Universal Togetherness Band: Chicago’s Best Kept Secret
Last week I had the opportunity to see the Universal Togetherness Band live at the Empty Bottle — a sentence I never thought I’d say. It felt surreal watching a group whose music I’ve obsessed over through archive releases and grainy YouTube videos suddenly appear in front of me, in full force, decades after their original run. Before I get into the show, I want to talk about who this band is and why their story is one of the coolest in Chicago music history.
Universal Togetherness Band
Universal Togetherness Band began in 1979 with a group of Columbia College audio engineering students who decided to start making music for fun. Listening to UTB, you hear a mix of soul, jazz-fusion, disco, and new wave, all with a driving rhythm. They have at least 6 guys on stage, including Mr. Paul Hannover, who specialises in harmonica, something you don’t hear in most soul/disco acts from that time.
Frontman Andre Gibson formed the group after spotting a flyer in the Columbia cafeteria looking for bands to help engineering students practice recording. Studio time back then ran around $125 an hour, so free sessions at Universal Audio and Zenith/dB were too good to pass up. Gibson pulled together friends and family: identical twins Fred and Leslie Misher (bass and guitar), his younger brother Arnold Gibson on drums, and fellow student Paul Hannover on keys and harmonica.
They spent years filling tape reels with electric dance tracks, the kind of songs that sound like they came from a alternate-universe Chicago where every genre collided on the dance floor. Their manager passed recordings around to people at Mercury Records, and UTB started getting booked across the city. But when Mercury shut down its Chicago office in 1982, the band’s big chance was gone. They were left with dozens of fully formed songs and no label to take them on. And remember, folks, back then you couldn't just upload a song to the internet and hope for the best.
By the time they appeared on the public access show Chicago Party, the group was already falling apart. During their performance of “Pull Up,” the entire band literally mimed playing their parts — fake instruments and unplugged keyboards. A make-believe performance of an unreleased song on a show that was about to be cancelled. Even with all odds against them, you can see they are still playing their hearts out.
Chicago Party
The Chicago Party was a legendary early 80’s public access TV show filmed at a roller rink/supper club hybrid on the South Side. Essentially, it was Soul Train meets a neighborhood talent show hosted by Willie Woods and his best friend, James Christopher. The two brought a weird comedy sketch show vibe with zany performances, exotic dancers, local bands, comedians, and some of the most incredible DIY video production choices you’ll ever see.
The Numero Group later reissued footage from the show, revealing this amazing time capsule of Chicago nightlife: neon lights, outrageous fashion, and artists on the cusp of something new. Universal Togetherness Band’s appearance on the show is one of the standout gems.
My Night With Universal Togetherness Band
UTB is a band that recorded for free in a student studio, lost their label shot, had one last performance on public access TV, and then disappeared. But after the Numero Group released their tapes on vinyl and streaming, suddenly they had a following bigger than they ever had before. I’ve been following the frontman Andre Gibson for a while on Instagram, and the day I saw they were getting the band back together, I knew I had to grab a ticket. It was amazing to see a group I thought was lost to time suddenly playing to a packed room of people who chanted “UTB!” after every song.
I thought I was UTB’s biggest fan, but after the show, I noticed all these music nerds going up to the band and taking pictures with them. I was joking that UTB is like the new Beatles or something. Eventually, I ran into Andre and asked him what’s next for UTB. He said they were recording some songs again and told me about a song he put out on his recent solo album that was getting some traction on streaming. After all these years, Andre and the boys aren’t acting like an oldies band, but rather a new group that’s just getting started.
Sounds like the boys aren't done yet! They are planning more shows around town, so don’t miss your shot to witness Chicago's best kept secret! What do you think of the Universal Togetherness Band? Let me know in the comments and check out the video below for more from Numero Group and Mr. Gibson himself.
