Category: News & Events

Knowhere’s Halloween Spookshow – A Chat with My Bad & Ex Okays

Words and Photos By Alicia Maciel 

Halloween – a time where music around the city consists of covers only shows, ranging from classic bands like AC/DC and David Bowie to more modern acts such as Radiohead, The Strokes, and even Paramore.

While most publications are showcasing the fantastic gigs happening at venues like Quenchers, Lincoln Hall, Hideout, and more – I decided to shine the spotlight on Knowhere, a DIY space hosting its 2nd Annual Halloween Spookshow. $7 for 7 acts, it’s an underground show full of locals you don’t wanna miss!

Knowhere Spookshow

I chatted with My Bad (playing as Pixies) and Ex Okays (playing as The Doors) prior to this shindig, which will start at 7:30PM (no punk time!). Find out why they picked those iconic rock bands, a little bit about their originals, and what to look forward to at the show!

What led to choosing Pixies and The Doors, respectively?

My Bad: We chose Pixies cuz we all really like ‘em (except Dez) and thought we could jam on the songs really well.

Ex Okays: There was a lot of back and forth about which band because we all mostly wanted our respective favorite bands (The Smiths, Weezer, Pixies, et cetera). We figured it made sense to choose one that none of us are radically raving about, but is still very groovin’ and has equally cool parts for all the instruments in the group – especially now that we’ve got keyboard and all.

Ex Okays, credit Alicia Maciel
Credit: Alicia Maciel 

Do you like the tradition of covers only around Halloween? Why or why not?

MB: We do like the tradition of covers (except Dez), but we’ve never done any up until now – mainly because we’ve spent so much time on our original stuff.

EO: Yes, it gives bands a chance to play something different and have a little extra fun during the spirit of the holiday. It also opens up the show to more people.

 

What do you think was the most difficult instrumentation while learning the tracks for Pixies and The Doors, respectively?

MB: Vocals have definitely been pretty f*ckin’ hard for us because Black Francis’s vocal arrangements are very stylized and he puts things in weird places that took us a little while to figure out.

EO: Learning Doors tunes challenged all of us but especially the organ and vocal parts had to be the most difficult since Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison were such skilled musician.

My Bad, Credit unknown.jpg
Photo Courtesy of My Bad

Are you willing to name a track you’re covering? If so, what is it?

MB: We are willing to name a track we’re covering and it is “Monkey Gone to Heaven”.

EO: One of our favorites to play is “Roadhouse Blues”. All of us get really into the tune and put on our stank faces throughout the whole song.

 

How would you describe your original music?

MB: Our original music is a big mix of all of our individual music ideas/tastes/expectations. Our goal has always been to write songs people can jam to and it ends up creating a kind of alternative, classic rock, psych vibe. We’ve always been somewhat reluctant to declare a genre for My Bad as none of us really know – it’s kind of all over the place. We have songs that are short and fast called f*ck you, psych jams about knights, to a full EP of love songs.

EO: Maybe kinda like a fuzzy chorus-drenched melodic shitstorm but also the calm before it. We have a wide range of influences of older bands like The Beach Boys, The Smiths, Pixies and The Cure along with some more modern influences especially from Chicago (Twin Peaks, Smith Westerns, The Walters, Post Animal).

 

What are y’all working on right now?

MB: Right now, we just put out our Spooky Lovin’ EP so we’ll be getting back in the studio to continue working and recording. Hopefully by early next year get out the My Bad self-titled ep, which we’re really looking forward to.

EO: We’re currently recording some new tunes that we’ve been writing and plan to release an album soon. We’ve got a few singles on deck and have some shows in and out of the city coming up in the next month.

As the rest of the show includes covers of Townes Van Zandt, Marshmello, Dion & The Belmonts, Bikini Kill, and Nirvana – keep in mind that discovering and becoming fans of the bands is the priority at this all-inclusive safe space!

Mark the show in your calendar by RSVP’ing here. See ya there!

