Reviewsic [ri-vyoo-zik] -noun: Music worth talking about

The crackling of a needle settling onto vinyl sets off a chain reaction of tremulous, distorted waves, only to be suddenly replaced by a soft beeping just before giving way to a rhythm akin to a more lo-fi Modest Mouse. Falling perfectly instep to the slightly off kilter tempo are the vocals of Geronimo!’s front man, delivering a croon that is nearly a cry as the band dives into the track.

This is the introduction to Fuzzy Dreams, the newest record from local band, Geronimo!, who will be celebrating the album’s release tonight, April 30^th at Schubas. Originating in Rockford, IL the band made the move to Chicago a few years back and released their initial album, A Different Kind of Greatness, a true tribute to all that is grungy and fuzzy, with a penchant for Albini-like production and loud energy, which you can read our review of here. Now a little over a year since their last release, the band is back and as cliché as it may sound, better than ever.

The definition of their sound and perfecting of their craft is apparent in these newer tracks. The previously Ben Barnett like whine of the vocals have been polished into a more echo-y, deeply rooted set of cords, and the already impressive collection of instrumentals continue to grow into something we can really get behind.

Methodic distortion and a cadence like tempo break helped make “Fill Me Up” an album favorite for us, sealing the deal with its chaotic but oddly comforting style. Geronimo! makes music that’s loud but it’s the kind of noisy that has a purpose. Some tracks, like “Design Yourself a Heart” go in the direction of punk while others such as “Nakajima” and “Table Legs” take on a more psychedelic approach, always fusing these diversions of style with the buzzing, gritty feel of garage rock.

On the opposite end of that spectrum Geronimo! softens things up with muted horns and fuzzy fills in “Deep Warmth” and have a folksy acoustic track, “Judgment Day” closing out the album. Throughout the record you’ll catch bits of muted horn and keys, but more than anything Fuzzy Dreams is a wild assault of sounds. What’s more impressive is that all this noise comes from a simple trio, marking Geronimo! as a band of high energy and stamina that we can’t even fathom having ourselves.

An excellent effort and promising point of progress, Fuzzy Dreams is sure to be a treat for anyone who loves their guitars gruff, their cymbals crashing, and music loud. Chicagoans would be committing a definite fan faux pas by not attending the album’s release show tonight, and we fully expect to see you there.

Guitarist Kelly Johnson talked with Reviewsic this past week about the band’s best and worst moments, as well as his favorite local venues and of course, the new record.

Reviewsic: What has the band been up to lately?

Kelly Johnson: We just put a lid on finishing our first legit album called “Fuzzy Dreams.” We should be getting the actual hard copies in the mail any day. We wanted to include a rock hard stick of bubble gum in every CD, like the old Topps (or was it Fleer? Or Donruss?) baseball cards, but that involved a lot of thinking. We have some shows we’re really excited about as well, one at Gabe’s Oasis on April 23 and one with Local H in DeKalb on April 24. We also have the official “CD Release” show on April 30 at Schuba’s here in Chicago, with our pals Kid, You’ll Move Mountains, polarOPPOSITEbear and Inspector Owl. AND we have about 4 new songs we’ll be playing at the shows as well as some skeletons of new songs that we are hoping to shape into some kind of experimental EP called “Crater of Diamonds.” Luxurious.

Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?

Kelly Johnson: I guess I can only speak for myself, but as a band, I think three bands we can all agree we love and shape the way we play and write are Radiohead, Sonic Youth and Magnetic Fields. I don’t think we sound like any of these bands, but once we all discussed our love for them, I think subconsciously they were a starting point for us to move in a certain unified direction.

Reviewsic: What’s the back story on how the band came to be what it is today?

Kelly Johnson: The fake version or the boring version? The boring version is that me and Ben (keyboards) knew each other from high school and lived together in college, and Ben met Matt (drums) in Rockford where we are all from. Matt suggested him and Ben get together and jam, and I happened to be around the day they got together. We played a bit with me on bass, Ben on keys and Matt on drums and liked it. We decided to move forward and we discovered we have a great rapport together and really like the songs we write.
The fake version is that Matt was shot out of a rocket across town for some reason and landed behind a drum kit where Ben was playing keys at a kid’s birthday party. That kid was my younger brother, and I heard them from upstairs and stumbled down drunk with my guitar. We were shortly all arrested afterpeeing on the birthday cake and playing Black Sabbath songs that we didn’t know how to play and hadn’t yet heard. In a controversial sentencing, the judge order we pay reparations to all of those affected by our display, and to raise the money we were forced to continue as a band. Tah dah!

Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?

Kelly Johnson: I have always wanted to play the upright bass. I think it is the coolest/sexiest instrument, but you can also make it sound ferocious and rubbery. I always wondered what one would sound like through a Big Muff distortion, and it just looks so curvy and awesome onstage.

Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?

Kelly Johnson: Off the top of my head, the last three albums I listened to were ‘Bleach’ by Nirvana, ‘Fun House’ by The Stooges and ‘Full Moon Fever’ by Tom Petty.

Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?

Kelly Johnson: I’d want us to make an album with Daft Punk. Which I suppose, is like, two musicians ‘n stuff, but ya know, whateverz. When we were first getting together to jam and finding a sound as a band, I had a brief flirtation with trying to turn us into a Rock/House music band. I think it would be a cool experiment to have that pulsing rhythm, with big, fuzzed out repetitive chords. It’s probably not that novel, but in my head I hear a Geronimo!/Daft Punk merger sounding hellafied sick nasty. Pick up the phone Daft Punk you dirty robots.

