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by Kelsie HogueNow more than ever, the act of cultivating a safe space is imperative. A safe space is simply an environment where anyone regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religious affiliation or physical/mental ability are able to express themselves freely without fear of their comfort or safety being at risk. Over the past two years, sibling duo Donnie and Madison Moore have cultivated pure fun with their monthly LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and more) show Glitter Creeps.Taking place every third Wednesday of the month at The Empty Bottle, Glitter Creeps features a broad spectrum of voices and styles, reinforcing the idea that queer nights are for everyone. To celebrate their official toddler phase we’re throwing a party for anyone and everyone on Wednesday, November 16th, featuring everyone’s favorite punk weirdo NOBUNNY, with support from PROUD PARENTS, BEV RAGE & THE DRINKS, and an interlude by drag entertainer LUCY STOOLE.I got the chance to grab some pure unfiltered sound bites from both Donnie and Madison Moore of the Glitter Creeps as well as Justin Champlin aka NOBUNNY on the importance of such a gathering within the Chicago music scene. Allow their tender musings to tide you over until the big night. See you on November 16th!

Glitter Creeps

Absolutely Not (photo by Marisa KM)

GOGGS Performing during the August Glitter Creeps (photo by Marisa KM)

Along with being at the helm of Glitter Creeps, Donnie and Madison Moore make up two thirds of local glam punk outfit ABSOLUTELY NOT. With Donnie on vox and guitar, Madison on keys and backup vox and Santiago Guerrero on drums, ABSOLUTELY NOT has carved out their own unabashedly queer and tenacious space in the Chicago music scene with multiple performances at The Bottle.Where did the idea for Glitter Creeps come from and how did it end up at the bottle?Donnie: Most of my young adult life I searched for cool rock or punk related LGBTQIA events, but the options were extremely limited. After living in Chicago for a couple of years, I found out about things like Fed Up Fest, Homocore, and Queer Social Club (QSC) night at Archie's. After attending and guest DJing a few QSC events I became good friends with Pete, who was the organizer at the time). He asked Madison and I if we wanted to take over QSC, and refresh it with a new name and style. My dreams had come true! I was now a part of organizing a night geared toward the LGBTQIA+ community with the style of music and culture that I identify with. I was was excited to provide such an event for like-minded people that had very little options. After successfully doing many Glitter Creeps at Archies, Madison and I just couldn't shake the nagging feeling of wanting to go even bigger where we could have live bands performing at our events. One day I walked my silly ass into the Empty Bottle, and had a very long, nice talk with Christen Thomas who was the talent buyer at the time, and she was 100% into the idea of Glitter Creeps. Three months later, on November 19th 2014, we launched Glitter Creeps at Empty Bottle with THE CELL PHONES, PAPER MICE, and SPACE BLOOD. What does making an LGBTQIA+ inclusive space mean to you?Donnie: Glitter Creeps is an event where everyone should feel comfortable. Gay, Straight, Black, White, Male, Female, Transgender, Genderqueer, etc, literally ANYONE with an open mind and an open heart are welcome. Obviously, the event is heavily geared toward the LGBTQIA+ community, but we're not trying to be one of those events that say they are only there for one part of the community. In my dream world, there would be something for everyone in every establishment. Unfortunately, the world isn't like that, so that's why events like Glitter Creeps are extremely necessary. It's a place where the entire LGBTQIA community are safe to express themselves fully, and feel very comfortable doing so! That same offer goes out to open minded heterosexual males and females as well! If you are supportive of all races, and all sexual preferences and identities, you are welcome at Glitter Creeps!Any memorable Glitter Creeps moments from the past two years that stick out?Donnie: Honestly, I have a favorite memory from each show. Every single band that has played Glitter Creeps so far has really given us spectacular performances. It really makes me happy beyond words to see bands going balls to the wall because they know there will be no judgement at Glitter Creeps. That's literally what I live for. I love when music is truly genuine, and performers are bringing their highest levels of expression. GET WEIRD! GET REAL! You only live once, so BE TRUE TO WHO YOU REALLY ARE!Madison: I couldn't agree more with Donnie. However, if I had to choose, I'd probably have to go with the show where, along with SODDY DAISY, our band got to open for GOGGS (Ty Segall’s latest project). Such an awesome night.Donnie: Oh yeah, duh. [laughs].What do you hope to continue/change/explore with another year of Glitter Creeps?Donnie: Honestly, we just want to keep having great bands and amazing shows. We are trying not to repeat any bands for as long as humanly possible, so wish us luck with that!What does the 2 year anniversary mean to you?Donnie: It means growth, and it means happiness. We've definitely experienced personal growth from running Glitter Creeps for two years, and hope we've helped encourage further growth in the happiness and comfort levels in punk/rock side of the LGBTQIA community as well. With bands like NOBUNNY, Micachu and The Shapes, Royal Headache, and GOGGS playing and showing mega love for the event, that light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter for the community.Any news about your band Absolutely Not?Donnie & Madison: Yes! We are working on finishing the new LP, and we just released the first single/music video from it recently!

