I met Karl Hafner in September, 2007, after Michael Teach of Chicago Acoustic Underground told me I had to. Within two months, I’d seen his band, Lucid Ground, six times. You might say I’m a fan.
Over the last two years I’ve continued to follow “LG”, as they’re known to their fans, and Karl and I have become friends. Besides appreciating his music, I’ve learned that he’s an ambitious and astute businessman. A year and a half ago he and Brian Bender, the Elbo Room’s talented talent buyer and former front man of A Birdsong Valentine, founded the Chicago Noise Machine. This collective of nine local bands worked together to book shows and share promotional responsibilities. That group has since disbanded, so now Karl’s taking the lessons learned from his experience with both his band and the collective to create Low Light Productions. His mission is to showcase great local artists across genres, provide them with good nights in great venues, and make sure that everyone – band, fan, and venue – has a positive experience. I talked to him about all of this, including how he chooses the bands to represent.
To contact Karl, email him at lowlightproductions@gmail.com or find him on Facebook or MySpace. Lucid Ground fans don’t need to worry that he’ll get distracted; the band has a 4th CD coming out, as well as video and vinyl, so they’re stronger than ever.
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