Profile: Wild Skies

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Jessica Braun Gervais in Music, Profile Features and tagged Americana, band profile, Chicago, Chicago band, Chicago music, country, Far From Below, folk, folk music, Glory, GMan Tavern, I.V. Lab Studios, Mile of Music, Please Take Me Back, pop, profile, Rax Trax, Wild Skies.

The Midwest’s largest city may not seem like the ideal hotspot for up-and-coming folk bands but through the thicket of Chicago’s noise, Wild Skies is making an impression on the city’s local music scene. Just months ago, the four-piece band buckled down at I.V. Lab Studios with Chris Harden to record their debut full-length album Far From Below. It’s a compilation filled with rich folk instrumentation, lyrical hooks, catchy grooves and vocal harmonies; a creative step forward from the band’s 2015 self-titled EP.

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Q&A: Namorado

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Jessica Braun Gervais in Music, Q&As and tagged Chicago, Chicago artists, Chicago band, Chicago music, GMan Tavern, Headhunter, indie music, indie rock, listen live and local, live music, local music, music, Namorado, Nevada, New Music, q&a, rock, The Ars Nova.

If the four faces behind Chicago’s Namorado look familiar, you may have caught them onstage during their Urbana-Champaign college days as A Cool Hand. Although, now nearly two years into their new formation, the faces of lead guitarist/vocalist Mike Altergott, drummer Charlier McCarthy, guitarist/vocalist Jack Keating and bassist/vocalist Adam Howarter may be the only things to spark familiarity.

After moving to the city of Chicago, the four bandmates had a serious discussion about the evolution of their songs from standard indie rock to well-composed music built on guitar riffs and vocal harmonies. With a new EP in the works, set for release in early 2018, Altergott and Howarter gathered at their Avondale rehearsal space to share the ins and outs of their latest endeavors and what it’s like as a band maneuvering through the Chicago music scene.

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