SELFISH

chicago chick stuck in the middle of corn fields. a wannabe just trying to make a music blog because life is pretty boring and college sucks. 

[soselfish]

HERE IT IS Lake's Mouth's first single is now out on Bandcamp. The guys say that the recording process with Geoff Siuciak was very smooth and they had tons of fun. This is only the beginning, the two plan to release an EP in the near future! Check out LAY BARE and keep your eyes peeled for what's to come.

(P.S. sorry it’s been a while, we’re wokring on new ideas for social media so more posts are on the way!)

[soselfish]

new year, new artists: Lake’s Mouth

Luke and Thomas started this school year off as just roommates before teaming up to create Lake’s Mouth. With a clever play on combining their names, Lake’s Mouth is a perfect combination of alternative folk and indie, with a hint of jazz. 

These cool dudes enjoy creating odd, complex chord progressions with an out-of-the-box form. Often they both end up improvising the tunes based on chords and melodies, that’s mainly how Thomas adds in that sweet sound of the violin to their music.

 Thomas has been playing the fiddle since he was small but also participated in the band at school. In his high school years, Thomas picked up the guitar and is currently apart of a band called Old Sol.  Luke’s talent with the guitar is very impressive given that he’s only been playing for two and a half years; however, he’s played the piano since he was very young so that background knowledge helped a lot when taking up the guitar. 

Lake’s Mouth’s biggest influences are Bon Iver -which you can definitely hear reflected in their music- Pinegrove, Sufjan Stevens and Andrew Bird. When it comes to their songs, Luke likes to create lyrics that have the ability to hold multiple meanings. Without any straightforwardness, the lyrics can be taken in by their listeners and allows them to give the song their own personal meaning.  

You can check out their SoundCloud demos to get a good feel for what Lake’s Mouth has to offer, simply click here. These boys also have a facebook page so be sure that give that ol’ like button a tap. And while you’re at it, check out Thomas’s band Old Sol too! These cool cats have many exciting plans for this coming year, which starts in T-9 hours.

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new year, new artists: one step closer

With the desire to understand the music industry and gain studio/performance experience, Jake and Jamie joined forces to create One Step Closer. This duo is excited to develop themselves as musicians with help from STU with their writing skills and much more. Hopefully through working with STU, Jake also said he’d conquer his nerves in the studio too, lol. 

 Like most Creatives, these two see their music making as therapy. Their musical process usually beings with coming up with melodies and chords before adding lyrics to it. Writing from their experiences helps them overcome the hard times in life, like one song “Hold you back”. This song is about letting go to someone you care about so they can move on in the world even if it hurts. Pretty powerful stuff, right? 

At ISU’s Music Business Organization’s Hope for the Holidays fundraising concert, you sure could feel passion and emotion as they sang. So make sure you stay updated on when they are playing shows to see them live and in action. 

Expect a ton of great tunes coming from these two in 2018!

[soselfish]

Visit Original Link

Chasing Pavement by Canine Club

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new year, new artists: GRANT MiLLiREN

Inspired by Ryan Adams, The National, Dads. and American Football, Grant started his musical journey in the sixth grade. With a combination of formal lessons and self-teaching, he was part of multiple bands throughout high school. Grant is currently in Canine Club, an alt/indie rock band but with the help of ISU’s wonderful STUrecords, he is now launching his solo career.

Grant’s music is all based on the reflections he makes of his interactions with people and the roller coaster ride of this thing called life. His goal is to capture the emotions he feels from his personal life and relay them into song but also wants his listeners to be able to apply their own meaning and value to his work. When making his music Grant likes to play around with vocal styles and with guidance from STU he hopes to better develop himself as a solo artist.

Keep up with this emo’s progress as he blooms this year and while you’re at it take a listen to Canine Club to get a little taste of what Grant’s sound is like. And for more from Grant, Check out his own website: http://millirenmusic.com/

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one step closer recording session

This year, StuRecords signed three new artists/bands/groups/whatever your heart desires to call them. I was fortunate enough to sit in on One Step Closer’s first recording session.

From high school buddies to college roommates, these dudes have been good friends for six years. Jake and Jaime each wanted to enter Stu as individual artists but it was much easier for them to both be signed together. Despite wanting to develop solo music, the two couldn’t be happier to work together and create some great tunes.

Sitting in, I got to witness the wonders of recording and Max’s magic ability to stitch together one of their songs. With the help of their friend Adrian (center), these dudes have got the ball rolling on “Take you Home”. 

Jaime (right) finds inspiration from artists like Khalid, Sam Smith, and Bruno Mars, while Jake (left) pulls ideas from artists like Thomas Rhett, Ed Sheeran and John Legend, resulting an sweet mix when it comes to their music. With their hints of Country and R&B, these dudes have some acoustic pop jams coming our way, better stay tuned because they’re just getting started!

[soselfish]

so off to a slow start. sorry about that.

I know I’ve been MIA this past month with not posting and such but that shall change. aside from playlists and album reviews, I will also be including promotional stuff for Illinois State University’s Music Business Organization as well as some cool shit for the on campus record label, STUrecords. 

With STU, this will be a new project, getting to know our five signed artists, and some fun things in between. I’ll be posting about shows from both MBO and STU. 

