Dig ‘in: The Homeless Gospel Choir, 2nd Grade, Ganser
Check out what the No Wristbands team is listening to and what’s in our show calendars this month on our latest Dig ‘in.
INCOMING
The Homeless Gospel Choir - Fourth Dimension Intervention (Don Giovanni Records LP)
Derek Zanetti is always someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. Long known for his “This Is A Protest Song!” acoustic punk rock anthems, he’s put together a kick-ass band for his last two records. On the latest one, Fourth Dimension Intervention, they add a heavy dose of fuzzy psychedelic sound to the proceedings. Derek is still on his quest to find himself/love himself/improve himself/accept himself. On songs like “Hey Judas” or “Cow People” or “Leaving Hazelwood,” that journey sounds pretty familiar to THGC fans. But on much of the new record, that “trip” gets further out there. The punk rocks a bit harder and freakier on “Brainwash Brainwash,” "A Chameleon, Sometimes” and “Sensitive Type.” Throw in a rocking alien love song—“Tender Hearted Jellyfish Alien Boyfriend”—and you’ve got a lot to like here. -Tom Novak
2nd Grade - Easy Listening (Double Double Whammy LP)
2nd Grade is admittedly my favorite new band I've discovered in the past couple of years, so I was very excited when they announced Easy Listening was coming out September 30th. 2nd Grade is the brainchild of Peter Gill, and they are a beautiful power pop blend of Guided by Voices with Big Star. Gill's fondness for GBV is shown in 2nd Grade's ability to craft ear worms that will stick in your head for the rest of the day in under 2 minutes. Early album highlight "Me and My Blue Angels" perfectly encapsulates what 2nd Grade does so well. Harmonies influenced by Gill's love of The Beach Boys abound as he sings about loving his band and bandmates. I must admit I've played this song more times than any other song since it came out as their second single for the album. One interesting thing to note with this record is that it was recorded in different fidelities. Some songs sound more pristine, and recorded in an actual studio ("Strung Out On You”) while others were more DIY recorded at home ("Hand Of The Brand”). These varying levels of audio quality make the songs stand out from another. Truly, if you are a fan of short, well constructed pop songs with jingly guitars that sing with a sense of longing and nostalgia, this album is for you. -Mark Joyner
Ganser - Nothing You Do Matters (Felte EP)
Ganser partnered with Liars producer Angus Andrew on two new tracks for a somewhat grander sound since 2020’s Just Look At That Sky. “People Watching,” with its “No one is asking / Everyone’s taking” refrain, ratchets up the paranoia with Nadia Garofalo portraying an uncaring world with no escape. The Liars remix version heightens the impersonalization by incorporating IDM elements. Bassist Alicia Gaines steps in to handle vocals on the second track “What Me Worry?” What starts as a percolating chill-out quickly intensifies into into a dense miasma of lacerating guitar, Chamberlin keyboard effects and bombarding drum beats. Gaines is no less agitated as Garofalo was on the prior track, as she questions the situation that’s been imposed upon her with a retort of “When did I agree to this?” Ganser’s worldview is being formed from the outside looking in—what they’re observing is an alien landscape that’s appears increasingly unfit for habitation. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Stuck
Where: Lincoln Hall / Directions
When: October 21, 8:00 PM
Greg Obis, vocalist and guitarist for Stuck, credits seeing Jesus Lizard at the Metro in 2017 as an inspiration for the group’s formation following the recent dissolution of his former band Yeesh. His desire for an unconstrained and energetic presence has manifested itself in a blistering live act abetted by the aggressive reach of fellow band members David Algrim (bass), Tim Green (drums) and Donny Walsh (guitar). On record, Obis uses his knowledge as an engineer at Chicago Mastering Service to help texture the band’s sound beyond conventional punk fare. The emotion runs raw, but not at the expense of sonic clarity. There’s an uneasiness expressed in Obis’ lyrics that function more as conversation starters then end statements. This show pairs Stuck with Calgary doom outfit Preoccupations in advance of a December 10th return to Empty Bottle where Obis also works as a live sound engineer. -Bruce Novak
The Chills
