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

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:

FRIDAY:

Ah, Friday! Finally you can kick back, quit complaining about your pathetic monkey job, and drink some cold beers. You know what goes great with cold beers? AWESOME CHICAGO BANDS. And you’re gonna find FIVE awesome Chicago bands playing at Metro on Friday. Tickets are $11 for this all ages show that kicks off at 6pm -- what more do you need to know? Oh, the bands: Mindsight, Amrita, The Fireship, The Rails, and The Love Shots. We haven’t experienced all of these bands first hands, but I will tell you this: $11 is worth it just to see the Fireship pop some crazy shit off. So go check it out; did I mention it’s only $11?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWEJEgC-o-Q

OR:

You could talk a walk on the dark side and get your fucking face crushed by metal veterans Impaler at Reggie’s Rock Club. They’re gonna be joined by Graverobber, Gravedirt (no, I’m serious), and The Turbo Vamps. If that doesn’t sound like an awesome line-up to you, I think you need to cut back on the herbal tea and tie-dye! This is gonna melt your face, and you know that. This crazy shit goes down at 8pm and it’s a 17+ show. Tickets are $7, so what’s your excuse? (And, seriously: go look at the Impaler website. Seriously! Go look at it.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h14uLaoPSY

SATURDAY:

Saturday is the show we’ve all been waiting for: White Mystery at the Hideout! Yeah, boy! This shit is gonna be incredible. We saw White Mystery open for Jemina Pearl a month ago, and some of my orifices are still sore. This brother/sister team kick out tasty garage jams that don’t sound shitty. Their self-titled full-length just dropped this week -- I definitely recommend you spend ten bucks on it. Other Minds and Charlie Slick will also be bringing the rock on this fateful night. The show starts at 9pm and a ticket can be had for $8. DO IT!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uw3GJ8iKlo

SUNDAY:

Sunday should find you right back at Reggie’s Rock Club: punk sensations H2O are headlining, but we gotta draw your attention to one of the opening acts. Our best friends The Swellers are gonna be there! (Also playing: The Mongloids and The Attack.) Tickets are a little pricey at $13, but I think you’ll find that’s a wise investment when all is said and done. Heck, I’d pay that much just to see a band called the Mongloids! Just out of sheer curiosity. This show is all ages, and it starts at $5 -- you won’t even miss the supper-time reruns of Murder, She Wrote! Go to this.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDR71Xo6Zs4

We love The Swellers. We think Ups & Downsizing, their 2009 disc for Fueled By Ramen, was one of the best records released last year; we still listen to it every day while we punch each other in the nuts and make poo poo jokes at the office. And lead Swelldog Nick Diener was kind enough to let us interview him earlier this year, in probably the coolest thing that’s happened to us since we got into this blogging game. So we are contractually obligated to share any and all Swellers-related tidbits with you. Here’s a good one: it’s a video of the dudes rocking their massive, butt-bangingly crazy single “Fire Away” live on the recent Motion City Soundtrack Dino Initiative tour. I think you’re gonna like it – and when I say “think, ” I mean “know.” (Also: “like” means “lose your shit and dance around like you just scored tickets to the N*Sync reunion tour.”) Check it:

There’s also a quick interview with the guys about being more like truck drivers than musicians with all the touring they do.

The Swellers:

• MySpace
• Official Site
• Last FM
• iTunes

It’s no secret that we love the Swellers here at the Assault offices – their latest record, 2009′s Ups & Downsizing, provided us with plenty of inspiration during long coffee-fueled nights of writing reviews and hammering out tutorials. So it was a real honor when lead Sweller Nick Diener graciously consented to answering a few questions for us via e-mail while taking a much-deserved break from the road.

AssaultBLOG: What’s the typical journey for a Swellers song from conception to actualization?

Nick Diener: Jonathan and I are the songwriters. We’ll have a riff, a chorus, sometimes a whole song’s music just happening in our heads. We bring it to each other, and if we like it, we keep it. If we sorta like it, we trash it. That’s probably why it takes us like a year to write 6 songs. We rarely have “extra” songs to play around with. Sometimes it’ll take 9 months to get a song right, sometimes it’ll take 9 minutes. Either way, usually lyrics come last, to make sure they’re exactly presented how we want them.