Reviewsic: Who was the first band/musician you saw live?

Kelly Johnson: I guess I don’t really remember the official first one. The earliest band I can remember seeing and having an impact on me was a band of friends in high school called Trioch. (What up Rockford old skool??) Just seeing them get a group together and write and play live was inspiring and made me realize, “Yep, this is what I need to do.” I wasn’t like, raised on rock. I came to the game in late junior high/early high school. I remember seeing the Get Up Kids twice and they were amazing.

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

Kelly Johnson: I REALLY don’t see as much local music as I should. I’ve seen some really good ones that I always forget their names as well. I saw Lasers and Fast and Shit and thought they were really great. I’ve seen Tight Phantomz play a couple of times and they are a blast. We recently went to see this band The Sass Dragons that I saw play a long, long time ago, and they were really tight. Awesome, quick and bratty punk. Usually this question would be where other people mention names and I say, “Oh yeah! I like them too.”

Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Kelly Johnson: The Butthole Surfers in the 80s for one. That would probably frightening and life-threatening. The Kings of Leon so I could talk with their fans each night and try to figure out why people think they are so amazing. I really don’t mind them, but people are like, crying at their shows and stuff! It’s bizarre to me! I’d also like to go along with Nirvana right after Nevermind came out. I have it on good faith we won’t get to experience that weird catapult to the spotlight, so it’d be interesting to me to watch a band experience that firsthand.

Reviewsic: Tell us about Fuzzy Dreams - is there a particular creative direction behind it? What was the process of making the album like for you?

Kelly Johnson: We didn’t set out to write an album exactly. These songs are a collection of the ones we feel represented us best when we started recording them last July. That being said, I think we all thought with the songs in our repertoire we had a cohesive album that we could extract. Making the album was a completely happy time for us. The recording sessions went great and we holed ourselves up in a house in Rockford for a few weekends. We did most songs after only a few takes, and we got a chance to experiment with sounds and be creative. Along with playing live, that’s the most exciting and exhilirating feeling about playing music.

Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at the point of this new release as opposed to when you first began playing?

Kelly Johnson: Laughably better. Like any band, we were experimenting and stumbling at first with writing songs. I think Matt was coming from a different place and style of drumming, but over the past two years he’s morphed into a beast behind the drums. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as comfortable really letting go on the guitar with a drummer because it’s so easy to feed off of his energy. A lot of our ideas come together from jams, and I think that unspoken line of thinking and structuring spontaneous musical ideas has highlighted our attributes as a group. We have a clearer focus on what we want.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities/venues to play?

Kelly Johnson: We just got back from a tour in January where we played down south. We went through Little Rock, Arkansas at this place called Vino’s Brewpub. It wasn’t that well-attended, but all like 15 people in the audience were there to see music and crowded at the front of the stage. That’s alwaysencouraging. We also love playing Rockford, because we are all from there and have friends and family that come to hang out. We’ve played in Wichita a couple of times with our pals in polarOPPOSITEbear. This last time we played at this place there called Rock Island Live and that was a lot of fun. Anywhere where kids come out that you don’t expect them to, really.

Reviewsic: What is your best and worst band moment thus far?

Kelly Johnson: I think finishing Fuzzy Dreams has been our crowning benchmark at this point. Luckily we haven’t had many worsts, and the ones that are bad are now funny. We played a place in Cincinnati, Ohio called the Blue Rock Tavern? I think? Maybe Google would know. Probably. Anyhoo, we got there and the bar was deserted save a couple obvious regulars and some dog running around. And two kids watching cartoons on a tv. polarOPPOSITEbear came with us and we played first, primarily to all of them.
Then the second band came on and played for an hour plus. They brought a few buddies, all obviously drunk. The drunk and shirtless guitar player was almost-too-stereotypically puffing out his chest and throwing out “faggots” all over. Matt Wiseman, singer of pOb, was polite enough to stand and watch them in the front for most of the set. At one point he yawned, and the guitar player started yelling at him. “You come to my fucking show and yawn?” calling him out and what not. Then the next band played for about an hour and there was no time for polarOPPOSITEbear to play. They sent us away with, I think, 10 dollars to split between us.

Reviewsic: If Hollywood were to make a biopic about your band, who would be cast as each of you?

Kelly Johnson: They would reanimate John Candy’s corpse and clone him twice. At least that’s what I would want. Except Ben. He would be reanimated Billy Mays.

Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?

Kelly Johnson: We have plans to keep writing and start work on that next EP. Hopefully we will get to work on a new album as well, and start recording that in mid-year. It’d be really nice to have a new album each year, and we’ve hit a groove lately where I think we can feasibly do it. I REALLY don’t want to be one of those bands that records like, an album every 4 years. We also plan on updating our blog at some point this year. And mailing handsome photos of ourselve to Daft Punk. Like, with formal wear and nice lighting.

Spring has undoubtedly sprung, and new music is blooming in Chicago.Check out the number of release shows happening in our fair city this weekend, as well as the great local talent, touring acts, and even a Burlesque Gala- oh, the options!

