In early February, The Blind Staggers released their latest album, Doing Alright… Considering. We’re premiering the video for one of the record’s songs above, called “Party Friends.” When addressing the video’s concept, singer Laura Zielinski said “We were all just missing getting together, having band practice and playing shows. We wanted to do something fun while we are all stuck at home on lockdown and get a few good laughs in.” Within weeks of the album’s release, the current pandemic began to take shape and the band’s touring plans had to be shelved. In spite of this, guitarist/singer Damien Christian Wilburn remains optimistic, explaining “I’m stoked that we were all able to shoot this from our homes and create something while not being able to get together in person. Everything is very heavy right now. If you’re not stressed, you’re at least bored. We just hoped to entertain some people and maybe make some folks smile.”

In many ways, the song “Party Friends” is representative of the album as a whole. “It sums up what this record is about for me,” Wilburn said. “There were a lot of personal things going on within the band during the writing of this album. Laura and Tony, (guitarist Tony Lee) got married and moved to Denver. I had quit drinking and working at the bar I called home for ten years. So, there was a lot of uncertainty. Change was coming, but there was a strong desire to hold on to what matters – good times with good friends.” Zielinski added, “It seemed like a fitting tune for the time and for us as a band right now. We’re all getting older and priorities are changing, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to have a good time. Because believe me, we do. And that’s a lot of what this new album is about.”

Compared to their previous work, Doing Alright… Considering is arguably The Blind Staggers’ strongest material to date. “We feel it’s the best record we’ve put out. We’ve grown as band and as musicians over the last ten years. This record leans much more rock ‘n’ roll than it does country/Americana, which was a conscious choice as much as a natural progression,” Wilburn said. He continued, “We decided that we can basically write whatever we want because it will always sound like ‘us,’ so everything became more open. Lyrically it’s very much in the same vein as our previous albums. It’s still about dealing with our lives and the choices we’ve made, for better or worse. We’re just the people sitting next to you at the bar with a couple stories to tell. Always have been.” Check out the video for “Party Friends” above and visit Bandcamp to purchase the album.

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Last month, Chicago’s PEEL released their fourth album, called No Pain. They also recently debuted a video for one of the record’s songs, “Ballad of Dougie Ramone.” In terms of the video’s concept, the band drew inspiration from British television shows like The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops. When asked about his thoughts as to how the video turned out, singer/guitarist Kyle Hickey said “The video is a pretty accurate portrayal of catching a bit of one of our shows, but from a safe distance like behind the splash wall at Sea World.”

PEEL recorded No Pain at Jamdek Recording Studio with Doug Malone, where they also made their last album. When speaking about their experience in the studio, singer/guitarist Pete Mueller said “We tracked all the songs in a day and a half, did most of the lead vocals the last half of the second day and then the third day, as I remember it, was just getting drunk and laying down auxiliary percussion, guitar solo harmonies, screams and feedback.” He continued, “We usually work pretty fast and this album was no different. Doug has a super laid-back attitude, which extends to his studio and it made working on this album a goddamn delight.”

Compared to their previous work, No Pain is likely PEEL’s fastest record yet. It also illustrates the band’s relaxed approach. “I think this is the album where we let go of whatever final shred of caring was left in us. And I mean that in a good way. If we thought of something funny in the studio to do on a song, we just did it to make each other laugh, and most of that ended up on the album,” Mueller said. Check out the video for “Ballad of Dougie Ramone” above and listen to No Pain in its entirety below.

Earlier this month, The Addisons released their latest EP, called 100% Familiar. It was recorded by Jeff Dean at Million Yen Studios and mastered by Justin Perkins, and contains a total of five songs. When asked about the writing process for this record, singer/guitarist Tom Counihan said, “These songs are the first that we worked out with our new drummer Jessie, (Carmona). I think he had a big effect on the way they ended up sounding. Dave, (singer/guitarist Dave Lysien) and I write the initial ideas separately, but once we bring songs into the band, we all contribute to working out arrangements, bridges, etc.”

