In August 1993, Billboard printed a canopy story declaring Chicago the “Cutting Edge’s New Capital.” On the time, all eyes have been on the town’s rising rock scene, positioning it to be the subsequent to interrupt out after Seattle’s grunge revolution.
Artists just like the Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt, Urge Overkill, Liz Phair, Materials Situation, Fig Dish, Triple Quick Motion and Native H led A&R label reps to mainly arrange a basecamp in Wicker Park. The bands have been reserving main excursions, changing into the darlings of rock radio and the faces of MTV.
Now, 30 years later, might it’s occurring yet again?
Whereas rock might sound completely different in 2024, the sensation is again. For those who tune into WKQX (101.1 FM) or WXRT (93.1 FM) at the moment, you’re prone to hear new Chicago acts like Brigitte Calls Me Child, Friko, Honest Engineer and Dehd taking the airwaves in common rotations alongside nationwide movers and shakers. Revered tastemaker labels have additionally been signing them in a feeding frenzy. Friko and Brigitte Calls Me Child are the newest to affix ATO Data (simply behind one other native expertise, Neal Francis) and Lifeguard and Horsegirl are actually a part of the roster at Matador Data. To not point out Dehd on Fats Possum and Seaside Bunny on Mother + Pop (and numerous others climbing the ranks).
Emily Kempf with Dehd performs on the T-Cellular stage, throughout Lollapalooza at Grant Park in 2023. The band is among the many newest wave of native artists placing a brand new highlight on Chicago’s music scene.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Solar-Occasions
The rebellion can be evident on this summer season’s competition lineups. Friko and Brigitte are each enjoying Lollapalooza, Lifeguard has a spot at Pitchfork and Honest Engineer is enjoying Riot Fest. Some acts can even grace phases at Newport People Pageant, Summerfest and even so far as Japan’s Fuji Rock this yr. And all of it has Chicago trade insiders — and past — excited.
“That’s what it was like again within the day with the Pumpkins, Liz Phair, Materials Situation — when Chicago exploded onto the nationwide scene,” says Metro founder and proprietor Joe Shanahan, a key participant within the ‘90s rock motion right here. He not solely sees the similarities — younger, artsy twentysomethings working in tandem to construct a scene — but additionally the potential. As Shanahan provides, “I hope this [becomes] the identical.”
“[The scene] is completely having a growth,” confirms Molly Mobley, lead expertise purchaser at Empty Bottle since 2019. The membership has lengthy been floor zero for a lot of rising Chicago artists to chop their tooth, and Mobley has had a entrance row seat to see all of it unfold. She theorizes that the rising nationwide pull of Chicago’s scene is coming from “labels hungry to search out new bands and assist foster this new era of music. … And, if we’ve got the attention on us, it’s not exhausting to search out numerous bands right here who’re actually proficient.”
Joe Shanahan, proprietor of Metro, stands close to the Metro Retailer on this 2022 file picture.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Solar-Occasions
One one who has had that tunnel imaginative and prescient is Matador president Patrick Amory.
“The actual Chicago youth scene … is certainly having a second,” he says. Although he and the New York-based label’s different executives reside on the East Coast, Amory says all of them “have a deep affection for [Chicago] and its music going again a long time” (the label can be house to Liz Phair).
Via their scouting, Matador rapidly signed the younger fuzz post-punk act Lifeguard (“they’re one of many best reside bands on the planet” proper now, Amory staunchly declares) and likewise vied for indie rocker Horsegirl after being impressed by its “complicated tune constructions, mysterious lyrics and vocal harmonies.” To his level, Lifeguard will quickly embark on their first-ever European tour, whereas Horsegirl continues to be using excessive off the acclaim of its 2022 debut, “Variations of Fashionable Efficiency” that options members of Sonic Youth and has been gushed over by the likes of The New York Occasions.
The identical ascent has been seen with Brigitte Calls Me Child, one of many greatest standouts within the new rock league whose retro-meets-modern swagger appears like The Smiths, Roy Orbison, Elvis and Interpol mingling collectively. Earlier than forming the band, frontman Wes Leavins (a Texas native) was forged in a “Million Greenback Quartet” run and labored with Baz Luhrmann on the “Elvis” biopic due to his dead-ringer vocal model. The quintet made their nationwide TV debut on “CBS Saturday Morning” in February, have loved worldwide press in rock bibles like NME, and logged tour dates with the Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
However again in 2023, Brigitte Calls Me Child (named for Leavins’ teenage pen pal reference to actress Brigitte Bardot) was booked for one among Empty Bottle’s long-standing Free Mondays, the collection that options free reveals by Chicago bands each week. One of many individuals at that showcase was Chicago native Tom Schmall, director of selling and promotion at ATO Data and Purple Gentle Administration. A SXSW showcase that month inked the deal and ATO quickly signed the band.
Tom Schmall, Purple Gentle Administration/ATO Data.
