In late March, Nos Da released their self-titled debut album via Recess Records. The band’s lineup is comprised of singer/guitarist Isaac Thotz, (The Arrivals/Treasure Fleet) bassist/singer Jamie Morrison, (Pale Angels) and drummer Mike “Jimmy” Felix, (Toys That Kill). Since making the record, they’ve added Victoria Yarnish on Moog and Jacob Gaxiola on guitar. We recently caught up with Thotz and talked about how the band got together and how the album was made. We also discussed what some of the songs are about, their tentative plans for the future and more.
Continue Reading…We’re excited to announce that The Arrivals will be playing two shows this December, one in Minneapolis and another in Chicago. Since 2013, they’ve only performed twice, (in San Diego at Awesome Fest in 2016 and last winter at Ian’s Party). In 2010, they released their latest full-length and fourth overall, Volatile Molotov. The album is unmistakably the band’s most complete effort, combining various genres and really evolving punk in a way that few bands have. And it sounds just as relevant and urgent today as it did when it was released. Expect their sets to feature many songs from this record, along with some old favorites and perhaps some surprises from Exsenator Orange or Marvels of Industry. The first show is scheduled for Friday, December 27th in Minneapolis at Mortimer’s. The second will take place on Saturday, December 28th at Reggies in Chicago. That show starts at 7:00 PM, is 17+ and tickets go on sale this Friday.
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Last May, The Brokedowns released their latest full-length and third for Red Scare, called Sick of Space. We recently caught up with singer/guitarist Kris Megyery and talked about how the album was recorded and what some of its songs are about. The record finds the band, (also consisting of singer/bassist Jon Balun, guitarist Eric Grossmann and drummer Mustafa Daka) further evolving their approach to heavy Midwestern punk, complete with lyrics that balance social commentary and humor. The end result is easily The Brokedowns’ most focused and accessible album to date. Additionally, we discussed some of the band’s recent shows, their plans for this year and more. Continue Reading…
We’re happy to unveil the single day lineups for this year’s Ian’s Party, which kicks off on Friday, January 4th. Opening night will feature Salvation, Montrose Man, Fitness, Absolutely Not, ONO, Ganser, and others at Subterranean. Bands will be playing both upstairs and downstairs stages. On the same evening, Chop Shop will host Toys That Kill, Drilling For Blasting, The Brokedowns, Bust!, The Slow Death, Butcher’s Union and more. Chop Shop will divide its stage in half for the event, with bands playing on either side to limit downtime between sets. There’s also a late show on Friday at Chop Shop with Canadian Rifle and others. Continue Reading…
On Friday, January 4th – Sunday, January 6th, the 12th annual Ian’s Party will take place at Chop Shop and Subterranean. Nearly 40 bands have been confirmed for the event so far, including The Brokedowns, Canadian Rifle, Drilling For Blasting, Elephant Gun, The House That Gloria Vanderbilt, Meat Wave, Sincere Engineer, Toys That Kill and many others. Also, we’re proud to announce that The Arrivals will be playing Ian’s Party 2019, marking their first hometown show in over five years. Beginning today, weekend passes are available at the presale price of $40 and can be purchased here. As of November 1st, weekend passes will be $60. Check back for further details as more announcements will be made soon.
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.
This Friday, February 13th, Little Dave Merriman, (Arrivals, Treasure Fleet, Textbook Committee) will play a release show for his solo album at the Rock Island Public House. The record is called Odd Bird and is coming out on Hewhocorrupts Inc. Featuring a variety of influences, including pop, folk and gospel, the album is a distinct departure from the styles of Merriman’s other projects. At Friday’s show, 50 copies of Odd Bird will be available on limited-edition purple cassettes with digital download cards. The standard yellow cassettes will also be for sale. A portion of the proceeds from the record’s sales will benefit the Dwight D. Eisenhower music program, which is where Merriman was taught by choir director Lynette “Miss K.” Mulder. Odd Bird is dedicated to her, as well as to Merriman’s grandmother, who passed away during the making of the album. Merriman will perform on Friday with his newest group, The Pantomimed Suicides, and plans to play the record in its entirety. Opening the show is an acoustic band called Al Scorch, and Ditches, which features members of Canadian Rifle and Sweet Cobra. Take a listen to a song from Odd Bird below, called “Line It in Chalk.”
[audio:http://www.jadedinchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/04-Line-It-In-Chalk.mp3|titles= “Line It In Chalk”]
Treasure Fleet just released its third full-length LP, entitled The Sun Machine, via Recess Records. We talked with bassist/singer Neil Hennessy about how the album was written, its recording process and more. The record also serves as the soundtrack to a sci-fi film of the same name, which the band created as well. We discussed with Hennessy about the inspiration for these projects and how they managed to combine the two to form a unified vision. Without question, The Sun Machine is Treasure Fleet’s most ambitious and accomplished project to date. Its influences range from power pop and progressive rock to old Twilight Zone episodes and beyond, resulting in a truly unique endeavor. Check out a song from The Sun Machine after the interview, called “The View from Mt. Olympus.” Continue Reading…
For over ten years, The Arrivals have been a mainstay of Chicago’s punk rock community. With each album they evolve and the latest full-length, Volatile Molotov, represents some of their most ambitious work yet. We discussed the new record with singer/guitarists Isaac Thotz and Dave Merriman, along with a variety of additional topics. Continue Reading…