Short that B

Sister Crystals

Genre: Indie Pop
Label:FeelTrip, Walk-In Records
Releases: Sister Crystals LP, For So Long, Little Bits
**all can be purchased via their Bandcamp**
Sound: Dreamy/lush vocals, guitars that sound reminiscent of falling stars followed by power chord punches,bass beats that beg for off beat dancing, and drumming that builds each track from calm and dreamy to rock filled and thrashnificent (thrash worthy and magnififcent). Sister Crystals create a feel that ranges from an old 50's love filled lullaby to a dream turned a hazy passion filled memory. 

Listen: Sister Crystals LP

*I may need to warn you, you may feel like dancing. Go with it.

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Twin Peaks

Genre: Garage Rock/ Pop

Label: Autumn Tone, Manic Static

Releases: Sunken (07.13)

Sound: Twin Peaks music sounds like they are constantly on the edge of emotional overflow, the feelings dripping from the strings of their guitars. Behind every melodic and hum worthy guitar riff there are hard driving drums that not only pulse but drive every song forward. Their infectious and hard bouncing bass rhythms and endearing and vocally impressive crooning (which is lain with an immense amount of heartfelt soul...the kind you only gain after being dumped or listening to too much Bowie on your bed)  all make for a garage rock sound that gives them the edge on all the other bands fresh out of the garage. 

Listen: "Irene" 

If that was not enough for love at first listen, check out this live set at the Hype Hotel by clicking HERE! (doitttt....trust me it's a good idea) 

For more about Twin Peaks

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Bare Mutants 

Genre: Garage Rock
Label: Hozac Records, InThe Red
Releases: Without You 7" (2012)
The Affliction (08.09.13)
Sound: Supergroup aside, Bare Mutants creates a sound that is all their own...well kind of. With steady repetative percussion leading the groove and hazy melodic guitar strumming paired with pop infected crooning, Bare Mutants bring back memories of something that resembles the early Velvet underground. Their added veil of organ chords and driving tambourine chimes gives the band a psychadelic feel thats too good to ignore (or at least too hard to stop yourself from swaying side to side). 

Listen: "Without You" (7" Version) 

Sound Like: Echo & The Bunnymen, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, The Ponys

Check out more Bare Mutants

 (you know you wanna):

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¡Vamos!

Source: VAMOS Facebook Page

Who:Josh Lambert - Drums, Vocals
Will Wood - Bass
Ryan Murphy - Guitar, Vocals
Genre:Punk Rock, Noise Pop
Albums:Do wanna Don't Wanna *Single released by Chicago Singles Club*(2013)
Demon *Single released by Chicago Singles Club*(2013)
Heatwave (03.13)
Stones (12.12)
Can't Take You Home (07.12)
There's no Stopping Me *Single release* (03.12)

Sound: Influenced by the Brit-Rock invasion of the 60s, Vamos brings you catcy pop melodies, retrocentric guitar riffs and bass lines with the musicality of Punk Rock forces like Iggy and the Stooges. Danceable beats and driving, distorted guitar droning both invade and guide you through all of Vamos's hard grooving tracks as fast as they can. 
Listen: Vamos has a growing collection of recordings from the past few years. They were recently featured as Chicago Singles Club's artist of the month and just released two new singles (listed above). 
Click the link---> Chicago Singles Club: ¡Vamos!
to check out the new of Vamos or listen to this SoundCloud track to hear a bit of the old. 

Can't get enough of Vamos? 

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Smith Westerns 

Who: Culen Omori - Vocals

Max Kallacek - Guitar

Cameron Omori - Bass

Julien Ehrlich - Drums

Genre: Alt-Rock, Indie Pop/Rock, Glam

Albums: Soft Will  (2013) 

Dye it Blonde (2011)

Smith Westerns (2009)

Sound: A 1960s influenced sound paired with pop vocals singing songs of young adventures both in its dispairty and triumphs. Echoing guitar riffs, melodic and walking bass beats are all tied together by driving and enriching drums. Together these musical elements create a Brit-Pop inspired, glamified version of indie rock that rings of both Lennon and Bowie. 