Interview with NOBUNNY

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Justin Champlin crashed onto the scene in 2001 with his explosively lovable punk/rock n’ roll persona NOBUNNY. With gloriously crusty glam stage antics filled with costumes, nudity and a very special bunny mask, NOBUNNY has captured the hearts of cuties all over.How long have you known about Glitter Creeps and what does it mean to you to be a part of the two year anniversary?Nobunny: I met Donnie and Madison right when they started doing Glitter Creeps two years ago. I'm stoked they invited me! Any favorite Empty Bottle memories?Nobunny: Setting up an interview with a band when I was 19 and Bruce letting me in, as long as I stood on the radiator by the front door. Taking acid for free jazz improv nights. My grandmother attending a Nobunny show and commenting on how dirty the bathroom was.How integral is your live performance when writing new material?Nobunny: I don't generally think about performing live when writing. I suppose sometimes though, I think "this is gonna sound killer live"or, "this will never work live". One song at a time!Can we touch base on the Elvis impersonation time in your life?Nobunny: Elvis impersonation is a decent way to pay the bills, but Nobunny is more creatively fulfilling.

Fresh Streams is a new segment we’re doing, which will pop up as it fits with our calendar. On these posts you’ll find album streams of bands that are playing the Empty Bottle in the coming days/weeks/months. For music fans who are constantly inundated with music news and new records, we think this will be exstreamly useful (sorry! / you’re welcome?). There’s a lot to sift through each week, so if we miss something, shoot us a comment with the link and we’ll add it to the list (and maybe even comp you a ticket to that show)… Give a listen to the fresh new albums below — these bands wouldn’t be playing here if we didn’t like em!TRIATHALONSavannah, Georgia based three-piece, TRIATHALON released the second single from their second full length album, Nothing Bothers Me, out November 13th on Broken Circles Records. Go stream it via Aint-Bad Magazine, and get tickets to watch 'em take on our stage Wednesday, November 4th!PINKISH BLACKThe Forth Worth, Texas-based experimental "goth-wave" duo PINKISH BLACK are back with the release of their third LP, Bottom of the Morning, out FRIDAY, 10/30 via Relapse Records. You can stream the album now on Noisey before you buy your tickets to catch them opening for ZOMBI on Thursday, November 5th!VIDEO // MIDNIGHT RERUNSOn Monday, November 9th, our Free Monday series gets some tough lovin, courtesy of hard-nosed Texas punks VIDEO and Milwaukee rock & rollers MIDNIGHT RERUNS. The new single from VIDEO, "Shackles", is a razor sharp dose of blistering post-punk... or "hate wave" as they like to call it. Their new record, The Entertainers, is out THIS FRIDAY on Third Man Records, and the band calls it "The greatest record since Leather Leather" (their first record).MIDNIGHT RERUNS are pullin' out the big guns with the release of their second full length album Force of Nurture, out on Milwaukee's Dusty Medical Records (other releases from bands such as BLACK LIPS, STRANGE BOYS, CALL ME LIGHTNING).You can stream the full album via Bandcamp (below), and make sure you don't miss these power-pop thrashers, along with Chicago's CLEARANCE & MAMA for that stacked FREE MONDAY on November 9th!-------------------IMAGE: It's times like these where we could use some mountain air to help welcome the fast-approaching winter. We found this nice pic from our friends at Google and think it's just stunning. Thanks, Google!