Friday, April 30th

Kid, You’ll Move Mountains
Geronimo! (Record Release)
polarOPPOSITEbear
Inspector Owl
Schubas
Show at 9pm 18+ $8

THE NIGHTWATCHMAN
THE RUST BELT RAMBLERS
BUCKY HALKER
Bottom Lounge
Show at 8pm 17+ $16

The Slow Death
Altar Eagle
Burning Luck
The Revision Plan
The Burbs
Ronny’s
Show at 7pm All Ages

Los Campesinos!
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Metro
Show at 7pm All Ages $18 Adv/$20 at the door

Porcupine Tree
Bigelf
Riveiera Theatre
Show at 7:30 All Ages $32

The Game
Rockbox
Show at 9pm 21+

The Apples In Stereo
Generationals
Laminated Cat
Lincoln Hall
Show at 10pm 18+ $14

Strippers Holiday:
A Benefit Gala For
The Burlesque Hall of Fame
Subterranean
Show at 9:30 21+ $20

Saturday, May 1st

Elsinore
Rego
Dozens
Schubas
Show at 10pm 18+ $10

Jigsaw Motorcade
Rabak
The Schiavos
ST. Vitus Dance
Rockbox
Show at 9pm 21+

All Leather
Paper Mice
Valis
Ronny’s
Show at 7pm All Ages

Madine Lake
The Classic Crime
Ivoryline
The Lifeline
Bottom Lounge
Show at 5pm All Ages $15

Get Up With The Get Downs - a tribute to Jame Brown
Afro Zep
Bottom Lounge
Show at 9pm 21+ $10

Skyler
Midnight Conspiracy
Kid Color & Brookah
DJ Alex Zelenka
DJ Hector Pacheco
Subterranean
Show at 9:30 17+ $5 adv/$7 at the door

Snowsera
The Moves
My Alumni
Par Avion
Metro
Show at 6:30 All Ages $9

Quasi
Let’s Wrestle
Lincoln Hall
Show at 10pm 21+ $10 adv/$12 at the door

Sunday, May 2nd

The Lonesome Organist
Barbez
Black Bear Combo
Schubas
Show at 8pm 21+ $10 adv/$12 at the door

Mathletes
Universe
Artists Vs. Athletes
Sunset and Camden
Subterranean
Show at 8pm 17+ $8

Chicago Roots Collective Presents…
All Things Lucid (Record Release)
The Shams Band
Ornery Little Darlings (Record Release)
Jaime Rojo
Lincoln Hall
Show at 8pm 18+ $7

CHASE LONG BEACH
BAMBIRAPTOR
THE TAKEOUTS
STILL ALIVE
Ronny’s
Show at 6pm All Ages

Spanning through May 4th, Tiny Engines and 10 Independent Music Blogs (ourselves included) will be giving away every song from the upcoming Self-Titled 12″ LP from Philadelphia’s Everyone Everywhere. Aptly dubbed the”Everyone Everywhere MP3 Blog Tour,“ the concept is simple: ten amazing blogs giving away ten amazing songs over the course of two weeks.

If you missed the tours kickoff (It all started with Built On A Weak Spot last Monday, April 19th) you have the chance to back track and follow the tour the way you should have from the start, but be warned- after the albums official release on May 4th, all hopes for a free album will be lost.

However, fear not music fans! The album will be made wholly available to you via Tiny Engines, and if you like nice vinyl, you can go ahead and order the full-length from the label right now.

Tomorrow will be the last stop on this free tunes train, with the fine people at Clicky Clicky, so be sure to pay them a visit.

Click Here For Today’s Tour Track:
(Right Click->Save As)

I Feel Fine- Everyone Everywhere

Chicago bred band Kid, You’ll Move Mountains have been making waves since their 2009 release, Loomings, which has definitely been the “Little Indie Album That Could”, coming out of its debut with winning titles such as ‘The Best Chicago Release of 2009’ from the RedEye, and falling in line among ‘Best of 2009’ lists left and right. It was also reviewed and adored by Reviewsic’s very own Sam Gordon, whose thoughts you can read here.

The next move for the band includes working on a second album, with plans to record over the summer, as well as playing local shows leading up to their headlining spot at one of Milwaukee Summerfest’s side stages. You can also catch Kid, You’ll Move Mountains on the Discovery Channel’s new program, “The Last Adventure” which will begin airing this summer. Featuring hosts David DiVona and Jan van der Baan III, the two check out the best of America’s cities with the accompaniment of a local music talent. “We were approached by the channel and it turns out we’re the only unsigned, independent band to be featured, so that’s really exciting and humbling.” (Jim Hanke) The band recently filmed their episode for the program around Chicago, ending the night with a performance at Lincoln Hall.

More immediately, however, fans can look forward to seeing Kid, You’ll Move Mountains at Schubas
this Friday, April 30^th, as they help their friends in fellow Chicago band, Geronimo, celebrate the release of the trio’s sophomore album, Fuzzy Dreams.

Front man Jim Hanke and drummer Nate Lanthrum were kind enough to take a moment out of all the band’s music-making hubbub to once again answer a few questions with Sam Gordon, divulging details on their favorite venues, best band moment, and just who would be cast in a Kid, You’ll Move Mountains biopic.

Reviewsic: Can you give us a quick recap of what KYMM has been up to lately?

Jim Hanke (vocals/guitar) We’ve had a pretty weird string of good luck lately, for a band that, in my mind, doesn’t stay that busy. We got to headline the Metro in Chicago for the second time, which is such an overwhelming opportunity to a music nerd like myself. I still can’t fathom how or why we get to be on that stage multiple times. The last show we did there in January, we got to pick our own openers, which was really great and something I always thought “big bands” got to do, so we were lucky to have our friends Crayolala, Venna and Picture Books by our sides on that bill. Right now, we’re just writing lots of new songs that I think we’re all super happy with. We have about six or so in the hopper, so that’s pretty much half an album or more. We’re really happy with Loomings, but we’ve been playing some of those songs since we started in 2006, so it’s exciting to play brand new stuff, even if people are just now stumbling upon us.

Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

JH - Sheesh, what a question. I think just answering for me, because I know everyone else would have different ones, I’d start with Otis Redding, in Europe circa 1966-67. You watch some of that footage on PBS or online and you’re just blown away by the tightness of his band and his energy. “Try A Little Tenderness” or “Can’t Turn You Loose” are great singles, but I think they reach another level when you watch them being performed. My wife and I visited the Stax Museum in Memphis last year and they have an entire room dedicated to Otis and his band. They even have the actual telegrams that the record label received from all over the world when Otis’ plane went down in Madison. It’s chilling but amazing to see that kind of effect that someone’s music can have on people. I’m also going to say Pearl Jam because in high school, they were the biggest band in the world but also played by their own rules, as cliche as that sounds. Almost 20 years into their career, they could make a ton more money bringing someone like Nickelback or another big name, FM rock band on tour with them, but they don’t. They bring bands that they actually love. They took the Ramones, Sleater-Kinney or Ted Leo on the road and they also served as the opening act for Tom Petty one year. And they’d always find a way to bring certain openers back on stage with them during the set, so it just seemed like a very friendly atmosphere. I love seeing shows like that, even if it’s less intimate, in front of 40,000 people. And just because I think touring with a comedian would be cool, I’d say Patton Oswalt or Todd Barry. They’re two of my favorites and, you know, don’t have light shows that take hours to set up.

Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?

JH: I think Bruce Springsteen once said that when he first started making records, he wanted to sound like Elvis, write like Bob Dylan and sing like Roy Orbison and obviously those are, or should be, major influences for anyone. My parents always made sure Orbison or Patsy Cline were on Sunday mornings on the record player when I was growing up. But to answer this like Bruce did, I’ll say that I’d like to play like the Dismemberment Plan, write like John Samson of the Weakerthans and sing like Elvis Costello.

Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?

JH: Everything. I can barely play guitar as it is, so I’d love to be able to play everything else, and play it way better than I play guitar.

Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?

JH: Three songs that have been on repeat lately for me are “I And Love And You” (The Avett Brothers), “The Preacher” (Brother Ali) and “Happy Accident” (Bright Eyes).

Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?

JH: I’d love to work on an album with J. Robbins producing. I think people around my age grew up with such amazing, genre-defining records by Shiner, Mock Orange, Braid, the Promise Ring, etc. that he helped helm. I’d love to see what he’d do with whatever our sound is.

Reviewsic: Who was the first band/musician you saw live?
JH: The first concert I remember is my parents taking me a long to see the Judds. The first concert though I saw on my own without parental supervision was Aerosmith. Both were at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee.

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

JH: I’d have to put Venna near the top, because they’re astounding musicians and were kind enough to play my wife and I’s wedding, even learning some covers we asked them to play. Geronimo! is such a powerful band for a trio. I’m blown away each time I see them. And I know Wilco is beyond local, but they’re from Chicago, so they count.

Reviewsic: What’s the backstory on how KYMM came to be what it is today?

Nate Lanthrum (drums): Well, after Andrew and I stopped touring in other projects around 2005, we both fell into a deep deep depression. We couldn’t stand being in the United States of America any longer, so we found work with a team of sherpas in the Himalayan mountains. For years, we made seasonal trade trips to Tibet via the glacial pass of Nangpa, bartering grains we had harvested from the lowlands of Nepal for salt and wool. Eventually, however, the siren song of American independent pop music called us back to the Midwest. We triumphantly returned to the states, where our sole purpose became forming a new musical organization. I quickly found a bride (Nina Jones) and made her our keyboard player. Andrew began working in a homeless veterans shelter, where a severely unstable and moderatley incontinent Jim Hanke had been staying for 3 years, claiming he was the ghost of Stonewall Jackson. Stonewall was immediately interested in the project, and we began meeting for regular practice sessions in the basement of our home. Corey (Wills, guitar) had already been living in the practice space for some time, so to avoid conflict we had him initially run our laser light show in the basement. he was subsequently promoted to ‘guitar player, level one’ and has been making progress ever since.

Reviewsic: It’s been just a few months past a year since Loomings came out, so tell us: How has the response been? Anything you could go back and change about the record? And is new music in the cards for you anytime soon?

NL: The response has been great - loads of good press and great shows as a result of the strength of the record. I don’t think I would really change anything about it. We took our time on it, that’s for sure. It was a learning experience in how we write songs, and I think it’s given us the ability to follow up with a strong second album and have people already paying attention.

Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as a musician at this point, as opposed to when you first began playing?

NL: Well, it seems like Andrew and I have had total protonic reversal from the time we started playing until now. Andrew started out sorta chubby, introverted, really into Primus, and not really interested in anything but straight grooves. I, however, feel like i came out of the gates at the top of my game. strong beats, creative poly-rhythms, super in-shape and ready to play powerful drums for hours on end. Nowadays, I find myself a little on the fat side, really out of breath just from going downstairs to practice, listening to Stone Temple Pilots, and playing in the pocket all the time. Andrew, however, has shed some extra pounds and elevated his abilities into the “superhuman” category, making melodies on his bass guitar that Yngwie Malmsteen could have only dreamt of, had he been dreaming of bass guitar instead of regular guitar.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite venues and/or cities to play?

