What's he up to?

I've been plotting and planning...

Bandwidth Final Information

Bandwidth TONIGHT!!! You can still purchase advance tickets on Ticketweb! This is one way to guarantee entry!

CLICK HERE TO BUY BANDWIDTH TICKETS!

Don't miss out on amazing performances from The Slats, Tom Cruise Control, Unicycle Loves You, and Aras & The Volodkas!!

November 17th @ Subterranean.
2011 W. North Ave
Doors @ 9:30pm
Tickets are only $7.

Also, indulge in the SubT's extensive drink deals, like $2 PBRs & Schlitz! and $3 Goose Islands!!!

We're giving away FREE buttons... cause everyone loves pinbacks...thanks to our friend Nicole at Hand Squeezed Buttons!


But That's Not ALL... Thanks to our friends at iGo Car Sharing!
We will also be giving away a gift certificate to one lucky Bandwidth attendee for iGo (a $75 value)!!!
Just for showing up you get a chance to win $75 in iGo Bucks!!!
Be sure to check out www.igocars.org for more information and check out their Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/igocarsharing
Be smart! Use iGO Car Sharing and hit up Bandwidth on Friday Night!
A few runner-ups will also receive some free mystery swag...

ALSO, READ WHAT THE PRESS HAS BEEN SAYING ABOUT TONIGHT'S BANDWIDTH ACTS!!!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW FLAVORPILL FEATURE
Presented by local music blog Radio Free Chicago, tonight's program showcases indie-pop quartet Unicycle Loves You. Taking cues from the mellifluous, '60s-style sunshine pop of Belle & Sebastian and the more garage-y primitivism of late-'80s Beat Happening, the band's sound is a marvel of innocence and sweet-tempered naïveté. Their airy, dreamy songs navigate a delicate balance of catchy hooks and perfectly harmonized, boy-girl "la la la"s while avoiding the precious and saccharin. Minneapolis outfit the Slats headline with yelping post-punk, while Tom Cruise Control kick things up with sassy, funk-flavored rock. (SN)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW TIMEOUT CHICAGO BLURB
Taking a cue from fellow Twin Cities residents the Hold Steady, the Slats play intelligent, fun rock that falls on the right side of nerdy. On the group's recent Boom Patrol, singer Brian Cox's vocals often remind us of Mark E. Smith's more robotic moments.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRANSMISSION!
A New Frequency for the Freezing
11.14.2006 / Kara
Are you ready to rock your cold-weather-appropriate, wooly socks off? Then get thee to the Subterranean this Friday, Nov. 17, when you can enjoy the sweet sounds of four sweet bands for only a paltry $7. The event is hosted by the folks behind Bandwidth (aka RadioFreeChicago.org and FuturePerfectRadio.com), whose aim is to bring fine midwestern music to the masses.
This go-round, dig on a wide variety of indie and robot rock, as delivered by Aras & the Volodkas, Tom Cruise Control, Unicycle Loves You, and The Slats.
Pack extra socks, kiddies -- after so many hot bands, it's going to be extra cold when you leave.

Interview: Unicycle Loves You

Finally, in the series of Bandwidth previews, we have local band Unicycle Loves You, who recently got a little love from Flavorpill.net. This 5 piece pumps out some serious 60's melodious pop with a slap and a kiss. They have the swagger and the songs to make a solid niche for themselves in the Chicago music scene. We briefly chatted with guitarists Jim and Jon of Unicycle Loves You about the band and upcoming performance at SubT.

Can you introduce the band? Where you all from?
Jim: vocals/guitar From Poughkeepsie, NY
Jon: guitar/vocals From Chicago, IL
Nicole: bass/vocals From New Jersey
Derek: drums From Michigan
Adam: keyboards From New Jersey

Do you have any favorite haunts in Chicago?
Jim: Club Foot!!!

Where did the name come from?
Jim: I was recording under the name, Unicycle, when I lived in Denver and moved to Chicago about a year and a half ago. Unicycle seemed appropriate since I was doing it all by myself. I soon began meeting these wonderful people and we decided that making music together was the way to go. So, more people in the band meant more words.
Now we love you!

Anyone actually ride a unicycle?
Jim: No. There is no actual unicycle riding allowed in the band.

How does one become a Unitard?
Jon: Well . . . How many people can you pop out of YOUR body???

How do approach the songwriting process?
Jim: At this point all songs have been written by me because they already exist and we wanted to start playing out ASAP, but I'm dying to start writing as a band. Everyone has so many great ideas!

