Profile: The Flips

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Jessica Braun Gervais in Music, Profile Features and tagged A Harm Deep but Shinning, Annette Nowacki, band profile, Better Days, Chaos is a Color, Chicago, Chicago music, DIY music, DIY recording, Dustin Martin, Engines, I'm Okay, Lettering, live music, Mac Kelem, Mike Carlson, music videos, New Music, Nick Sintos, Pelafina, profile, punk, rock, Subterraean, The Flips, Troy Sennett, Weakened Friends.

The “ah-ha” moment: for a band, it’s a time when everything comes together. It’s when all the struggles from nights of pouring over lyrics, drafting guitar riffs and the countless auditions are all justified. For The Flips, that “ah-ha” was the reaction from their 2015 album Better Days, a raw record exploring the struggles of mental health, depression and suicide. The songs are darkly beautiful conversation starters, drawing audiences to connect with the band on personal levels.

Q&A: Sadie and the Stark

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Jessica Braun Gervais in Music, Q&As and tagged Beams, Chicago music, listen live and local, Little Yellow Dog, live music, local music, music, punk, q&a, Quenchers, rock, Sadie and the stark.

Vocalist Sadie Rogers, of Sadie and the Stark, admits the name and concept behind her experimental fantasy band may seem like a joke, but promises the music created by herself, guitarist John Tweedie, drummer Tom Stukel and bassist Anthony Johnson, is anything but. Their dedication to each others’ creative visions in their 2017 EP Ghosts proves commitment and seriousness. The songs may be full of sci-fi lyrics and mystical themes, but there’s an artistic energy within each melodic and instrumental line.

In preparation for their upcoming show on Sunday, July 16 at Quenchers Saloon, the foursome gathers in their rehearsal space to discuss new music, dream venues and live show expectations.

Live Review: Broken Cycles, Dig Engine, Tougher Than You Thought (6/15) @ Elbo Room

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Jessica Braun Gervais in Live Reviews, Music, Reviews and tagged alternative, Broken Cycles, Chicago, Chicago music, Dig Engine, Elbo Room, listen live and local, live review, lreview, mental, punk, rock, Tougher Than You Thought, Within the Grey.

A collection of primarily Chicago-based bands gathered on Thursday, June 15 at Elbo Room for a night covering a wide spectrum of rock from alternative to pop punk and metal. The concert featured performances by Broken Cycles, Dig Engine, Tougher Than You Thought and the Moline-based metal band Within the Grey.

Live Review: Cuddlestock- Glyders, The Rubs, Clearance, Flesh Panthers (12/4) @ The Empty Bottle

Posted on December 15, 2015 by megancaruso in Live Reviews, Music, Reviews and tagged Chicago, Chicago music, Clearance, Cuddlestock, Empty Bottle, Flesh Panthers, Glyders, live music, live review, local music, music, punk, Tall Pat Records, The Rubs.

For the third year running, Tall Pat Records has joined forces with the Empty Bottle to bring local Chicago acts to the stage for Cuddlestock: a showcase of Tall Pat Records’ pride and joys. Around 8 p.m. on Friday, December 4, there was a severe lack of cuddling, but after midnight, it was a body-to-body lovefest. If you were there, you saw Tall Pat, the near-seven-foot guy drunkenly declaring his love to his blushing newlywed wife from onstage before announcing each band.

Glyders took the stage to open the show and the mellow mood of the crowd blended with the warm-up act. Glyders have a lofi beach-punk sound with a slow country-rolling flare. All the vocals were double-layered through the mic, even when the band was addressing the crowd. It was a chilled-out, trippy vibe that warmed up what little crowd had gathered at the start.