It’s not too often I hang on to the flyers that get handed to me when I walk out of a show here in Chicago. I’ve even written about a better way to stand out from the rest of the unsigned bands. (One thing was to not hand out flyers.) It just so happens that in this particular instance, my hands were full, and so I stuffed all the flyers in my pocket before heading down the street to the Black Rock after a solid showing at The Metro by The Fold and Lucky Boys Confusion.

When I got home, I found a flyer in my pocket from The Delivery Boys, and to say they had the odds stacked against them from the get-go was an understatement. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised at the production quality and overall sound of The Delivery Boys’ EP after my initial listen on their MySpace page. When you’re listening to 20+ albums a week it’s easy to forget the names of all the songs and especially the bands, but every once in awhile you find yourself humming the words, or remembering parts of the hook in your head while you’re in the car, when you first wake up, or maybe even in the shower. (If you’re Oswald Hobbes that’s where you do your best performing too.)

This is exactly what happened to me this past weekend, and after some considerable searching I realized that the song was, “Special Delivery,” by the guys of TDB. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of any upcoming shows in the Chicago area for the band either. It’s not the only song that’s catchy coming from TDB, they also recorded a holiday song, “You’re All I Want For Christmas,” which is just as delicious. According to their latest MySpace info they’ll have some more music out soon, and I’m personally hoping to get a chance to see the guys live out here in the big city sometime soon. Let that be a notice to you local Chicago rock venues. (I’m looking at you Reggies, Metro, Lincoln Hall, and Shuba’s.)

The Delivery Boys

• Paul Holloway – vocals/guitar
• Eric Olsen – bass/vocals
• Ryan Bennett – guitar/vocals
• Matt Dailly – drums

More from TDB

• The Delivery Boys on PureVolume
• The Delivery Boys on MySpace
• The Delivery Boys on ReverbNation

From the Broken, tough Chicago metal at it's finest.

It’s been awhile since we’ve recognized a local band that we’re excited about, and mostly that’s because there really hasn’t been any that have caught my attention–that is until recently when I got a chance to listen to some From the Broken.

Like many of the other bands we find on Twitter and Myspace, From the Broken is just getting started and is currently touring locally in and around the Chicago area. They’ve got a 3 song EP out now featuring:

• Today’s The Day
• One Time Hero
• World’s End

You can listen to (like I have many times) on their Myspace page. If you’d like to contact the band directly, I’ve found their Twitter page to be the best way. Their next show is July 26th at the Walter Payton Roundhouse in Aurora.

With Assault in it’s infancy, we’ve decided that the time has come to execute the old punk rock motto, “Support your local scene.” We’re in the t-shirt business in Chicago, and there plenty of other local companies that are in one way or another associated with the apparel industry–here are some of our favorites.

Akira Chicago

1837 W. North Avenue Chicago 60622 | 866.477.2299
If you’re familiar with the indie clothing scene in Chicago then you’ve surely heard of Akira. One of the fastest growing boutiques in the area, and they’ve got something for everyone! Currently, they’re running a sale for 30% off everything that ends in 4 days!

Cameesa

Cameesa’s paving the way just like Threadless did with a new business model known as crowdfunding that we’ve talked about here on the blog before. You pledge your money to a shirt design submission that you like and if a total of $500 bucks is pledged by other members your shirts get printed! Artists get commission, you get a shirt for every $20 bucks you pledge, and you get a percentage for each shirt sold! New and innovative–I think so. Check it out and start submitting your shirts!

Ware You Fit In

Unique T-Shirt designs by the graphic designers John and Shane. They’ve been featured in several newsletters in the area as well as at the Renegade Craft Fair. Check em out!

Screwball Press

4045 N. Rockwell, Chicago 60618
Steve Walters has been running Screwball Press since 1991, and has since opened up his own screen printing academy. They offer 8 hour screen printing poster sessions at a very affordable price. If you’re interested in learning how to screen print, and need access to screen printing equipment, this is the go to place in Chicago.

Boutiqueville

770 North Halsted, Suite 303 Chicago 60642 | 312.243.8786
Comprehensive local boutique listing here in Chicago. Boutiqueville also runs as a print publication in tandem with New City. Hopefully they’ll come around and list us as an online only shop!

Solemates Chicago

2708 N Halsted St Chicago 60614 | 773.327.7782
Shoes, apparel, and handbags store for both men and women. A favorite amongst Assault friends and family.

Leaders1354

1400 N. Milwaukee Chicago 60622 | 773.489.1900
Freshness. Leaders1354 has hats, t-shirts, and shoes for rappers, scenesters, geeks, hipsters, skaters, and I’ll go ahead and say ROCKERS. (That’s more our department though) Leaders started in the south side in historic Hyde Park, and now have multiple shops around the area closest to Assault being Wicker Park. They’ve got great taste and a great assortment of stuff. Highly recommended.

St. Alfred

1531 N. Milwaukee Avenue Chicago 60622 | 773.486.7159
St. Alfred has the finest footwear and streetwear apparel brands from around the world, and one of the cleanest stores I’ve seen since those communist Apple folks.

Propaganda T-Shirts

3327 N. Lincoln Avenue Chicago | 773.549.6736
Propaganda is a full service printing company and I highly recommend them for any printing needs whether it be t-shirts for your local bar, soccer team, or if you’re starting an apparel brand like we did. They’re friendly and very helpful.

I’m sure I’ve missed quite a few of you, and if I have post it in the comments or email us and we’ll add to our list!