For 20 years, Paris Schutz has graced TV screens in Chicago, delivering hundreds of rigorously investigated news reports on hot-button issues and insightful analyses of local and national political happenings.
But when the cameras stop rolling and the news packages have aired, Schutz finds joy in a whole new way of connecting with people: creating music.
A two-time Emmy Award winner and River Forest native, Schutz’s career includes over 15 years with WTTW and its flagship weeknight news program, “Chicago Tonight” and two years on the political reporting circuit with FOX 32, before joining NBC 5 this past spring as an investigative and political reporter.
Over the years, one thing Schutz says has helped him stay grounded and reset after a long day’s work has been writing and playing music.
“There have been times when it was a crazy breaking news day, and I slipped off the camera after my live hit and raced to the club, loosened my tie, raced up on stage and played a gig,” he said.
As a child, Schutz took piano lessons in Oak Park, learning to play via the Suzuki method and gaining a strong understanding of classical music.
Continuing to play piano during college and between the grind of his early journalism days, Schutz says music has stayed a welcomed constant in his life. Through experimenting with different piano playing styles across blues, jazz, R&B and rock, music has helped Schutz feel like he can truly unwind.
Most importantly, he says, was channeling his musical expression through writing and composing music, something he says he’s always enjoyed doing while playing around with musical improvisation.
“I discovered that what I really enjoyed about music was the expression,” he said. “I enjoyed writing music so much that I just had to keep doing it — not with any end goal in mind, but it was just a thing to do when I wasn’t working in journalism.”
Gradually, Schutz says he’s filled up dozens of notebooks with songs; never intending to be a songwriter, but just something he enjoyed doing as a stress relief passion project.
“The world of journalism and day-to-day TV news can be very stressful — there’s no way around it,” he said. “Music is a way to sort of combat all that, to let off all that stress and to really enjoy something else.”
In between his work in the newsroom, Schutz has also picked up small performance gigs. Last year, he finally pieced together his own four-piece band, the Paris Schutz Band.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a great jazz player by any stretch, but I did sort of absorb the spirit of just jamming and improvising,” he said. “Playing in a band, we can really stretch it out and really express ourselves in the moment — that’s what I love.”
The band is one Schutz considers a jam band, one he says embodies a half improv/half songwriter vibe.
“What we want to do live is be in the moment and take songs that are meaningful to us, have substance and take them to new places every time we play — that’s the really fun challenge,” he said.
Leading with vocals and playing four different keyboards (piano, organ, electric piano and synthesizer), Schutz is joined by a drummer, a bass player and a guitarist — Forest Park resident Phil Schurger, who also helped Schutz produce his first solo album, “Fever Breaks,” which dropped this past February.
Available on iTunes and Spotify, Schutz’s album features original songs exploring both personal and universal themes timely to today’s ever-chaotic news cycle.
“There’s a general theme to the songs on ‘Fever Breaks,’ and that’s the general conceit of that album — that the songs will take you through the dark side, and then the fever breaks, and you’re out into the open into the good stuff,” he said. “I was trying to grapple with both the kind of fever as a country and as humanity, and individually what we go through and how to break that fever and get through the other side.”
Schutz points out while journalism and music production seem unrelated, they actually share distinct commonalities.
“I wouldn’t say what I’m writing is anything directly social commentary, but I like to write,” he said. “I’m a journalist, and so I like to write about what’s going on in the world and try to turn it into something that’s a little more artistic.”
Schutz and his band will feature their local debut performance in Forest Park at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1 at Robert’s Westside, 7321 Madison St. He hopes people come to experience his band while also rediscovering how music can bring neighbors together.
“Performing live and interacting, trying to create something spontaneous in the moment, is fun and exciting, especially when we live in a time where we’re isolated on our phones and divided all the time,” Schutz said. “Music is a great healing agent and something that unites people from all different backgrounds because they just happen to connect to a piece of music, and that’s a really great thing. I want to tap into that — I think we all have to put aside our differences, come together, have a great time and listen to music that is meaningful.”
Proudly, Schutz says music remains his anchor in the fast-paced political news cycle, helping him balance a TV news career that is under an unprecedented amount of scrutiny.
“Political reporting has never been more omnipresent than now,” he said. “There have never been more opportunities for stories, but unfortunately at the same time, there’s never been a smaller audience for it and it kind of just keeps shrinking every year. We’re all trying to figure out that magic formula, change the tide and feel like local news and city news is worth peoples’ time every day. I’m really thrilled when people, whatever their political leanings are, will interact with me and tell me they consume the work I’m doing because that tells me, ‘OK, we’re not all in our silos all the time — we can still look at a story and say, ‘OK, those are facts, and I need to know this, however I feel about it.’”
For tickets to see Schutz and his band’s Forest Park performance, visit robertswestside.com.