NL: Just going off experiences in this band alone, we haven’t done all that much travelling outside of the midwest. We always like to play DeKalb, IL - especially since some of our friends who we’ve come up in the music scene with are now booking the shows out there. It’s a collaborative effort to continue to promote and support local music. Chicago has also been great to us - playing places like Metro is always amazing… they have such an incredibly supportive and professional staff, second to none. Having traveled the country in other bands though, I have to say that it’s a big amazing place out there and every part of the country holds fair to moderately good memories for me.

Reviewsic: What are the best and worst music moments so far in your career?

NL: Well, having to be a sherpa for a few years was sort of shitty, but I think we came out clean on the other side of that deal. We joined a talented group of folks together for a fun new project, and it’s been great. Honestly, it’s wonderful to see your friends and family out at shows all the time… nothing could be better than feeling the support of your loved ones in the audience. but when you start playing places and people you don’t know start coming to see you, it’s a whole other ball game. Simple stuff like that gets overlooked; that total strangers have somehow found your music appealing enough to spend an evening with you.

Reviewsic: How did you each get your start in music?

NL: Nina is a classically trained pianist, stuck banging out four-note chord progressions on infinite repeat with us. She’s been playing forever, and is also a piano teacher out here in the suburbs. The only true talent in the band, and rapidly becoming the only physically attractive member as well.

Corey and Andrew are in hot pursuit, however, each actually knowing how to identify notes and chords on their respective instruments. Andrew and Corey are responsible for the sonic development in each of our songs, turning boring into pretty and interesting. They’ve been playing for years, grinding it out in various bands. Jim keeps saying he’s been playing the jugs and pans since the Battle of Bull Run, but i have no idea what the hell he’s talking about. Through his mental illness comes fantastic lyrics though, and let’s not forget that. As for me, apparently i was doing paradiddles in the womb. It’s a wonder, and quite a shame actually, that I’ve never attempted to master my instrument in the subsequent 30 years.

Reviewsic: If Hollywood made a biopic of KYMM, who would you cast as each band member?

NL: Andrew would be played by Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. Early Nate Lanthrum would be played by that old guy from “Blue’s Clues,” but later-years Nate would be played by that fat guy from “Teen Wolf.” Corey Wills would be played by “Seinfeld”‘s Jason Alexander. Nina would be played by Star Jones and Jim Hanke would be played by Bert Lahr.

Reviewsic: What are your plans for music in the next year?

NL: We’re in the process of writing a new record, getting Jim’s VA benifits from 1863 to come through, and booking a few scattered shows here and there. We get to headline a side-stage at this year’s Summerfest in Milwaukee, and will probably book a few local shows after that to test run our new material. We fire up the recording studio mid-summer, and BOOM! - make a million bucks. That’s the plan anyway, we’ll keep you all posted.

Bursting with dancey rhythms and hooky keys, not to mention infectious choruses and soaring builds, Indie-pop rock band Inspector Owl have been a boppy addition to the Chicago music scene for a few years, last gracing fan’s with their album Life Finds a Way in 2007.

More recently the band has been working on a new album, juggling the demands of adult life while staying true to their music roots. In a style at times not far off from bands like Motion City Soundtrack, Arcade Fire, and Modest Mouse, Inspector Owl delivers a pop infused and slightly theatric sound full of broad fills, classical instruments, and synth overlays.

Though they’ve undergone a number of line up changes and progressions, years after their inception the group still has the same knack for creating catchy tracks and dancey beats, which Chicagoans can experience live this Friday, April 30^th at Schubas. The band will be taking part in the CD release show for fellow Chicago band and friends, Geronimo! whose new album, Fuzzy Dreams, will be making it’s debut.

Singer and guitarist Corey Wills sat down with Reviewsic’s Sam Gordon to about the new album, the best moments thus far for the new Inspector Owl lineup, and how the band’s sound has progressed.

Reviewsic: How did Inspector Owl come to be what it is today?
Corey Wills: The band started out as myself, my friend Victory and we had been in a band together before, but not with people who wanted to do it as much as we did, so we were like, “Let’s try to find a way to do it as a two piece.” So it was just us and a lap top for the first six months of the band. We did that, played house shows in DeKalb, and managed to build a small following. We asked one of our friends who had played with us before if they wanted to play again, that was Jesse, and he still plays drums. From there its just been adding people and seeing where it goes, with Jesse and I being the two real constants. Victory left, and Jason, our current bass player quit once and came back so our second bass player is also our fourth bass player. Basically up until a year and a half ago we were a five-piece, but a few people moved on to other projects, so there was some rearranging. After that it was this change over the course of about 3 months, going from a band with one guitar and a violin to three guitars and a bunch of classical instruments.

Reviewsic: What have you been up to more recently?
Corey Wills: We have basically just been working on our new record. I don’t know when it’s going to come out, but this month we’re going to have a new song up online, just to let everyone know we’re still alive. We spent about a year writing songs, got nine ready, and Jesse, our drummer, and his wife got pregnant, and our goal was to have drums tracked before the baby came. While we’ve been waiting for them to adjust having a baby we tracked the other stuff, and now we’re just starting to get back to having regular practices.

Reviewsic: How do you think your sound has progressed since you began playing as Inspector Owl?
Corey Wills: When we started out it was a lot of synthesizers, a lot of computer. Gradually as we kept adding members we began to have more and more sounds, and I think it kind of got a little overwhelming towards the end of the last batch of songs. So we started to cut back the sequencing from the computer and let the actual instrument parts take more of a role. We were working with a click track, which in some ways was really nice, but in others kind of limiting because we couldn’t do any quick tempo changes or things like that. When we decided to kind of rebuild we knew we wanted to do something where we could actually make all the sounds from the record. It’s definitely a different sound, and we’re still trying to figure out where everything belongs with the line up changes and exactly what that different sound is going to mean. Some songs are a little darker, less dancey, but there also still are a lot of dancey songs- we tend to write things that are innately more upbeat.

