The Shams Band, a rambunctious and eclectic alt-country band based here in Chicago, are headlining the Chicago Roots Collective One Year Anniversary Showcase January 27th at Lincoln Hall. (Also performing: Derek Nelson & The Musicians and Cole DeGenova & The People’s Republic. The show starts at 8pm and tickets are $8.) One of the group’s three songwriters and singers, Donnie Biggins, answered some of our questions in the days before the show.

Assault.it: Your new thing is this record Champagne.

Donnie: Yes.

And that came out last year.

Yeah, it came out September 2010.

And before that you had an EP, right?

We had a three song EP that came out a year before that.

So this is your first full length album.

It’s a nine song -- you know, some people call it an EP, some people call it a full length. Definitely a larger project than the previous stuff.

How did you guys approach that differently?

We basically waited until we were ready to -- we actually recorded twelve songs. We just approached it by being fully prepared to go into the studio and get the drum tracks for twelve in a weekend.

Where did you guys record this at?

We recorded at a place called Kilo Studios in Pilsen.

Did you guys have a producer?

In a way. Paul [Gulyas], my bandmate, is a sound engineer and he did the majority of the recordings. But at the studio, we worked with a guy that we credited, Mitchell Cepaitis, who also mixed and mastered Champagne.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NIaExbH2bQ

You guys split the songwriting up 3 ways, right?

Yes.

How does that work itself out -- how did you come up with these 12 song?

They were just our favorite songs that we had been playing, and the majority of the songwriting is right now coming from Paul and myself. Brian [Patterson] is still pretty new to songwriting, and we have two of his songs that we play and that we actually recorded. But how we go about it, presenting songs to one another, is we kinda come up with them on our own and then present them to the group. Then we read off each other how it’s coming out, people’s reactions and any ideas that come up for the first time when we play a new song.

What instrument do you like to write with?

I’d say all the songwriters start with an acoustic guitar.

What’s your personal process for coming up with lyrics? How do you decide what you’re going to sing about?

I use straight life experiences. I never try to sit down and force songs out of me. It has to happen kinda in the moment.

What are some of your favorite places to play in Chicago?

I think we’ve played all the 500-person venues, but some of our favorites would definitely be Lincoln Hall and Schubas. Double Door. We actually we like playing out in Berwyn, at FitzGerald’s. It’s a real good country bar.

How would you classify the sound of the Shams Band?

I think it’s kind of a country rock / alternative country type of band. A lot of music, no matter what, stems from the blues, and you can hear that naturally coming out of us. But when you start with an acoustic guitar, a lot of it tends to be a folk song that’s then turned into a rock song when you add electric [guitar] and bass and drums.

How did you get interested in this particular kind of music?

Had to be from listening to a lot of Woody Guthrie in my early 20s. Just spending a lot of time listening to him, learning his picking techniques. So basically from Woody Guthrie.

Who were some other influential artists?

Definitely Jeff Tweedy. Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes. People still that I’m listening to today would be Avett Brothers, they’ve got a big influence on me.

Who are some of your favorite local bands?

Well, we’re luckily sharing the bill with one of our good friends and probably my favorite songwriter right now, Derek Nelson. There’s also a rock band called the Ornery Little Darlings -- their album has been on rotation a long time on our record player.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV1TTqO8r94

Do you guys play mostly around here, or do you go out a lot?

We’ve gone out a few times in the past year. That’s definitely the goal of 2011, is to be going out a lot more around the Midwest. We’ve been to Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa -  we’re just trying to revisit those places and add more dates in different towns. You know, an ideal places we like to find are the small town bars that maybe don’t have venues but they have a small stage and they give you a beer deal. That’s the environment we thrive in.

What do you like about that?

The people. The kind of people who hang out in dive-y bars always seem to just have no care in the world. They just want to enjoy themselves and dance. They’re not judging you, or even caring about anything -- they’re just there to listen to music and move their body.

When you guys play a place like that, do you throw in a lot of covers, or do you stick to your own stuff?

When we first started, we learned a few covers, just ’cause we were a young band. I don’t know if we ever practice them, but we have been known to pull them out sometimes. But we always try to stick to our originals, and we try to make sure that our originals are worth playing. We don’t want to play a cover song to get a crowd excited -- we’d rather be playing one of our own songs.

How’d you four guys start playing music together?

We have known each other since high school. We’re all from Oak Park. Brian and Paul were in a high school band together. And then while I was in college, I started playing music, so when I came home we just kinda got together. We signed up to play a small street festival in Forest Park. It was kinda just for fun, and it’s still for fun, but we started presenting our own music and it’s just continued to grow ever since that. And we do have a fifth member now, that we’ve been playing with for a year -- well, not a full year yet. He kinda committed around the time we were releasing the CD so we didn’t have him on the picture yet. Ben White, he’s a banjo player, and a percussionist, and a cello player. We haven’t featured the cello yet.

What are your goals beyond going out more this year? Are you gonna work on a new record?

