This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

You are at the Cubby Bear, a historic establishment for music, drink and fun located one block from Wrigley Field. It’s Salsa Sunday, and the man looks familiar playing the congas with the band on stage. 

He should look familiar to the South Side of Chicago, as that guest musician was White Sox bench coach Charlie Montoyo. This actual event took place on May 28, after the White Sox returned from Detroit.

Make that, recording artist and White Sox bench coach Charlie Montoyo.

In collaboration with Burton Rocks, Montoyo’s long-time friend and agent, they put out an LP with two songs: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "El Ritmo de Béisbol." The band is called Montoyo Rocks and also features T.D. William and Marlene, who is Rocks’ mother.

Montoyo filmed his part on his phone while playing at home in Tucson, Ariz., and sent the sounds to Rocks. The musical magic was put together at Wellspring Sound Studio in Acton, Mass. 

“Three months later, he sent me that,” a smiling Montoyo told me during a recent interview before batting practice. “It was pretty cool. 

“Burton Rocks’ passion is music, too. He sent me a text saying, ‘Could you record something with the congas and stuff so we can make a song or something,’ and I said, ‘Sure, yeah. I don’t mind.’ I love playing.” 

A conga rhythm is set by Montoyo for the new interpretation of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Rocks is on bongos, cowbell and duet vocals, TD William is on guitar, bass, drums and lead vocals, and Marlene is on the vocal chorus at the end.

For "El Ritmo de Béisbol," a totally unique instrumental by their group, Montoyo is again on congas, Rocks on cowbell, William on cajon ad percussion and Marlene on shaker. The songs are available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and YouTube.

“What happened was I said to Charlie, 'It’s never been done before,'” Rocks said. “Why don’t we come up with a conga version of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame.' Keep the American lyrics but do it based on a conga rhythm. He thought that could be really cool, so that’s what we did.

“'El Ritmo de Béisbol,' [is] totally instrumental and our own creation. It’s a longer version of what you would want as a walk-up song. I call music the universal language. It can create so much love across the world, you have no idea.”

Rocks’ vision for this band is to have a ballpark tour where songs are performed live or performed at various charity events. He would like to inspire and raise awareness for kids battling adversity such as health issues, which he dealt with as a child. Music was his safe haven.

Baseball is Montoyo’s job and focus, but music is his beloved hobby. Now he has something entertaining and tangible to show for that love.

“Wherever I go, I try to find a place where people play music and stuff and even my wife helps me with that,” Montoyo said. “I wouldn’t mind if we can do something with it, yeah. It’s different. When they sent me that, I was surprised.”