When comparing 100% Familiar to the band’s previous material, Counihan said “I think we tried to challenge ourselves a little more on this release. While we were getting ready to record, we spent a lot of time kind of dissecting the songs and trying to be more purposeful about each part.” Bassist Rick Uncapher added, “It’s definitely in the same vein as what we’ve been doing, but I think we tried to change it up a bit to keep things interesting. It’s probably subtle, but there are a lot of guitar effects, keyboards, background vocals and added percussion that we did to fill out the songs.” Check out the EP below and head to Bandcamp to buy a copy.

We’re thrilled to announce that The Methadones will be playing their first hometown show in nearly five years this summer. Since initially disbanding in 2010, the band has only played twice, (an abbreviated set in 2011 and at Red Scare’s tenth anniversary show in 2015). After forming in 1993, they went on to release five studio albums, a split record with The Copyrights and finally a compilation album in 2010 that contained all the songs from their various singles, (as well as the final five songs they ever recorded). While often labeled as pop punk, The Methadones’ sound was truly a lot more multi-dimensional. Elements of classic Chicago punk and power pop were often present, along with an emphasis on vocal melodies, intricate guitar leads and introspective lyrics. In short, very few bands hold up this well over time. The band has yet to reveal any details as to their planned setlist, but rest assured that they’ll deliver a career-spanning set. The Methadones will play Chop Shop on Saturday, June 27th with support from Direct Hit!, Dan Vapid and The Cheats, and Capgun Heroes. The show starts at 7:00 PM, is 18+ and tickets go on sale this Friday.

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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The 13th annual Ian’s Party will take place Friday, January 3rd – Sunday, January 5th at both Chop Shop and Subterranean. The first wave lineup was revealed today and includes performances by Meat Wave, The Brokedowns, Vacation, The Bobby Conn Experience, Absolutely Not, Ono, C.H.E.W., No Men, Lung, Paper Mice, Typesetter, Howardian, Joshua Virtue, Malci, and Two Houses. In addition, the following acts will also appear: Blacker Face, Hitter, Masonic Wave, Bruges, Wood Chickens, Lovely Little Girls, Bev Rage and the Drinks, Topomaka, Hawley, Wig, Clickbait, Nonnie Parry, Abertooth Lincoln, and American Draft.

Early Bird weekend passes will go on sale Friday, November 1st at 10:00 AM and are available for $30 each. Purchase them here and be advised they’ll remain at this price until Sunday, November 3rd, but will increase after that. Single day passes will be available soon and more bands will be announced at a later date.

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Listen to Ian’s Party 2020 Spotify Playlist!

We’re premiering a new song below, called “Fake It,” from Chicago’s The Addisons. It was produced by Jeff Dean, (Airstream Futures, All Eyes West, The Bomb) at Million Yen Studios and represents the band’s first recording since the addition of drummer Jesse Carmona, (formerly of God’s Reflex). When speaking about how the song came together, bassist Rick Uncapher said “It developed around the drum beat that Jesse came up with and sort of took on a life of its own. We’ve been doing the melodic pop thing for a while and it’s fun to see where else we can take the songs without straying too far from our sound.” The song is available now on all digital platforms and also marks The Addisons’ first new music since releasing their Here It Comes Again EP last year. Catch them this Saturday, October 5^th at The Elbo Room with Pollinators, The Last Afternoons, Gooey, and Frankie B. The show starts at 7:00 PM, is 21+ and tickets are $7 in advance.

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On Friday, August 30^th, All Eyes West is set to release their third full-length, titled Like Lightning. The album marks the band’s first new material in over four years and we’re premiering one of its songs below, called “Kick the Clouds.” We recently spoke with singer/bassist Justin Miller and talked about how the record came together. He cited a hectic touring schedule and various issues in the band members’ personal lives as the main reasons that it took several years to finish the album. Miller explained, “On my end, my mother was diagnosed and very quickly taken by pancreatic cancer. A day after the funeral my first child was born. So, everything kind of flipped upside down. I eventually moved out of the city, fought some demons, dove headfirst into raising my kids and kind of started doing a little repair work on my life. So, obviously all of this left a little less time to focus on the band. We still remained active, but it slowed down quite a bit.”