One of my personal favorites, is Dangerous Decades, what's the story behind the song?
Jim: Love and Lust

When can the world expect a Unicycle Loves You LP?
Jon: When we get through the entire series of unfortunate events.

What's your favorite Rodney Dangerfield film?
Jim: Ladybugs
Jon: Back to School

What can the Bandwidth audience expect from your set on Friday night?
Jim: sex
Jon: mucous

Who are you listening to right now?
Jim: Frida Hyvonen, The Hold Steady, The Decemberists, The Ohsees
Jon: George Russell Sextet

Lightning ROUND!

Knee socks or Fishnets?
Both: Knee socks

David Bowie or Iggy Pop?
Both: David Bowie

Vinyl or 8-track?
Both: Vinyl

Thanks for your time, guys! See you Friday night!

Download: Unicycle Loves You - "Dangerous Decade" - (MP3)

Interview: The Slats

Hailing from parts of Iowa and Minnesota, The Slats are a 3-piece who explore themes of heroes and supervillians, mythology, and politics through experimental rock that borrows from almost every genre of music, to create a satisfyingly schizophrenic sound that one must experience to appreciate. I had the opportunity to discuss music and politics with dueling guitarists Brian Cox and Jon Hansen of The Slats before they unleash their boisterous barrage of twin guitar at the SubT this Friday, when they headline Bandwidth.

So, the band is stationed in both Iowa City and Minneapolis? Who stays where? How has this dual residency affected your music and subsequently your recording?

Brian: I'm in MPLS, Jon is in Iowa City and Mark is in Des Moines. There are pros and cons to this...the biggest challenge is being able to get together and write new stuff. And unfortunately, we can't just go play a show in MPLS or Iowa City at the drop of a hat...we have to schedule everything we do a month or three in advance. The upside, is that we're really productive and focused when we get together!

Jon: I think that the challenges of geography have, in part, inspired the other-worldliness of Slat music and rhetoric. We were talking like this and writing music like this even before we all moved to different cities, but now, more than ever, the entity known as The Slats doesn't really exist in any one place. It's more like a mythical space that comes into being only when we're all in the same room of a studio, or in the van on tour. The Slats is in reality not a band in any traditional sense of that word; rather, The Slats is a series of conditions that, when met, open up a gateway to an alternate reality. Like the light bridge to Asgaard or something.

Where does most of your songwriting take place? How do you approach the process of creating music?

Brian: One effect the dual-residency has had on our songwriting is that either Jon or myself bring whole, near-completed songs to the table, rather than coming up with stuff altogether. I'll do a demo and send it to the guys. Then Mark will record the drums onto my 16-track machine. Then Jon and I will experiment with guitar sounds and variations on the guitar lines. I like the effect this process had on Boom Patrol...the songs end up sounding more "song-y" and solid, with less instrumental wanking. Sometimes, you can play a song together for months before recording it and think that it's working. I think doing it this way gives you a more honest look in the mirror.

Jon: I originally joined the band as a co-producer of 'The Great Plains of San Francisco', and in many ways I still see that as my primary role. Brian writes songs that I help to arrange and present to the world. And sometimes I bring in a song that I think Brian would like, or that I want a B. Cox guitar solo on, and Brian does his tweaking to my stuff. We call this arranging and tweaking process 'The Slat Machine.' Songs that Brian wrote or songs that I wrote go into it and Slats songs come out the other side. There are some songs that arise spontaneously out of all of us playing together, but those have been even fewer in number since we've all moved to separate cities. I like those kind of songs, but I also think that the set-up we have definitely forces us to focus on creating solid songs, not just making fun noises.

Do you have any major influences on your sound?

Brian: Influence-wise, we're kind of all over the board. I'd have to go song by song. The single biggest influences on me for Boom Patrol were a tape by NS Eliot and the Kool Keith Diesel Truckers record.

Jon: There's a lot of different influences in the album. People often try to compare us to other bands, and we get all kinds of comparisons. Apparently there about 60 bands that we sound like, none of which sound at all like each other. I think you can hear all those things in the music...but they're not really influences as much as they are cultural reference points. And those references come from all over the map, from the Ramones to Rick Springfield.