I feel like it’s real important that we pay attention to local artists. It’s really cool when you get to see how they develop. So be sure to check them out whenever I post about them. 

[soselfish]

where you can find me...

look under the cushions. JK. maybe. that was weird.

twitter 

face of the book

insta-sham

email: [email protected]

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okay so it's not really shitty but it could be better, could be worse.

you may dig it. you may drag it. i don’t fucking care

[soselfish]

Tall Juan at the Bottom Lounge October 6, 2017

Photography by Theresa Murphy

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Daddy Issues at the Bottom Lounge October 6, 2017

Photography by Theres Murphy

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together PANGEA at the Bottom Lounge, October 6, 2017

Photography by Theresa Murphy

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Lala Lala, Tall Juan, Daddy Issues, and together PANGEA

On October 6th, I went to the Bottom Lounge to see one of my all time favorite bands, Daddy Issues. The show was out of this world spectacular. From Lala Lala coming out and giving a great opening set to Tall Juan being his freaky self, I loved every second of it. 

Although I was unfamiliar with Lala Lala and Tall Juan, I now have a few more artists to follow on Spotify. Lala Lala has some dope tunes, my favorite would be their most popular song, “Fuck With Your Friends”. Last year they released their Sleepyhead album. It’s pretty bitchin if you’re into that indie rock sound. and it’s pretty rad that it’s a female fronted band- I live for them. 

Tall Juan came out wearing some nice red lipstick and proceeded to make out with the mic throughout the show. He was quite energetic and hopping all over the stage. He sure made a ton of the crowd laugh and smile. He even pulled an audience member out and let her play drums while he played. That isn’t something you see every day, and it warmed my ice cold heart. 

When Daddy Issues came on, I almost cried, no joke. This band encompasses the angst of a young woman while bringing back the vibes of 90s. I can’t say I have a favorite song because I fell in love with all their tunes. “I’m Not.” is my current go to for a jam session since I relate to the lyrics so fucking much. I took so many pictures, which was great being that I got right up to the front. Bass Jenna noticed me taking pics and kept making goofy ass faces- boy do I have a girl crush on her. Like can I be her?? Haha, so anyway, they put on a great show, which I didn’t doubt a bit. I even picked up one of their sick shirts, I wear it all the time. 

together PANGEA, being the headliner, brought in a huge crowd. It probably was one of the largest crowds I’ve been a part of at one of these kind of venues. People started thrashing about the place, a mosh pit broke out and it got fucking crazy. It was great. There were so many crowd surfers, part of me wished I had the balls to take a dive off the stage. 

Overall the whole night was a major success and I loved every fucking mili-second of it. I suggest you all check each of these talented groups/ people out. They’re all on Spotify, give them a listen. 

[soselfish]

Alex from Diet Cig at the Subterranean in Chicago, IL

June 2017

Photo- theresa murphy (moi)

[soselfish]

Diet Cig at the Subterranean in Chicago, IL

June 2017

Photo- theresa murphy (moi)

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SWMRS- Drive North 2016 album cover.

[soselfish]

SWMRS- Drive North (2016)

so a twitter friend-person suggested listening to this four-piece band, SWMRS. i totally dig their sound, their vibe, and from what i’ve been reading about the band’s views. they resemble some of the angsty and punk shit like FIDLAR, which isn’t so surprising since Zac Carper produced their 2015 album. they’ve got the aesthetic of grunge mixed with pop-punk that isn’t too hard on the ears and their songs are lyrically genuine. 

some history...

coming from oakland, california, the band initially got it’s start in when the guys are in middle school. back then it was just the Max and Cole Becker and Joey Armstrong- that’s right, the legend Billie Joe’s own flesh and blood. back then they were known as “the raining souls”, but changed their name to support the becker’s cousin Emily, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. 

travis neumann was a guitarist that had joined the band in 2009 and sadly left in 2014. around that time the band gained a new bassist, Sebastian Mueller due to Max moved to be guitarist. the group had another name change in 2014, from “Emily’s Army” to “Swimmers”. However, in 2015 the stylization of their name would change to what is known today as ‘SWMRS’ since there was another band in the UK called “swimmers’ also. 

In 2016, SWMRS released their only album, Drive North through Uncool Records. 

so...

Drive North features fourteen tracks that have a bit of variety to them.

 Lose it is my personal jam, it has a slow grove and a chill beat. i completely connect with the chorus, “why’d ya have to have such a damn good taste in music”. it’s a break up song but it isn’t the typical sad sound, it’s pretty a realistic view on the end of a relationship. I definitly picture myself slowly swaying around listening to the song on repeat while singing into a bottle of pink merlot. 

Miley is another one of their popular songs. Cole tells Noisey interviewer that the song was inspired my Miley Cyrus herself. Cole described her as “she’s a pop star but she does whatever she wants and that’s so human”. I dig this song a lot and love how instead of bashing Miley for her controversial actions, they’re showing support for her. 

These cool dudes have some rad tunes, the whole album is a jam. I listen to Drive North while walking around campus since it isn’t too mellow and not to aggressive, it keeps my mood up.  

Check them out here. 

sources:

mtv 

rolling stones

absolute punk

noisey