Miller indicated that a few of the songs on Like Lightning were written in 2015, shortly after drummer Ronnie DiCola joined the band. Some of the songs that followed would unfold from a single riff, while others were primarily arranged by guitarist Jeff Dean and DiCola. When commenting on the overall writing process, Miller said “It was pretty strange. With all that was going on outside of music, it bled into the band for sure. I mean, there was a bit of tension between us for a while during the writing and recording of the album, but we always pushed through. All that shit we were going through is on the record. It’s in the music and it’s in the lyrics. We pulled it together and it means a lot to us. For me, it’s a very personal album. It was the glue that kept us going.”

In regards to the song “Kick the Clouds,” both internal and external factors played a role in its creation. Miller said, “Lyrically it was inspired by a bunch of different things. With everything going on in my life at the time, I was bursting with a million things I wanted to express. The music really spoke to me as we wrote it and I wanted to shove everything into it.” He continued, “I’d say the overall inspiration was this feeling of ‘Is everything fucked? Should we just burn it all down?’ Not just my personal life or the band, but all the politics, the state of the country, social media, anxiety, and all the angry people I seemed to encounter on a daily basis. It just felt like everything was boiling over. Still kind of does, I suppose.”

Check out the song now and be advised that it’s highly representative of the urgency, concise writing and exceptional performances that are displayed throughout Like Lightning. Be sure to pre-order the album from Jump Start Records here and look for the band to announce a record release show in the coming weeks.

The inaugural T1 Fest will take place on Friday, November 8^th and Saturday, November 9^th at The Forge in Joliet, IL. All proceeds from the shows will go to the JDRF, (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) to assist in their fight against type 1 diabetes. Organizer Jim Costanzo felt compelled to establish the event after his family was affected by the disease. He explained, “My nephew Joey was diagnosed at the age of three and like so many others, we had no understanding of it, but we quickly learned that this is a very serious illness.” He continued, “Working with the JDRF to learn what lied ahead for him, we saw so many families that were not able to handle the financial burden of providing care for their child. We have since made it a goal to raise as much money as possible to assist the JDRF in their mission to raise awareness and find a cure for type 1 diabetes.”

Costanzo cited his experiences growing up in Chicago’s punk scene as motivation for coordinating this fest. When reflecting on those times, he said “What we found was a community, a scene where even as teenagers we could make a difference. Whether it was playing shows against racism or gathering coats for the homeless, we saw that through music change was possible. One day we were discussing ideas on how we could do our part and we thought it would be great to put on a benefit show like back in the day.”

After setting his idea in motion, Costanzo was able to assemble a lineup that features numerous noteworthy acts. Friday night is headlined by Flatfoot 56 with support from Brendan Kelly, (The Lawrence Arms/Wandering Birds) The Brokedowns, and Andrew Thomas. Saturday’s festivities begin at 3:30 PM, with the following bands playing: The Smoking Popes, The Lillingtons, 88 Fingers Louie, Dan Vapid & The Cheats, Vandoliers, Kali Masi, The Reaganomics, and Cap Gun Heroes. Tickets for each individual night are available, as well as weekend passes, and can be purchased here.

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It’s been nearly seven years since The Scissors released new music and today, we’re premiering the first single off their upcoming EP. The song is called “Jet Black” and the EP is titled Eulogize. We spoke with singer/guitarist Darren Vorel and talked about why he chose to revive the band and where the inspiration for this EP came from. He explained, “When we parted ways in 2012, I was definitely finished creating songs and performing as The Scissors. We spent so much time recrafting the sound and direction with another vocalist in the lead role. To go forward with another change like that would mean going backwards to me. I think we confused enough of our audience changing it up the first time, so it was better to leave it where we did.”

We’re premiering a new song, called “Gravity,” off the upcoming full-length from The Mizzerables. According to singer/guitarist Joe Mizzi, this song in particular helped to spark the creation of the album. He explained, “It was the song that really inspired this whole record. It’s about stepping out from any sort of struggle, whether self-inflicted or not, and trying to see the good side. I went through a lot of that in the past few years, but I don’t like thinking of my problems as anything special. I think we all have stuff we’re dealing with and hopefully that makes the song relatable for others who might be going through some shit.”

The record, titled Whatever… This Sucks, was recorded by Dan Precision, (88 Fingers Louie) at his Bomb Shelter Studios. The recording spotlights the band’s songwriting, without sacrificing any of the urgency or rawness. When asked about their time in the studio, Mizzi said “Working with Dan was great. He’s just really talented all around. There are quite a few moments on this record that were really made by Dan, whether it was backing vocal touches or some adjustments here or there to a riff. All those little moments really made this thing what it is and we’re better off for it.”