Being on an indie label, do you have to meet certain expectations, or do you get free reign? For instance, is there any pressure to deliver a song that “sounds” like a single?

FBR [Fueled By Ramen] has been great and believes in us 100%. We recorded our album and paid for it ourselves before we even got signed. I’m sure they’d like us to do well and get huge and have a big radio jam some day, but they know we’re a punk band and not to tell us what to do!

How important do you consider traditional measures of success, such as sales and radio play?

Sales are very important because the numbers are what get good things for bands. The higher the numbers you have, the better the tours, the more money to make touring easier, etc. Sales are down like 99% from what they used to be, though. If you’ve sold 100,000 records, it means probably 2 million have already downloaded it for free. Only weirdos listen to the radio, but hey, it helps.

How do you keep the equation of “career” and “calling” properly balanced? How has the work-to-fun ratio changed as the band has become more popular?

Good question. I think it just kind of happened. As more people started coming to shows and we got on bigger tours, there was more money going around. We went from breaking even, to making enough to “get by” and keep touring. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I can live, just from playing in this band. But I don’t live very extravagantly. I try not to buy expensive things. Just food! It’s a lot more fun, now, actually, than it used to be, because we don’t have to worry about so many things, like will we eat today? Will we have enough gas money to get home? It’s a lot more relaxed. We’re working even harder though now too!

Being on the road so much, are you able to balance your personal life with band business? Is it hard to normalize when you finally get home?

Very hard to normalize when I get home. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do when I’m home. I’m made to play songs and tour. It’s good to see friends, girlfriends, family, and everyone else for awhile though.

What lessons have you learned from being on the road with heavy-hitters like Paramore and Less Than Jake? And is that level of popularity scary or inspiring?

The Paramore and Less Than Jake tours were both two of the biggest tours we’ve done, but they were also very different tours. Paramore plays to mostly “concert-goers” and Less Than Jake plays to “punk rock fans”. Very different people, very different staff and crews on the tour, but both did great things for our band and we loved hanging out with everybody on both. Definitely makes us want to keep working up to that point.

At your shows you talk about playing in real bands with real instruments. Any idea why kids nowadays are more likely to pick up a video game controller than a guitar? What got you started playing music?

Video games are easier than real life, in every aspect. A video game costs less than a real guitar, too. My bro and I started playing music together when we were 9 and 10, so it’s all i’ve known for 13 years. Never went with the trends of what was popular.. just played rock music from day one. Still am, just in front of more people than just my parents. I picked up a guitar so I could play Nirvana songs.

It’s no secret that you and your brother are straight-edge vegans. What made you decide to be straight edge and vegan?

I don’t like the idea of not being able to drive. I don’t like the idea of spending money on drinks that taste like shit. I don’t like the idea of my breath smelling like white trash. I don’t like the idea of contributing to animals being killed for selfish reasons. Hence, the vegan straight edge. Makes me feel good.

You’ve opened for Paramore, Less Than Jake, and pretty soon you’ll be opening for Motion City Soundtrack, is there one band that you haven’t opened up for that you’d like to?

Weezer, Green Day, Jimmy Eat world, Foo Fighters, NOFX, Get Up Kids. I’d like to be with those guys.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given by another band or person in the music industry?

It was from Bill Stevenson when we toured with Only Crime. He was in Black Flag and the Descendants. He said that no matter how many kids are in the crowd that night, even if it’s two, they still could have done ANYTHING they wanted that night, and they came to see your band. So give them a hell of a show.

When you guys start headlining, who are the bands you’d like to have opening up?

A band called Heartsounds from California. Living With Lions, A Wilhelm Scream, Broadway Calls, Cheap Girls from Michigan, just to name a few!

Besides getting boners to stop from having to pee while driving, what are some other crazy/weird/funny things that have happened to you and the guys while on the road?