That being said, I've been influenced by a lot of the great Midwest bands that I've known personally, or that I've met at shows. They've influenced me personally and professionally, even more so than musically. They helped me realize that you don't have to live in LA or New York to have something valid to contribute, and that all you really have to do is get on the road and start taking it around the country.  Bands like House of Large Sizes, Tripmaster Monkey, Cursive, Mousetrap, Mercy Rule, Opium Taylor, Simon Joyner, Brainiac, Frontier Trust.

I can't stop listening to the track "Iron Man" on your new album 'Boom Patrol', what's the attraction do you suppose?

Brian: Thanks. It's pretty anthemic, I think. It's catchy. It has some balls. Listening to it and doing some fist pumping may make one feel like their own balls are bigger...

Jon: I love how much people don't say anything about Black Sabbath! People seem completely fine calling this song Ironman, as if it's just brushed aside all that has come before it. Ozzy, your crazy and I love ya, but I'm sorry, you just no longer own Ironman.

It's a combat song. I think a lot of people, especially in the US, think of their day-to-day life as a struggle, on some level or another. It's just you against the world, right? Lord knows that's how I feel half the time. So I like songs that make me feel like I'm getting ready for battle, and all obstacles are going to succumb to my will. I realize how militaristic that sounds, but there's actually a lot of joy and fun in that kind of song, too. I think Ironman says all that. It's goofy and all, but it's also declaration of one's intentions not to be stopped, and it feels good to exercise that kind of position.

On the 2004 release "Pick It Up", you have a politically charged song "I Believe Timothy McVeigh", if you had to write a new song about someone in today's political climate, who would it be?

Brian: It would be about G-Dub and the 06" Midterm elections. It would be called "Took U to the Woodshed." Stylistically, it'd have to be alot like "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" off of Van Halen II.

Jon: Well, "Ignatius" is kind of a political song. It's sort of an amalgamation of several political personalities, comic book villains, and aspects of myself. It's the answer to the question: what if Karl Rove was an anarchist?

There's been a lot of misunderstanding about "I Believe Timothy McVeigh", and in some ways I regret ever calling the song that. The government has even taken notice of it, and I'm probably on some terrorist watch list now -- which is ironic, since that's exactly what inspired the song. I had just written my congressman to protest the administration's systematic dismantling of the constitution, and all of the signals in the media were telling me that doing this would somehow make me un-American. I mean, Rumsfeld (good riddance) came out and said it; political speech itself was being called a terrorist act. And this was right around the time that they were getting ready to execute Timothy McVeigh, and I just felt that he was being used as a scapegoat, a boogey-man. Yes, he did do something evil...but it's also true that he's not a person with any kind of power beyond the crime that he committed. His trial and execution was in many ways used to insulate other people in power from negative attention. I don't think Timothy McVeigh was a great guy or anything, and I'm certainly not a white supremacist, but just because he's guilty doesn't make him not a scapegoat, you know? At that time, saying anything other than "kill, kill" regarding this human being was somehow the most unsettling thing you could do. And the most unsettling thing you can think to do is usually good material for rock songs, right?

The problem is that as time moves on, the subtleties of the political climate at any one moment tend to fade, and now all that's left are the words and the title and the name 'Timothy McVeigh' and people interpret that in light of what we know now, which has changed a lot since the **** trial.

The lesson from this is maybe I wouldn't write a song about a political personage now, because it's hard to anticipate how other people will react to those names, or what other meanings those names will accumulate after they've been used in your song.  I thought about this when writing Ignatius, and tried to make it about techniques of power, rather than about the real individuals that use those techniques.

Now, I rap about politics at just about every show. Most of these verses never get recorded, unless someone happens to have a camera in the audience. So they're always up-to-the-minute and they never get old, cause it's new all the time. That's one of the great things about hip hop, is its ability to be both critical and immediate. I don't have to throw out whole songs because Rummy's out.I just freestyle about the next putz that they're going to try to put in his place, instead.

By the way, did I mention that I, for one, am still mad about the Iran-Contra affair?

It's important to stand behind your beliefs and raise questions about happens in our world, I appreciate you keeping your voice on the matter so strong. In other news, the Slats were named a recent Spin.com Band of The Day. Congratulations. How has the response been so far?

Brian: That's been great. There's a place on that SPIN site where people could leave comments about us. Lots of people were really good to us on there and said nice things. There was only one A-hole. I appreciate it!

Jon: It's great that the folks at Spin seem to really get what we're doing. It came out of the blue for us, but we're really appreciative of the attention. And our fans have been really behind it, too. Initially, I was paranoid that it might actually backfire somehow and offend people, but I guess that our fans just understand that we've been working our asses off for a few years now, so there's no way this could be any kind of sell-out.