Alicia Maciel is a junior at DePaul University studying marketing, music business, public relations, and advertising. Immersing in photography, promotion, interviews, interning at Metro and Notion Presents, managing The Chicago Vibe, curating live music, and plenty more – she hopes to bring innovation to the music scene. “A Chicagoan gal making music personnel personal.”

 

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Trifecta Julien Baker, Half Waif, and Petal Take on Thalia Hall

This past Sunday night, a stacked lineup of incredible artists shared the stage at Thalia Hall. Petal opened the night, returning only a few weeks after her tour with Slow Dancer. Half Waif, the project of Nandi Rose Plunkett (who sometimes plays in Pinegrove) followed, and Julien Baker closed out the night.

Baker performed crowd favorites like “Everybody Does” and “Funeral Pyre,” but she also gave the crowd a teaser of her upcoming sophomore album, out this Friday on Matador Records. The spruced up set also included some of Baker’s latest singles, “Appointments” and “Turn Out The Lights,” which is also the sophomore album’s title track.  Baker even invited Petal and Half Waif to join her for a collaborative performance towards the end of her set. Relive the evening with our photo gallery below.

Julien Baker finishes up tour this weekend–see the rest of the dates here. You can also pre-order Julien Baker’s Turn Out The Lights from our webstore by clicking here, or pop into the store on Friday to get it in person!

 

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Beach Fossils Bring Their Music, a Proposal, Skateboard Tricks, and Stage Crashing to Bottom Lounge

This past Tuesday night, NYC’s Beach Fossils put on a show at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge that was just as entertaining between songs as it was during the songs. Although the tour was in support of Beach Fossils’ latest album, Somersault, their eventful set kicked off just before 10PM with a few older tunes, “Generational Synthetic” and “Shallow.” Before playing their third song of the evening, lead singer Dustin Payseur noticed that someone in the crowd had been making airhorn sound effects and called forward the audience member to demonstrate his skills over Payseur’s microphone.

From the second Beach Fossils had taken the stage, a sense of unity and excitement fell over the crowd and remained there throughout the whole set, but a huge highlight of the evening happened early on when a couple got engaged onstage. Beach Fossils staged the proposal by telling the crowd that they had a nightly raffle contest and that the winner tonight got to come onstage with his guest, and then called the name of the fan who would be proposing. Once the couple joined the band onstage, the question was popped and of course she said yes. Beach Fossils invited the newly engaged couple to dance onstage for the next song and Payseur addressed the crowd, saying, “There’s too much hate in this world. We need to come together.” The crowd did just that by cheering and applauding the special moment they had just witnessed.

The good vibes and positive energy just soared upwards from then, with the audience beginning to crowd surf at the intimate venue during “Sugar,” from the latest album Somersault. That crowd surfing momentum carried over into the following song, “Be Nothing,” also from the latest album. The track starts slow and finishes with an epic build up that had the crowd losing their minds. The explosive energy lulled slightly for laid-back “Sleep Apnea,” but the crowd still showed their support by turning on their phone lights and holding up lighters as they swayed together. An audience member chucked their bra onstage at the end of the track, and Payseur decided to put it on himself, over his t-shirt, saying, “I also look great in a dress and fuck you if you think I shouldn’t wear one.”

As the first part of the set began to wind down, the band left the stage briefly before returning for an eventful three song encore. During the encore, Beach Fossils invited an audience member onstage with his skateboard, where he actually did a kickflip on the small stage. Beach Fossils then invited people to come dance on stage for their second to last song, “Daydream,” which further promoted the sense of unity they had instilled.  The night ended with Payseur singing “Jesus Christ Saved My Life” in a British accent, and the crowd erupted with applause and cheers at the end of the encore.

Beach Fossils has frequently spoken up on social media about accepting everyone and calling out abusers, and their show that promoted spreading love and coming together continues to spread that same message in real life. Their tour continues for the rest of this week, and you can check out all the dates here.

 

While you wait for the next tour from Beach Fossils, check out their latest album on our webstore here.

 

This article was originally posted on ANCHR Magazine. 