I just think its crazy, weird, and funny that anyone would like us or our music enough to put a poster of us on their wall. We’re just weirdo kids who play rock songs. Makes me really happy, though. There are too many random and weird moments to really pick just one.. but I think it’s nuts how much we actually drive. Brutal.

I know you guys just came out with a new CD, but are you planning on coming out with anything else in the near future?

Not really the near future, but hopefully early to mid 2011 will be our next record release. Can’t wait. Already writing it.

What’s the end game for The Swellers? At what point can you say, “yup, we’ve done it all now.”

I think the second we stop growing is the second I’ll start thinking of wrapping things up. Don’t wanna beat a dead horse.

(Additional reporting by Third World Timmy.)

OMG! I found a band I’ve never heard of that I might like.

I want to take their music with me and listen to them, but their MySpace only has 4 songs, and their full album is $9.99 on iTunes…

These are the kinds of thoughts I have everyday when I sort through all the music on MySpace, iTunes, ReverbNation, Twitter, and everywhere else you hear of new bands. 98% of the time I either disregard a band for aesthetic reasons or I listen to one song for 20 seconds and then pass on them. So – what is your only guaranteed shot at winning me over as a fan?

In the words of Martin Atkins:

Free is the new black.

Give a special album away for free–but not entirely free. If you want to know the best way to win over a “connector,” give them your album for free by collecting their email address for your mailing list, and then send them a free download link. The music will always be on their computer, and you’ll always have a way to get in touch with them to remind me of how awesome/nice/talented you are later.

It shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be your full length studio album that you spent all your money on.

It can be one single, a few b-sides, rare songs, acoustic songs, or even some bootleg live recordings.

If you’re just getting started you need all the fans you can get, and the value you can get from them is their email or contact information to tell them when you have a live show coming up.

I Fight Dragons did this–now they’re shows are jammed with people

Kid You’ll Move Mountains did this–now they’re getting radio and television airplay.

Trent Reznor did this–now I can’t even get into the presale for one of his shows.

Mathletes did this–now I’m bound by blood to go to their shows (as soon as they update their tours on MySpace.)

Empires did it–And they’re one of my favorite local acts that I still buy music from.

Enter Shikari did it–They’ve got over 1,000,000 plays on their MySpace.

The Swellers did it on Reverbnation–and now AssaultBLOG is officially a Swellers superfan site

The inner accountant in the head of all musicians is probably thinking…

Why won’t people pay the $10 for our full length album? Doesn’t anyone want to help out a small struggling band? Is it too much to ask to pay for something you enjoy that took lots of hard work? We don’t want fans that won’t support our $10 album.

If you’re just starting out,  you don’t have what people in the advertising business refer to as “brand equity.” No one knows you.

They know all the shit they hear on the radio.

They know all the drivel that iTunes puts up on their featured section.

They know the bullshit they occasionally see on what used to be MTV.

The only advantage you have over the bands that are getting heavy airplay is that you’re giving it away for free. Google does it and crushes everyone because what they have rocks. If your music rocks, and you can give some of it away for free, you can bet that you’ll get more people at your shows, more people buying your merch, and with a few years of hard work you’ll have a loyal fan-base that will kill baby unicorns for you if you ask them to. Think of your free album as your trial run – if you want the full upgrade, pay the price by buying the full length album, going to our shows, and buying our merch.

It works in every other industry. Why not the music industry?

It’s fairly rare that I make it out to Chicago to mingle with the civilized world, but when Tim told me the Swellers were playing at Metro I knew I had to suck it up and deal. Their recent release Ups & Downsizing has become one of my favorite albums to blast while driving to work – it’s catchy, fast, and loud. Perhaps more importantly, the songs are smart and substantial enough to justify me sitting in traffic for ninety minutes and spending another thirty looking for a decent parking space. I’m happy to report that my journey was not in vain, for the Swellers did verily bring the thunder.

