Three of the top bluegrass musicians in the Chicago area, Rob Anderlik, Pat Otto and Mike Church first met at late night jam session and felt a deep musical connection from the moment they played together. Even better, they discovered they shared a wide range of musical interests, ranging from Southern and Classic Rock, Blues, Swing, Jazz Standards, Cinematic Instrumentals, Folk Music and of course, Bluegrass. They formed a trio in 2015 and quickly built a reputation as one of the most versatile acoustic bands in the Midwest.
Steeped in a variety of musical genres with chops to spare, the trio plays together with great finesse and is capable of switching gears to suit a variety of occasions - everything from festivals to nightclubs, private and corporate events, weddings, public libraries and brew pubs. When you hire AOC for your event you can rest assured you are hiring top notch professional musicians who will work closely with you to ensure your event is a total success.
The trio is available to perform in various combinations: depending on the occasion, adding upright or electric bass, cello and drums.
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Rob Anderlik - Dobro, Weissenborn & Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
A Chicago native, Rob grew up on a steady diet of Classic Rock, Southern Rock and the Blues. Once he discovered bluegrass music and the dobro (and later the Weissenborn guitar and lap steel) he abandoned the electric guitar and vowed to become a Slide Guitar Man. Rob has studied with dobro greats Jerry Douglas, Sally Van Meter, Randy Kohrs and Andy Hall. He was a teaching artist at the Old Town School of Folk Music from 2004-2014 and has the distinction of being equally well known as a bluegrass and blues lap slide guitarist.
Pat Otto - Mandolin, Mandola, Guitar, Banjo, Vocals -
Also a Chicago native and life long music lover, Pat was inspired to become a musician after his older brother showed him a couple of chords on the guitar and convinced him to buy a mandolin. Within a few months he started attending jam sessions which eventually led to a series of picking vacations to the great state of Kentucky and street performances in Mountain View Arkansas.
Pat is one of the original members of the Chicago based jamband Leadfoot and has shared the stage with many great players and bands over the years, including Giles Corey, Marty Sammon, Pert Near Sandstone, Terrapin Flyer, Mr. Blotto and many more.
One of the most versatile mandolinists in the MidWest, Pat has developed his own signature playing style which covers everything from traditional and progressive bluegrass to Irish music, jazz standards, rock, blues and swing tunes.
Mike Church - Guitar, Vocals
Mike Church hails from Lenoir, North Carolina, just down the road from where Doc Watson is from. Although he was raised on the sounds of The Grand Ol’ Opry and Hee Haw, in a twist of fate, Mike started playing guitar at 13 years of age after being inspired by the glam rock band Kiss.
Mike relocated to Los Angeles in 1990 and studied at the Grove School of Music with jazz guitar legend Ted Greene for 18 intensive months. Playing jazz and backing up numerous artists and Singer Songwriters on L.A. club circuit and nationwide for many years laid the foundation for Mike's inventive playing style and serious guitar chops.
In 1996 Mike moved to Chicago and quickly became a favorite with area musicians. Playing music takes up most of Mike’s spare time now, but every April he still tries to make a run back to North Carolina for Merle Fest. Mike’s diverse influences include Doc Watson, Tony Rice, The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Robben Ford and Miles Davis.