Some words following the Chicago Sonic Coalition...

I would like to extend a giant, slobbery thank you to all that attended the first annual Chicago Sonic Coalition project.  To say that it went well is an understatement.  Windy City Rock did a great recap, even though they sadly missed two of the best bands of the night.

There is a literal ton of media coming on this one, folks.  Video, photos, sound recordings.  How it all went so smoothly is a testament to our scene's cohesive, supportive nature, and it was definitely a highlight of the five years I've spent in Chicago.

Also, "we" just won "Best Music Scene Documentarian" in the Chicago Reader's Best of 2012 awards.  Critic's pick!  Thanks, Miles!  What an amazing few days.  On top of it, we're in NYC at the moment.  We saw, shot, and filmed Future of the Left play two secret shows.  Means Jeans at Cake Shop.  A great time.  Stay tuned folks.

Stream the new RUNNING record...

Running are a band from Chicago.  A typical gig is around 13 minutes of noise that makes you wonder where everyone's balls went.  Unlike a lot of fake "I don't give a fuck" punk attitudes these days, Running are the real deal, and up the ante.  They don't have a website.  You won't find them on social media.  Yet, they're everywhere, at least to those lucky enough to be in Chicago.  This isn't a feigned choice, I'm convinced they just want to blow random people's minds.

Regulars of the dark corners of our DIY scene, we first caught them in the wee hours of the night at a now dead, but not forgotten place called The Mopery.  This is the shit that makes your jaded, wasted heart melt at 2AM, but you don't forget in the morning.  Dirty bass lines. Harsh vocal swapping.  Add in a guitar that may as well be some sort of maniacal bloodthirsty eagle, a drummer that plays like he's only got one more set until he dies, and you have Running.  There are some serious wacky pop-hooks and evil melody buried deep beneath the surface here.  After some ultra harsh tape releases, a split with Loose Dudes, and a release on Permanent Records, they now have a new LP called Asshole Savant out on Captcha.  It's probably the cleanest shit they'll put out, and comes with a flexi b-side that concludes the below track. BUY IT.

Watch : Andrew Bird at the Hideout Block Party 2011...

Andrew Bird - "Nervous Tic Motion" from GONZO CHICAGO on Vimeo.

Summer is here!  Here's some great belated footage from the spectacular Hideout Block Party in 2011.  Andrew Bird closed out the fest after Mavis Staples with a thrilling performance.   Here's a touching speech by Bird, as he leads into a great rendition of "Nervous Tic Motion".  Always one of the highlights of summer, this year's fest is combined with the A/V Club's efforts.  Be there.  We'll try and get some of Mavis Staples' set up soon.  Xo

Premiere : THE FUNS - "Reality"

When it comes to posting tracks, we're more apt to go see the bands live and record the whole damn thing.  If a band we really like sends us some new shit nobodies heard, you bet your ass we're going to premiere a track from it.

The Funs are a two-piece from Chicago. They jump back and forth between drumming and guitar duties, the songs taking different forms with each switch.  It's reverb heavy.  We realize this isn't a new concept, but having seen this band a good 10 times, this is sure as hell refreshing.

We were first tipped off to them by Magic Ian's ranting about how good they were.  This is a track off their upcoming, yet-to-be-titled new record, recorded by Cooper Crain.  We have the whole damn thing, and rest assured, it's all this great, so be on the look out.  You can catch them live at "Nowheresville" on Saturday with Mines, Nude Sunrise, and White Fang!  Be there.

Watch : A live piano performance from "Mr. Forefinger"

Charles Joseph Smith - A.K.A. - Mr. Forefinger - Live Piano from GONZO CHICAGO on Vimeo.


This is a live, impromptu piano performance.  Charles Joseph Smith is a performance artist, classical pianist, and dance artist based in Chicago.  He has many stage names, including the most formidable "Mr. Forefinger". 