Listen:  3am Spiritual

Want more Smith Westerns? 

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Tune In To:

Peoples Temple of America

The Basics:

Genre:Punk

Label:Unsigned

Albums:

P.T.A. (02.13)

Outliers (12.12)

Peoples Temple of America EP (04.11)

Why they rock 'n' stuff:

PTA is made up of Ben on guitar and vocals, Harry on bass and Trent beating those skins. Their music is simple and right in the way of teen angst and mid life crisis. They produce sounds that bring back memories of bands like the Bouncing Souls and Brand New to groups like New Order and the Cure. How? By creating a sound of wispy yet driving guitar rhythms, melodic pulsing bass lines, and well executed drum lines that help build a song together perfectly. Let's not forget the urgent vocal delivery which not only melds the sounds of classic skate punk with post punk joy division-esque vocal performance but also deliver poetic lyrical banter that ties each PTA song together.  

Simply put, they remind me of who I am and how that came to be...even if I have no clue means. It is what it is. 

Hear it for yourself:

P.T.A. just released a new album that can be downloaded FO' FREE just by clicking HERE.

If you are still hesitant to click your way to eight songs of Punky awesomeness let these two tracks be a little more persuasion to join the temple. 

If you dug that...make your life that much more complete and click part II
 

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Panda Riot

Genre:Dream Pop
Label:Saint Marie Records (USA)
Vinyl Junkie (Japan)
Albums: 
Northern Automatic Music (2.19.13)

Serious Radical Girls Limited Edition 7" VINYL(06.05.12)

Far and Near EP (05.11.10)

Sound: Dreamy and lush vocal patterns lead the sound of  choruses layered with laid back, dance(ish) beats,  calming pyschedelic rythems and other worldly melodies. Precise, entrancing, and a  shoegaze dream.

Listen:  "Amanda in the Clouds" 

Check out Panda Riot's:

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In Case you Haven't Heard

The Orwells

The Orwells are:
Mario CUOMO: Vocals 
Grant BRINNER: Bass 
Henry BRINNER: Drums
Dominick CORSO: Guitar 
Baby CHUCK: Guitar 

The Orwells are so much more than five 17 year old guys from Elmherst, playing the typical Garage Rock influenced breed of Punk Rock. The band provides an energy that is reminiscent of 1970's New York Punk hybrid with muddled yet intent filled glam-grungesque lyrical stylings that unknowingly entrance you into steady head bangin'. Embodying everything from punk, blues and soul, to grunge, new wave, and glam, The Orwells commit to playing what they want and not what you expect to hear. As vox man Mario says during an interview for Chicago's Consequence of Sound's Rock it Out Blog, "we're not really going for anything...we're just doing what sounds right to us." To be put simply, they play their version of Rock 'n' Roll and give a big EFF YOU to anyone who doesn't care for it. 


And it seems to be working.

Staying loyal to their Chicago scene is a big part of what makes the Orwells what they are. They decided that making it first in Chicago was priority numero uno, because going anywhere else, isn't being true to who they are.  An admirable (but sometimes viewed as idiodic) trait. 

For example-- Baby CHUCK on sticking it out in the Chicago scene: "being loyal to your home and to your city is a big thing for us" 

These boys know what they are doing. Their hometown start hasn't stopped them from making themselves a force to be reckoned with. These guys have gone from suburban basement shows, to local shows at joints like The Empty Bottle and Beat Kitchen to headlining a West Coast Tour! They've been picked up by L.A. record label Autumn Tone Records and released their first full LP Remember When (click if you want to snag the album) on  August 7, 2012. The album not only received recognition locally, but has even made it to the indie mother land of Pitchfork. 

Although they will be away touring for a while the boys are making sure to wrap up their tour in Chicago at the Beat Kitchen on March 23rd. Grab your tickets while you can!

