Jonny & The Shorrbirds, and Orange Line

The Abbey in Irving Park hosts live music most nights of the week.  I have begun to develop a strong trend of never reviewing headliners at shows with multiple bands, and tonight is no different.  I'm never disappointed by the bands that come out of Chicago, and it's another example of the hidden talent in our City.  The Abbey is a great space for indie rock artists.  Its walls are covered in flyers from previous bands and its upstairs and downstairs spaces are great for sitting and enjoying a drink or watching the show.

The Tuesday night crowd was mainly band groupies, the bands who were on the roster but not on the stage, and a few music enthusiasts.  Jonny & The Shorrbirds opened the show.  This band had a nice blend of acoustic folk and rock.  The lead player, Johnny, is from Chicago and is currently studying music at USC.  His music was acoustic guitar driven, even with the band setting.  Their sound was balanced and accessible to the listener, and the lyrics were showcased.  It was clear that the music was being performed by the writer, because the different parts weren't being lost in a solo, and the words were just as emphasized as the music.  This artist has a lot of interesting things on his roster, charity events, an EP, music for film, and work with Warner Bro.'s Company.  Chicago is still the heart of his music, and he's doing a lot of creative work with it.


Orange Line describes itself as an alt/psych/space rock band.  In addition to original music, both instrumental and vocal-driven, they covered ILOVEMAKONNEN's Tuesday. . .on a Tuesday.  It was a clever nod to pop culture with their own twist.  They flavored their sound with a heavy synth and guitar pedals.  The band was tight and the music was really full.  There were some moments where the synth overwhelmed the room.  I could see that guitar parts were being lost in the overall sound.  Besides some balance issues, the music was great.  The band's best song that night was the instrumental.  It was emotional, the band was totally in sync, and they took a lot of liberties with their sounds.  The crowd loved it.

The Abbey is another classic Chicago indie venue.  The vibe, the lighting, and the setup are very similar to other rock bars in the city.  The classic format of open floor with a bar at the back, tables on the sides, and a balcony with seating upstairs works well for smaller band shows.  The blue, red, and white lights shine on every stage I've seen, and create a chill vibe for the music.  However, I would like to see a club with a more unique character.  Take what works for every other space but make it better.  Regardless, I liked the feel.  It does rock bar right, and I'll be back for more shows.

Album Release at Reggie's Rock Club

Columbia College is one of Chicago's well-known art schools, and they have great showcases every year for their students.

Wednesday, they had an album release featuring three bands developed in a year-long class.  These bands each wrote their own material and developed their own style.  Columbia's student-based record label, AAEMP hosted and promoted the show.

Something I love about these shows is that the students aren't worried about money or opinions, they are there to learn and grow as artists.  They are free to create and develop their bands however they want.  Columbia booked the show at Reggie's Rock Club, so the students also had the experience of a live venue.

Beyond it being a class performance, the music was pretty professional.  The bands had more of a blues vibe that is characteristic of Chicago's culture, and fused it with their own contemporary style.  While it still had characteristics of a student performance, they were showing great stage presence and the bands fused seamlessly.  I enjoyed their closing band, Minds of Atlantis' style.  They made sure to give a story to each song and introduce the band and writers.  While, in my opinion, the singers would be better as featured solo artists, they did well blending their styles.  It was a fun, intimate experience that seemed to be born out of camaraderie and mutual support.

These artists are not technically part of the indie Chicago scene, yet.  However, they often come out of these classes and begin using the experience to gig and perform professionally.  Colleges like Columbia enrich Chicago's art scene both through students and graduates.  For these bands, the smartest way to build off class momentum is to starting making connections and playing gigs early.  If they are dedicated as artists and performers, they will be able to build and grow from the platform their class has given them.  I look forward to seeing what they do as individual artists and as groups.

From a marketing standpoint, there are a lot of areas of improvement.  While the event may have been well-advertised on campus, there was a low turnout and no community presence.  The label's website has not been updated for five months, and Minds of Atlantis' webpage seemed to have frequent posts but poor following.  If the band continues performing, promoting its shows via Facebook, and its social media via shows, will help build its following.

Check out AEMMP's site here.  Minds Of Atlantis and other Columbia artists are featured on the college's Soundcloud.