Fresh Streams is a new segment we're doing, which will pop up as it fits with our calendar. On these posts you'll find album streams of bands that are playing the Empty Bottle in the coming days/weeks/months AND also have records streaming on the good old world wide web. For music fans who are constantly inundated with music news and new records, we think this will be exstreamly useful (sorry/you're welcome?). There's lots to sift through each week, so if we miss something, shoot us a comment with the link and we'll add it to the list (and maybe even comp you a ticket to that show)... Give a listen to the fresh new albums below -- they wouldn't be playing here if we didn't like em!SWEET SPIRITAustin, TX's SWEET SPIRIT does it big. The nine-piece country-rock band featuring a beautifully energetic “self-contained party” are streaming their debut album, Cokomo, out 10/16 on Nine Mile Records, via NOISEY specifically for those ears of yours. Stream it all here. The nontet (definitely a thing) make their way to our corner stage Wednesday, October 21st as part of our fresh to death monthly installment, GLITTER CREEPS, which is ONLY $5 to get in!WAX IDOLSAn EB favorite and project of Oakland-based songstress HEATHER FORTUNE, WAX IDOLS is releasing her third recording, American Tragic. Out on Collect Records 10/16, the work is equal parts declaration of independence and meditation on togetherness, as well as hauntingly propulsive. Listen via SoundCloud, and don’t miss ‘em swamp our stage Tuesday, October 27th. GET TIX.HERE WE GO MAGICFollowing a well-buzzed 2012 LP release, the New Yorkers in HERE WE GO MAGIC are releasing a follow up record via Secretly Canadian, out 10/16. The album, Be Small, revers their longstanding lyricism and manages an effortless command of sense, style and sound over a backdrop of guitar pop, psychedelia and assuredly strutting melodies. Peep the entire album (and interview) here, and don’t even try missing them at ye ole Bottle on Friday, October 30th. A pre-Halloween treat for you, so grab tickets now.ZOMBIThe Pittsburgh, PA post-prog-synthlords in Zombi are back at it and man oh man, what a treat it is. The duo’s last release was around four years back and rumored to be their last, until Relapse Records hit us all with a surprise that slapped us silly. The band's signature sound, achieved using only electric bass, drums, and a collection of analog synthesizers, is deceptively lush considering its two man skeleton crew ensemble. Scheduled for a 10/16 release, you can stream the album here via Northern Transmissions. The duo comes to our neck of the woods on Thursday, November 5th and you don't wanna miss it, so snag some tickets, doofus!--------------IMAGE: Fall is in the air, as you can tell by our "Featured Image" -- we found that beauty through a simple "Google Image Search" and it's called Antarctica Wallpaper #6872200... Mmmm, delightful.

The new album by Ryley Walker, Primrose Green, out Tuesday on Dead Oceans, ebbs and flows effortlessly in all the right ways. It's an album that's easy to lose yourself in, one that helps you travel through time as it streams through your speakers. As a newcomer to the music of Ryley Walker, I was instantly captivated by his unique blend of jazz and folk. Learning that he had his hands involved in the noise and punk scene as a precursor to his current sound came as no surprise. His acoustic influences, paired with an affinity for improvisation make for an album that builds into a wonderful sonic landscape that is well beyond his 25 years and his songs have found their way on my playlist more times than I'd like to admit.

If you've have the pleasure to see him IRL ("in real life" grandpa!) you know that Walker's live  show is like a graceful, audio-enigma. No two shows are the same and you often times leave having bore witness to a genesis of new songs, songs in progress, and favorites that have been re-worked, stretching and expanding beautifully before your very ears. Walker plays alongside a rotating cast of some of the most talented Chicago jazz musicians, a collection of friends and colleagues developed over years of involvement in the underground Chicago music scene. From the first recordings to the photos on the covers, everything is Chicago-centric, showcasing the beauty of a city that collaborates and grows together.

I was fortunate enough to exchange some quick words with Ryley the day after his Chopin Theatre record release (and the day of his solo show at Permanent Records). When talking with Walker his intentions are unspoken but clear, and he intends on continuing to make music he likes, with people he likes. Lucky for us, the product of these collaborations continue to be damn good.

ASHLEIGH DYE: I wasn't too surprised to learn that you started off in more punk, and then noise based scenes, especially after listening songs you'd recorded like that Live in Toronto excerpt and Sweet Satisfaction on your latest album. I do wonder, though, why you think those earlier folks influences like Nick Drake, or all your Zeppelin inspiration, started appearing in your sound when it did. What cause the shift from a more industrially progressive sound to a more organic one?

RYLEY WALKER: There wasn't really a switch that went off. I think I’ve always just liked doing everything at the same time. I was always in punk bands in High School, but I was in jazz band, too. I just like music a lot, they’ve always co-existed. This style has just worked out for me, it’s been more rewarding.AD: It seems like you’ve found your niche at combining the improvisational with the structured.RW: Coming up through the noise and punk scene definitely helped with that. It was really important for me that those things happened first.

AD: The way your music originates live and grows and flows from that moment seems very painterly to me. A lot of painters I know say that a painting is never truly finished and they'll work on them slowly for years. Do you feel the same way about your music?

RW: Yeah, yeah. A song can never really be done or set in stone. It’s kind of painful, especially when you don't have CBD oil for pain like the ones recommended by HMHB.

AD: When do you decide “OK, I feel cool recording this iteration of the song”?RW: Whenever in the band says “Shut up and record the song.” That’s why I like having them around. They’re really good about keeping me in check.

AD: Do you ever find yourself looking back to old songs from years past and revisiting them?

RW: No, I mostly feel embarrassed when I hear an old song, like you get that cringe feeling almost. I like to leave room for new things to grow once that time has passed.

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AD: Primrose Green (Dead Oceans) was recorded and written as a whole band, as opposed to just you alone. How did this very free-form style work when you had a more concrete deadline?RW: Just from the nature of the musicians. We hardly even practiced. We were just like, “Yeah, lets go.” I just had ideas going in, like little seeds and we were sowing them in the ground of the arts, so to speak. We kind of just watched them grow right there. Everyone I'm playing with is really talented and have been around the Chicago music scene for years.AD: How long did you guys record?RW: Just for one day.AD: You recorded with Cooper Crain, right? How was that?

RW: It was great. He did my last record and I’ve known him for a long ass time.

AD: Your sound is obviously very influenced by decades past, but your lyrics seem to evoke more of a sense of nostalgia to me. Do you find yourself writing about things from the past often? I know your lyrics tend to change a lot, but is there are certain moments or memories that you find yourself pulling from more often?RW: It’s all about time and place, really. I like poets like Yeats or even classic American guys like Frost, where instead of telling you a story, they describe a painting to you.AD: So more of an ethereal, elusive experience. Does your writing style change when you’re on the road versus being here, grounded at home base?RW: Totally. I can’t really write in the city of Chicago.AD: Really? I would think it would be the opposite.RW: I like it here and I like being here, but I can’t write here. It’s weird, but it’s like I have too many ties to this place. My brain's too wired around it.AD: Do you think the anonymity of the road inspires your writing?RW: Yeah, that’s what I like about it, it’s really easy. I mostly tour alone a lot. I’ll just be in Europe on the train, like “Duh, classic American in Europe,” but it’s really fun to do because you'll just be alone, like “I don’t fucking know Dutch. I’ll just hang out backstage for four hours.” I think a lot of weird situations present themselves for you in those situations.

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AD: Do you play and write alone still? How to you ebb and flow between playing with the band and playing on your own?RW: Yeah, for sure. I like having them around as much as possible, but I like playing alone a lot, too. It’s like the same songs, but a bunch of different bands playing them, but I get to be in everyone. Sometimes I’ll play with a trio and it’s keys, an electric guitar and me, sometimes I play and it's just me. I really like every live show to be different, that’s something that kind of matters to me.

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AD: I was really glad I saw you live first, before talking with you. It was such a different experience than your album, which is also wonderful. I like when music can have an all encompassing, sensory deprivation sensation, seeing you live was like that.  Do you ever feel inclined to play more true to the record?

RW: Not really, but there’s also only so much I can do live. No one wants to watch me play a 20 minute breakdown alone. It definitely deviates more the more characters you have the in the cast.

AD: Do you see a large variance in the types of crowds between when you were playing more noise-focused shows and playing now?

RW: Uh, there are less dudes, for sure. But, I started playing this kind of music at noise shows and it translates pretty well. I’ve always had pretty open-minded friends so the crowds are wildly different.If you know what's good for you and your ears and your soul, buy Primrose Green here.Watch the new music video for "Sweet Satisfaction" (via Noisey):-------------------------------------WORDS & PHOTOS BY ASHLEIGH DYEhttp://noisey.vice.com/blog/ryley-walker-interview-sweet-satisfaction-video?utm_source=noiseyfbus

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The Road to the Bottle for Moon Duo has not been especially long or arduous. The journey began in Portland, which these days is home for front man Ripley Johnson. From there they've made a line across the top of the country, with stops in Fargo, Minneapolis & Milwaukee before arriving at our doorstep to celebrate the release of their latest LP. We're no strangers to Ripley and his work. His other group, WOODEN SHJIPS, celebrated the release of their breakthrough 2013 album, Back to Land, in front of a way sold out crowd right here at the Bottle. More reason to get here early tonight, since all the heads know this one is sure to be a ripper.(Testicle Festival - Welcome Bikers)MOON DUO's new album, Shadow of the Sun, remains true to Sanae Yamada and Ripley Johnson’s distinctly addictive, buzzy and fuzzy 70’s psych rock sound, but with a playfulness and ear for improvisation that shows the finesse they have developed within their musical style. With new percussive elements, compliments of their new drummer John Jeffrey, Moon Duo have created an album that perfectly walks the line between classic and refreshing.(Hanging with The Fonz in Milwaukee)A Moon Duo tune is instantly recognizable by their unmistakable repetitive, explosively metallic guitar riffs that make you feel like every sound wave is being dragged through a contorted mess of gnarled metal scraps, with the remaining shards of sound bursting into your chest at a steady, intense pace. Shadow of the Sun’s lead single “Animal” is a notable example of their delightfully aggressive groove.(Clean moves)As each riff momentarily seems to fall in energy, it immediately catches itself in a loop of feverish rhythm, with simplistic guitar and synth melodies screeching in that grow and become colossal amongst the repetition. The slow progressionsomehow feels unrelentingly exciting with each new layer; it’s a buzzing plateau that never really reaches a point of static.Ripley’s droning, warm vocals and Sanae’s occasional delicate whispers drift through the music and give you a satisfying melodic contrast this serves more to compliment the breaking instrumentals and make you want to dance.(Sound check at Cactus Club in Milwaukee)The new album takes a sunny turn on tracks “Slow Down Low”, where bright keys and guitar licks are supported by a strong backbeat that feels reminiscent of early rock n’ roll.Expect much of that familiar explosive kraut-rocking groove that made their earlier albums so energetic and addictive, but with fresh new interpretations on their distinctive sonic attack. Come dance under the Shadow of the Sun with MOON DUO tonight at the Empty Bottle as they take the stage for their fresh release.Show @ 9. Verma & Richard Vain open. Cop some tix here, while you still can, ONLY $10, YEAH!!(The Road)(The Road?)

In this modern age full of knowledge and wireless Internet it's rare to find a band with a minimal paper trail, but THE SUEVES have achieved just that. What they lack in an E-presence they make up for, in abundance, at their live show. The no-frills trio has been ripping through the Chicago music scene for the last four years and are showing no signs of slowing down, which is good news for you if a unique blend of garage-rockabilly-surf-rock is something your into. I caught up with THE SUEVES for some beers and to exchange some short and sweet words.

ASHLEIGH DYE: I know you’re all Chicago transplants, but how did you guys meet?

ANDY MARTIN: School, commercial class. We had a class where we watched only commercials, it was awesome. I sold you adderall. Then we started jamming.

ROB PISKAC: I saw him tapping his thighs in class and asked him “Hey, do you play the drums?” and he said, “Yeah, want some Adderall?”

AD: How’d Joe get wrapped into the mix?

JOE SCHORGL: Well, I met Andy through Max, who used to be in the band. We got together in Andy’s basement and started playing, then Rob joined later.

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AD: How does JOE & OTIS tie into this. Was it a project you had before THE SUEVES or is it just a comic strip?

JS: That’s a pretty sensitive question. I don’t really know who Otis is. Andy do you know who Otis is?

AM: I’m not Otis.

AD: How have you guys grown since you started THE SUEVES?

AM: OK, so we started as a three piece, then Rob joined the band and we were a four piece, then we lost a member now we’re a three piece again.

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AD: What’s the songwriting process like?

