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 Click for music events Bright Lights, Big City Two locals to watch out for—City Electric and The Record Low
Local band City Electric’s 2006 self-released EP, "Five Easy Pieces," effectively shows a band in its beginning stages, building with blocks of melody and instrumental fusion into a sound that mixes contemporary elements of post punk with Velvet Underground-like structures. The five songs are uncomplicated in a smart way—sometimes you hear moments when the band could’ve easily gotten louder, heavier, muddied the energy with noise, but they don’t. Bill Bungeroth’s often-half-spoken kind-of vocals fit well within this blare—he sounds a bit like Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow, and more so when the music leans that way as well, like on "Drag Queen Days."
Recently, however, City Electric added Heather Perry to play keyboards and help sing, immediately shifting the band’s dynamic. Also added was bassist Scott Schaafsma, who says that the direction of the band has altered a bit with the new lineup.
"[With] the female vocals, we’re a little mellower, less rock. There’s little more indie pop to it, at least I think so."
Schaafsma, who was a member of the local art-rock crew Magnus (which disbanded last April), joined City Electric quickly. "I was in Magnus for three and a half years. I was ready to give up on music. But [when] we broke up last April, I joined City Electric almost immediately."
Michigan-born Schaafsma says that it was both the music and the band’s character that convinced him it was a right fit. "It’s solid, good music, good songwriting, well-developed songs. The personality of the people is great—and I didn’t necessarily have that in the past. It’s hard to get. Once you meet the right people you stick with them."
The band has a new EP planned, and hopes to tour once Perry finishes her schooling. "I think we fall in line with bands on Flameshovel and whatnot," Schaafsma says on how he believes City Electric fits in with the Chicago music scene. "I think we’re somewhere in the vein of Sybris, though they may be a bit more indie. We’re headed in that direction."
The Record Low
Also emerging in the local indie-rock arena is The Record Low, whose self-released "Here to Stay," the 2007 follow-up to earlier EPs "This Other City" and "Birth, Death, and Patients," offers rampant acoustic guitars battling Henry Joseph’s gentle, smooth voice, amongst pianos, steady bass and, on "These Girls," a well-placed harmonica. The sound is numbing at times—subdued to the point of near indie-folk, The Record Low is the after-party band, when you and few devoted friends are cleaning up the mess.
"Henry and I lived in Telluride, Colorado for a while," says lead guitarist Robby Haynes. "We both moved to Chicago about two years ago." Why the Windy? "You know, we were [thinking about] New York, L.A. or Chicago, and Chicago seemed a little more reasonable, financially, and the music scene seemed welcoming, with that sort of Midwest honesty."
Haynes says that the band’s softer sound developed naturally—with he and Joseph coming from different musical backgrounds (Haynes grew up listening to classic rock, Joseph grew up in Jersey, so you know he adored Springsteen), the results may have been unforeseeable. "We started playing and everything kind of fell into place," he says. "It wasn’t a conscious effort to sound one way or another. I didn’t expect very much…I’m a sucker for good pop songs that have some aggression behind them. Well-written songs."
Haynes says the band recognizes the difference between its recorded sound and its live sound. "Live is a different animal," he says. "The studio album is softer, more restrained, but live you turn it up a little bit more. It’s more natural, what you would normally play live in front of people. The studio is rewarding in different ways—you can make something really beautiful."
After the band spent a good chunk of time recording "Here to Stay," they collectively felt they weren’t reaching the sound they desired. "We were done, listening to the shit, and it sounded flat. We ended up scrapping it. Seventy-five percent of the songs that ended up on the record were live scratch tracks we did…It’s an honest representation of who we are. The glitches, the mistakes. A more intimate self-portrait is more rewarding—the listener can relate to it more.
When asked about the local music scene, Haynes hesitates a bit. "The scene…you know…I wouldn’t say…we’re not really part of the scene. It’s liquid. It changes. Big bands come and go. We’ve done really well—we’ve been very selective about what we play, where we play, with who. You get what you deserve—you kind of pace yourself and plug away. Do what you do naturally, and the things you get are a little more rewarding. They feel well-earned."
City Electric plays July 19 at Double Door, 1572 North Milwaukee, (773)489-3160, at 9pm. $7. The Record Low plays July 21 at Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600, at 10pm. $8.
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