 

 

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Engine Summer – Revved Up

Words and Photos By Alicia Maciel 

At first listen, up and coming Elmhurst trio Engine Summer resonates rock music like that of Parquet Courts, Omni, and their biggest inspiration – Wire.

With a name that appears to have come from a mad lib, it turns out that the band got their name from a novel titled Engine Summer. As Jeremy Marsan, guitarist and vocalist, read the book in college and was fascinated by the plot line of society 3,000 years into the future – it’s no wonder he chose a band name that emphasizes the importance of time and motion.

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Engine Summer’s most recent lineup consists of Jeremy (mentioned above) with Ben Kostecki on bass and Ryan Ohm on drums. Being friends since high school with the possibility of being MySpace enemies at one point or another, they’ve all grown closer over the past few years. While Jeremy makes fun at Ben for his hands being “too small” to play bass way back when to simply goofing off with one another, the guys are more than ecstatic to be in a band together.

The group formed collectively after having had jammed for a while and narrowed down members to be the trio they are today. Starting to have played plenty of shows in 2014 and having had played 30-40 shows to date, they finally decided it’s time to make a record together as Engine Summer – titled Trophy Kids and self-engineered by Jeremy.

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While garnering influence from bands like Creedence Clearwater, Sonic Youth, Meat Puppets, Spoon, and any other krautrock bands – Jeremy, Ben, and Ryan bring some of those stylistic elements when composing songs. Recording the bass and drums together for their upcoming album release ensured that the rhythm carrying each track would bring adrenaline to any listener.

Attending concerts regularly and being active in the local scene is important for the suburban group. With their favorite local bands including Luke Henry, Twin Peaks, and Knox Fortune – it’s obvious that their taste delves into more than just rock music.

When asked what their ideal lineup would be, throwing names like Wire,Van Halen, Iggy Pop, and Ben’s dad performing slam poetry were no hesitation to the guys. While some merch they have coming out will include Elmhurst’s tree, you’ll see Engine Summer in the city more than you’d expect.

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With a top-secret release show followed by a benefit show at Tonic Room the same weekend, Engine Summer is bringing a limited run to their show Sunday, October 29. You can buy tickets here and who knows – maybe a record or two will end up at Shuga.

If Ben’s dad loves Engine Summer more than any of the other groups he’s been in, I’m pretty sure you’ll love ‘em too.

Alicia Maciel is a junior at DePaul University studying marketing, music business, public relations, and advertising. Immersing in photography, promotion, interviews, interning at Metro and Notion Presents, managing The Chicago Vibe, curating live music, and plenty more – she hopes to bring innovation to the music scene. “A Chicagoan gal making music personnel personal.”

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Live Review: Glass Animals at Aragon Ballroom

Glass Animals brought dance moves, pineapples, and an energetic performance to Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom last week

New York’s singer songwriter Amber Mark warmed up the sold out crowd with her lively pop and R&B fused tunes. Performing a 30 minute set composed mainly of songs off her debut EP, called 3:33AM, Mark showed off her powerful vocals while exuding a carefree and fun attitude.

Glass Animals took the fully decked out stage next, stocked with a pineapple disco ball, palm trees, and a prop TV. Hitting the stage in a blaze of energy, the British indie rockers commanded the crowd’s attention and had them all echoing back the words of songs from their sophomore album How To Be A Human Being. The exuberant and dynamic set included the entirety of the band’s second album, as well as a few of their most popular tracks, like “Black Mambo”  and “Gooey,” from their debut album ZABA. During the latter, Glass Animals’ frontman Dave Bayley jumped off the stage to bring his signature dance moves directly to the crowd. Between each song, the devoted audience erupted in nearly deafening applause and cheers, and Bayley never stopped expressing the band’s gratitude.  The memorable performance wrapped up just before 10PM, the crowd filing out of the ballroom with infectious smiles on their faces.

If you missed out on the show, check out our gallery of Amber Mark and Glass Animals below!

Check out the rest of Glass Animals’ tour dates here, and grab your copy of How To Be A Human Being on vinyl on the webstore, or in the shop!

 

This article was originally posted on ANCHR Magazine. 

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