Reviewsic: What would you say your musical influences are as a band?
Corey Wills: As a collective whole? Hm. I know that all of us like Radiohead, which is probably one of the bigger influences. White Rabbits are a recent band that we all have kind of latched on to, especially their most recent record that Britt Daniel from Spoon produced. And one of the interesting things about Spoon is that they’re able to scrape away sound and make it really simple. It’s the kind of thing that when a certain part comes in, you can hear it and know that you’re hearing it for a reason. Which is definitely something we want to do, but its hard with there being five of us that all want to play. We would like to get closer to something a little more minimal though. My Morning Jacket is probably one too. It’s tough though, because like anyone, we all listen to similar stuff but we also listen to a lot of different stuff.

Reviewsic: What about you? What are your personal music influences?
Corey Wills: Well, I have to say Radiohead again. Nine Inch Nails, which is weird, but that’s what got me into synthesizers, and I still love Nine Inch Nails. Also, I like a lot of Brit-Rock, so the Cure, The Smiths, there’s a band called Mystery Jets, that I love and they do a lot of really cool stuff with guitar and keyboards.

Reviewsic: If you were to book a “dream tour” who are a few bands that would be sharing the bill with you, and why?
Corey Wills: Interesting question. Hm. Troubled Hubble back when they were still a band, they were really good friends of ours and kind of helped us out when we were starting. They’re really awesome dudes and put us on a ton of great shows with them. I would definitely do a friends tour. As awesome as it’d be to be like, “Yeah I’m going to tour with Radiohead.” I think that doing a super tour with some of my friend’s bands, like Via Audio, who are a fantastic band and super nice people, would be the best. Maybe bring Skybox too, who are also awesome guys, though I don’t know a lot of their new members very well. They’re still a great band.

Reviewsic: Tell us about the writing process behind Inspector Owl.
Corey Wills: I think the writing process is somewhat straight forward, where I tend to write most of the songs, or at least come up with ¾ of the song and take it to the band. Maybe I won’t know the bridges or not be sure how the verse is going to go, but I’ll have the chords and a general idea. Then we kind of sit down and figure out, “Okay this should be this long, chorus this long” and come up with the different arrangements. Lately its been going quickly, and I think that just has to do with the new line up. Everyone who has every played in Inspector Owl has been amazing to work with, but with this set up we have now we all are just working really well together and easily bouncing ideas around.

Reviewsic: What would you say the most memorable show you have played has been?
Corey Wills: With the current line up it would probably either be our first show as this group, which was a show at Schubas about a year ago that Betta Promotions put on, where we opened for Big Science and it sold out. So we openers but the room was still packed, and it was reaffirming to go out there with this new line up and so many changes in our band, and see people out there actually listening.
We played another show, which was actually at one of the place places that really got us to actually play for people. Lawrence University in Appleton, WI- they’ve had us come out to play a lot of times, and they asked us to come out for the beginning of the school year for this festival which we were like, “Okay we’ll do it because it will be a lot of fun.” But we needed to figure out how to play old songs with the new line up and to finish up new songs first, so that was kind of a scramble. But playing in Appleton is always a blast, and it was absolutely surreal to play that festival because the kids were just so great and had so much fun.

Reviewsic: What about the worst band moment so far?
Corey Wills: We used to have a lot of problems when we first started because we had this old laptop that would crash and freeze in the middle of shows, it was bad. There was one show that we played that was just Victory and me at the time, and the laptop froze in the middle of the song and would not come out of it. It was in the basement of a house in DeKalb, and what we didn’t realize when we signed up for the show was that it was a nitrous party, so half these people were on drugs and this kid kept asking us to play Mother by Danzig and it was just really weird.
Another one was our first show in New York City, at Pianos, and I got sick while on tour. I managed to get through the show, but I had lost my voice that day and the guy who put out our record was there and I just couldn’t sing. I just remember thinking, “This is terrible.”

Reviewsic: If you could to collaborate with any one in the music business, who would work with?
Corey Wills: I would love to work with Nigel Godrich, who does most of the Radiohead stuff. He always does really good things and the production on the record is always really great. From what I have heard he always gives really constructive criticism, like he’ll tell you when something is not right or not good, and push you to be better. It’d be awesome to work with someone who isn’t afraid to make us a better band. Honestly though, I really like working with friends on music and there’s a really good community of musicians in Chicago. My band mates in Inspector Owl and my band mates in Kid, You’ll Move Mountains included. There’s a really great band called Picture Books, that my friend Josh plays in and he’s actually mixing the songs for Inspector Owl and mixed for Kid, You’ll Move Mountains. He’s been really great to work with in an advisory role, because I’ve been doing a lot of the recording but I know I can call him to ask, “Hey what do you think of this.” And he’ll be honest and tell me, “No, you can do better.”

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite local bands?
Corey Wills: Picture Books by far are probably my favorite local band right now. Geronimo! Who has a new record coming out at the end of the month, are really good. If you like kind of sludgy 90’s indie stuff, the new stuff is really great. Another really awesome band is Ghastly Menace- its two guys that used to be in a band called, They Found Me They Named Me, and its really good- just very sparse arrangements with guitar, a keyboard, and drums. For a new band its really, really good. I definitely think good things are going to come from them.