Anthony Vazquez/Solar-Occasions
Schmall says the New York-based label, began in 2000 by Dave Matthews and his supervisor Coran Capshaw, has widened its mindset lately, after seeing signees Alabama Shakes take off, believing that there was advantage in “ [artists] that aren’t probably the most industrial however have potential to be” and setting their eyes on the Chicago buzz acts. Whereas Friko launched its ATO debut, “The place we go from right here” to a maelstrom of press in February (see our previous conversation with them here), Brigitte will release its own album, “The Future Is Our Way Out,” on Aug. 2, during Lollapalooza weekend. Ahead of that, it has two sold-out shows at Lincoln Hall June 21 and 22.
There’s no denying radio has been a huge part of their rise. In November 2023, Brigitte’s lauded EP, “This House Is Made of Corners” garnered them a Top 10 radio hit with the crooner track, “Impressively Average.”
Two of the local stations that have been playing that song regularly have been XRT and Q101. In March, the latter was at Brigitte Calls Me Baby’s first sell-out show at Schubas, posting on social media, “The Chicago music scene is alive and well.” The band was added to the station’s regular daily rotation, which was a bit of a change of the guard. But, says Program Director James Kurdziel, a Minnesota transplant who credits longtime DJs like Lauren O’Neil and Brian Phillips for bringing the band to his attention, “They’re objectively good. … Chicago right now has so many bands that fit Q101, and we thought, rather than just play them on Sunday night when we support as much local music as we can, let’s play them for real.” He’s also booked several bands to play Q101’s annual Piqniq summer fest (this year at Taste of Randolph June 14-16).
Friko features Drummer Bailey Minzenberger (left) and singer-guitarist Niko Kapetan.
Long-time XRT evening DJ Ryan Arnold, who has hosted and produced new music and local music programs for the station over the last 11 years, says it’s long been “in the DNA, the fabric of [XRT] … to embrace local music,” though he believes the reason many of the bands are now elevating beyond the city is not just because the music is good, but you can chalk of it up to Chicago’s innate work ethic.
“There’s something to be said about people from Chicago. We work. … And for these bands, these aren’t hobbies. You’re never going to outwork someone from Chicago with the determination like some of these young bands have.”
Amory sees it, too: “They’re playing locally every week, promoting all-ages shows in unusual venues or private parties in people’s living rooms and attics; they’re publishing print fanzines; they’re releasing cassettes; and designing artwork.”
“[The Chicago scene] is absolutely having a boom. … And, if we have the eye on us, it’s not hard to find a lot of bands here who are really talented.”
— Molly Mobley, lead talent buyer at Empty Bottle
Lifeguard, who formed in 2019, says the pandemic pause was paramount in bringing back that DIY aesthetic, long rooted in the Chicago arts.
“It felt like there was a need for young people to start pushing their art and Chicago succeeded in a lot of ways because of the culture … and supportive environment. It allowed us to push ourselves more,” says guitarist/vocalist Kai Slater.
The lockdown also made Chicago artists settle in, rather than leave for the coasts, says Lifeguard’s bassist/vocalist Asher Case, whose father is Chicago musician Brian Case (The Ponys, 90 Day Men, Facs). “That’s the nice thing, it’s not like people are trying to leave once they’ve found their thing,” says Asher. “I think more people are moving here actually.”
And some of those people who are staying in the city are a highly influential pack who are spreading the gospel of these new acts far and wide. Shanahan first heard about Friko from local musician Matt Walker, the venerable drummer who’s been a part of the Smashing Pumpkins, Morrissey and Garbage. Shanahan then booked the band for Gman Tavern, and a sold-out record release show in February followed. Kurdziel also notes seeing Rise Against come out to support fellow local punk rockers Sincere Engineer at a recent show.
“That’s the scene again,” Kurdziel says. “With the digital world, the first thing that died were scenes. And it seems like now it’s coming back.”
Molly Mobley is lead talent buyer of the Empty Bottle at 1035 N. Western Ave. in Ukrainian Village. Peg is the bar cat.
Of course, another huge contributor to the scene’s strength is the investment of the “deeply independent venue-owned” spirit of the city, says Mobley.
“There’s so many spaces for people to really grow as musicians and have the space to spread their wings without feeling like they’re being clipped by competition,” she says. Plus, the difference of having in-house buyers and promoters, prominent in Chicago, is that “we are real people, we see our friends doing real things and we couldn’t be prouder and want to put a spotlight on them more.”
It’s this kind of infrastructure and support that has been key to the rise of Chicago’s rock scene we’re seeing now, says Schmall.
“There seems to be an ecosystem once again. You have the clubs that are extremely active … Agencies have offices here now like Wasserman and Rival Artists (which used to be part of Paradigm), even Ten Atoms Management,” he shares, also a prime example as a local rep for ATO.
“This wasn’t the case before. A lot of times these bands had to go outside to find it or do it on their own. It just feels like all the gaps are starting to fill in.”
For many of these reasons, says Leavins, “Chicago has been the most important place in my life and I don’t know that I could’ve made [Brigitte Calls Me Baby] happen anywhere else.” Hailing from a smaller town in Texas, he didn’t know too many musicians. But he did connect with several in Chicago over social media and soon realized, “There’s something happening and I want to be a part of it.” He adds, “As much as I love L.A. and New York, there’s a lot of boxing in there. Like, okay here’s this trend, and now that we’ve signed you, try following it. But, I think in Chicago, we’re the ones starting trends now.”