What can the Bandwidth audience expect from your set on Friday?

Brian: We will descend upon the Subterranean with extreme prejudice. We'll crawl up into the Subterranean, into it's innards, and bathe it like a hot magma enema with a twin guitar bazooka assault. Grills will be rocked.

Jon: Our lungs have become accustomed to the thin mountain air, thereby infusing us with preternatural strength when we breathe in the oxygen-rich air that most mortals take for granted. Thus, with a force commensurate to that which forged the great canyons of the American West, shall we strike together steel and magnet, resonating violently through both flesh and bone. It should take about 45 minutes.

You've been through Chicago before, do you have any favorite parts of the city?

Brian: We typically stay in Roscoe Village. There's a great little danish shop across the street from where we stay thats really cheap and good. There's also the Village discount, where I usually pick up 6-8 $.60 t-shirts. I love Village Discount!

Jon: Roscoe village is our Mt.-Olympus-away-from-Mt.-Olympus.

Finally, who have you been listening to these days?

Jon: The new Aceyalone and RJD2. Also, this MC from Iowa City named Animosity. A band from Iowa City called Lipstick Homicide. A band from Ohio called Statutory Ape. The Miracles of God. The Tanks. I'd say most of the music that I listen to is live. Fortunately, we've been playing with some great bands lately, so I've been listening to really great music.

Brian: I've been listening to Gene Defcon's 2005 release "Throw Up & Die." That's awesome...it's 46 songs and they're almost all good. Also been listening to the newer Wax Cannon double cd..."Someone In Wisconsin is Praying for You" (and it's not me).

Thanks so much for your time, guys! Definitely looking forward to your set on Friday!

Download:The Slats - "Ignatius" - (MP3)

Download:The Slats - "Teena" - (MP3)

Interview: Tom Cruise Control

Are you ready for some tongue in cheek, care free diy pop? Tom Cruise Control has got you covered, this current 3 piece from Minneapolis, MN are gearing up for a road trip to Chicago to play one night only at the Subterranean as part of Bandwidth. I took the opportunity to ask Matt of TCC a few questions before they descend onto Chicago.

How long have you guys been together?
Justin and I--for about a year. TCC has been in existence since 2000 in many forms, but always under the name TCC. It's more of a collective than anything. Basically four guys at a time playing an evolution of six years of songs. (It doesn't stop. hard to define. also, it's not like we haven't sought stability the ENTIRE TIME.)

Where did it all begin?
We first started playing music in a drug lord's basement. It smelled great. We had a violinist who doubled on harmonica. We had a rhodes organ player. Matt played a child sized mexican Fender.

or you can believe the Alternate Version: The new form happened when Justin brought his giant body to Minneapolis from Kankakee, Illanoize! He brought with him a strong customer service sensibility that we had been lacking. Plus, he sings with me. And we get along.

How do you approach the songwriting process?
We both write a lot of music. We both sing around the house at all times. We write songs without instruments frequently. We dance our special dance first thing in the morning. Everything is a song. Even Justin's flu.

Do you have any major influences on your work?
Guided By Voices, Built To Spill, floor fans, Pedro The Lion, Pixies/Frank Black, Superbowl Shuffle (seriously though, LOCAL MINNEAPOLIS SCENE BACK TO '79!)

You've recently posted a new track on your myspace page, "Dont know why your pants are still on", featuring Chicago favorites Baby Teeth, what's the story behind it?
Peter Swalley (our old guitarist and drummer), myself (Justin) and Matt co-wrote a lot of this one. It was only a partially recorded song. We happened to meet Baby Teeth when they played the Turf Club in St. Paul. We took a shine to them and offered them a place to stay. Once they got over how creepy and crazy we are, they accepted. Then, what happened was, like, next, um....well, really though,....man, you had to be there......We played them the song in our home recording studio. Immediately Abe dug it and said, and I quote, "We're recording vocals on that tonite!" So we did it. Abe sang the whole thing improv in two impressive takes. Jim laid down sweet backing vocals that would make The Eagles cry. The title comes from gibberish that I tend to make when I sing without written lyrics. The whole thing was done within five hours of meeting them. They stayed for a couple days and we really had a fine time on the town. They met the Stinson's mom (Replacements dudes). She spilled coffee on Abe and Pete. We probably should have holed up in the stewjo and cut a whole wreckit!