Reviewsic: What were some of your favorite bands growing up?
Corey Wills: From the time I was really little until I was in about 6^th grade, I essentially only listened to the Beach Boys and The Beatles. Then I heard Weezer on the radio, and I was like, “What the hell is this?” And hearing that loud guitar and distortion was a big change for me. The Foo Fighters were probably one of the first bands I was really in love with. My Dad loves them a lot too, actually haha. Also, Nine Inch Nails, and of course, Oingo Boingo who are one of my favorite bands.

Reviewsic: If Inspector Owl were to put out an album of strictly cover songs, what are three songs that you’d have to have on it?
Corey Wills: Common People by Pulp would be one that I really wanted to do- its hard to answer this without the rest of the band because I know they’d be like, “Why would you say that!” but I’ll still go ahead and said, Common People, Blizzard of 77’ by Nada Surf, and probably something by Weezer. I’d love to do Only in Dreams.

Reviewsic: Is there a particular story behind your name?
Corey Wills: When we started the band we were just called IO and after a couple of weeks we discovered that IO was the name of about four other bands. So we decided we needed a new name. Victory and I were in battle mode for a few weeks and just couldn’t come to a consensus, so we thought, “Okay, well maybe IO can just stand for something.” But we still failed to come to any kind of agreement, so we decided to make it a contest and put it up on our website that we were taking submissions, and whichever one we liked we’d make it our name and take the winner out to lunch. We got a lot of submissions…mostly from friends because I think we only had about 10 fans, but the one we ended up liking the most was Inspector Owl.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite venues to play?
Corey Wills: In Chicago I like Schubas, Empty Bottle, and Metro. One of the weird things I do when I’m booking is book around food, because I really like going places that have that great food too. I will play Schubas anytime, just for the chance to ear their Mac n’ Cheese. Metro doesn’t have food, but it’s the Metro, so it’s pretty awesome in itself.

Reviewsic: This time next year, where would you like to see Inspector Owl?
Corey Wills: Ideally I’d love for us to be able to quit our jobs and make music for a living. I think we’d all love to be able to live off of it, but at the same time we’re incredibly happy to just be doing what we do now. We just like to play music, so I’d say as long as we’re still a band, still playing music, we will be happy.

Sometimes as midweek rolls around we all start to see that cup as more half empty than full. While Wednesday really is all that much closer to Friday, it can be hard when you realize there are STILL two more working days before the weekend. So in honor of that feeling of “Ugh, Do I really have to drag myself out of bed?” we bring you 5 songs to bring the pep back into your step, or at least let you know you’re not the only one dragging your heels.

Big Picture- The Locals, Big Picture

Presents- Via Audio, Say Something

We Mean Big- Animal Names, Let It Been

A Headache- Stegosaur, Adventure

Tunnelvision- Here We Go Magic, Here We Go Magic

Making a gallant return after their 2007 full-length debut, Say Something, Brooklyn indie-pop performers Via Audio bring you Animalore. Once again teaming up with Jim Eno for the newest effort, the
quartet released the twelve songs in March, and have since then been playing out in promotion for the new record. “We plan on touring till our faces bleed.” (Via Audio)

The pace of Animalore is little hot and cold, staggering softer, echoing tracks with ones of a high tempo, more splashy style. The strengths of this newest offering from Via Audio lie in songs that showcase front woman Jessica Martins sultry side, like opening track, “Hello” which features smoky vocals, jazzy fills, and soft harmonies crossing the bridge of sensual bass and electric contributions. “Tigers” revisits this use of Martins voice, but adds in a little synth pop and soulfulness to the mix. “Oh Blah Wee” uses the same whispering quality, this time coupling it with an oaky acoustic and western tempo, which, while pleasant to listen to, isn’t much more than just “nice”.

“Nice” is a quality a number of these tracks have. The kind that are pleasant listening, but don’t demand much of your attention- music that easily becomes wallpaper. It seems the band and Eno pushed for some more grabbing songs with efforts like “Babies” and “Goldrush”, but these also come off as something slightly shrug worthy. The clubby vibe of “Babies” and cartoonish bloops of “Goldrush” are perfectly fine as long as the listener doesn’t over think what they’re hearing. Many an aficionado will probably scoff, but we say sometimes a song isn’t meant to be epically analyzed for musical merit, and can just be enjoyed for how it sounds on the surface.

With that said, the two aforementioned tracks, along with “Lizard Song” deliver a lighthearted, humorous, and all around good time that, while a little contrasting with the more jazzy songs of Animalore, are genuinely fun to listen to. We will say that the electro “Digital” failed to amuse us, despite having previously enjoyed seeing the band perform this song live. Without the ironic smirks and bouncing bodies of Via Audio to accompany it, “Digital” comes across as contrite, overly snarky, and out of place with the rest of the album.

Further highlights of the album include the bands divergence into surf-rock with the beach-y wah-ing of “Wanted”, as well as the bands easy give and take sound in “Happening”, which is a display of indie pop production at its finest. We doubt there is anyone who could be a naysayer about this track’s swelling builds, bouncy bass, and starry electric.

To sum it up: Fans of the previous Via Audio release, Say Something may find themselves walking away empty handed if they come to Animalore expecting the same earnest folk-pop glaze of the bands debut. However, their newest work does take a chance on experimentation, dipping their pen into the ink of various styles, and that risk taking alone deserves a little nod. We’ve gotten the chance to experience Animalore live, and yes, the band does own it, make it a good time, and keep their audience on board with hardly any trouble at all, so we’ll go ahead and say that marks this sophomore release with some success, even if it does fall a little flat in its physical form.