Where: Sleeping Village / Directions
When: October 21, 8:00 PM
The likelihood of any band lasting over 40 years is slimmer than a guitar pick, but the fact that New Zealand’s The Chills has lasted this long is truly mind-blowing. The band’s history is pocked with incessant lineup changes, the death of an early bandmate and, more recently, a seemingly terminal diagnosis for the band’s sole constant: singer-songwriter Martin Phillipps. Yet Phillipps and The Chills have survived and thrived, and that’s a genuine gift to any music fan. Phillipps’ songwriting is a singular stew of sixties guitar jangle, Celtic-tinged folk, straight-up rock chug and shimmery pop. It’s an unlikely amalgam held together by Phillipps’ strong vision and deeply rooted songwriting chops. The band’s new record, Scatterbrain, is classic Chills, a beautifully crafted quilt of aforementioned influences that’s by turns pensive, soaring and sparkling. I’ve seen The Chills several times between 1990 and now, and they’ve never disappointed. Phillipps and crew will obviously showcase their new music, but they always spangle their sets with gems from throughout the band’s career. A sure bet. -Rick Reger
Moving Targets
Where: The Burlington / Directions
When: October 21, 8:00 PM
Bandcamp has provided an opportunity for nascent musicians to reach listeners on their own accord. It’s also been a means of facilitating a second act for pre-internet era bands to have their music discovered again. Case in point is Moving Targets, a Massachusetts trio that would be in good company with contemporaries Dinosaur Jr., Hüsker Dü and Wipers. Their initial four albums were recorded for Curtis Casella’s Taang! Records, which reissued their phenomenal 1986 debut Burning in Water three year ago. Prior to then, in 2016, group founder Kenny Chambers had relocated to Denton, Texas and started cataloguing a cache of never released archival recordings that spanned his pre and post Moving Targets tenure. Being a home recording enthusiast, that was no small task, but by 2018 his mission was compete and those works are now available through the Kenny Chambers Music Bandcamp page. Happenstance led to a meet-up with Nils drummer Emilien Catalano after he had posted a YouTube video of him performing a cover of the Targets’ “Let Me Know Why.” Catalano then recruited bassist Yves Thibault and the re-christened band (original members Pat Brady and Pat Leonard had previously passed on) was off to Europe for a tour that fall. The band then went on to record Wires the following year and Humbucker in 2020. Both records continue to capture Chambers’ melodic sensibilities with soaring guitar flights of fancy and heartfelt vocals framed judiciously by his younger rhythm section counterparts. The energy of the band is palatable, and after originally forming Moving Targets forty years ago while still in his teens, it’s gotta make Chambers feel young at heart to have his music resurface for a new generation of listeners. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
The Windbreakers - Time Machine (1982 - 2002) (The Paisley Pop Label compilation)
Beloved among their peers, the Windbreakers didn’t find the commercial success that R.E.M. and the dB’s enjoyed despite having a slew of radio-ready pop classics. Hailing from Jackson, Mississippi, the duo of Tim Lee and Bobby Sutliff were a bit removed from others who emerged from the ‘80s pop underground. A common bond was forged around Mitch Easter’s Drive-In Studio that became the de facto HQ for the southern and east coast pop aspirants. While a number of those bands were indoctrinated to Easter’s experimental wizardry, he primarily played to the strengths of of Lee and Sutliff—a more ragged, intuitive musicianship captured by their ringing guitar interplay and contrasting vocal styles. While their tales of romantic entanglement might strike some as pedestrian, the rawness and sincerity in which they were delivered remains unassailable. The release of their fifth LP, Electric Landlady, in 1991, pretty well ended their partnership with each artist subsequently pursuing solo careers and collaborations with other musicians. The Time Machine project did reunite them briefly to record two new songs with True West’s Russ Tolman producing. Sadly, Sutliff just passed away from cancer at the end of August. Tim and his wife Susan Bauer Lee remain active performing under the name Bark since 2014. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: