I mean, everybody likes to have money but because I have a day job, it wasn’t the priority. So many people right now are having trouble.”

Figura, who grew up in the Frankfort Square area, by day is a graphic artist at a local community college. By night (and weekends), he is a drummer in several bands that play throughout the southwest suburbs, and does freelance drumming and studio work.

He began his “Shut-In” album with drum tracks he recorded. “I was starting to make my own music adding instruments on top of the recorded drum tracks. Then a good friend, John Condron, gave me some great feedback on the first one I released and that got my wheels turning.”

The album features 15 artists from varying states who donated their talents to record vocals. “This is the perfect time to put this all together. I asked friends of mine to contribute vocals so we could make music in a different way—you know due to the (pandemic) situation,” he said, noting he’s the drummer but you won’t hear his voice. “I don’t pretend to have singing talent. That’s why I got all these other folks.”

He is thrilled to be able to hone his musical skills and help out others in need.

“This is a new outlet for me,” Figura said. “I never saw myself as a composer of music. I’ve always just supported others from behind the drum set. I’ve never written my own stuff but due to this quarantine situation, it’s forced my hand to finally sit down and write. After years of other people giving me encouragement, and people like Joe Kuta, who provided so much support, I was able to learn the software and then create something. It’s great.”

The “Shut-In Sounds” album will benefit causes near and dear to Figura. One is the Chicago Independent Music League (CIVL), which advocates on behalf of Chicago’s independent performance venues. The other is the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), which works to preserve and nurture independent artists and promoters throughout the United States.

To download the album, go to Bret's Bandcamp page. “People can still download it for free, but if they’d like to help, there is a button where they can give any amount. It says ‘buy digital album’ and right next to that it says ‘name your price,” so you can punch in any amount you see fit or can afford,” he said.

“You know, it's a win-win-win kind of situation. Because I can't play out and do what I normally do, at least I can create some new work, share it with friends, and give the proceeds to help others.”