Yeah, we’ve started that. We don’t have any prediction for when we’ll be finished with it, but we’re back in the studio, probably once a week. We do two or three practices and try to spend some time recording, too, every week.

Are you guys moving in any different directions?

Um, I don’t really know how to answer that. There is some similar stuff in the type of energy that we’re bringing into the songs, but I think a lot of it is different. We recorded our EP, and then Champagne ended up sounding different from the EP. So I think there’ll be some more, and I don’t know what some more will be, but I think it will be a little bit different.

How have you guys progressed since the early days?

I think one thing that we’ve definitely improved on throughout our whole career so far is the live performance, and engaging our audience. I think that’s something that happens naturally the more you’re playing out, and the more you’re playing for people who aren’t your friends and family. That’s when you really improve, because you have to grab a stranger’s attention.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcqbqrl0_rc

The Shams Band:

• Official Site
• MySpace
• Facebook
• Bandcamp

Oswald, “The After-Party” Timmy, and Jere stick around for a bonus episode of Audio Assault where they stumble across all social and political issues currently on the news including WalMart, Green Day, Sarah Palin, Socialism, Barack Obama, freedom of religion, white people, and even sports? Wait what?! Listeners beware, we get so fired up that we don’t take any breaks in this episode…

Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes

Show Music

• The Gaslight Anthem

Dicks of the Week

• WalMart
• Ken Mehlman for coming out as gay (Campaign Manager for Bush/Cheney)

Do your weekend the Assault.it way -- with plenty of beer and live music.

FRIDAY

Start your weekend by trekking all the way out to House Of Blues, if you dare -- our good friends The Action Blast are headlining another action-packed show there, and you’re sure to get plenty of action if you go. Also appearing: Heart Set Self Destruct, Seven Day Sonnet, A Hero Named Hope, and Trainwreck Symphony. A couple of those bands have terrible names, but don’t let it deter you -- there will be some good talent onstage, particularly once the Action Blast start blowing shit up. Doors open at 5:30 for this all-ages show, and tickets are ten bucks. The Assault Party Death Squad will possibly be representing there, although we’ll have to leave early to make it to darkroom, where our beloved Maybenauts are playing a CD release show (and also celebrating the birthday of guitarist Vee Sonnets, who is a very good guitar play and is most definitely not named Lee Vonnets). Also playin’: Tenniscourts, TAFKA Vince, Gidgets Gaga, Penthouse Sweets, The Safes, and the Sonnets. Best part about this show, besides watching a space panda play guitar? It’s free if you show up before ten! This show is highly recommended, especially to those 21 and up, because they’re the ones who can get in. If you show up after ten, it’s five bucks, which isn’t bad either.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPFG4lZme3c

SATURDAY

Saturday is your chance to catch Anna Vogelzang doing her singer-songwriter thing at the Uncommon Ground location on Clark. We recently reviewed Ms. Vogelzang’s new CD Paper Boats, and we really, really liked it. We also like everything else she’s ever done because she’s super-talented, super-nice, and she can play Lady Gaga songs on the banjo. You really don’t see that everyday. According to the UG’s website (I call it “the UG” because I’m a hipster), Ms. Vogelzang plays from 10 to 10:45pm, and I believe this show may actually be free as long as you’re doing something inside of the UG that falls into the category of “eating” and/or “drinking.” A dinner reservation guarantees access to the performance, so that may be the route you want to go -- you’re gonna eat dinner anyway, why not do it at some cool place in the city while being serenaded by Anna Vogelzang? (Miranda Rae plays from 11 to 11:45pm.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNqs5m8YkY0

Here at Assault HQ, we know how difficult it is to plan a weekend in Chicago. With so much good live music to choose from (and so much alcohol to drink to while you listen), who can decide? We can. Just follow this itinerary and you’re guaranteed an awesome time:

FRIDAY

We’ve made no secret here at Assault.it of our affection for Michigan pop-punkers The Swellers, and that train of pure and righteous love keeps rolling: they’re playing a headlining show at the infamous Beat Kitchen tonight. So basically, one of our favorite bands at one of our favorite venues -- we’re contractually obligated (via a contract w/ ourselves) to recommend this. GO TO IT! Also playing: NY hardcore up-and-comers Crime In Stereo, This Time Next Year, and The Minor League. If you’re thinking about not going to this, take a deep breath, punch yourself in the nuts, and get a clue! Tickets are $10, doors open at 6:30pm, and it’s all ages -- bring your younger brothers!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhc6_BTWFjY

SATURDAY

This is a good one: Murder By Death, one of my personal favorites, are playing at Reggie’s Rock Club with openers Ha Ha Tonka (another Assault fav) and Linfinity. MBD just released a new disc called Good Morning, Magpie, and I’m guessing they’ll play some new songs, as well as a fair sprinkling of their tremendously awesome back catalog. Seriously: both Who Will Survive And What Will Be Left Of Them and In Bocca El Lupo are stone-cold classics, and you should not miss this show. It’s gonna be a night of foot-stompin,’ whiskey-drinkin,’ and cello-shreddin.’ Doors open at 7pm for this all ages show, and tickets are a mere $15.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt2Sf2-o94g

