Speaking with ... Sonia Dada's Dan Pritzker November 5, 2004 Since releasing their eponymous debut in 1992, Chicago-based Sonia Dada has made a name for itself both locally and nationally with its stirring, surprising blend of rock, soul, funk, blues and gospel. And, with its sixth and latest release "Test Pattern," these local heroes have added Middle Eastern sounds to the irresistible mix. A Chicago native, Dan Pritzker is guitarist and principal songwriter with the five-instrument and four-vocalist band that began to take shape in 1990 when he encountered Michael Scott, Paris Delane and Sam Hogan harmonizing on a local L platform at State and Chicago. Two years later, Sonia Dada's first album, along with the radio hit "You Don't Treat Me No Good" hit record stores and another couple years after that, an extensive U.S. tour with Traffic started to get the word out across the country. Gearing up for a homecoming gig Saturday at the Vic, Pritzker spoke from his Chicago home. HERE'S WHAT PRITZKER HAD TO SAY: A chance meeting in the subway: When I heard those guys singing down there, it just knocked me out. I think the first thing I heard was "Jesus on the Mainline," and I knew that song was from the Ry Cooder record "Paradise and Lunch." And I had never heard it before that and for all I knew it was a Ry Cooder song, but now I know better. And I heard these guys singing that and thought, Hey, that's great. So I stood there. The thing was, while they were singing, trains were starting to come in, right? So it's, Get to the chorus before the train comes. But as the train would start to come in, they would switch the song into that Curtis Mayfield song, ["People Get Ready"], "People get ready/there's a train a-coming." And the way they did it, it was, Wow, these guys got a whole subway act! So I stood there for about 20 minutes and my jaw was to the floor. What he learned from producer Chuck Plotkin: You might have a great song and a great singer, but they don't necessarily marry. On meeting the late free jazz legend Lester Bowie, who plays on "Test Pattern": I ended up picking up Lester at the airport. I'd never met the guy, never seen the guy before, right? And I went downstairs at O'Hare Airport and I illegally parked my car, I just got out and I went into the baggage [area] to look for the guy. Didn't know what he looked like, right? Here comes a black guy with a shock of white hair standing straight up and a braided goatee. And I thought, You know what, I'm gonna take a shot. I said, "Lester?" And he said, "Yes." So as soon as I indentified him, I hauled ass back out to the car and they were backing up the tow truck but they hadn't put the hook on. And I ran in the car and I dodged the bullet and the guy yelled at me and all that sort of thing. But I would've been to have had my car towed away in front of Lester. Operating in close quarters: We've got, basically, nine players. We take 13 guys on a 12-bunk bus. Don't ask. On keeping a big band at peace, even in close quarters: Ah, the Dispute Resolution Mechanism! (Laughs) We just get along. It's an amazing chemistry. It's really cool. It's one of the joys of my life in that regard. I don't know what else to tell you. It works out great. It's the luckiest thing and believe me, I'm well aware that life's too short to spend your time being miserable. If this were a situation that sort of taxed my misery meter in any way, I would be gone. Jeff Wisser Copyright © The Sun-Times Company