LAKEVIEW — Back in the early 90s, my mom babysat a couple cute toddlers while their moms taught school across the street.
Tending to the “Rug Rats” — that’s what we called Georgie and Emily — generated a little extra cash that mom would send to me in college to help pay for academic essentials that she later found out included pizza, beer and a couple wild spring break trips to Daytona Beach.
When I’d come home for Christmas break, I tolerated the Rug Rats as they ran underfoot, played with my old toys and cried bloody murder to get their way, among other things.
They were annoying but profitable. So, I didn’t torture them — at least not too much.
By all accounts, the Rug Rats grew up to be mostly responsible, college-educated young adults.
Emily works as a human resources coordinator in Colorado. She’s married to a firefighter and has a nose ring, according to Facebook.
And Georgie Samaan — who probably wishes I’d call him George but I won’t — blossomed into a trombone-playing rock star with a Chicago flag tattoo on his left forearm.
After graduating from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music — the Julliard of the West Coast, they call it — Georgie hooked up the seven-member indie “baroque pop” band, The Family Crest, which NPR Music named its “Favorite New Artist of 2014.”
This year, they played the South By Southwest festival and are currently touring the nation in a top-of-the-line Penske truck.
Mark Konkol's mom kept in touch with 'Georgie' and followed his career:
I caught up with Georgie on Tuesday as the band’s rented truck rolled closer to Chicago, where The Family Crest is set to do a Wednesday night show at Schubas.
We talked about his days as a Rug Rat.
“So many good memories. I loved making cookies with your mom. … And when your dad would have to take me to work in the yellow ServiceMaster van, he’d always stop at Rally’s and get me curly fries,” Georgie said.
"And you guys always joked that Emily and I were boyfriend and girlfriend. … But I remember one time while I was playing with a Tonka Truck I had a great line. … ‘She’s not my girlfriend, I dumped her like a dump truck.’ I think I was about 5 years old.”
Georgie and Emily somehow managed to stay friends.
I made a strange attempt to take credit for Georgie's musical success in hopes he'd feel like he owed me something and fork over free tickets to his show.
“My mom has this picture of us,” I told Georgie. “I’m on the couch snoring and you’re staring into my mouth. So it’s fair to say my loud sleeping noises inspired you to play trombone, right?”
But it didn’t work. The trombone-playing rocker said my sleep apnea was not inspirational — and that tickets are still available.
“Actually, I wanted to play the flute because my friend’s older sister was super cute and she played the flute. But I couldn’t figure out how to make noise out of it,” he said.
“But the trombone I could make some cool noises with … and for a boy, the slide was super cool.”
At the urging of his parents, Georgie stuck with it.
“Like every Chicago kid growing up in the ‘90s I wanted to play basketball and thought I’d be the next Michael Jordan,” he said. “But mom and dad said, 'No way.' ”
Georgie told me that he never expected to play in a rock band, even one that’s heavy on “cinematic orchestral sound.” Even back when he played in the Chicago Youth Symphony, he couldn’t keep up with the guys heavy into jazz and rock.
In 2013, he was ready to move home after graduation when The Family Crest asked him to join the band, record an album and hit the road on tour.
When I asked him about the whole “rock star” experience, Georgie downplayed the fun he’s having.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be a rock star unless you mean driving a Penske truck and being all tired all the time from driving. We’re not a traditional band. We’re a bunch of nerdy classical musicians,” he said.
“And ladies, they don’t care about the trombone player. They’re more into [frontman] Liam [McCormick} or Charlie [Giesige] our drummer.”
Still, Georgie has fans.
“There are people who get stoked about my trombone playing. The ones that talk to me after a show mostly played brass in high school or still play,” he said.
Frankly, he's more than just the trombone player.
“When I'm not playing, I also jump around a lot on stage. I call it dancing but I don’t know if that’s true. But I get compliments,” he said.
“I’ve been keeping tally on the tour. So far, I’ve had nine dancing compliments and four trombone compliments. I’m thinking about changing my Facebook and Twitter to ‘dancer’ for The Family Crest rather than trombonist.”
Georgie, who works at a market in San Francisco owned by a family that gives him time off to tour, says he’s loving “this crazy adventure” in The Family Crest.
"But I miss Chicago every day. The soul of the city both as music and sports lovers is electric," he said.
“Everything I’ve learned about loving your friends, family and art started on the South Side of Chicago."
And the ol' Rug Rat can’t wait to get back and play us a tune.
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