It was a short opening set (Less Than Jake were headlining, and NYC punk lifers the Casualties also played), punchy, tight, and packed with the group’s best songs. Lead Sweller Nick Diener played it loose and gregarious and basically performed all the duties associated with opening – give the crowd a little taste of rock, get them amped up for the main attraction, and say goodnight before your welcome is worn out. For us, though, the Swellers were the main attraction, and obviously we would’ve liked them to play more. But they did squeeze out my three favorite tracks: “Welcome Back Riders,” “2009,” and “Dirt” (which closed the set on an awesomely intense note).

Overall, I consider the night a success. We saw a great band play some great songs, and I also drank a lot of beers supplied by Mr. Timmy. The only sour note of the whole evening was the Warped Tour promotional video played before the bands started – it was about thirty minutes of notable punk superstars like Rise Against, NOFX, and (um) Ice-T performing and being interviewed about the Warped Tour. Other than that, though, the AssaultBLOG team had a great time and really “took” Chicago (similar to the way Jason took Manhattan in the late ’80s).

This video of AssaultBLOG favorites (and all around pop-punk heartthrobs) the Swellers recently surfaced on YouTube; it’s a live performance of “Dirt,” and it obviously pwns. Give it a listen if you’re not already in love with these dudes, and also pick up their excellent new(ish) record Ups & Downsizing. And, if you’re in the Chicago area, catch ‘em opening for Less Than Jake at the Metro tomorrow (11/23/09). Third World Timmy and myself will be there will bells on – just listen for the jangling sound somewhere near the front of the crowd.

Pop-punk is one of the easiest genres to get wrong; the ingredients are simple enough that anyone can give it a shot, and fan expectations are famously low. That’s what makes the new Swellers record, Ups And Downsizing, so refreshing: these guys absolutely nail it. The songs are catchy, the riffs are chunky, and there’s enough wit present in the lyrics to satisfy the discriminating pop-punk fan. After undergoing numerous lineup changes and the usual amount of toil and trouble, The Swellers seem to be on the cusp of breaking out and getting the recognition they deserve.

The Swellers – Fire Away Video

Ups and Downsizing in Flint, Michigan

The Swellers prove they have the essential down pat right away; opener “2009″ finds singer/guitarist Nick Diener wallowing in the kind of new year’s misery that’s fueled great tracks in the past from Alkaline Trio and Motion City Soundtrack, although the tone here never slips into negativity or ugliness. And, though the riffs may be familiar enough, they keep circling around in interesting ways, dropping out and then coming back harder. This is the formula for most of Ups And Downsizing, and when it works, The Swellers make a case for themselves as a more masculine Paramore; this is friendly mall punk you can blast in your car without feeling like a teenage girl.

The Swellers consistently go deeper than the average pop-punk concerns; the title track features smart lyrics about the recession (the band is from Flint, Michigan, so they know a thing or two about economic downturn) and closer “Dirt” is an enjoyably vinegary missive aimed at anyone attending Dienen’s funeral. “Feet First” and “Stars” switch up the tempo; the former is a pretty standard ballad entry, but the latter runs six minutes and features a Slash-worthy guitar solo as it reaches its super-cathartic climax.

Ups And Downsizing is a big step forward for the Swellers; their previous full-length, My Everest, traffics in much of the same thematic and musical territory, but the delivery is more pungent and forceful this time around. The rest of the band is almost impossibly tight . Think Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave: Standard elements recombined in an interesting way, with some studio sheen to help the medicine go down but enough rawness to keep the energy popping. And the flawless rhythmic interplay on these songs showcases a precision that probably is only possible when it’s your brother on drums (Jonathan Diener handles the skins).

If you’re a fan of the typical pop-punk sound, Ups And Downsizing is worth more than just a listen. It’s worth memorizing as a textbook example of exactly how this stuff sounds when it’s done right. I’d place it in the mighty pantheon right alongside Alkaline Trio’s Goddamnit and Green Day’s Kerplunk, and that’s about as high of praise as you’re likely to hear around these parts. And, just like those records, telling your friends about Ups And Downsizing amounts to sharing a wonderful gift. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in twenty years, up-and-coming punk bands instructed their producers to “make it sound like the Swellers.” That’s how fine their command of pop-punk principles truly is.

