Editor's Note
Hey there Surfers! Welcome to this week’s issue. Our 32nd weekly imprint! This week we caught Valley Queen and Quarter Mile Thunder at The Hideout, rappers Air Credits and Serengeti at The Bottle, and the Americana stylings of Old Lazarus’ Harp at Innertown Pub. It was another large release week with EPs from Chicago’s Twila Bent and Faux Furrs along with albums from Yowler, Tom Morello, Kurt Vile and many more. We also caught up with Seattle’s Thunderpussy before they hit Cobra Lounge this Friday. Check out our Quick Conversation just after the show reviews! Tune in next week for plenty of action as we traverse Chicago for all the great music we can find. Till then . . .

See you at the show!  

KPL & JCB

Valley Queen / all photos by KPL
 

The Hideout’s backroom venue is the perfect place to take in an evening of western-tinged rock. With it’s wood paneled walls and strings of lights, it feels like a cross between your grandmother’s basement and the backyard parties of your young adulthood. It’s a nostalgic atmosphere that always seems to bring out the best in musicians. Last Wednesday was no exception as L.A. rockers Valley Queen descended on the legendary venue for an inspired set, and locals Quarter Mile Thunder opened up the evening jamming out on their heart rending country influenced tunes.

Ben Clarke looks like the kind of dude you would expect to saunter onstage and launch into a tirad of crazy rock; but his soft spoken demeanor and laid back approach belies the unkempt long hair and beard. His songs roll along in a patient manner, building to the point, letting us join the ride instead of rushing it along. His hair fell around the mic and his phrases came in slow and steady waves, sharing his journeys through this life. Backed by a steel guitar, drums (Devin Ulery) and bass (Gillian Lisee), the quartet never hurried the material from last year’s Bucking the Tiger (find it here.) Jordan Martins on steel guitar was particularly impressive, allowing his solos to breathe along with the nature of the tunes. Clarke was the first artist signed to the new local label Big Star Recording Co., and it is apparent by his live performance what they saw in him. Even though it seemed the band had only had a few rehearsals together, they were jamming in unison by the end of the sey, building to a peak with several long codas that sucked us in to the long desert roads and roadside diners of the—in our opinion—southwest inspired tunes.

Every once in awhile you see a band that has been on the road for weeks and might be nearing the end of their rope. And Natalie Carol, frontwoman of Valley Queen, fully admitted to us that she nearing hers. She came onstage and immediately apologized, saying this was their fifth week on the road, and it had definitely gotten to her this day. But it never seemed like she let it affect her performance while they rolled through most of this year’s excellent debut LP Supergiant. Backed by Neil Wogensen on bass, Shawn Morones on guitar, and Mike DeLuccia on drums, Carol’s vocals were the star here. Brash and beautiful, her tones soar into the stratosphere as the band rages around them. The restrained solos from Morones never seemed out of place like many folk rock guitarists can get; and the short focused jams showed the core of what has made them tick since 2014. From the “Crimson and Clover” influenced “Gems and Rubies” to the rousing climax of “Two of Cups” to the towering vocals of “Chasing the Muse”, it was a stirring performance by a band nearing the end of the long tour trail. If you haven’t heard their album yet, check it out here.

The audience stuck it out with them and lined up to say hello and buy some merch from Carol, who seemed to truly enjoy socializing with the crowd after. That in itself shows the dedication needed to survive on the road.

-KPL

This goes out to my girl Juelz. It was a beautiful Thursday night in Chicago. My boy JG and I said goodbye to the office like we ate some pieces of Big Red. We met up for some pre-show drinks at a bar near Western, next to true fans with mustaches the size of Mike Ditka’s forehead. Couple shots of Malort and some O’Doul’s out of a red cooler. Heard a Buick rolling by, and knew it was time to jet. Pull up the Bears Zubaz, comb our hair to the side and getting moving. Hit Western and felt a little hungry, so we roll into Lockdown to see if they cook chops right. Fresh outta chops, but they keep the juices in the burgers. Had a couple Old Styles and split a pack of Kools.

Favorite actor Dennehy, favorite drink O'Doul's. Bears, Hawks, Sox, Bulls

Popped a couple Juicy Fruit and walked to the Bottle. Got in and had a couple Doul’s. Talked about the weekend. Wife’s out of town, but left turkey subs and curly fries. Crowd at the Bottle looked like they just hit two pop flies. Said we need another shot. How bout a peach pie? Serengeti up on the stage, in his best Seattle grunge attire. Felt like seeing the Bears after Ditka got fired. But he calls out Tommy B and we all think about Sniper 1, 2, and 3. Berenger makes great flicks.