Charles makes albums and sells them for $5, mostly at DIY shows, does impromptu dance performances with bands, both as a solo performance in itself, and to "enhance" his favorite bands.  He is everywhere.  Find him and support his work. 

This was a unscheduled performance inspired by "The Land Line" magazine, which was having a benefit for their issue's release that night at $ituationz.  Fun fact, a house member, Sarah Marie Coogan's origami artwork is right on top of that piano.  Enjoy!

50+ Chicago musicians. 12+ New bands. Announcing : The Chicago Sonic Coalition.

 

The idea is simple : Gather over 60 Chicago musicians, and put their name in a hat.   Publicly draw at random to form over 17 new bands.  Give those bands over two months to prepare a 15-20 minute set of new music, then bring those acts in front of a live audience.  Throw them together to write and practice songs, push creativity, and get people out of their comfort zones.  The execution, however, isn't that easy.  How would these people mesh?  Would they get along?  Could they even get together, let alone write together, or even agree on what to do?  Almost everyone involved is in a current, active band.  Some even touring as I write this. 

The idea supposedly started in Cleveland as a multi-week event under the name “Lottery League”.  Milwaukee continued the tradition with a smaller version called “All Messed Up”, then doubled the size for the second year.  The more we thought about a Chicago version, the more excited we became.  So we put the call out. In less than 48 hours we had a 64 person cap that eventually grew to 68.  A reserve list was started. Soon, we had over 75 people involved.  We held a show at our beloved Treasure Town, drew the names, and 17 new bands were formed.

Musicians from almost every genre of Chicago's music scene, from noise, to folk, garage rock, and singer-songwriter's came together to form what we'd like to call the “Chicago Sonic Coalition”. They were connected, left to their own devices.  Then, the inevitable. Scheduling issues, time, work, tours. Sometimes, despite best intentions, life just gets in the way.  There were a few heartbreaking losses of personnel as the weeks began to unravel including members of Mannequin Men, Paper Mice, Wume.   A few ridiculously solid bands got broken up into pieces, while some morphed into something just as strong.  A few crumbled and will not perform. 

 
What remains, well, you'll just have to see live for yourself.

We stand strong as a community of musicians, artists, and creative thinkers. Recently, a heart-breaking and senseless loss of many staple multi-faceted performance spaces that will never be replicated. Chicago has many spaces.  With death, comes re-birth.   Join us Saturday, June 16th at 8PM.   Weddings open at 8pm on the dot, so don't be late.  Currently to be held at a basement spot in the middle of the city.  “ask a mug”, or e-mail soniccoalition@gmail.com for more info.  Donations are highly suggested.

MORTISTORK (Members of ONO, We Repel Each Other, Disrobe)
ALIEN SHIT (Members of Bad Drugs, Lechuguillas, Paper Mice)
CABIN CRUISER (Members of Heavy Times, Slushy, Magic Milk)
GROUP HUG (Members of Big Colour, Rodeo, Distant Cities, Bowl of Dust)
WEDDINGS (Members of New Black, Vamos, Heavy Times, and Magic Milk)
GILDED MESS (KG Price w/ Johnny Young and Zachary Mark of Battleship)
MOTHER JAGUAR (Members of New Diet, Snacks, Humminbird, and Skymaul)
COUNT KINDNESS (Members of T'Bone, Running, Esoteric Tapioca, Call Me Lightning, and House Sounds)
NATURAL CAUSES (Members of Toupee and Bomb Banks)

BLASTED (Members of Absolutely Not / Cinchel / Plastic Boner Band)

Be there. 

