Herculaneum

While studying at DePaul University, Chicago native Dylan Ryan—already established as a drummer, composer, and bandleader—joined a jazz ensemble that evolved into Herculaneum, a key force within the city’s creative music community. The group’s self-titled first album appeared in 2003, showcasing Ryan on both drums and xylophone alongside trombonist Nick Broste, trumpeter Patrick Newberry, bassist Greg Danek, and alto saxophonist David McDonnell, who records as the Diminisher with Icy Demons and who also partnered with Ryan in the experimental duo Michael Columbia, whose own debut album had surfaced the year before.

Herculaneum’s second release, Orange Blossom, arrived in 2006 and retained the original personnel, although McDonnell now doubled on clarinet. By 2008 the band had grown to a seven-piece for Herculaneum III, adding guitarist John Beard and flutist Nate Lepine. The 2010 album Olives & Orchids and the 2012 follow-up UCHU marked a shift in authorship: where Ryan had previously served as the group’s chief composer, these two projects credited McDonnell, Lepine, and Newberry as co-writers.