What can an audience expect from your live show?
We got a sneaky feeling that this particular show is gonna start really low key and drunkenly ramp up to ape shit. We also may have some guests step in and free us up for some mic technique.

Who are you listening to these days?
Channels, Story of The Sea, Duplomacy, The Replacements, Cursive, Phil Collins, anything from the 80's.

Lightning ROUND!

Nicole Kidman or Katie Holmes?
Katie Holmes as a group, but one on one-Nicole Kidman.

Democrat or Republican?
Republicans set the bar pretty high, but Democrats dance better, so-Democrat.

Chevy or Ford?
Ford. Specifically Sterling flat bed trucks (which are manufactured by...Ford! Our favorite truck for hauling lumber.)

Thanks for you time guys. You do not want to miss Tom Cruise Control's set on Friday, November 17th @ the SubT, it will be one to remember!

Download:Tom Cruise Control (featuring Baby Teeth) - "Dunnowhyyrpantsrstillon!" - (MP3)

Bandwidth Advance Ticket Sales and Info!

Bandwidth is fast approaching! Now, you can purchase advance tickets on Ticketweb! This is one way to guarantee entry!

CLICK HERE TO BUY BANDWIDTH TICKETS!

Don't miss out on amazing performances from The Slats, Tom Cruise Control, Unicycle Loves You, and Aras & The Volodkas!!

November 17th @ Subterranean. Doors @ 9:30pm

Also, indulge in the SubT's extensive drink deals, like $2 PBRs & Schlitz! and $3 Goose Islands!!!

We're giving away FREE buttons... cause everyone loves pinbacks...thanks to our friend Nicole at Hand Squeezed Buttons!

The Myspace Contest for a guestlist spot ends tomorrow, so your time is running out, if you wanna Get on The List!

Interview: Aras & The Volodkas

First up, in a week of Bandwidth previews, we have Aras & The Volodkas, Chicago's undiscovered Brian Wilson with a proclivity for 60's pop, Japenese Culture, and bespectacled girls. Aras is sure to enchant all with his classic piano melodies and nerdy charm when he takes the stage on Friday as a part of Bandwidth. We asked Aras a few questions, as he readies himself for friday night.

How did you get started in making music?

In high school I had a very smart friend who programmed computer games, he started doing that at the age of 3! I was interested in making music for his games, so he taught me how to make music with a program called Impulse tracker, which is used to sequence 16 bit samples of whatever you can put in there, and it had a lot of features. Yeah, I'm a nerd. His first advice was "don't play the notes c and d together, because then it will be dissonant", that's all I had to go on music theory wise. I did that for a while, then slowly I started getting into real instruments, and listening to 60's pop music. So I went from being a mega nerdy kid who hung out with the D&D crowd to going the bohemian route.
What you hear is the result.

Do you have any major influences on your work?
The Beatles and The Beach Boys!

How do you go about creating music?
It's a lot of happy accidents, usually the lyrics come later in the songwriting process. I will go into a song thinking it will be about something, but it turns out to be something completely different when all is said and done.

What is a Volodka?

A Volodka is all that a person could hope to be, and even more. To be a volodka is to embrace the ideas of peace, love, and understanding, and to live by those principles.
A Volodka eats oatmeal, fat free hotdogs, peanut butter sandwhiches, and organic cheetos. A Volodka's habitat must be warm and hospitable. A Volodka must sleep on average 6 hours a night, and prefers to sleep for an hour and a half in the afternoon. A Volodka looks like a cross between a cat and a bird with a very big nose.
Ok... Ok... Volodka is just my last name, so I hope that when additional band members join in, that they don't mind calling themselves a volodka.

You perform as a one man band, any plans of incorporating a full backing band, or do you plan on embracing the solo performer route?

I would like to incorporate a band, I've had my problems doing this however. I have been talking to a bass player who might join in.

What can an audience expect from your live show?

They can expect to laugh, with me and at me :)

Who are you listening to these days?

Komeda, The Beatles, the high Llamas, Marcos Valle Eggstone, Oucho Sparks, for any musician or music enthusiast who wants to hear something new I recommend listening to "passport" on NPR (91.5FM) on friday nights @ 9pm.

Thanks for your time, Aras! You can check out Aras live when he kicks off the night Nov. 17th @ SubT.

Download:Aras & The Volodkas - "Girls With Glasses" - (MP3)