*UPDATE* ::: SCHEDULE : 
8:00 : WEDDINGS (Mort stage)
8:45 - BLASTED (Treasure stage)
9:30 - GILDED MESS (Mort stage)
10:00 - NATURAL CAUSES (Treasure stage)
10:30 - MOTHER JAGUAR (Mort stage)
11:00 - A.R.V.O (Treasure stage)
11:30- CABIN CRUISER (Mort stage)
12:00 - MORTISTORK (Mort stage)
12: 45 - ALIEN SHIT (Mort stage)
1:30 - COUNT KINDNESS (Mort stage)

Watch : A GET BENT! Birthday : Strychnine, The Hecks, Nones

Our friends at GET BENT! had a birthday party with some of our favorite Chicago bands.  Only fitting we should go check it out.  Strychnine opened it up right with some garage-punk reminiscent of the Sonics.  If all is right with the world, you'll probably start seeing The Hecks around a lot more.  Some seriously good Brainiac style guitar work, driving drums, and just plain refreshing songwork from a new Chicago two-piece.  They just opened for Black Dice, garnering praise from more than a few people I know that had never seen 'em.  Nones are on Hozac, and bring a sort of Jesus Lizard esque vibe to the closing of it all.  Enjoy.

Watch : Mayor Daley - "15 Silver Arrows"

Something happened when Emily Elhaj joined Mayor Daley over a year ago, alongside Kelly Marie Carr and Paul Erschen. They seem more focused and a little more mellow, but in a way that forces your attention and breathes its own air in the room. They let the fuzz and rhythm ooze out slowly, but eventually, undeniably, you're encompassed. These are slow, building, sonic war-cries. I've heard the term "best band in Chicago" multiple times over the last year.

While that's certainly debatable, Mayor Daley's live show is definitely something that sticks around in your head for a while afterwards. You grab a stiff drink and light up. Close your eyes. It's hard to capture on video, the songs averaging around the 10 minute mark, but I've tried about ten different times. My most successful attempt is below, with a mostly still camera mimicking the turns of a human's body. The new LP, Sand Bath, will be out July 4 on Rotted Tooth Records. Watch, and take a listen to the just-recorded versions of "15 Silver Arrows", and a killer 12 minute "Plastic Light" below.

Stream the new songs.  Also, they're going on tour soon.  Venues to be added :

6/9 (Sat) Dustbowl w/ forced into femininity, etc.
6/16 (Sat) Mortville CAKE (comics group) benefit w/Ono, Toupee, Witch Hat.
6/28 (Mon)Empty Bottle.
7/6 Iowa City, IA (Friday)
7/7 Minneapolis, MN (Saturday)
*7/8 ACRE Benefit –Burlington (Sunday)
7/13 Kansas City, KS (Friday)
7/14 Columbia, MO (Saturday)
7/15 St. Louis, MO (Sunday)
7/16 OFF (Monday)
7/17 New Orleans, LA (Tuesday)
7/18 Atlanta, GA (Wednesday)
7/19 Asheville, NC (Thursday)
7/20 Baltimore, MD (Friday)
7/21 New York, NY #1 (Saturday)
7/22 New York, NY #2 (Sunday)
7/23 Providence, RI (Monday)
7/24 Boston, MA (Tuesday)
7/25 Rochester/Albany, NY (Wednesday)
7/26 Cleveland, OH (Thursday)
7/27 HOME (Friday)

Listen : BOX - Live at Situations last night...

12 minutes of loud, guttural rock n' roll.  Chicago's BOX.  A two piece with members of Forced into Femininity.  Not quite metal, not quite hardcore, it's a slap in the face when presented as an opener.  Especially on a Wednesday night in a small basement.  This is sadly only half of their set.  Blame whiskey and technical difficulties.  The bill also included Bomb Banks, Russian Tsarlag, and PPPMMM.  Enjoy.

Watch : A new, untitled T'BONE song....

T'bone are one of our favorite bands in Chicago.   Jokey lyrics, but not to a detriment.  Absolutely bonkers drumming by Ed Bornstein.  Solid pop songs.  Definitely a band to catch live, though the record is spectacular.  This is a new song that's so fresh it doesn't even have a name.  Filmed in "Nowheresville", 2012.