Hey Champ

Rockford, Illinois… not exactly a hotbed of talent, although it has produced rock legends Cheap Trick, and (allegedly) the older brother from the TV hit «Blossom.» Two boys, Saam, age 16 and Jonathan, 13, become heavily influenced by both Blossom and Cheap Trick. Naturally, they form a band.

Eight years later the two reform in Chicago under the Hey Champ moniker. Much smarter and poorer, they begin a musical journey that ended up on the intersection of Gainsbourg Avenue and Jarre Lane. Needing some additional help on the keys, Jonathan calls up his old Princeton chum Pete. The two met as outsiders at one of those tea and crumpet parties where everyone wears blazers and laughs through clenched teeth. His car packed with synthesizers and a prayer, Pete left the creature comforts of the Northeast and drove straight into the musical wilderness of the Midwest.

The trio soon becomes well known around Chicago for their pop savvy and production expertise. During the summer of 2008, they received a phone call from a Mr. Lupe Fiasco, who had seen a video for their song “Cold Dust Girl” on the Internet. Within a month Hey Champ was on a nationwide tour opening for Lupe and starting to record their first album under his FNF imprint. By early 2009, “Cold Dust Girl” had been spun in clubs on every continent (conceding Antarctica) and the band had gained stature in the rock and dance communities by sharing the stage with international sensations like Justice, Sebastian Tellier, The Sounds, Midnight Juggernauts, Kid Sister, Datarock, and The Bloody Beetroots just to name a few. With a schedule including some of the biggest festivals and tours of the year, international acclaim for their hit “Cold Dust Girl,” and a soon to be released debut album, Hey Champ is poised to become…the third greatest thing to come out of Rockford.