CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - You could say Molly Callinan has been around the block a few times.
"I've paid my dues." she laughed.
In fact, she's probably performed on every block, and in every Chicago summer festival for the last 20 years.
"Cover songs have been paying my mortgage, my rent for 20 years," said Callinan.
Callinan is a singer who's been part of the cover band culture.
"Catfight was an all girl band, I was in a band called Rock Candy, a band called Black Betty and I'm currently in the Lieutenant Dan Band with Gary Sinise," Callinan said.
After singing on stage, on cruise ships, in lounges and restaurants, she's launched her own band called Too Much Molly which has already been a hit on the festival circuit.
"What's awesome, I got to pick the players, I got to pick what I want to play and I've never been able to do that before." she said.
"Our debut in Chicago was at the Belmont, Sheffield Festival and it was awesome. For a brand new band, we got a lot of awesome slots, awesome.
“We're playing a lot." she smiled. "People trust whatever I put out there is going to be good. I was booked, a full lineup without a band. People booked me because they knew I was going to produce a good product.”
The cover/tribute band scene is unique to Chicago.
"There's no place else that does this because I've looked. I thought about moving to San Diego and other places, and I've looked. Nobody does what we do here. Chicago is the only one who has this cover band scene like we do."
Performance groups like Hairbangers Ball, 16 Candles, Dancing Queen, Wedding Banned and countless others have been a staple of the summer festival circuit for years.
"It's tough to get hired on the festival circuit. You have to have a following. They want you to have a following. It doesn't matter how good the band is, if they don't have a following, they're not going to bring in the people. They want people in front of the stage, drinking, having a good time," Callinan said.
During the pandemic, Callinan, like all in her industry, experienced all her work dry up.
She and another singer decided to pivot a bit.
"I got a phone call from a friend who wanted a telegram outside for her husband's 40th birthday during the pandemic. I almost said no because I was so depressed. I said, ‘yes,’ and we learned these couple of songs and she videoed it and we posted it." she recalled. "Then we started getting all these calls asking how much we charged. I thought wow, we might have a business," she laughed.
Doorstop Divas was born.
"We started this company. Weddings were canceled, parties were canceled, so people wanted an alternative, something safe, outside entertainment. We were doing like 3-a-day sometimes. We don't do it so much now because we were traveling a lot."
Since the return of live performance, Callinan says she's working more than ever.
"I'm juggling so many things now. Because of the pandemic, I took on a lot. I'm busy almost every weekend. We did Pride Fest so I'm hoping to be a staple in the LGBTQ scene. I want to be a Pride band," she smiled.
Callinan and Too Much Molly recently played at Taste Of Lincoln, Market Days and Retro on Roscoe.
"I love to make people laugh and smile. I like to take risks and be stupid and different. I literally thought I'd be done after this pandemic. But when I had the opportunity to do my own thing, I thought I'd give it one more shot. Now I can't imagine quitting. I guess I'll be the 80-year-old lady, still trying to rock in fishnets," she laughed.
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