SUNDAY

Friday you did the pop-punk thing, Saturday you did the saloon-rock thing -- finish your weekend by checking out some more up-to-date music at Subterranean with the good, weird sounds of Coltrane Motion and You, You’re Alright (along with California Wives and Tell Your Friends.) You, You’re Alright are of particular interest to me, mostly because they list “Nintendo DS” as one of their instruments. (We really like video games.) But, srsly, this should be a fun show, and tickets are only eight bucks -- you can’t go wrong at that price, especially on a Sunday when the only other decent thing going on is Reggie’s, um, crawfish boil. So check it out -- $8, doors open at 7:30pm, and it’s 21+.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKSLM0MD4IA

Here at Assault HQ, we know how difficult it is to plan a weekend in Chicago. With so much good live music to choose from (and so much alcohol to drink to while you listen), who can decide? We can. Just follow this itinerary and you’re guaranteed an awesome time:

FRIDAY:

Dust off your machetes and machine guns: Direct Hit! are coming to town again. This time they’re playing at infamous Logan Square uber-dive Ronny’s. Also on the bill: The Sky We Scrape, Red City Radio, The Please & Thank Yous, and Tension Generation. Can’t vouch for any of those other guys (although I genuinely looking forward to experiencing them this evening), but you NEED to see Direct Hit!. You need to see them NOW. They are tighter than fuck, and they are hilarious. And DH! mastermind Nick Woods is a genius-level pop-punk songwriter. They’re still riding the buzz from #4, their blockbuster EP from earlier this year. The show starts at 6 and it’s all ages, although you probably don’t want to bring your kids here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4l-ePeq8bI

Later on in the night: That Ronny’s show is pretty early, so you should have plenty of time to catch White Mystery at Crown Liquors on Milwaukee -- also in Logan Square, which is kinda serendipitous. On the bill: Kommie Kilpatrick, Tender, The Amoebas, and Blasted Diplomats. If you’ve never experienced the magic of White Mystery live, do yourself two favors. First, pick up a copy of their recent full-length debut. Second, come to this show tonight and get your brain exploded and your sensitive spaces filled with demonic ginger seed. WM are the real deal. Show starts at 9pm, and there’s a $7 cover.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix1YYSB1g80

SATURDAY:

My buddy at NoVo hipped me to a pretty cool show on Saturday, and now I’m gonna recommend it to you. Haven’t caught these acts live, but I perused their MySpace pages and all of them make some pretty unique sounds that should set your ears pleasurably a-tingle. Who are they, you ask? I answer: Pretty Little Empire, Brendan Losch, and David Safran. They all lean towards the quiet and agreeably weird, which is a pretty ringing endorsement coming from me (now that I’m old and can’t handle the spazzy stuff [If I could go off on a tangent here, and I think I can since you're not paying attention, I tried to spin Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam the other day and had to turn it off halfway through because it was irritating the holy shit out of me; I'm not sure if it's because I tried to play it during an intense Scrabble jam, or because my ears simply can't tolerate that level of chaos anymore, but Jesus Christ. I'm pretty sure we'll all look at Animal Collective in twenty years the way most rational people view the Grateful Dead: you had to be there, and you had to be on something {anything!}]). Anyways, this promises to be a solid, low-key show, and the perfect way to settle down after getting aurally gang-raped by the deviant bastards in Direct Hit! and White Mystery. It’s at the Chopin Theater, doors open at 9:30, and there’s a $6 cover charge (plus, as the press release so helpfully informs me, a cash bar). It’s 21+ so the kids are gonna need a sitter, again.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG4Rgtxd_N0

SUNDAY:

Sunday is Mother’s Day, which means you gotta spend some time with the woman that birthed you into this cacophonous and disorienting place we call “the world.” So do that -- take her out to brunch at Golden Corral, take her to see Iron Man 2, maybe even escort her to the church of her choice. But once you’re done with that, get ready to lose your goddamn shit: Converge is playing the Bottom Lounge. These hardcore legends will basically do to you what Jeffrey Dahmer did to really unlucky dudes in Milwaukee, and you’re gonna love it. Also on the bill: Coalesce, Black Breath, and Lewd Acts. If that doesn’t trigger your boner-reflex, you might need to see a doctor. This show is all ages, so bring the whole family, and it starts at the reasonable hour of 5pm. Tickets are $16. Get ready for your acid bath!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jjBinzryFY

Geronimo!’s bio tells me they’re from Rockford, Il. This somewhat surprised me, as I’ve been to Rockford, and it was my impression that nothing good could grow in that toxic soil. I went to a Motley Crue concert there, and it was the first time I’ve been thoroughly patted down before a show since, I don’t know, 1998? They have a restaurant called the Machine Shed there, where you can get, no joke, a plate of meat scraps. Just a bunch of odds and ends, with potatoes on the side. Pretty gnarly, right? Geronimo! is gnarlier. Aside from the exclamation point in their name, I can’t think of anything I don’t like them about them.

