A force on the national scene for several years now, what started as a lark with a band called Uptown Sound has morphed into a major career of increasing proportions for JC Brooks. Based out of Chicago (and formerly on the city’s Bloodshot Records label) Brooks, as lead vocalist, along with band mates Alec Lehrman (guitar), Theodore Berry (bass), Jeremy Tromburg (keyboards), JoVia Armstrong (percussion) and Kevin Marks (drums) describes the band’s sound as “post-punk soul.” That vague and undefined genre is further explained as combining “elements of funk, soul, indie rock, R&B and punk into a unique take on the soul genre,” and that is where they stand. JC gets compared to Prince and Mick Jagger for his stage presence and performance style, while the band is connected to Wilco for their soul-funk-pop rendition of Jeff Tweedy’s song “I’m Trying to Break Your Heart.” The group is poised for a major breakout based on sonic sound growth found on the 2017 release, The Neon Jungle, released through Rock Ridge Music.