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Blood People
Last month, Blood People played at Bric-a-Brac Records and we caught up with the band after the show. We discussed their latest EP, Great Reactor, in terms of its recording process and the inspiration behind some of the songs. The record demonstrates Blood People’s ability to merge hard rock, ‘90s alternative and punk into their own distinctive sonic blend. It also captures a good amount of the ferocity and heaviness that’s routinely displayed at their live performances. In addition, we talked about some of their recent shows, what they’ve got planned in the coming months and more. Blood People is comprised of singer/guitarist Aly Jados, guitarist Jeff Loehrke, bassist Norm Burns and drummer Mickey Molinari.
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SuJah Ray – “High”
Last month, SuJah Ray released their debut, self-titled EP. The project was conceived of several years ago by Justin Yates, (audio engineer Atlas Studios/Metro). He explained, “I was wrapping up a Fireside show and playing Sugar Ray over the PA at the end of the night. My buddy Dan Wallach and I joked around, changing some words here and there and then it hit me that it could actually be a cool, totally ridiculous idea. About five years later Dan Tinkler, (engineer Atlas Studios) some other very talented homies and I finally brought it to life.” He continued, “We’re all fans of Jahbreaker, (Brian Moss’s Jawbreaker reggae cover band that made all the lyrics weed-related) and thought Sugar Ray songs would be perfect to do a similar reggae/dub thing with.”
Assisting Yates in making this endeavor a reality were several noteworthy Chicago musicians. Ronnie DiCola, (The Arrivals) played drums, Aly Jados, (Blood People) provided harmonies, and Dan Alfonsi, (Still Alive) channeled deejay Super Cat and did some additional vocals. Tinkler played guitar, while Yates sang and played keyboards and synth bass. When asked to describe what recording was like, Tinkler said “We did the majority of tracking at Atlas, but added some bits and pieces at our apartments. It was stretched out over a long time, mostly due to my dumb scheduling, but it was always fun. I think that was a really important part of it; when we worked on it we had to have fun and be silly. Of course we had to get good performances, but we were focused on it being fun. Justin and I always have a blast working together.”
In terms of the possibility of someone from Sugar Ray ever hearing these songs, Yates said “I hope they get a good, guttural laugh out of it! Maybe they’ll be jealous that we told stories via songs that they always wanted to. Mark McGrath seems like a super caring, charismatic, fantastic guy. I’d love it if he reached out or mentioned SuJah Ray somewhere someday. Or maybe they’ll hear it and think that everything we’re doing is too close for comfort and shut us down with court orders and stuff. I would get a huge LOL out of that!” Check out “High” below and take a listen to the other songs here.
The Lawrence Arms’ 3rd Annual War on Xmas
This December, The Lawrence Arms will once again host three consecutive evenings of rousing, booze-filled festivities. This year, the revelry starts on Thursday, 12/14 at Cobra Lounge, with support from The Ridgelands and Fuck You, Idiot. On Friday, 12/15 the party moves to Bottom Lounge and features openers Teenage Bottlerocket and Blood People. The event concludes on Sunday, 12/16 again at Bottom Lounge, this time with Nothington and Sass Dragons joining the fun. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10:00 AM and the Cobra Lounge show can be purchased here, while the Bottom Lounge shows can be obtained here and here.
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