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The Addisons – “Down Down Down”
On August 9th, The Addisons are scheduled to release their second EP, Here It Comes Again. Recorded and produced by Mike Felumlee of The Smoking Popes, the record finds the band noticeably advancing their interpretation of Midwestern indie/punk. The Addisons’ roster consists of singer/guitarists Dave Lysien, (Not Rebecca, Textbook) and Tom Counihan, (Not Rebecca, Tom Daily). Anchoring the rhythm section is bassist Rick Uncapher, (Textbook, Dan Vapid and the Cheats, Noise By Numbers) and the newest addition, drummer Jesse Carmona, (Gods Reflex, The Braves).
When asked about recording with Felumlee, Counihan said “I’ve been playing and recording with Mike on and off for over 20 years, since I played with him in the Smoking Popes. He played drums on a bunch of my solo recordings, so it was very natural to record with him.” He added, “I just like the tones of the recordings. Mike and I have similar tastes in music, so the mixes, especially the drum sounds, are right where I like them.”
We’re streaming one of the songs from Here It Comes Again below, called “Down Down Down.” When speaking of what inspired its creation, Counihan said “The song came together really quickly. I wrote it in my car at lunch one day. I had my guitar in the back seat and I started and finished in less than an hour. I recorded it onto my phone and sent it to the rest of the band right away. The next practice we started working on turning it into a full band version. I don’t write songs nearly as often as I used to, so it was great to have it be so painless.” Take a listen to the track now and on Thursday, get the record here.
The Brokedowns – “Life Is a Breeze”
Elgin’s favorite sons, The Brokedowns, recorded a live performance last month at Live! from The Rock Room. This is the first video to be released from the session, and features the band performing their song “Life Is a Breeze,” the title track from their most recent album. We recently caught up with the man behind Live! from The Rock Room, Mike Felumlee, to discuss his motivations for this project. We talked about how he got things off the ground, some of the Rock Room’s unique features, where he hopes to see this endeavor in the future and more. Continue Reading…
The Bigger Empty – “My Great Escape”
Photo by Katie Hovland
The Bigger Empty traces its origins back to 2007, when Mike Felumlee, (current/founding Smoking Popes drummer, former Alkaline Trio drummer) began playing solo shows. He called upon some friends to assist him in playing live, and after a few years of playing shows together they’d grown to become more of an actual band than a solo project. As of last year, they started calling themselves The Bigger Empty, with a lineup consisting of Felumlee on vocals/guitar, guitarist Jim Steinkraus, bassist Reuben Baird and drummer Kevin Baschen. When asked as to what inspired the band’s name, Felumlee said “We have a song called ‘The Bigger Empty’ about my dog that runs away quite frequently. It’s about him going out into the world and discovering that it’s really not that great out there and he’d rather be back home. We loved that song title, so we decided to use it as our name. The lyrics and title were written by our friend Brian Birkland. I team up with him a lot when I’m stumped on writing lyrics.”
This Saturday, 7/25, The Bigger Empty is playing Subterranean with Spitalfield and Daniel Wade. The show starts at 6:00 PM, is 17+ and costs $17. They’ll have copies of their debut EP available at the show, though it officially comes out on 8/08 via Artistic Integrity Records. The EP is called vs. The Cloud and was recorded at bassist Baird’s studio, Chicago Sound Lab. Check out a song from the record below, called “My Great Escape.”
[audio:http://www.jadedinchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ESCAPE.mp3|titles= “My Great Escape”]Mike Felumlee – “Meet Me in November”
Photos by Katie Hovland, Layout by Studio Erbo
On April 2nd, Mike Felumlee, (former Smoking Popes and Alkaline Trio drummer) will release his latest solo EP, entitled Adelaide. It contains a total of four songs and was recorded primarily at Backthird Audio in Aurora, IL, as well as at Felumlee’s home. Felumlee played most of the instruments on the recording and handled the vocal responsibilities, but received help from friends Travis Brown, (drums, lead guitar and acoustic guitar) and Brian Birkland, (backing vocals). In the coming weeks, Adelaide will be available on 7” vinyl, (100 translucent blue/100 translucent red) and all copies will be hand numbered. We’re streaming one of the record’s songs below, “Meet Me in November,” and when asked to describe the song, Felumlee said “It’s basically just a love song. The basic message is when times are tough and everything seems like a mess that will never get better, you have someone there for you. It’s about being there for the ones you love when they need you the most.” On Saturday, April 6th, Felumlee will play a release show for the EP at the Penny Road Pub in Barrington, IL. The show starts at 7:00 PM, costs $7 and is 21+. Supporting acts include Lights Over Bridgeport, Sketch Middle and Zion.
[audio:http://www.jadedinchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Meet-Me-In-November-1.mp3|titles=”Meet Me In November”]Follow Us
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