Editor's Note
Hey there Surfers! Hope you all had a great Turkey Day! We scooted off to Toronto for the week but are back and ready to finish out the year in this snowy Chicago wonderland. On Monday, we caught the Dumpster Tapes 5th Anniversary Party at The Empty Bottle with four local heavyweights, and JCB ventured to Lincoln Hall to catch Deal Casino at a packed show. We’ve got all the notable new releases and singles from the past couple weeks including new records from Wume, The Funs, Axis:Sova, Jacco Gardner and more. Along with new singles from local rappers Saba and Vic Mensa, plus singles from Girlpool and a taste of the collab between Karen O. and Danger Mouse that clocks in at nine minutes! See you next week Surfers, and enjoy the blizzards before the frigid air settles in soon!

Keep Seeing Live Music!

KPL & JCB

Rob McWilliams (bass) and Michael Santana of Cafe Racer / all photos by KPL
 

Local labels can make or break a scene, and Dumpster Tapes has been fostering elements of Chicago’s DIY scene for five years now. They’ve put out cassettes (and digitals of course, this is 2018) for tons of local talent including Laverne, Cut Worms, Mia Joy, Glyders, Peach Fuzz, Flesh Panthers and so many more. Check out their collection of tapes and downloads! And in celebration of half of decade of their DIY spirit, they put on a Free Monday showcase at The Empty Bottle! Four of Chicago’s up and coming acts were on hand to entertain a young, energetic crowd that revolved as the night progressed, each getting their fans up front and center.

Faux Furrs were about to begin when we arrived. We quickly saddled up to the bar for an Old Style before grabbing a spot in back just as they launched into their dreamy surfer-drenched psych rock. As with most bands of this nature, the drums and bass hold down the sound, and Ryan Shuck and Lena Rush were up to the challenge. Rush’s note slides were perfectly timed with Shucks backbeats, laying the foundation for the guitars to shower the tunes with melody and the synth to dump a layer of fuzzy chords across it all. The whole thing fits together in dramatic fashion. Ryan Deffet’s vocals blended right in, becoming just another instrument on stage, and their extended jams of blissed out psych were a highlight of the evening.  Their new EP Canopy is worth a listen!

Easy Habits’s bluesy rock was the perfect prescription for clearing the air of the psychedelic haze left behind by Faux Furrs. The power-trio wished Dumpster Tapes a happy birthday by starting the set off with a version of The Beatles “Birthday”. A theme that they continued through the rest of the set, punctuating nearly every tune with the famous lick. In an evening filled with plenty of fuzz, it was a relief to have a bit of straight ahead garage rock. For the last couple of tunes, they welcomed Ryan Zombotron of Flesh Panthers up on stage to blow the harp, which fit perfectly with the trio’s blues-based rock riffs. If you’re into power garage rock, you need to give Greetings From… a listen.

Kathy Patino began Girl K a couple years back as a solo project, but it has since morphed into a full band for which she uses to impart her lyricism and perspective on the world. A powerhouse of personality in a small package, Patino’s confessional indie rock avoids some of the over-sentimentality that can plague the genre. She exudes confidence and a sense of purpose from stage, like sharing these tunes is a mission that must be accomplished; and as they launched into the end jam of new single “Dog Year Lungs”, it became clear why they are on their way up in the scene. Recently opening for acts like Madeline Kenney and Thin Lips, it’s no secret that 2019 is going to be a big year for Girl K. Just ask the dancers who filled half the floor on Monday.

Speaking of way up, Cafe Racer lifted us all on its shoulders and ran up the musical mountain. This psych-rock wall of sound created by the triple-guitar threat of Andrew Harper, Michael Santana and Adam Schubert (who blend, mold and distort through and around each other) is overwhelming at its peaks and mind-numbingly beautiful when they all meld into one. Elise Poirier wrecked her kit with every downbeat, sticks flying up and down with forceful intent, and Rob McWilliams stood politely in the corner, keeping the low end grounded with his bass, the only predictable thing within Cafe Racer’s sound. It served as something to hang onto while the guitars swirled and built around you before crashing into walls of feedback and effects. Rumor has it they’ll have new tunes coming in the Spring; till then check out last winter’s Famous Dust. But to get the full effect, you’ve got to see ‘em live. Check them out at Cole’s next Saturday, December 8th!

Thanks to Dumpster Tapes for the killer showcase, and here’s to many more years of releasing quality local talent!

-KPL

Deal Casino / all photos by JCB

Asbury Park natives Deal Casino are riding high in 2018. They’ve played about a gazillion shows, including their first trip through the lovely Midwest, and released their second proper LP, LLC. This album comes just a year after their self-titled debut, with a variety of EPs to keep the buzz strong. We had a chat with the quartet before they stormed Lincoln Hall last Tuesday, which you can catch up here.

