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Glenbrook North grad makes the cut on ‘The Voice’
Todd Kessler and The New Folk will perform Oct. 13 at The Hard Rock Cafe Chicago (all ages welome).
For more infomation, visit www.toddkesslermusic.com or his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/toddkesslermusic.
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Updated: October 28, 2012 6:18AM
NORTHBROOK Meet the man of the hour with no mane.
Todd Kessler, raised in Northbrook, cut his 44 dreadlocks last March, right after making the blind auditions cut on NBC’s hit show The Voice.
Now sporting a short style, Kessler, 30, chosen for the Cee Lo team, just released a new CD, “Sea Fever,” with his band The New Folk, which performs in the Chicago area.
Kessler rehearsed Sept. 19 with The New Folk bandmates on Grand Avenue at the Chicago Phonology studios days after The Voice revealed he made it through.
Kessler’s decision to cut his dreadlocks is all the razor buzz on The Voice.
“I buried my hair, actually, I kept one dread for myself,” said Kessler, now of Chicago, with a laugh. “I buried it (but) my mom has a dread. The other 40 or something are under a tree in Wisconsin.
“It felt wrong throwing them (dreadlocks) away,” said Kessler of his waist length locks which took 12 years to grow and weighed one pound. “If I lost my arm, I wouldn’t want to just throw it in the trash.”
So Kessler performed a ceremony, said some prayers “and bid them adieu in the ground.”
His parents, Harold and Andrea Kessler, are Northbrook residents since 1981.
Kessler’s father, an infectious diseases doctor, and his wife Andrea have lived in Northbrook since 1982. They have four children: Todd and Adam are identical twins, and two sisters, Erin and Jori.
“I don’t know if I’m an inspiration,” Kessler said. “All I can say is that this is what I’ve always wanted to do and I went for it. If there are people out there in Northbrook or anywhere that have a dream I would just say … keep doing it because hard work pays off.”
The musician teaches private music lessons and performs at a Chicago Potbelly sandwich shop. He and his wife, Lauren, are expecting their first child in the winter.
His bandmates are Shane Hendrickson, Bob Parlier, Molly Kirk Parlier and Graham Burris.
He said his Los Angeles tryout for the hit singing competition, where he performed Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May,” was a surreal experience.
“It felt other-worldly, like it wasn’t really happening to me, like it was a dream,” he said. “It was an experience of a lifetime.”
He was excited to be chosen among the 16 contestants representing coach Cee Lo Green.
“Go Team Red Zone!” he said. “(Green) is a great guy, pretty down to earth, which is surprising to a lot of people. He seems like this larger-than-life character, but he’s really caring. He really puts all of himself into this project, a great mentor.”
The 2000 Glenbrook North High School grad, who was active in choir and gymnastics, is a 2005 University of Illinois music graduate. He attended Meadowbrook School and Northbrook Junior High School.
His music tastes are “pretty eclectic, Paul Simon is a big influence …”
The blind auditions conclude with a battle and knockout round before the live showdown in November.
Todd Kessler and The New Folk will perform Oct. 13 at The Hard Rock Cafe Chicago (all ages welome).
For more infomation, visit www.toddkesslermusic.com or his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/toddkesslermusic.