Favorite actor Dennehy, favorite drink O'Doul's. Bears, Hawks, Sox, Bulls

OK, so anyway. Seeing Serengeti was something I thought would be a lark. The guy is known around Chicago for his alter-ego, Kenny Dennis—a middle aged white guy from the South Side. The guy loves brats, chops, Bears, and actor Brian Dennehy. But to dismiss him as a joke is a huge mistake. He’s perhaps the greatest underground MC in the game. He stepped on stage without any fanfare, fired up an ancient iPod (his soon to be fired DJ), and started the onslaught of his genre-bending hop hop. His set rightfully pulled from 7 albums of his that were heavily influenced by Kenny Dennis of whom he is retiring this year. For as quickly as he can get into his character of the overweight phone booth repairman, Serengeti can switch to Chicago blues-heavy rap (and even a little indie pop) with relative ease. On stage, he seems almost possessed: the instrumental-only beats coming from the legacy Apple brick fuels his improvisational style. Rapping and dancing in a free jazz kind of way, Serengeti flowed from his happy go lucky alter-ego (who invites friends on stage) to darker characters which tell stories that feature decidedly un-South Side flows like “If I could get amnesia/ see you with fresh brown eyes/ we could finally split up and stop horsin’ around/ If I could get amnesia/ I wouldn’t have to fake my death.”

I don’t know if he meant to, but Serengeti made a new fan at this show. I always liked a few of the Kenny Dennis tracks, but his deep knowledge and love for early 90s rap—as well as an affinity for darkly clever lyricism—won me over. The biggest takeaway for me is that to listen to Serengeti is to enter another universe with many layers and characters with deeply intertwined histories. And yes, some of them know and love Brian Dennehy.

We weren’t planning on sticking around for Air Credits, but Serengeti impressed us enough to grab a drink and hang out at the nearly empty bar. JG and I have a tendency to spin off into the underworld of pop culture references, be it discussing the release date of our long awaited biography of screen icon Michael Ironside or reminding our wives who “that guy” is from the 80s ski movie they never asked about. This kind of conversation started strong, but trickled off as ShowYouSuck and The Hood Internet silenced the white noise of concert venue murmuring with their aggressive collaboration of hip hop. Like Serengeti, the two halves of this collaboration have a history in Chicago for freewheeling and goofy releases. Mashing up rap and indie rock and rapping about Terminators and pizza is just a day in the office for these two. Together, though, they bring us to a dystopian future in which Trump never left office. The humor is still there, via ShowYouSuck’s lyrics about Playstations and Hall & Oates, but there’s a menacing feel to his performance that reminded me of DMX. Behind him were beats that could have been off some of the best early 00s rap albums. Whether it be recordings, live or whatever, this is an act I need to hear more of. It was late, and the Doul’s were hitting me, so I honestly don’t remember as much as I’d like, but when they’re back in town, I’ll be there.

Support Air Credits with whatever you feel like on their site, and check out Serengeti’s bandcamp

-JCB

Old Lazarus’ Harp / all photos by LPL
 

“Old Lazarus Harp has a lot of tentacles. It’s like a loose confederation of artists.”
- Daniel Gillespie (founding member on violin)

Jess McIntosh of Joybird recently suggested we check out OLH, and I hadn’t yet had the chance. DG is an old friend of mine. We recently remet at a wedding and that is how I learned he was a part of OLH. It was time to check out this folk music collective. I used to see him and friends jam together in their apartments back in 2009 in the very fashion I am about to describe below. And even back then I watched them in awe. They had a way of playing with courtesy and respect, and no outline whatsoever. Everyone got to play what felt right to them in the moment, and their friends supported them with backing notes—or silence—knowing what would best enhance the tune. That was a new experience for me and one that I have been seeking ever since.

Tonight was a bit of a reunion gathering, with many of the original members visiting from out of town. At any given time there were one to eight players seated on bar stools, elbow to elbow. I counted a total of at least 12 stringed players over the course of the evening, however, I did a good deal of dancing on a cloud of happiness and it is very possible I missed a few. Thanks to Dan MacDonald, Evan Collins, Chris Kimmons, Jeff Yonkus and members of DG’s new band Far Too Close to the Road Quin Cunningham, Matt Grant and Terry Moran, and Mareva Lindo who sings and fiddles in a Sea Shanty duo with Spitzer, Dan Kane and a few other members of Coyote Riot (a southside folk rock band). Yeah, this is a sprawling community, and they were all so frigging lovely to meet!