They’re a three piece, but they sound much bigger. Especially when they crank it up -- songs like “Design Yourself A Heart” and “Judgement Day” start as nice, angular pop songs and then explode with the ecstatic fury of dudes playing absolutely as hard as they can. The basic sound is math-y indie rock with lyrics that are shouted and yelped as often as they’re sung, but Fuzzy Dreams is way better than that description implies. There are three tracks that clock in at over seven minutes, and these are generally the best ones; Geronimo! display a real sense of adventure, branching off into elaborately arranged tangents that don’t advance the songs so much as elevate them, and you can almost hear the band sweating. That’s a compliment.

It actually makes sense that these guys hail from a vast wasteland like Rockford -- you don’t develop these kind of chops hanging out and looking cool. The Geronimo! boys (Ben Grigg, Matt Schwerin, and KJ Blaze) have done the obvious time studying at the feet of the masters, and then also more time (obviously) practicing their instruments, and they’ve arrived at the unique, charmingly handmade sound that drives Fuzzy Dreams. And all that time was well-spent, because this record kills. From the vaguely menacing white noise that begins the album to the gloriously fucked-up blast of jazzy skronk that ends it, there’s not a dull moment here -- every time you get a little nervous about a song with four minutes left to go, the dudes hit you with another blast of crashing drums and chromey guitar fills, destroying any sense of “time” and “space.” Have you ever heard a hole being torn in the fabric of existence? Pick up Fuzzy Dreams and you will, a few times over. It’s real hot shit.

(We’ll have more information about it tomorrow in Assault The Weekend!, but these guys are playing a show at Schubas on Friday with one of our other favorite bands, Kid, You’ll Move Mountains. It’s Geronimo!’s record release show, and I strongly suggest you head out and pick up a copy of Fuzzy Dreams. You will not be disappointed.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL2r8jQLm2U

Geronimo!:

• MySpace
• Blog
• Facebook

One of the staples of the Chicago rock scene the past 25 years has been Jerry Bryant’s JBTV and this past week they featured one of my favorite bands, The Swellers (from Flint, MI) on the show. @kirkland_sarah tweeted it out and I’m posted in. That’s how this party’s starting.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMxPbxsluNk

More from The Swellers

• The Swellers Myspace
• The Swellers Twitter
• Nick Diener’s Twitter
• The Swellers on iTunes

Here at Assault HQ, we know how difficult it is to plan a weekend in Chicago. With so much good live music to choose from (and so much alcohol to drink to while you listen), who can decide? We can. Just follow this itinerary and you’re guaranteed an awesome time:

Thursday:

Already have plans tonight? Cancel that shit, because The Streets On Fire are playing a FREE show at Double Door! Also playing: Conrad Richards, In Runes, and Paula Head. If these acts are unfamiliar to you, just remember that the cost is zero dollars and that I am commanding you to check this out. If the price is right, it’s guaranteed to be tight! And The Streets On Fire are absolutely rad; check out their MySpace if thou doth doubt me. Doors are at 8pm, the show starts at 9pm.

Friday:

Here’s one for all the oldsters: Mark Knopfler, the guitar genius behind all of those amazing Dire Straits songs from the ’80s that sound even better now, is playing the Chicago Theater. Tix range from $54 to $109, which is way more than I would ever advise you to spend on a single evening of music. But if you got the cash, I suggest you pony up and experience some real greatness while you can; this guy is an absolute powerhouse, and I’m guessing he’ll probably bust out some “Sultans of Swing” or “Romeo & Juliet” once he runs out of his songs from Get Lucky, his most recent solo release. Kick-off is at 7:30pm and Pieta Brown will also be around to entertain you.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SEULZIHru0

Saturday:

On Saturday, if you’re looking for something different, Reggie’s Music Joint is offering a very special night featuring all-girl arm-wrestling, Muddy Udders (a band that describes themselves as “three pieces of pro-sumer Amero-trash with entitlement issues, energy, and talent”), and a Dead Milkmen tribute band called Born To Love Volcanos. I don’t really know what else to say about this, except that it sounds awesome and you’ll probably remember this night for the rest of your life. Arm-wrestling sign-up starts at 7pm, with the event officially kicking off at 9pm, and there’s a measly $5 cover that you can certainly afford given America’s recent return to economic awesomeness. I really think you should check this shit out.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu8o3uj9oQ8

Sunday:

Get excited, because Sunday is gonna be an awesome day: White Rabbits are playing Metro, with support from Here We Go Magic and Pet Lions. I haven’t experienced HWGM yet, but I can tell you with real authority that Pet Lions are one of the top 5 bands in Chicago right now, and their Soft Right EP was one of my favorite things I heard last year. And, of course, the headliners themselves are nothing to scoff at -- their last disc, It’s Frightening, was ANOTHER of my fav spins in ’09. Sure, they sound a little too Spoon-y sometimes, but with B-Daniel taking 3 years between records now, can’t we maybe, possibly have room for a second Spoon? I think so. This 18+ show starts at 9pm (doors open at 8, if you wanna show up early and chug some ridiculously overpriced Miller Lite prior to the festivities), and tickets are $13 in advance, $15 on the day of. I highly recommend you check this out -- I’ll probably try to catch it myself if my corporate overlords don’t keep me at work too late.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sIc5TsdkDQ

It’s been a few days since our last video post, and Cory Tendering has gone quiet in his boundless complaints of repetition of our editorial choices. In short, it’s time for another cool video, and because Cory does not know how to work wordpress, or upload video, or anything, I have decided that I would post another video from one of my favorite local Chicago acts, Makeshift Prodigy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AKKxLPCd3A

Makeshift Prodigy

• Listen to the new album stream for free!
• MySpace
• Official Website
• Facebook
• Interview with “Third World” Timmy

You can learn pretty much all you need to know about Makeshift Prodigy from one particular line from their MySpace profile: they credit member Brandon Fox with “vocals and ambience.” This is a band that thinks about “creativity” in very specific terms, with a space-age vibe that places premium value on atmosphere and mood. And, for a band with such obvious and lofty goals, they pretty much nail what they’re trying to do, with a few caveats that prevent total transcendence. Their new album Mathematica expands the group’s palette a bit but essentially offers a revised, improved version of their debut (Welcome To The World), which is not  a bad thing -- the overall effect is pleasant and distracting, like Snow Patrol with some darker undertones and the drama dialed down to “manageable.”

The lead vocals, from Anthony Bagnara, are generally strong, although he goes over the top once in a while with the manically chanted monosyllabic ululations. More often, though, the intensity of the vocals drives the music and pushes it into ever-higher gears, and on one song (“Sentimentalist”) he totally sounds like Rod Stewart for a two-minute span that ranks as the record’s absolute best. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s an ersatz and totally unnecessary rap tagged onto “Clockwork” that doesn’t add ambience so much as annoyance. It’s awesome to branch out and try new stuff, but sometimes expression desires limitation. Just sayin.’

For the most part these guys hold it together. People who like pianos will definitely enjoy that instrument’s prominence in many of the arrangements (courtesy of Bagnara and lead guitarist Jake Foy), and Foy has mastered a particular style of twinkly, shimmering guitar that’s totally impressive while also making me wish he’d kick shit into overdrive more and straight-out pummel my head with the real big riffage. But I always think this stuff works better with more aggression and less atmosphere, so you can definitely take my opinion with a grain of salt -- I can totally see this being the favorite new CD of anybody who really gets off on the faux-pomp grandeur of 30 Seconds To Mars. This is music that required talent and imagination to create, so I don’t fault it when it veers from what I’m personally wanting from my daily dose of firepower.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnFOv0SJNao

Makeshift Prodigy:

• MySpace
• Official Site
• Facebook
• Assault.it’s interview with Makeshift Prodigy
• Last.fm

Here at Assault HQ, we know how difficult it is to plan a weekend in Chicago. With so much good live music to choose from (and so much alcohol to drink to while you listen), who can decide? We can. Just follow this itinerary and you’re guaranteed an awesome time:

Friday:

You must make choices in life; most of them are not easy. Friday is a pretty good example: on the one hand, local favorites Makeshift Prodigy are playing a record release show at Lasalle Power Company. You throw down five bucks, you get into the show and you get a complimentary drink (before 10pm). The doors open at 8:30 and you’ll be treated to one of the finest light shows in all of local music, plus some fairly rad tunes from their new disc Mathematica. But, on the other hand: Japandroids tearing shit up in a classic two-man fashion, spraying dreamy art-punk all over Lincoln Hall on the very same night! Tickets are $14, but they’re already sold out. But you might be able to find some on the internet or in front of the venue. Show up around 10pm, because that’s when the show starts. Also playing: Avi Buffalo and Lasers And Fast And Shit.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zychqu5CGZ4

Saturday:

If you like your indie rock a little weird and roughed up, check out the Smith Westerns at Schubas on Saturday. A mere $8 will gain you admittance, and you also get to watch Acrylics and Nurses. This show probably won’t change your life, but all of the bands are pretty promising and you can never go wrong when “Schubas” and “eight bucks” are keywords. It’s another late one, though, so make sure you schedule a nap in for the afternoon -- the show starts at 10pm.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=roUxwXHHW3A

Sunday:

K’naan, a dude who survived the Somalia Civil War and then grew up a Muslim immigrant in Canada, has a pretty fresh backstory. But guess what’s even fresher? His rhymes, motherfucker! Oh yeah, Sunday night is hip-hop night at Metro! K’naan will be performing a lot of songs from his most recent release, Troubadour. (Say the word “troubadour” aloud -- it’s hilarious.) And my boy Wale will be providing support! (Along with John Forte and Tabi Bonney.) Wale, I’m sorry I blocked you on Twitter, I still love all the stuff on your CD that was produced by Dave Sitek! Tickets are $20 now, $22 at the door, and the show starts at 7:30pm.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9M7XpHqeP0

White Mystery really sound like Chicago. Their murkily recorded primal noise is the aural equivalent of dimly-lit bars and sludge-strewn winter streets; this is some serious fight music. The latest project from Alex White (of Miss Alex White & The Red Orchestra), White Mystery pairs her ferocious, distortion-drenched guitar leads leads and snarled/shouted vocals with brother Francis’s propulsive drumming. So, yeah, it’s a brother/sister garage rock band, and their last name is White. Whatever -- this is like the White Stripes circa-De Stijl, right before they started writing “real” songs and mostly aimed to create the most vicious electric blues racket possible, with occasional dollops of melodic sweetness to make it all officially boss.