If March is just too far away for you, get your Orwells fix by checking out this recent Audiotree performance.

If you are anything like me this will be on repeat until March slowly makes its way here. 

ENJOY HEADBANGERS and SWING DANCERS. ENJOY. 

The Orwells - Audiotree Live from Audiotree Live on Vimeo.
Check out The Orwells: Facebook Twitter

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Fonz-E Mak

Genre:Hip/Hop, Soul
Label:Unsigned
Albums:
6:21 Theory Mixtape (09.11)

#octoberly Series (10.12)

Sound: Laid back string, brass, and synthy vocal samples intertwined with driving soulful bass lines. Chicago super group, BRKF$T CLUB's Fonz-E lays down a witty lyrical picture with just the right amount of earnesty and arrogance that he guides his listeners along from beat four to one bar after bar. Head swayin' to his flow the whole time. 

Listen:  "It was Tuesday" (02.18.13)

Check out Fonz-E Mak's:

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Short That B

Woah woah woah there do not let your mind get carried away. Short that B is something simple. Short band bios that give you just a bit of an artists sound, a lil of what they've done and a track selection to jam out or simply check out.

Chicago band intros condensed for the person short on time or attention span. (or like me, short on both)

Tiny Fireflies

Genre: IndiePop
Label: Little Treasures;
Eardrums Pop
Albums:
ePop 005 (10.10.10)
Cloudberry 811 (03.15.12)
Change
(08.01.11)

Sound: Simple driving beats;  infectious and melodic rhythms paired with soft & dreamy vocals create a sound that is reminiscent of the  days of Molly Ringwald and The Breakfast Club.

Listen:  "If It's True" (02.06.13)

Check Out TinyFireflies:

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Fake It Till You Make It

ME: "I know a lot about the Chicago Music Scene"
The Chicago Music Scene: "AHAHAHA, foolish child"  

REALITY CHECK: Indie is short for independent. Independent means that you are void of major label  limitations on one's art and how one is expected to perform(I'll spare the grimey details). This also means the music can be everything from hip-hop, indie-rock, folk, to electronica. Indie is not merely the dreamy vocaled orchestral sound that so many people have come to think. 

This is a blog of the indie persuasion....and Chicago has a lot of great indie music going on. Everything from venues, blogs, labels, artists. It's enough to make a my head spin.  (For proper demonstration, click the pugs below) The question I'm asking myself is how to figure out this scene if there is so much in it? 

My Answer: Let's figure out the basics.

So after a few hours of exploring the interwebs I've put together a list of the Windy City's quintessential Indie Venues, some of the best local record labels, and a list of blogs that will rock you socks off with their extent of Chi music knowledge. 

Let's get things rollin'

Venues:

*Go see shows these place*

• The Hideout
• The Riviera Theatre
• Lincoln Hall
• The Metro
• Schuba's 
• The Vic
• Empty Bottle
• Reggie's Rock Club
• The Elbo Room
• The Bottom Lounge
• Kinetic Playground
• Double Door

Labels:

*Listen to artists from these labels*

• Hozac Records
• Drag City
• Kranky
• Jagiagwor
• Thrill Jockey Records

Blogs:

*Follow the trends*

• Windy City Rock
• Loud Loop Press
• Fake Shore Drive
• The Deli

I am Luke and these great sources are my Obi-Wan. With some guided assurance the Chicago Scene will quiet it's Dr.Evil laugh and I will figure this whole "music industry" thing out. 

Discover Chicago

A brief introduction. 

My name is Liz Palomo. Part student, part Latin@, part princess, part butch, part music enthusiast, and part aspiring music biz professional. I'm just trying to figure how to work all of those components into a fully functioning human being.

This blog is about Chicago music that deserves to be heard. About music reviews and coverage  of artists who embody everything from low down dirty soul, to swayin and hard groovin' hip hop, or melodic synthy post punk. I talk about the music I love in the city I love.

The whole point of this thing is to discover the Chicago scene and making it open for others to discover with me.