Don’t expect a show—expect an experience. Expect to be transported to Appalachia in the late 1800s. Expect to be a part of a night of very social music at The Innertown Pub. The audience along with the performers just have to “know” that Old Lazarus’ Harp is set to gather. There are no tickets to join this social outing, but there is an open violin case set off to the side for compliments of any kind.

You do not have to be able to play, in fact I don’t know that any more strings could have fit in the stage area. If you do play, you can contact collective OLH organizers Jay Desrosiers, Mareva Lindo, and Shanty Dan. Anyone is welcome to come and join and new players are graciously and seamlessly welcomed. They would have continued spilling into the crowd section to give everyone a space to play.

This is very accessible music. You do not need any prior knowledge to know their talent or appreciate the genre’s heritage. Just show up, and you will learn it. They will keep the time for you with their own foot stomping, and drown out anyone off beat.

Most tunes were played with a bit of banter between, and somehow everyone got the direction for what to play next. DG introduced the next song without giving a title, without any apparent clue as to what song he was about to begin. All he said was “we’re gonna do it kinda quick” and everyone began to play “Raise a Ruckus Tonight”.

An upright bass squeezed its way through the bar entrance. Somewhere over the music the question was raised, “Are we gonna dance?” An answer followed, “Yes, let’s see if we can get our bass player friend on stage.” Some shuffling ensued and they all squeeze in a little tighter. All of these instruments require two hands to play. Even though I watched the players shuffle around, I still do not understand how they moved their stools and managed to continue playing. Sea Shanty Dan came around and offered genuine invitations while the music carried on “Would either of you be able to square dance?” A few partners obliged and Dan called us through a square dance or two.

Mareva graced us with a folk story. If you are of my similar age, you might recognize it by the title, “And the Green Grass Grew All Around”, from the big purple dinosaur Barney. It is a cumulative song about the life of a tree, beginning as a hole in the ground until a bird lays an egg in a nest in its branches. I spoke to her after her number and she did not know of the Barney reference, but was very pleased to hear that it was being taught to children.

The conversation easily flowed off of the stage, between tunes. Many of the players tonight were from out of town and they needed to catch up with old friends. Nothing personal and no life “updates” came up, just shooting the shit, in fact talking about anything but the music.

TVs were on at the bar, but not with any show. Google’s Getty Images was taking us on a still tour of nature as we danced until the bar closed. Penguins were gathered around, I imagine also shooting the shit. Gatherings are central to social beings, telling stories of the day. Stories are carried on, and as the community grows and shifts, sometimes the story shifts too. The stories give us lessons to learn and tales to entertain. What  better way can you spend a Tuesday night hearing old folk stories, dancing in call, and listening to the instruments join in on the fun? There were no mics to be seen, and none were missed. This is true traditional folk at its most honest.

-LPL

Odeon / photo by Matthew Murphy

I am still on such a pleasant body high after seeing Odeon last Thursday night, the opening night of a 3-day run. My sister-in-law and I went together and had a fantastic time, resulting in fantastic conversation the whole way home. Odeon was exactly the performance we needed to take pause from our stressors, and remember to look outside of our immediate influencers, both positive and negative.

As a dance company, Ephrat Asherie seeks to blend the boundaries of dance, recognizing the influences each style has on the other. Each style is powerful on its own, but we find the power only increases when styles are combined. I am writing about this event here because there were live musicians on stage and we review live music in Chicago. Odeon wholly fits the goal of our zine - to encourage people to expand their musical boundaries beyond a few familiar genres - and I would love to share this message with our readers. There is so much good music to be had out there and I love the way Asherie brought that exact concept to the dance floor.

Ephrat Asherie Dance made its Dance Center debut with Odeon, a riveting new work set to the music of late 1800s Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth. Choreographer, dancer and company co-founder Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie steeps a variety of dance styles (breaking, hip-hop, house, and vogue) in Nazareth’s fusion of Afro-Brazilian rhythms and European classical traditions. The result is an aromatic performance that leaves the audience with an air for acknowledging each dance styles, and the accompanying music, as an impressive and inspiring accomplishment.

As one example in Odeon, a solo dancer silently lilts around the stage, perhaps in search of music. She finds herself in the musicians’ corner. A tambourine player rises and gives her a score to follow. She meets the score and in turn gives the tambourine some footwork to mirror. They carry on accompanying and encouraging each other to adopt new combinations, grow their independent powers, and find confidence in their newly expanded abilities.

