10 @ Lincoln Hall

January 19th, 2010 by Oswald Hobbes / Comment on this post

Do you like indie rock? Do you like girls? Do you love Lincoln Hall, Chicago’s newest and best music venue? I’ve got just the show for you. Girls Out Of The Garage (presented by NoVo Arts, Inc.) is a showcase for some truly awesome Chicago talent. Shit pops off on January 28 at Lincoln Hall, and the doors open up at 7:30p.m. Line-up, you ask? The Wanton Looks, The Maybenauts, Leslie Hunt, and Scotia Widows will all be performing high-octane, femme-centric rock ‘n’ roll on this night, and the whole thing is only gonna cost you ten bucks! If you’re not familiar with the bands, that’s not important; they all get the Official Oswald Hobbes Seal of Approval, and you’re going home with some new favorites for sure. To wit:

The Wanton Looks: These ladies are absolutely rad. They’re getting some good attention local (Greg Kot big-upped them) and it’s well-deserved -- this is the kind of fun, sloppy punk rock that floats my boat all the way down Devil River, straight into Satan’s warm clutches. When these guys record a full-length, I’m gonna buy two copies: one to listen to all day long, and another to cuddle up with at night. Check out a video of them playing the rad-tastic “Demons” at the Double Door:

Leslie Hunt: I like to think of Leslie Hunt as “the music fan’s Katy Perry.” The sound is sophisticated, with an obviously disparate range of influences, but it’s all tied to together with Ms. Hunt’s distinctive personality and truly compelling voice. She’s got a record out right now called Your Hair Is On Fire, which you can purchase now for ten bucks. I know that’s a lot of money for all you bottom-feeders that think music should be free, but it’s a good deal considering how much play you’ll get out of this. Also, is that an excellent title or what? Here’s the extremely goofy video for first single “American Dream Man”:

The Maybenauts: These guys list some truly ridiculous influences on their MySpace (“The Zombies, Duran Duran and Kraftwerk in a rock-and-roll blender,” for example) but the music speaks for itself: simple, sharp riffs with awesome vocal harmonies. My favorite track is probably “Love Is Blind,” mostly because I like the surf-y, girl-group sound, which shows remarkable depth for a band still in its infancy (they formed January of ’09), but also because the lyrics display a sense of humor that sets Maybenauts apart from many of their super-serious indie contemporaries. Here’s a video of them performing another of their winners, “No Eggs”:

Scotia Widows: This here is cool stuff -- ragged punk with song titles like “Amish Sluts” and “Good Music.” And they’re doing shit the right way: their demo is available for free (just click on the link and you’ll find some more info), which means you have no excuse not to check it out. If you like getting your ass kicked, you will love Scotia Widows. (Couldn’t find a video for these guys, so just get the demo, listen to it a hundred times, and thank me later.

So, to review: The show is called Girls Out Of The Garage, it’s January 28 at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, 7:30p.m., and you can purchase tickets for ten bucks right now. Trust me when I say you don’t want to miss this show.