Via Audio’s David Lizmi was kind enough to talk with Reviewsic from the road, emailing us the nitty gritty about the new album, their favorite local bands, and how they feel they’ve grown as musicians.

Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

David Lizmi: The Beatles: just being near them I would participate in musical history and not to mention their musical powers and…. it’s the Beatles. The Clash, their raw power and energy is infectious and we can learn a thing or two about balls to the wall energy. Prefab Sprout, maybe they can explain to me what their lyrics mean

Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?

David Lizmi: My 2 top 3 influences throughout my life have been: Stevie Wonder and the Motown sound, My friends and musical community

Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?

David Lizmi: When I own a farm and live far away from civilization, I am gonna learn how to play the bagpipes.

Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?
David Lizmi: Twin Sister, Midlake, Porter Wagner

Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?

David Lizmi: Tie between Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, They are so innovative and think out of the box. I can learn so much invaluable lessons from them.

Reviewsic: Who was the first band/musician you saw live?

David Lizmi: Blues Travelers. Horde Fest

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

David Lizmi: Josh Mease, Clare and the Reasons, The Prigs

Reviewsic: What’s the backstory on how the band came to be what it is?

David Lizmi: Like minded musicians that kept growing and maturing over the course of 7 years. You learn each other’s strengths and exploit them for the good.

Reviewsic: Tell us about Animalore- is there a particular concept behind it? What was the process of making the album like?

David Lizmi: We wanted to make a cohesive record with not very cohesive songs with a wonderful producer Jim Eno. We all feel we accomplished that goal. The process was a very collaborative effort arranging and discovering the best sounds and vibes that suited the particular song. It was a 45 day process.

Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at the point of this new release as opposed to when you first began playing together?

David Lizmi: Our taste, musicianship and experience has matured over the years. We have dipped into influences before this decade moreso than the last.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities to play?

David Lizmi: Chicago, Brooklyn, St. Louis, Kansas City have been good to us.

Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career? How about your most memorable show to date?

David Lizmi: A very memorable moment was playing a show with Spoon in Japan or playing at Red Rocks in Colorado. One of the bands worst moments was driving 8 hours to Ypsilanti, MI to play for one dude in a sleazy biker bar.

Reviewsic: Individually, how did you get your starts in music?

David Lizmi: I started becoming obsessed 24/7 listening to music when I was in Middle School. That burning love never stopped. I started playing out with a few mentors who would let me sit in on their gigs. I was gigging ever since I started playing and have always surrounded myself with a great musical community.

Reviewsic: What are three words you’d use to describe your music to someone who’s never heard it?

David Lizmi: Melodic Indie Pop

Reviewsic: What are three things that go into your “tour survival kit”?

David Lizmi: Duck Tape, GPS and a great sleeping bag

Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year? Any specific goals you’d like to achieve?

David Lizmi: Tour until all the people that might enjoy our music get a chance to see us or enjoy us. Do support tours with bands that we love and play the World!

Having our own history working in big box record stores, we know that Tuesday’s tend to be big release days in the entertainment world. In light of it being a Tuesday,(and honestly, what else do Tuesday’s really offer?) we bring you this installment of our ‘List of 5′ series:

5 New Albums Out This Week

(Click any of the album covers to check out more information.)

From the misty woodland of the Mendocino Coast comes Emily Jane White, an old soul raised in the small town spirit of Fort Bragg, California. Now working out of San Francisco and Oakland, CA, White still pulls from her slow paced roots in the minimalist and slightly melancholy melodies presented in her second full-length, Victorian America, which will be making its debut through Milan Records tomorrow, April 27^th.

Poetically weaving pensive tales of loss in its twelve tracks, Victorian America is a beautifully full-bodied follow-up to White’s earlier album, Dark Undercoat. Implementing a rich palette of orchestration, prose, and haunting vocals, Victorian America, still manages to come across with a nearly effortless ethereal quality.

The barely there guitar of “Ravens” and gentle strumming of “A Shot Rang Out” allow the singer/songwriter’s voice to carry the tracks, while the steady build of violins, drums, and pedal steel lead “Liza” in a style akin to Arcade Fire and Laura Veirs. The string supported title track “Victorian America” brings a gentle, whispery croon coupled with high harmonies and gentle cymbal rolls to a chorus we later discovered to be etched in our minds.

“Stairs” takes on a smoky, southern feel, with its tempered bass drum and pedal steel accompaniment, feeling like something you might hear sung in the deep corners of a mid-20^th century Louisiana bayou. Stepping away from the ghostly, sonorous sound of Victorian America’s other tracks is “Red Dress” inwhich White sings out in a sultry voice coinciding with eerily disjointed sounds from the organ and electric guitar, giving the song a jagged feeling of trouble on the horizon.

“Ghost of a Horse” is the perfect end to this sophomore release, full of soft swells, harmonious strings, and spectral singing above the tinkling of chimes. There’s an extremely bucolic quality to Emily Jane White’s serene singing that’s sure to captivate new listeners of the musician upon their first listen. Thrice nominated for the SF Weekly Music Award, Victorian America hits all the right notes for what could have been expected of Emily Jane White. Old and new fans alike will thoroughly enjoy the West Coast musician’s new release, and can look forward to getting lost in the rich layers this ambrosial album offers.