WHITE MYSTERY LIVE AT RECKLESS RECORDS IN CHICAGO 3/14/10 PHOTO BY MATT JENCIK

But enough about the other White band. White Mystery are their own group, with their floppy red hair (seriously) and distinctly Chicago aesthetic -- the fourteen songs featured here are all authentically rude and no-bullshit in their approach and attack, clocking in at just a hair over thirty minutes. “White Widow” begins the assault at full force -- mere seconds after pressing “play” and you are White Mystery’s bitch. The main lyrical theme -- “You can’t tell us what to do!” -- appears here and guides the rest of the album like a mission statement.

With the sheer number of songs here (and their obvious sonic similarity to each other), I figured this thing would chunk out about halfway through and become a snooze. But no, some of the most serious piledrivers dominate the back half -- “Don’t Hold My Hand,” “Halloween,” and “Respect Yourself” kick up the most dust in an incredible three-track run at almost the exact point the average listener might start losing interest.

This is a remarkably consistent (and consistently delightful) record, played with maximum nerve and a slightly menacing twinkle in the eye. It’s primo shit: listening to the disc is like being in the eye of a tornado, with houses and cows and other crazy shit flying around in a whirlwind of dirt and rocks; thinking back on the experience later is like watching the movie Twister. Seeing the band live. though, is like being Bill Paxton in the movie Twister.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DJSy4GwZqQ

White Mystery

• MySpace
• Official Site
• Flickr
• Facebook

The Blacks, in a way, represent a kind of enviable place when it comes to making a return. They’d formed in 1994 and got signed to Bloodshot Records. They cut two albums: 1998′s Dolly Horrorshow and 2000′s Just Like Home. Then, they took the aughts off. Their new EP, In Sickness and Health (available as a download on bloodshotrecords.com and places that sell digital music) is a reunion record. “Apparently,” I said, when I first read that. They’re new to me. Their place is enviable because that time off is, yes, enough time to be forgotten (Two albums but not a Wikipedia page? Unheard of!), but at least come back to some fan base without the huge expectations of your Led Zeppelins or Pink Floyds. The time they had to grow and be a band gives them the space and musical ability to uppercut a first-time listener with just how right this music feels.

My closest approximation: think of the band Spoon, especially Britt Daniel’s voice. Lead singer/guitarist Dan Black’s voice sounds a bit like it. Now add some twang and make them much looser without sacrificing tight songwriting. Add some female vocals (Nora O’Connor). That’d be a good first impression word painting of this band. There’s a looseness that’s old school in an age where every band seems to be run through a computer. In Sickness and Health‘s core four songs all rise up from a certain swagger. They’re rhythm driven with hooks to keep you there. They make up an assured “fuck yeah we’re back!” that’s hard to disagree with.

But wait! There are two more songs on this thing. The first and last song are soft songs, titled “Ten Years” and “If It All Falls Through,” respectively. It’s a bit obvious, and I wonder how big an audience would get it without reading their biography on the label’s website. They’re good songs, but they also pale in comparison what’s in between: a band doing what it’s meant to do. “If It All Falls Through” is the more notable of the two, since it’s a vocal showcase for O’Connor, but I’d take the preceding “Bottled and Flat” and “Young and Beautiful” over it.

It’s hard to complain about anything here, though. At less than 20 minutes, In Sickness and Health is a quick and easy digest. “Ten Years” barely registers before “I’m in Love” begins. But it’s definitely a worthy comeback album that acknowledges that it is a comeback album. None of that “Don’t call it a comeback!” or “We never left!” or “I was busy doing other shit! Here! Look at the other shit I’ve been doing! Please believe me!” stuff. This EP is the sound of a band that knows there’s work to be done, and maybe that work might not pay off in terms of tickets or downloads. But they’ve got the skills to do that work well, and hopefully people will listen.

[The Blacks will be playing Schubas this Saturday (3/06) in Chicago. Tickets are $12 and it's a 21+ show. Doors open at 10pm, and Assault strongly recommends you show up - the Blacks are legendary for tearing serious shit up, and Schubas is so small that you'll probably get hit in the face with a huge chunk of rock 'n' roll glory. You can buy tickets here.]

