The Space Cafe🇺🇸

Songwriter Doesn’t Allow Parkinson’s to Slow Him Down Jim Latsis has played the guitar and sang in various bands for the majority of his life. Most notably was the band Leave, who could be seen frequently performing on the Chicago club scene throughout their 8 year run, as well as U.S clubs as far away as Los Angeles, and abroad, including the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. See letsallleave.com It was a bit over 10 years ago when Jim discovered he was beginning to struggle with symptoms of impaired movement, which prompted him to meet with a neurologist. It was during this appointment that Jim learned he had Parkinson’s Disease. Over the next few years, Jim’s symptoms progressed to the point where he was not able to walk well, putting him at risk for falls. He then attended a rehab program at the renown Shirley Ryan Labs, who offers a comprehensive and intensive therapy program for Parkinson’s and and other movement disorders. https://www.sralab.org/articles/patient-story/speech-therapy-parkinsons-conversation-group-helps-jim-rediscover-music Over the years, Jim also developed arthritis, which compounded by his early PD symptoms, made it difficult for Jim to continue playing the guitar. His musical performance skills were rapidly eroding. It wasn’t until he attended speech therapy sessions at Shirley Ryan Labs that Jim rediscovered his singing voice, which had been impaired by raw, hoarse speech, and hindered by shallow breathing and early signs of tremored speech. He also discovered that despite his various physical impairments, he was able to utilize a keyboard to enable him to write and record music again. These discoveries led to the completion of a 10 song LP called “Sunny Side Up”, an eclectic mix of songs written under the project name “The Space Café. The LP reflects the energy and enthusiasm of Jim’s having been granted the perception of a second chance in the process of pursuing his creative impulses. “I hope people will enjoy the songs as much as I enjoyed putting them together”, Jim said. “I hope to continue to write as long as I am physically and mentally able.”