Biography
Eleventh Dream Day emerged as a guitar-heavy ensemble whose path through alt-rock offered a clear case of persistence from the Midwestern indie circuit, ranking among its toughest and least-recognized outfits; a disastrous stretch on a major label, poorly timed personnel shifts, and public apathy failed to derail them, and they ultimately settled into roles as veteran figures amid Chicago’s expanding independent community during the mid-nineties. Their major-label phase produced the guitar-driven standout Lived to Tell in 1991, while Eighth from 1997 retained force and focus after the band returned to indie status and shrank to a trio; the robust Zeroes and Ones in 2006 and the more reflective Since Grazed in 2021 proved that even operating part-time the group still delivered work equal in strength to their earliest period.
The band’s story began in 1981 when singer/guitarist Rick Rizzo encountered vocalist/drummer Janet Beveridge Bean at the University of Kentucky. Drawing from punk, Rizzo learned guitar using Neil Young’s Zuma songbook; Young’s explosive approach stayed the dominant influence across the group’s run, shaping Rizzo’s own unpolished, roots-oriented playing. The pair soon moved to Chicago and joined bassist Douglas McCombs plus guitarist Baird Figi; after several years sharpening their volatile stage show, Eleventh Dream Day cut their self-titled debut EP for Amoeba in 1987.
Prairie School Freakout, tracked in a single six-hour session through a noisy, worn-out amp, appeared in 1988 and drew Atlantic Records’ interest, leading to the confident Beet in 1989. Despite strong reviews the album found no buyers; Lived to Tell arrived in 1991 and met identical results. Mid-tour, Figi left without warning and was succeeded by Bodeco’s Matthew “Wink” O’Bannon ahead of the excellent El Moodio in 1993. Three commercial disappointments prompted Atlantic to release the band without ceremony.
After a pause that let Rizzo and Bean focus on their newborn, Eleventh Dream Day brought in co-producers Brad Wood and John McEntire—McCombs’ partner in the post-rock group Tortoise—for 1994’s Ursa Major on City Slang. Another break followed, during which Rizzo attended college, Bean concentrated on her country project Freakwater, and O’Bannon returned to Bodeco; the band then moved to Chicago’s Thrill Jockey imprint for Eighth in 1997.
Stalled Parade surfaced in 2000, yet Eleventh Dream Day functioned only part-time by then. Rizzo taught, while Bean and McCombs pursued separate musical work; occasional Chicago shows continued with former Coctails member Mark Greenberg on keyboards. Thrill Jockey reissued the long-unavailable Prairie School Freakout alongside the Wayne EP in 2003, and Baird Figi rejoined for a single reunion performance that November. Zeroes and Ones, the first new recordings in six years and the initial album featuring Greenberg, arrived in 2006. Five years later Riot Now! appeared in 2011, an album “inspired” by the apathy of American youth.
In 2013 details surfaced showing the Atlantic period had been even more unfortunate. After Lived to Tell, the label’s “alternative” division relocated and contact with the band ceased amid internal chaos; Atlantic missed a contractual deadline, management notified the label that the deal had ended, and Atlantic concurred. The group then recorded a new album independently with Brad Wood for potential release elsewhere. The incoming Atlantic head learned of this, traveled to Chicago, and persuaded them to re-sign, convincing the members the label genuinely cared. The album was re-recorded in New York at the company’s demand; when sales again fell short—marking the third poorly promoted Atlantic release—the band was dropped and El Moodio quickly became a cutout. Over twenty years later a Facebook remark revived memories of the original Brad Wood sessions, prompting a search for the unreleased tapes; New Moodio from 1991 finally appeared on vinyl in May 2013.
In 2014 the band staged shows at Chicago’s The Hideout to prepare fresh material, adding James Elkington on second guitar to the existing four-piece lineup; Works for Tomorrow emerged in July 2015. Eleventh Dream Day later regrouped for Since Grazed in 2021, tracked at Wilco’s Chicago facility the Loft, where keyboardist Mark Greenberg serves as studio manager.
The band’s story began in 1981 when singer/guitarist Rick Rizzo encountered vocalist/drummer Janet Beveridge Bean at the University of Kentucky. Drawing from punk, Rizzo learned guitar using Neil Young’s Zuma songbook; Young’s explosive approach stayed the dominant influence across the group’s run, shaping Rizzo’s own unpolished, roots-oriented playing. The pair soon moved to Chicago and joined bassist Douglas McCombs plus guitarist Baird Figi; after several years sharpening their volatile stage show, Eleventh Dream Day cut their self-titled debut EP for Amoeba in 1987.
Prairie School Freakout, tracked in a single six-hour session through a noisy, worn-out amp, appeared in 1988 and drew Atlantic Records’ interest, leading to the confident Beet in 1989. Despite strong reviews the album found no buyers; Lived to Tell arrived in 1991 and met identical results. Mid-tour, Figi left without warning and was succeeded by Bodeco’s Matthew “Wink” O’Bannon ahead of the excellent El Moodio in 1993. Three commercial disappointments prompted Atlantic to release the band without ceremony.
After a pause that let Rizzo and Bean focus on their newborn, Eleventh Dream Day brought in co-producers Brad Wood and John McEntire—McCombs’ partner in the post-rock group Tortoise—for 1994’s Ursa Major on City Slang. Another break followed, during which Rizzo attended college, Bean concentrated on her country project Freakwater, and O’Bannon returned to Bodeco; the band then moved to Chicago’s Thrill Jockey imprint for Eighth in 1997.
Stalled Parade surfaced in 2000, yet Eleventh Dream Day functioned only part-time by then. Rizzo taught, while Bean and McCombs pursued separate musical work; occasional Chicago shows continued with former Coctails member Mark Greenberg on keyboards. Thrill Jockey reissued the long-unavailable Prairie School Freakout alongside the Wayne EP in 2003, and Baird Figi rejoined for a single reunion performance that November. Zeroes and Ones, the first new recordings in six years and the initial album featuring Greenberg, arrived in 2006. Five years later Riot Now! appeared in 2011, an album “inspired” by the apathy of American youth.
In 2013 details surfaced showing the Atlantic period had been even more unfortunate. After Lived to Tell, the label’s “alternative” division relocated and contact with the band ceased amid internal chaos; Atlantic missed a contractual deadline, management notified the label that the deal had ended, and Atlantic concurred. The group then recorded a new album independently with Brad Wood for potential release elsewhere. The incoming Atlantic head learned of this, traveled to Chicago, and persuaded them to re-sign, convincing the members the label genuinely cared. The album was re-recorded in New York at the company’s demand; when sales again fell short—marking the third poorly promoted Atlantic release—the band was dropped and El Moodio quickly became a cutout. Over twenty years later a Facebook remark revived memories of the original Brad Wood sessions, prompting a search for the unreleased tapes; New Moodio from 1991 finally appeared on vinyl in May 2013.
In 2014 the band staged shows at Chicago’s The Hideout to prepare fresh material, adding James Elkington on second guitar to the existing four-piece lineup; Works for Tomorrow emerged in July 2015. Eleventh Dream Day later regrouped for Since Grazed in 2021, tracked at Wilco’s Chicago facility the Loft, where keyboardist Mark Greenberg serves as studio manager.
Albums