-LPL

Photo credit: Thunderpussy

CCS: KPL
RD: Ruby Dunphy

Thunderpussy fucking rocks and, in our opinion, their self titled album is one of the best hard rock records of the year. We can't wait to see them at Cobra Lounge on October 20th. We had a couple questions before they rock the CL to the ground. Drummer Ruby Dunphy answered from afar.

CCS: A lot of modern rock bands just stand up there and play. You all are known for your live theatrics. Did these develop over time or did you jump right in with early shows?

Ruby Dunphy: Molly is a performer before anything else. She’s done it all, figure skating, musical theatre, film and dance. She understands how to enhance and propel her stage presence more than anyone that I’ve ever encountered. When you have someone like that leading the performance, it’s hard not to feed off that...actually it’s impossible.

CCS: What are some of the influences that brought about this element in your performances? We can name a litany of theatrical rock bands but which ones would you say you're drawing from or paying tribute to?

RD: Our influences span further than just music, especially when it comes to our live show. We do not try and pay tribute to any theatrical rock bands, I can’t think of one band that I could compare to our live show. Our influences regarding performance come from our other interests such as theatre, dance and film. We treat our stage as our frame, and treat our performance as the visceral, sonic canvas that fits within this frame (hopefully). Each one of us has our own influences individually, but as a unit,I don’t think any of us could unanimously come up with a band that we are most influenced by-especially theatrics wise.

CCS: Many say hard rock is dead but there have been a litany of female led bands in the last several years that are proving that thought wrong. Ex Hex, Partner, Bat Fangs and you all come to mind, just to name a few, along with many other female or female led indie rock bands that have surfaced in the last decade or so. What do you think shifted that led to female bands being embraced by the scene more readily than they were in say the 90's or 00's when bands like Sleater Kinney and L7 had to fight to navigate the male dominated music industry? Or has anything changed?

RD: I can’t say that much has changed. When Haim has to fire their booking agent over gender pay disparity, Kesha is suing her manager for sexual harassment, and I have to get mansplained every other night during a sound check, I’m always thinking, when the fuck is this going to change ? It’s truly exhausting. Still, Kathaleen Hanna and L7 and many of the women from the Riot Grrl movement paved the way for us, I don’t want that to go unnoticed or unappreciated. I think the reason that there are more women in music now has a lot to do with this movement. For me atleast, when I discovered Riot Grrl when I was 16, it made me and my friend realize that we could actually do what we wanted to do. When women see other women on a platform doing what they thought wasn’t plausible or even possible, it’s a domino effect of bad sass empowered women accomplishing their dreams and speaking out. To many, that is a scary ass concept. (Eat my shit Kavanaugh).

CCS: We saw that Sylvia Massey produced your debut album. How was working with the legendary engineer and producer in the studio?

RD: Have you ever done acid? Then spun around 100x in a row? Then threw up rainbows? Then floated into the clouds? It was like that.

CCS: You're probably sick of this question but we have to ask. Any word on the Supreme Court decision? Any comment on the trademark issues?

RD: Nope. It remains in the purgatory of the Supreme Court. Love you RBG!

(If you want more info on this ridiculousness. Check out this article in, of all places, Forbes.)

CCS: Are there any bands out there you think are being overlooked and deserve more recognition?

RD: Downtown Boys. They are the revolution. Get hip. Get hip right now. (Check them out here.)

CCS: Thanks for answering our questions. See you October 20th at Cobra Lounge!

RD: THANKS!!!!

Snag tix to this one of a kind show here.

ALBUM REVIEWS

WHAT WE'RE JAMMING TO THIS WEEK

new releases we missed last week

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDED NEW RELEASES

MORE NOTABLE RELEASES

Basement / Beside Myself / Fueled By Ramen

Anna St. Louis / If Only There Was a River / Woodsist , Mare

Young the Giant / Mirror Master / Elektra

John Hiatt / The Eclipse Sessions / New West

He has a sold out two day run at City Winery on November 10th and 11th. There is a waitlist but we were told it is already very long.

The Watson Twins / Duo / The Watson Twins

St. Vincent / MassEducaton / Loma Vista , Concord

Dave Davies / Decade / Green Amp

NOTES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Can it really be true!? Could Nirvana really have plans to do more than just a one off reunion set? Check out the Alternative Nation article for more info.

• Make sure to take a look at our packed recommended show calendar below. Pick one and go! Support live music in your city!

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See you at the show Chicago!