While the band had initially planned on working with a record label, they ultimately chose to release the album themselves. After a series of delays, it became clear that self-releasing was the best option. “At the end of the day, we felt we were more passionate about getting this out into the world than the label was and that maybe we could do better on our own,” Mizzi said. They plan on releasing the record later this year, once they have a firm date as to when the vinyl will be ready.

In the meantime, their next show is this Thursday, June 6^th at Liar’s Club, with JERK, Krayola and Milhouse. Check out the song “Gravity” below and stay tuned for future updates on The Mizzerables’ new album.

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Artwork by Ech

This morning, Riot Fest announced their first wave lineup. This year also marks the 15^th anniversary of the event. Blink-182, Slayer, a reunited Bikini Kill, The Raconteurs, Rise Against, The Flaming Lips, and Jawbreaker are among the headliners that have been revealed thus far. The festival, which takes place Sept. 13 – 15 in Douglas Park, will also include Ween, Patti Smith, Rancid, Violent Femmes, Descendents, The B-52’s, Avail, Against Me!, Hot Snakes, Less Than Jake, Cursive, and many others. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here. Additional bands will be announced in the coming weeks.

Full Album Performances by:
Against Me! – Reinventing Axl Rose + Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Avail – Over The James
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
Dashboard Confessional – The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot
Glassjaw – Worship and Tribute
The Selecter – Too Much Pressure
Senses Fail – From the Depths of Dreams + Let It Enfold You
Taking Back Sunday – Tell All Your Friends + Louder Now
Ween – The Mollusk

Next month, Howardian will release their latest full-length, The Silly Shit You Say. We’re premiering the video for the album’s first single above, called “Silly Shit.” Frontman Ian Vanek, (ex-Japanther) described the making of the video, explaining “Filming was a really fun process. We worked efficiently in a tiny space in Chicago, shooting only 12 takes in total with very little preparation. A lampshade chases each band member through every shot, unifying and darkening the mood.”

When detailing the album’s writing process, Vanek said “We made demos on four tracks and laptops, revised them over email and then met up in Oakland to re-recorded everything. We made an excess of compositions in an attempt to find the magic and I feel really great about the unexpected beauty that we found.” Besides Vanek, Howardian’s lineup consists of seven additional musicians, (Scott Brummel, Justin Mckaughan, Gardner Allen, Farley Glavin, Mustafa Daka, Schuyler Maehl and Flo Amarino). Vanek cited a collective energy being important to keeping the project alive, as well as the significance of new outlooks during changing times.

When looking ahead to the record being released, Vanek said “Releasing this album is really big for us. We’ve been a band for four years and done seven releases, but this is our first 12” vinyl record. It’s by far the best Howardian work available, so I look forward to people getting it and digesting the album over the next few months.” The record comes out on March 15th via Let’s Pretend Records and Starcleaner Records.

On March 15th, Dan Vapid and The Cheats will release their latest album, titled Three. We’re premiering the record’s debut single below, “The Time We Get.” When asked about the writing and recording process for this full-length, singer/guitarist Dan Vapid described the various hurdles the band faced. He explained, “I’ve been writing songs since our last record. Writing is the easy part of the process for me since it can be done at home. The issue I kept facing was scheduling rehearsal and recording time while juggling three kids, a new job, and selling and buying a home. It took a lot of effort, but we figured out a way to get it done. With many of the sessions for this record, I was putting the kids to bed, then driving 45 minutes to St. Louis, tracking for two or three hours and then driving back home so I could work the following morning. It was crazy but I got through it.”

“The Time We Get” was actually the last song written for the album and was finished only a few weeks prior to being recorded. While addressing some of the things that inspired the song, Vapid said “Like I mentioned earlier, I had so much on my plate, music kept getting placed on the back burner. I find life is often this way. So much happens in our day-to-day lives that has a way of obstructing the very things we would rather be doing. We need to be cognizant of this. Whether we live to see old age or die tomorrow, we will never know. Hence, do the best with the time you get.”

Take a listen to the song now and preorder the album via Eccentric Pop Records here.