Talking Shop with Chicago’s Voice of Addiction

With feet firmly planted on the side of punk and a thumb on the pulse of Chicago’s music scene, locals Voice of Addiction are a band formed out of friendship and held together by hard DIY work. Though initially a two-piece, the band added a third man in 2009, and with that new addition on drums, went on to play roughly 100 shows. Now in 2010 the trio has just as vigorous a tour schedule planned, preferring to be on the road doing what the do best.

Throaty, bass-y, and aggressive are commonly used adjectives when describing the world of punk, but Voice of Addiction manages to those descriptions their own. Taking Tiger Army-esque vocals and pairing them with a Fugazi like drone on guitar, the threesome are pleasing punk fans all across the Windy City.
Most punk rock tries to be politically active and support the DIY movement, but Voice of Addiction does one better. Every last Saturday of the month the band hosts a free punk rock night at Chicago’s Mutiny. “We are doing this as a way to get bands locally, regionally and national a room and a crowd to break into the Chicago market. We have run these on a completely grassroots level and hope to expand to more night of the month in the future” (Ian, Voice of Addiction)

The band is also in the midst of recording their fourth album, Reduce, Reuse, Resist, with a release still to be determined. In the meantime however, fans and curious newcomers alike can catch the band at a number of upcoming shows, including one of the aforementioned free punk nights at the Mutiny on June 26^th

Voice of Addiction front man Ian answered some questions for us via email recently, kindly talking shop with us about the band’s humble beginnings, his biggest influences, and what we can expect from the trio in the future.

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

Ian: Two best friends that met back in middle school in northeast Ohio and have been playing music together over half our lives. Both Jeff and I moved to Chicago 8 plus years ago, to go to music school. Voice Of Addiction eventually came out of the many jam sessions we had in our house with drummer Rob Mann. Consistently a part of the Chicago scene for six plus years, V.o.A. has also toured to the Rockies, throughout the Midwest, up and down the east coast, and Eastern Canada.

Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?

Ian: Old school punk rock, indigenous folk music from around the world, all forms of rock n’ roll non-pop oriented

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

Ian: Oh I wish I could play them all! If only I had the time. I ahve always focused on different types of string instruments (guitar, bass, orchestral, piano) so It would be cool to learn a wind instrument since I have never done that.

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

Ian: That would of been heading back to Chicago with the boys,. Lets see it finished with Velvet Underground, and then it was Youth Brigade Before, Old Crow Medicine Show.

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

Ian: Ian Mackaye. Musically I always loved all his projects. Minor Threat and Fugazi were some of the more played albums from when I was young. He has never been afraid to push boundaries, and change what people expect. But just as much for the non-music side of things. He has managed all these bands and a record label completely DIY, and is very active in the scene. A true motivator, I can only aspire to reach that.

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

Ian: It Was Nine Inch Nails back in my hometown of Cleveland. Trent is from the area so this was a kick off show. One thing I distinctly remember was he destroyed seven keyboards that show.

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

Ian: She Likes Todd, Shot Baker, Nothing To Gain.

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

Ian: Holy tough question…Bad Religion, for one they totally kick ass and have forever, also because I would love to pick Greg’s brain.

Bouncing Souls, they seem to constantly get put on the tour van, and we can’t help but sing a long.

Cobra Skulls, doing some really cool shit these last few years, excited to see where they go

Reviewsic: Tell us about your music- is there a particular concept/creative direction behind it? What drew you to this genre?

Ian: I grew up on punk rock in a literal sense. I have three older siblings who all listened to it so it came naturally. I would say the DIY ethic and punk rock attitude has lasted and thrived throughout my life. With Voice Of Addiction we also believe in there being a message behind our songs. If people are gonna listen to what I say I should have something better to talk about then cars, girls and such. I believe that everyone is addicted, to at least something. This goes beyond our favorites of sex, drugs and rock and roll. But also to high fructose corn syrup, tobacco, religion, oil, greed, perversion, etc. We want to put these things on the table for discussion, which are so often over-looked, and hope people will formulate there own answers and conclusions from this.

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

Ian: First of we are way better now! We have all since been formally trained. This has helped us to mold and push our boundaries. But through it all we keep the punk rock attitude. The biggest aspect is the music business side of things. There has been sooo much we have learned through trial and error.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities to play? Any on this tour you’re particularly excited to get to?

Ian: We really don’t ever stop touring, the most is maybe a week and a half to two weeks. I believe the busier we are the better, and the more people we can play in front of. Chicago is definitely one of my favorites for sure, such a great music city. Cleveland because 2/3rd of us are originally from there. Detroit because the gigs and the fans just keep supporting us here. Denver really respects the music, some great shows here.

Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?  Ian: The road is like a rollercoaster; it is full of ups and downs. The more and more we do this we learn to take the good days as well as bad. Whether its an impromptu show in Nebraska when a gig got cancelled, All the locals coming out in Colorado despite 18 inches from the blizzard, or donations on the streets of Toronto. It never amazes me how cool people are everywhere, especially when our luck is on the down swing. But the highs have been much more frequent lately and we hope to continue expanding our touring schedules.

Reviewsic: If you were to put out a record of strictly covers, what are a few we’d see in the track listing?

Ian: Well we do a musical costume set on Halloween. Last year we performed the whole Energy album from Operation Ivy, all 19 songs. Funny thing is a band last minute cancelled the one show, so we started the show off by opening for ourselves. This year we are going to become The Descendents. Other bands we have covered recently are Face to Face, and Suicide machines.

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

Ian: We are going to continue hitting the pavement each and every weekend and in between, hitting as many towns and kids we can on the way. We will also be finishing our new album and are planning an extensive tour to follow. Always keep an ear to the ground and a fist in the air. It’s never too late to start a revolution!

Tags: Free Show, Interview, Local Music, Music News, Upcoming Shows