The Blacks:

• MySpace
• Bloodshot Records
• Reverb Nation

Looking for something to do this Friday? Rest easy, Chicago friends: we’ve got just the show for you. Eco-punks Cobalt & The Hired Guns are opening for State Radio at Metro, and it promises to be an amazing show. Cobalt & The Hired Guns are absolutely one of the coolest bands around and they’re bringing the fire to your favorite venue. Also playing: Big D & The Kids Table. The doors open at 6pm and tickets are $21. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Calling All Crows, State Radio’s human rights-promoting service organization. So you’re rocking for a good cause, and you’re gonna hear some amazing tunes. For a little taste of what you can expect, watch this sweet video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3G60gVsfQ0

Cobalt & The Hired Guns:

• MySpace & MySpace Acoustic
• Official Site
• Facebook
• GarageBand

We don’t write about hip-hop too much here at Assault, but it’s not a conscious decision -- we just get so busy with our little pop-punk/heavy metal niche that we forget other music exists. But: I was recently alerted to this video by Chicago/Atlanta rapper Rita J, and it’s definitely something special. The beat sounds like vintage Native Tongues/Roots type stuff, which we definitely like, and Rita J has an exuberant flow that radiates the pure joy of rhyming that’s so frequently missing from mainstream hip-hop. The song is called “Body Rock,” so, naturally, the video features people dancing. It’s all shot in one room, with a homemade feel, but it doesn’t come across as amateur hour. I’m honestly not that great at describing this stuff, but “Body Rock” is definitely up my alley (and hopefully yours as well). Rita J recently released an album called Artist Workshop, so watch this video and then go buy that.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4lnp2oqrHg

Rita J:

• MySpace
• Chicago Reader Review

Every year, Lollapalooza announces an awesome lineup. And every year, I don’t go, partly because I’m not a big festival dude and mostly because I make $8 an hour at my shitty job and can’t justify spending an entire week’s pay on concert tickets. But if the rumors swirling around about this year’s line-up are true, I may just have to suck it up and start giving handjobs to closeted Republican senators at twenty bucks a crack. Why? THE STROKES ARE PLAYING! (Maybe!)

According to AV Club (and numerous other blogs), there’s a chance the Strokes will perform at Grant Park this year. Also possibly playing: Green Day, Lady Gaga, the recently(and awesomely) reunited Soundgarden, Arcade Fire, the xx, Dirty Projectors, Yeasayer, Cut Copy, and Hot Chip. Now, with the possible exception of Green Day, all of these acts are totally Assault-approved. That means that, technically, I’m obliged to advise you to start saving your allowance money and stop spending every last penny on meth and Arbor Mist. Also: please send emails to my corporate overloads Third World Timmy and Mr. 51% with “SEND OSWALD TO LOLLA” in the subject line.

Lollapalooza goes down August 6-8 at Grant Park in Chicago. Put it on your calendar, and we’ll keep you posted when shit starts getting finalized.

It’s no secret that Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy is one of the best songwriters currently working. He’s consistently delivered memorable, meat-and-potatoes heartland rock that stands the test of time. And one of the best ways to judge a song is by how well other bands cover it. JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, an enterprising soul/mod band from Chicago, recently covered the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot classic “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” for KDHX, and they transform it into a stomping, writhing pile of goodness. Get a load of this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7-7x5lJiaQ

I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to call that “righteous.” I highly recommend you check these fiery bros out at one of their upcoming Chicago shows and get the glory live. They’re playing the Shrine on February 28, and you can see ‘em again at Tonic Room on March 10 and 24. 

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound:

• MySpace
• RCRDLBL
• CD Baby

It’s not too often you get a highly recommended band from the great OHIV that can deliver on both the studio and live fronts. So when he told me to check out Welcome To Ashley at the Empty Bottle this past Friday, I tried to keep my expectations realistic. I’m a veteran of the punk rock community – it’s tough to impress a guy who grew up seeing D4, Thrice, The Fux, and plenty of other virtual unknowns for $5 at the grand old Fireside Bowl. Luckily, I was able to check out a venue I’ve never been to before, and I’m fucking pumped that I did. The Empty Bottle, like the headliner that night, is punk rock to the core.

The first few hours at the venue I spent drinking tequila and Old Style while writing ironic messages on the silly photos with talk bubbles that were posted on the wall. After solid sets from The Handcuffs and I Lost Control, Welcome to Ashley took to the stage. With my only previous listening experience being the video posted on Assault, and a few songs on their MySpace page, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from these seemingly mild young men.

It only took a song or two, but I felt like I was seeing a secret showing of what sounded a lot like a really punk version of Interpol. I wouldn’t normally consider myself a fan of the monotonous tones of what Oswald Hobbes tells me is quality Interpol, but I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with happy thoughts–I nearly joined the crazy bum guy who was dancing around with all the young ladies in front of the stage. And I definitely wasn’t the only one enjoying the performance, as the majority of the venue seemed to move and sway along to the intense rock sauce being sploojed all over their ears and faces.