Before I get anywhere, there was some confusion at Lincoln Hall. First, the show was listed as starting at 7pm. While not as tardy as Empty Bottle, Lincoln Hall is usually pretty good about keeping the waits minimal. I’ve never, however, seen a show start early at this venue. But when I showed up at 5 to, I’d missed about 10 minutes of their set. Even the door guy was a bit nonplussed. Second, there was confusion around my photo pass – both between staff and myself. While I was allowed to continue shooting Deal Casino, I became under the impression that I was to leave after their set. Jury’s still out on if I was just supposed to stop shooting, but regardless, I won’t cover Badflower or The Wrecks here.

Sorry, folks.

I must have been the only one, aside from the door guy, that didn’t get the memo about the early start time. The Hall was packed with fans, and I’d normally say it was for the closing bands but it felt like I was listening to music in surround sound. Everyone was singing along with frontman Joe P and shimmying to Jon’s bass. The sound itself is always first and foremost for me, and Deal Casino has the sense of balance necessary for mainstream 2018 indie rock. Subdued, yet teeming with an underlying raw power, they remind me of a mix between early Kings of Leon (Taper Jean Girl, ya heard?) and, dare I say, Coldplay (is that ok in 2018? Can I reference Coldplay in a positive way?). It’s a balance, guys. You need to know when to blast the strobes on stage while devolving into a dissonant whirlwind, and when to teach your new fans the lyrics they can sing along to. You need to know when to chit chat with the audience, and when to climb on top of the amp and play a final note as you jump off.

However, there needs to be an earnest feeling to these ticked boxes. I wrote a review earlier this year about a band lampooning what a good live band is. Deal Casino is not that band. They’re genuinely having a good time discovering what their sound is, and watching new fans emerge from a sea of cellphone illuminated faces. They’ve been busy the last few years with scattered EP releases, with each serving as a taste of that evolving sound, and I hope they keep this up. Deal Casino is a band that I’ll keep an eye on going forward.

As mentioned in our interview in ISSUE #36.5, Deal Casino lives together in New Jersey, and that proximity has translated well to their live performance. The band is in time with each other to a point often only seen in legacy acts. This on stage chemistry comes from years of constant practice; the band famously played nearly every week in their hometown in the years leading up to their debut.

I haven’t connected the titles with the music yet, which is notoriously hard for me with any band, but the sound plays out well live. If you’re looking to dip your toes into Deal Casino’s water, might I suggest the following:

·   “Marley” – Funky track from their recently released LLC. Normally, bands experiment in the middle of albums and this is no different. Falsetto vocals, soaring chorus, and a bouncy melody lead to an infectious 4 minutes. It’s not a single, but it’ll stick with you.

·   “Color TV” – Lead track from LLC, it reminds me of The Pixies’ “Where is my Mind?”. Both in lyrical content, vocal inflections, and driving, heavy downstrummed chords.

·   “Halley” – Off their 2015 EP, Nika, this is the early aughts indie rock that first grabbed my attention – hence, earlier Kings of Leon reference.

-JCB

ALBUM REVIEWS

WHAT WE'RE JAMMING TO THIS WEEK

NEW RELEASES WE MISSED LAST WEEK

Phish / Kasovt Växt: í rokk (Live) / Phish

The masters of jam pulled a fast one on their fans this last Halloween. Usually for the second set of their three set Halloween show they don a musical costume and become a band of the past. This year they invented a fictional euro-synth rock band, complete with ten new songs and a playbill containing a fake bio of the band. It was a prank of epic proportions, and this new mastering of the set is just as good as any actual set the band plays. It’s a classic Phish move and is now on record for future fans to enjoy.

-KPL

They were just here a couple months back and will probably not be back in the area till late summer.

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDED NEW RELEASES

MORE NOTABLE RELEASES

Ryley Walker / The Lillywhite Sessions / Dead Oceans

The local singer/songwriter is playing The Empty Bottle on December 28th with Ohmme and Ben Lamar Gay opening. Tix are $15.

Various Artists / True Stories, A Film By David Byrne: The Complete Soundtrack / Todomundo , Nonesuch

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness / Upside Down Flowers / Fantasy , Concord

The former frontman for Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin is hitting The Riv on March 2nd. Tix are $37 - $125.

J. Period / The Live Mixtape (#Top5MCs Edition) (DJ Mix) / Dubset

The Good, the Bad, and the Queen / Merrie Land / Studio 13

Glen Campbell / Sings For the King / UMG , Universal

Rolling Stones / Beggars Banquet (50th Anniversary Edition) / ABKCO

The Stones are coming to Soldier Field July 21st and 25th. Tix go on sale this Friday at 10am.

NOTES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• SAVE THE HIDEOUT!!! GO TO THIS MEETING!!!

  If you missed the meeting we mentioned a few weeks ago, you still have a chance to voice your concerns, and attend another community meeting regarding Lincoln Yards. The Tribune gives a nice synopsis of what has happened so far in the planning process.
  
  The Hideout tweeted - Big news! Independent venues are banding together to save Chicago’s indie music scene from the #LincolnYards megaproject. Join us as we form our new alliance to tell the city to #DelayTheTIF — 5:30 THURSDAY at Park Community Church, 1001 N. Crosby St.

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See you at the show Chicago!