JS: Recently we’ve been playing together and making stuff up on the spot. I used to come in with guitar parts and we’d all just kind of add something to it, then I’d spend a long time trying to out words into it.

AD: You guys have been playing with the same bands for a few years now. How have you seen the scene grow and change in that time?

JS: It’s different. There’s a lot more bands that seem to be doing things. I think that we are slightly more serious. We’ve always been a live band, we’d play any show. I remember the first time the Bottle got upset with us for playing a show a week before a show we had booked there and we just didn't fucking get it. We were like, why do you care? Now I get it.

AM: Now we can rely more on ourselves as opposed to other people. In the past we’d always have to borrow a car or something. Now Joe has his van. We also were really lucky to have people recording our shows and stuff.

AD: Yeah, you guys have so many live videos, it’s nuts. Do you ask people to do that?

AM: No, never.

AD: The Knock Out comp was pretty gnarly. Got any other compilations in the works?

RP: Dogs vomiting.

AD: Out of all the places you’ve played, where is your favorite place to play in Chicago?

JS: Without sounding too cliche, I think I’d have to say the Empty Bottle. It was one of the first bigger shows we played, one of the first screen printed posters I made for a show here.

AD: Do you like to use THE SUEVES as an outlet for your illustrative background?

JS: I’ve always liked to combine the two. One frustration I’ve always had is that people always talk about art and music as if they are two separate things, which really isn’t the case.

AD: So, the name THE SUEVES comes from the name of a tribe you read about. What would your tribe M.O. be?

JS: “Why do a whole 360 when you could go 280.”

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AD: You guys are pretty elusive on the net. Is that intentional?

JS: Not really, but  I do think things at their purest level should just speak for themselves. This is something I struggle with daily, what to fucking think of the internet. I’m learning how to let something speak for itself through the internet, but a live show should be a live show, and I don’t want to hear about your fucking band telling me I need to be there on the internet.

AD: What’s on the horizon for THE SUEVES? The last thing you released was in 2013, right? It’s 2015 now, guys.

JS: Yeah, we’ve got some top secret things in the works, we also have a 7” coming out with HoZac at the end of this month. It’s great, we got the test pressing and are each taking turns having it and listening to it. We’re just waiting for it to get made, waiting for that big brown box.

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--------------------------------------Words & photos by Ashleigh DyeDrawing by Joe SchorglCATCH THE SUEVES FRIDAY NIGHT when they headline The Bottle with LALA LALA, THE FUNS and EARRING. It's ONLY $5 to get in!

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Glitter Creeps is a Rock/Punk/New Wave queer night hosted and co-curated by Donnie Moore & Madison Moore, who you may know as two-thirds of Chicago punk band ABSOLUTELY NOT. Donnie and Madison started hosting Glitter Creeps at the Bottle just last month, and we've got em booked on the second or third Wednesday of the Month through the winter (at least). Madison gets behind the bar and plays "Guest Bartender" (this month: Jello Shots) while Donny plays Mr. DJ from the good ol' Piano DJ Booth. Don't miss em THIS WEDNESDAY for Party #2!

On Saturday, December 6th, we returned to Bohemian National Cemetery for Cold Moon, December's full moon that summons the beginning of the winter. For this performance, we ventured into BNC's Cathedral, where we presented three outstanding performances by Chicago's WREKMEISTER HARMONIES, RYLEY WALKER and CIRCUIT DES YEUX. The show was sold out by 8:15pm, just before we started, and the artists were joined by Brownshoesonly, everyone's favorite multi-talented projectionist. Rob Sevier of Numero Group came through once again to set the sonic tone of the evening, playing some brain-melting records throughout the event. Consequence of Sound was there to catch the mystical concert, and at the end of their review the writer "wondered whether the whole event had been some sort of ancient rite, the incantation on the steps of some final initiation. Only time will tell... until the next full moon anyway."Chicago photographer Roman Sobius sent us these fantastic photos that he took. Check em out and don't miss out on the next event at Bohemian National Cemetery. Only time will tell when that is going to go down...

Pompeii’s Road to the Bottle has taken them to some interesting places, and the Empty Bottle will be their last stop on this long tour before returning home to Austin, Texas. They'll play one last show in Austin with their tourmates Simian Ghost, who will then return home to Sweden. There is little doubt though that Pompeii and Simian Ghost will feel at home here at the Bottle.

