CHICAGO — Lifelong Chicago Cubs enthusiast John Hauldren received an unexpected text during the team’s latest home series. It was a message from an old high school friend, their very first communication, bringing surprising news.
During a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had chosen “Front to Back,” a track by Hauldren’s electronic music group, Levity, as his walkup music.
“I couldn’t believe it at first,” Hauldren reflected with excitement. “I had to check it out myself to be sure.”
It turned out to be accurate. Hauldren verified this special moment thanks to a loosely connected network involving the up-and-coming player.
It all linked back to Crow-Armstrong’s girlfriend, whose cousin was friends with another member of Levity, PJ Carberry’s girlfriend.
“My girlfriend, her cousin, and her sister visited them in Arizona,” Crow-Armstrong explained. “I had been planning to choose one of their songs for my walkup, so I went ahead with it.”
Despite being a 23-year-old from Southern California and not typically inclined towards dubstep, a genre Levity commonly produces, Crow-Armstrong appreciates the group’s work. He also walks to the plate to Larry June’s “Still Boomin.” Music, to him, is an integral part of his daily life, and he takes pleasure in selecting a walkup song.
“Music is phenomenal. I mean, universally, it’s the best thing ever,” he expressed.
Hauldren, aged 26, shares a similar passion for Crow-Armstrong’s team. Despite growing up in a White Sox-supporting family in suburban Chicago, he remained an avid Cubs fan.
“All my friends were Cubs fans, so it just kind of stayed with me,” he said. “My dad would swallow his pride, or whatever you’d call it, and take me to Cubs games occasionally.”
Levity’s beginnings trace back to Hauldren and Carberry meeting at the University of Iowa in 2017. Through mutual friends, they collaborated musically with Josh Tarum.
Both Hauldren and Carberry reside in Chicago, with Hauldren creating much of “Front to Back” in their Bucktown apartment, a stone’s throw from Wrigley Field.
“My apartment view shows the Chicago skyline,” Hauldren shared. “Having that song played at Wrigley Field, with its origins so close to there, was unbelievable for me.”
Following Crow-Armstrong’s adoption of the song as his walkup music, Hauldren took to Instagram to express his gratitude. He tagged Crow-Armstrong, and the two began communicating with hopes of meeting in person soon.
Levity enjoyed performing this year at Coachella and will appear at Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park this summer. Nevertheless, Hauldren ranks his connection with Crow-Armstrong among the most significant moments in his musical journey.
“I’m just thrilled that if anyone were to choose our music as a walkout song, it was for the Cubs,” he said joyfully. “I couldn’t be happier that it was my team.”