June 12, 2025
Book Launch
Artifact Events, Chicago
Stephanie Rogers
Stephanie Rogers (songwriter) is the host, creator, and producer of STORY JAM. She’s been in dozens of rock, pop, and folk bands, and she she has acted in theatre, film, tv, and on commercials. With a theatre degree from Northwestern University, and a master's in writing from National Louis University, Steph leads storytelling classes and workshops for Story Jam Studio.
Learn more.
Xoe Wise
Xoe Wise (songwriter) is a singer-songwriter, and producer originally from a small town in NC, now based in Chicago. Xoe began playing music around 8 when she was enlisted as a triangle player for a local Zydeco band. Her releases have spanned folk to rock. Xoe has also been seen and heard in Netflix shows such as Sense8, and Showtimes Work in Progress. Xoe enjoys making records, comedic improv songs, and homemade hot sauce. In 2020 Forbes magazine and Chicago Tribune featured her series “Curbside Live” where she played pop up shows off her motor scooter to raise money for local music venues and bring some joy to carry out lines. Wise’s music has been recognized by NPR, and Huffington post. You can find her not only on stage but also developing songwriting and music programs for Chicago LGBTQ youth that help inspire self-exploration, like music did for her as a young queer artist looking for ways to heal. In addition to her work as a professional musician, she holds a BS in psychology and a master’s in social work from The University of Chicago where she focuses on music as body-focused (trauma responsive) psychotherapy and creative arts care.
Chuck Lacy
Chuck Lacy (drums) was encouraged to go into music by his talented family. He started playing drums at age 12 for his church and soon began working for various churches and community choirs. He went on to study music in high school learning to read and study different genres of music. In college he began working in local Jazz, Blues, R&B, and Rock clubs as well as working for many cooperate bands. Today he is a working fixture in Chicago’s music scene and beyond playing everything from country to neo-soul. He has worked with: Ana Popovic, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, Rahsaan Patterson, Avery Sunshune, Regina Belle, Shirley Murdock, Angela Winbush, Miki Howard, K-Jon, Kenya, Mike Phillips, Shana Tucker, Vince Ingala, Steve Oliver, Marion Meadows, Norman Brown, Larry Carlton, Marc Antoine, Phil Denny, Paul Taylor, and many more. He tours with Folk/Rock artist Peter Himmelman, Gospel Legends The Caravans, Edwin Hawkins, Richard Smallwood, Donnie McClurkin, and many more. In addition to being a drummer he is also a songwriter and producer. One of the projects he produced, “Music Made Rhythm” by Kenya, was considered for a Grammy nomination. Another project he co-produced was #1 on the UK Soul Charts. He is also the music director for Just Friends as well as MTV Star Maker runner up Melody Angel. Chuck is equally busy on stage and in the studio drawing on his various influences to create good music. Chuck Lacy is a Sabian Cymbals and Reunion Blues artist.
Rafe Bradford
Rafe Bradford (bass) who studied double bass performance at the University of Illinois, has toured and worked with many great jazz, pop, and R&B greats, including Nancy Wilson, Stanley Turrentine, McCoy Tyner, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, and David Foster. On The Tom Joyner Morning Show, Rafe performed with Luther Vandross, Mavis Staples, and many others in the live house band. He was in The Bonnie Hunt show band with Paul Shaffer, The Swell Season, and Dave Koz, and he is famous for playing bass for Patti LaBelle on Oprah’s theme song. Rafe teaches, plays all around Chicago, and he owns music mastering company.
Maggie Cain
Maggie Cain (storyteller) has been an actor for a long time and a storyteller for a short time. She has also been short for a long time. She has played old ladies in Pornography at Steep Theatre and in the Jeff-award winning Men Should Weep at Griffin Theatre. She played Amanda Wingfield in 100+ performances of The Glass Menagerie at Mary-Arrchie and Theatre Wit. She has also worked at Goodman, Steppenwolf, Northlight, Chicago Dramatists, The Factory, Broken Nose, City Lit, Pride Arts and Raven theatres, pretending to be everyone from Anne Frank to Mrs. Claus. She’s a three-time choral gold-medalist with Sweet Adelines International and is now a member of the champion New Tradition Chorus. You may have seen her on Chicago Fire, in her COVID TIME YouTube videos or Watching Game of Thrones with Your Mom. She is now enjoying performing as herself.
LaShera Moore
LaShera is one of the hottest diva vocalists in Chicago. Visit her website.
Fred Simon
Fred Simon (keys) has been making music for more than thirty years, composing for records, live performance, film, dance, and television, with instrumentation ranging from solo piano to symphonic orchestra. His recorded work includes seven albums of original music under his name, three albums (as principle composer) with the Simon and Bard Group, numerous appearances on compilations and samplers, and many appearances as side-musician.
Dave Hiltebrand
Dave Hiltebrand (guitar) has been a full-time musician for over 25 years. Since graduating from DePaul University School of Music, Dave has had extensive experience as a performer, composer and studio musician. Highlights include the Broadway National Tour of Jersey Boys, co-writing and co-producing two national top-ten songs, composing work for clients including the Oprah Winfrey Show, Nike and Allstate, and tours to South Africa, Cuba, Spain, Italy and Egypt. His debut solo guitar album Yoguitar, Vol. 1 was released in 2016. Dave is currently an adjunct professor of Digital Music at Elmhurst University.
Jerome Collins
Jerome is a consummate entertainer and vocalist.
John Bowes
One of the “go-to” guys in Chicago when looking for a soulful sax sound, John Bowes’s (sax, flute) early influences include Rufus, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Tower of Power, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and almost anything Motown. He received musical training at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
John has recorded with and arranged for a variety of bands in Chicago, among them the Grammy-nominated debut CD of the 911 Mambo Orchestra, The Buckinghams, Pete Special, BrotherBrother, Dick Holliday and the Bamboo Gang, Uneek, and The Robert Cornelius 7.
Artists who have called upon John to lend his talents to their concerts include Aretha Franklin, Melissa Etheridge, The O’Jays, The Funk Brothers (Motown Studio Band), Bettye LaVette, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Lou Rawls, The Supremes, The Dells, and many others. He can be heard on the soundtrack to the Stanley Tucci film, “The Impostors”. Theater performances include “Love, Janis” (based on the life of Janis Joplin) at the Royal George Theater, Chicago, and “Imagine Tap”, which had its world premiere at the Harris Theater, Chicago.