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Pompeii brings a cold, calculated and modern take on shoegaze to our stage, which should have everyone swaying to and fro. Noisey called Simian Ghost, “by far one of Sweden’s most promising pop acts to come out this year.”

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Pompeii’s songwriting is meticulous and detail oriented. They work to blend atmospheric openings that envelope the listener. They fill up the room with soft, lilting effected guitars that soothe the listener. After they’ve laid this foundation they build towards soaring crescendos.

Pompeii have been around for a decade now. Forming in Ausitn, TX back in 2004. In that time they have rarely written songs quickly, instead spending a long time focusing on all the little details that make up the sonic spaces they have put down on record. “Blueprint,” one of the singles off their latest release, LOOM, was written in three days, and that’s probably the fastest they have ever written a song. Still, it's one their best songs to date recalling a more classic shoegaze style than much of their other work. With its chugging bass line and a wall of guitars, the vocals are almost whispered as the guitars do all the yelling and the drums just beg you to move. You can give it a listen right here:

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Simian Ghost make dreamy upbeat pop songs. With shimmering production and interesting rhythms the band seems poised to continue rising. Their lyrics are nuanced and offer a depth that rewards multiple listens, but the melodies are so immediate and instantly accessible that it’s not hard to see why more and more people are getting into this band.

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Catch them both here tonight with Minneapolis band ENEMY PLANES and Chicago’s own THE BLACK TAPE. Four bands and it’s all only 8 bucks at the door. That's something like... $2 per band -- quite a steal if you ask us!

Get your tickets here (or at the door after 8:30)!

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Words by Tim.

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Washed out beach alice boman road to the bottle

back seat alice boman road to the bottle

After trekking all over the states on her way to Chicago, Alice Boman makes one last stop in the US just for us before going back to her native Sweden for the European leg of her tour.She and her bandmates have gotten to see some great sights along the way, including a very memorable trip to the Hotel Chelsea while in NY. “We were kinda starstruck just by seeing that building,” Boman said of laying eyes on the legendary landmark.Alice Boman feels like a deeply personal secret, a secret that is delicate and precious. You ache to share it, but fear sharing it with the world. This is all odd considering Alice’s work is no secret at all. She’s actually been receiving a ton of national coverage for her two shatteringly beautiful EPs, both out on Adrien Recordings and the gentle videos that accompany them.It was an unlikely series of events that led Boman to her label. Boman sent a few songs, recorded at home, that she considered demos to a studio to inquire about the cost of recording time. The employee who received them liked them so much that he sent them along to Adrien Recordings. If not for that simple connection, we may never have heard these beautiful songs as they are.Words like “ethereal,” “haunting,” “ghostly,” and “intimate” end up being thrown around a lot in regards to Boman’s music. However, those fail to capture her entirely. You’re just as likely to encounter a word like “powerful” to describe the way she manages to craft a warm, sonic room that leave the listener shivering.It’s incredible the way Boman is able to break your heart with just her voice, piano, and the occasional bit of guitar. In 2014, when those instruments have seemingly been mined for all they’re worth, it is artists like Boman injecting not just humanity into them, but nature that allows them to continue living.Skisser, Swedish for “sketches,” is a perfect name for her first EP. Many of the songs have that feeling – they don’t feel like they start or end so much as they float across you. Like flipping through someone else’s sketchbook, their raw beauty is unparalleled in its honesty because they truly were recordings intended only for their creator. If you’re like us, you will find yourself hitting replay over and over again. The songs almost force the listener to, because as they end, it is hard to imagine listening to anything else. It seems likely that no matter how many people are here Saturday, the crowd will demand an encore.“You know I need the darkness / as much as I need the light,” Boman sings. An arbitrary line that could easily sound cliché or stilted in another artist’s hands instead feels like something you’ve always known. It also serves as an excellent parallel to the story of her work being released to the public. Everything that we have of Boman, we almost never saw as it is.Although she came on the scene in 2013, news outlets such as HuffingtonPost, NPR (TWICE), Rookie, The Guardian (TWICE), and even our own city's Chicagoist have all taken note of Boman in the past year and I’m sure they won’t be the last. The always impressive and haunting CIRCUIT DES YEUX opens the show with a stark, chilling live show that’ll leave you aching for more. Tickets are only $8 and the show starts at around 7pm.