The Swellers are opening for Less Than Jake at Metro on Tuesday, November 24; if you’re in the Chicago area, I highly advise you check these guys out. (Both myself and “Third World” Timmy will be at the show.) This is real, no-bullshit rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s a rare commodity these days. Buy tickets now!

More from the Swellers

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

One of these Tuesday mornings I’m hoping that when I take a quick peak at the top songs in the “Rock” category on iTunes there will really be something is not only rock, but also good. I’m not one to complain and not do anything about it so I’ve taken it upon myself to hopefully bring you a few new songs that aren’t Daughtry, Creed, or John Mayer-esque in sound.

iTunes Top 10 singles in Rock at the time of this blog post. Meh

The Swellers – Fire Away

The Swellers remind me of a cooler, less emo version of what Saves the Day used to be back when I was in high school. Drawing from their experience touring with Less Than Jake, Set Your Goals, and Four Year Strong, The Swellers finally seemed to have made their break as they’re now opening up for Paramore. They sound kinda like somewhere between punk rock and Lit–if you can imagine what that’s like.

AFI – Medicate

AFI was one of my favorite bands growing up. (All the way back to their All Hallows Eve and hardcore screaming days) They seem to have grown up quite a bit and still manage to turn out solid albums despite being around for over 18 years now.

Thousand Foot Krutch – Fire It Up

I honestly can’t remember how I found these guys, but all I can say is they’re good, and this song is good. If you’re like me and kinda feel like a pussie when you listen to pop punk, this should help.

Brand New – You Stole

My first Brand New show was in the back of a bowling alley at the Fireside Bowl off of Fullerton in Chicago back when they were still having rock and roll shows there. They were OPENING for Thrice, and now they’re filling up the Aragon Ballroom. Our resident music critic, Oswald Hobbes reviewed their new album Daisy just recently. Check that out if you haven’t.

Weezer – (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To

The first album I ever owned was “The Blue Album” by Weezer cause my mom wouldn’t let me get the Offspring cd cause it had a parental advisory sticker. In retrospect, it wasn’t that bad of a decision. Feel free to disagree, but there’s no way Five for Fighting should be ahead of Weezer… on a rock chart… ever.

Wolfmother – New Moon Rising

Everytime I listen to Wolfmother I feel like I stepped in a time machine. A time machine of awesome. This single off their new album definitely deserves to be in the top ten. Maybe just one spot above Daughtry.

Dagoba – The Things Within

So I just found out about these guys, and posted  their music video. I don’t know how I missed them because this song is over three years old now, but I guess that’s what I get for “going away to art school” as they say.

VersaEmerge – Past Praying For

I’m not doing this because all the bands on this list are fronted by dudes–I swear. VersaEmerge is a relatively new band, and another band on the Fueled by Ramen bill along with The Swellers. If you’re kind of into Evanescence but a bit less dreary, and quite a bit more upbeat–check this song out.

Oh, Sleeper – Son of the Morning

If Dustin Kensrue of Thrice decided to start making serious rock again like he used to, except draw from a bit more heavy bands like Killswitch Engage and Poison The Well, then Oh, Sleeper would be somewhat close to the result. A bit scream-o and a bit Fear Factory, this one will give you a nice kick in the ass in the morning, and it’s been proven to have more caffeine than that powdery instant coffee from Starbucks.

Taking Dawn – Time to Burn

For those of you that remember the band The Union Underground (What happened to them anyways?) you’ll do just fine with Taking Dawn. A little bit Axel Rose, a little bit Atreyu. Definitely worth the one dollar download.

Now I’m no Oswald Hobbes, but I do tend to be somewhat particular about what I think is good rock music, so if you completely disagree and think I don’t know what I’m talking about… that’s fine. Post some rock songs in the comments or send me a tweet and point me in the right direction.

Lead me to the promised land o’ internet trolls.