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Check out our appearance on WGN TV: Modern Sounds on WGN

Joel Paterson and The Modern Sounds have just won the Chicago Reader's "Our Reader's Choice" award for "Best Jazz Act" (Best of Chicago, 2009 Issue) Best Jazz Act Thank you to all who voted early and often!

Joel Paterson and The Modern Sounds is a Chicago based rhythm trio featuring Joel Paterson on guitar, steel guitar and vocals; Beau Sample on string bass and vocals; Alex Hall on drums and vocals. This big little band is dedicated to performing many styles of traditional American music, specializing in hot jazz, western swing, rockabilly, classic blues and everything in between. The Modern Sounds are on the cutting edge of the Atomic Age – bringing you the best of the 30's, 40's and 50's.

Joel "Fats" Paterson hails from Madison, Wisconsin and has lived in Chicago for many years, performing with various bands including Jimmy Sutton's Four Charms, The Wabash Jug Band and Kelly Hogan's Wooden Leg. He currently fronts The Modern Sounds and Joel Paterson's Blues Roundup. The Blues Roundup plays classic Chicago blues of the 50's and 60's. Joel can also be seen playing pedal steel for the honky tonk band, The Western Elstons. Slap bass virtuoso Beau Sample is from San Antonio, Texas. He spent a few years on the Austin music scene and has recently made Chicago his winter home. Alex Hall is from Chicago and is a very talented drummer and recording engineer. He is the man behind the "Chicago Sound" of Ventrella Records and Tapes.

Joel, Beau and Alex founded Ventrella Records in an effort to get rich quick or go broke slow, depending on how you look at it. Along with the trunks of their cars, Ventrella discs are available for sale on CDbaby.com and RootsCD.com. Ventrella released two CD's in 2008. "A Chicago Session" features The Modern Sounds backing up boogie woogie piano master Carl Sonny Leyland. "Steel is Real" showcases the pedal steel sounds of Joel Paterson. In June, 2009 The Modern Sounds released a special double length album. The two CD set features "both kinds of music" they play–one disc is titled "Hold It Fellas...It's the Modern Sounds," featuring their rockabilly and blues set. The other disc is titled "Stomp Stomp," and features their hot jazz and swing side.

The Modern Sounds can be seen playing around Chicago at various nightclubs including The Green Mill, Buddy Guy's Legends, The Hideout, Katerina's, Pete Miller's and Fitzgerald's.

Here is the link to buy "A Chicago Session" on CDBaby: "A Chicago Session" on CDBaby

Here is the link to buy "A Chicago Session" on iTunes: "A Chicago Session" on iTunes

Joel's new steel guitar CD "Steel Is Real" is now available on CDBaby! Here is the link to buy it: Steel Is Real!

The new double CD is out! Here is a link to buy it on CD Baby: Hold it Fellas / Stomp Stomp Here is the front cover and the other front cover of "Hold It Fellas" and "Stomp Stomp!"