📷 : Tina Mead / ✏️ : Aaron Pylinski

We went to Schubas last Saturday expecting to dance like crazy and lose our shit. And that’s exactly what happened. It started off with Diet Lite, a three-piece out of Milwaukee. Don’t let the name fool you, I can only describe it as immense, and that is understated. All considered, these cats are the dark matter of midwestern rock. It was the rowdiest music I’ve ever heard come out of a three piece band.

The band warmed everyone up with “Bidin’ Time” before starting to blow forth like a powerful gust of wind. Up next was “Harbour a Hand” which had a rockabilly air to it, but Diet Lite made it seem more like a tornado of guitars and drums. And this is where you get a first taste of what makes them so powerful. Kelson “Kelso” Kuzdas on bass was pure energy, Max Niemann pulled most of the vocal duties early on and slayed guitar, while Evan Marsalli was masterfully keeping time on drums. They brought this to “Glammin the Hill”, a performance that punched the crowd right in the face and it felt like there were more than three people up there. 

Everything about the band was switched on. Marsalli’s verve on the drums seemed so uncanny and unrealistic but there he was, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at his kit. Niemann was a god on the guitar and his vocal styling was pitch perfect. Kuzdas was duded up in a red velour tracksuit and had this look about him making me want to yell, “Yo Vinny! Get me a Peroni!” His moves on stage were nothing short of a trancelike state of being. He moved during every song like he was trying to win a race against friction.

After the band played “Stuck Again”, Niemann and Kuzdas traded on guitars and vocals and it was like a lever was flipped. Up until this point, the set was unrestrained, but they turned it up to 11 and the music went totally hard, fast, and thrash from there. They played “Bad Larry” and it was the single best live music experience I’ve had since October 2019. It is to date, the most incredible song I’ve seen live, but I digress.

Every particle on stage was in complete unison. From the color of the lights to the tone of every note. The band rocked out the entire rest of their set with Earthshaking awesomeness closing with “Jump To It/Jump Thru It” ending with Marsalli flying over the drum set.

They were hard as fuck to the absolute end. Keep on the lookout for Diet Lite.

You should also be on the lookout for Thumpasaurus. They were up next and had all the markers of a great band out of LA. They didn’t waste any time getting the party started and opened with their hit, “Struttin’” and a volcanic jamboree followed. Thumpasaurus blends funk with disco, punk, and garage rock. They had drummer Henry Was and his kit at the front of the stage leaving no guesswork as to how powerful the whole set was going to be.

The combo of synth and sax from Paul Cornish and Henry Solomon vibed perfectly with Lucas Tameran and Logan Kane on guitar and bass. It shouldn’t go unnoticed that Kane was not only a funky as fuck bassist, but pretty deft with the footwork, too. What tied the entire set together was Ben Benjamin on visuals, by giving the audience more to devour with their eyes. The mixture of random low-fi graphics and pop art added depth to an already profound experience.

Thumpasaurus played “I’m Too Funky” and went from a strut fest to a funky dance party. Everyone in the band had on white jumpsuits artistically adorned with black, red, and gold drawings and decorations. Up next was their latest release, “Lipstick Makeup” using ‘On my way to the dance party’ as a call and response. This song brought the west coast to the third coast. It was uplifting and jammy but packed with lots of grit and determination, something we can relate to in the midwest.

Dancing was the theme of the night and the crowd thumped along to hits like “Talking Bout” giving off sassy vibes harkening back to the days of Queen. Collectively, “Dance Like It’s Your Life” and “I’m Pissed” were perfectly placed. It was a great way to purge some demons through dance and song and get the audience involved with what was happening on stage. The evening ended with “Space Barn” and “End Of The Night” as an encore.

At the end of it all, it felt like the crowd was happy and loved and the music made that happen. Thumpasaurus had all the feels from across generations of great music. Anyone who has a soft spot for Talking Heads, DEVO, Glitter Moneyyy, Scissor Sisters, !!!, or anything bringing rock, funk, disco, and pop to the stage, Thumpasaurus is for you.

As always, Chicago, tell us your stories. If you’re interested in contributing words, photos, or videos, let us know. We want the people to tell Chicago’s music story. Keep surfing, y’all! 

-Aaron Pylinski