The live performance lived up to the band’s unique music video in every sense of the word–it wasn’t a stiff, hipster-esque indie-rock show so much as it felt like I was back at the Fireside watching some band give it all to a wildly enthusiastic crowd. If you haven’t seen Welcome to Ashley yet, I highly recommend it, especially if it’s at The Empty Bottle.

Get excited, boner-fans! Assault favorites (and certified badasses) Welcome To Ashley are playing the Empty Bottle this Friday (2/12/10). There are limited number of tickets for $5, and after that it’s gonna be $10, but you wouldn’t go wrong spending a million dollars on this fantastic line-up. And that’s not hyperbole, friends: WTA are being backed up by I Lost Control and The Handcuffs, two rad Chicago bands that are going to put burning holes where your eyes used to be. And also your ears.

Don’t believe me? Here’s the proof:

Welcome To Ashley

www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8yJSjfh42E

I Lost Control

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFM6qMX7XlQ

The Handcuffs

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxBayJb25wo

Now do you believe me?!! Great! Come out to the Empty Bottle at 10pm on Friday and see the magic happen live, before your eyes. If you have other plans, cancel them -- this is better. If you’re worried about the weather -- it’s just a little snow, Chicago! Come on! We’ve had snow for literally billions of years! If you come to the show and are disappointed, I will personally refund the purchase price of your ticket, buy you a can of Blatz, and cut your hair.* Just do it.

Welcome To Ashley On The Interweb:

• Reverb Nation
• MySpace
• Facebook

———-

* I will do none of these things. But I wouldn’t have to anyway, because the show is gonna be great. Seriously.

Between the 3 full time members of the Assault elite task force, and the 2-4 part timers, we have attended somewhere around 40,000 Alkaline Trio shows. We figured it’s time to make some new friends, and to do that, we’re going to give away two tickets, and some free drinks on us before the show at the Ginger Man next door. The show is February 28th at  Metro (your favorite Chicago rock venue!). Now, I know what you’re thinking: “You’re just gonna throw away your tickets to this awesome show? That’s retarded.” Well, you know what else is retarded? Your outfit. Now listen:

Alkaline Trio - This Addiction releases February 23rd!

Keeping with our loosely-enforced “Don’t hate, participate!” policy, we’re not just going to hand over the tickets–you gotta work for them. We’re not going to make you buy anything or do anything that we wouldn’t do (although that isn’t saying very much….rimshot!). All we’re asking is that you sign up for our newsletter. On February 18th you will receive our monthly newsletter, and in it you will get a link to a secret page on our site that has directions on how to get the tickets.

Not from Chicago?

No problem, if you find the secret password there’s still a chance to win a limited edition Alkaline Trio/Smoking Popes vinyl split, and a copy of the new album, This Addiction!

The first person to find the secret password will win the tickets, and all you have to do is to sign up for the newsletter, and to follow the directions on the email that is sent to you on February 18th. If you don’t sign up for the newsletter, you’ll never know how to win, so do it now!

The contest may (or may not include) an Alkaline Trio trivia question and/or a secret passcode that will be hidden somewhere on our online store where we sell fucking awesome t-shirts, aviators, and other cool stuff.

Third World Timmy, modeling the actual tickets you could possibly win!

The Goods

Two tickets to the SOLD OUT Alkaline Trio show at Metro Chicago on February 28th. Tickets pictured right. (Yes, those are the actual FUCKING TICKETS!)

Not from Chicago? No problem, there is also a limited edition vinyl Alkaline Trio/Smoking Popes split, and a copy of the new album from AK3, This Addiction!

When will I get my the first clue to the scavenger hunt?

The first clue will go out in our newsletter on the 18th of February that you must sign up for. Don’t forget to add us to your address book so that our emails won’t get caught in your spam filters.

Our newsletter is totally tits mcgee.

It goes out once a month, it has funny pictures of us, hot chicks in our clothing, and gives you a heads up to our best blog posts, recommended music/movies, and deals on all of our new clothing we release.

Derek sporting the Radioactive II T-Shirt from Assault!

Who the hell are you guys?

We’re just 3 guys who love music and make t-shirts. Some people think our shirts are pretty cool (including the guys from the Alkaline Trio) and, better yet, they’re made in the USA.

That’s right, you could win tickets to the SOLD OUT Alkaline Trio show! Better yet, we’ve dropped our prices for our 2 year anniversary sale so our shirts have never been cheaper!

The Fine Print

This contest is a scavenger hunt of sorts. You will need to be a subscriber of our newsletter to get the secret link to where the first clue is for the scavenger hunt. The tickets will be given to the first person to complete the contest who is also 21 years of age. You may need to answer a trivia question about the Alkaline Trio. The tickets, and this contest were not provided for by The Alkaline Trio, or their label. This contest has absolutely no affiliation with Epitaph, or the Alkaline Trio (they didn’t respond to over 40 emails from us asking for an interview and/or permission of some sort so we figured why the hell not!) Winners of the tickets must be at least 21 years of age. Contestants must be in the US.

We bought these tickets with our own money, and if we want to give them to two loyal Alkaline Trio fans from Chicago then god dammit we’re going to do so!