2012 Artist Feature - Absolutely Not

Chicago's Absolutely Not's front man Donnie Moore may hail from Florida, but their raw, wild and ripping sound has been burning up our town since 2006. I've heard and seen their band name popping up more and more over the past year, and if you listen to their latest release "Extended," you can see how it has been providing the gas.

I was intrigued to learn more about the band and it's history by talking with Donnie. Incredible gigs, musical family members, a solid new lineup and new music are just a few of the things that have enabled Absolutely Not to continue thriving. We're psyched to have them join the roast this year!

Absolutely Not, staring into the light

I couldn't help but notice two band members share the same last name, Moore. Is there a family relationship in the band? And how did the band start?
You are correct! That little lady on the keys is my sister. We are like The Osmonds or The Partridge Family, just more mentally unstable.

As far as how it started... well, I started recording Absolutely Not songs alone in my apartment in Florida circa 2005. At that time I was playing in a band that wasn't really what I wanted to do musically, to say the least, so I wanted to create a solo project. I slowly started playing the songs for family and friends and they all seemed to enjoy it enough for me to start looking for a live band!

You guys have landed some great gigs, including opening up for Thee Oh Sees. I noticed in this video (watch it here) there seem to be more than 3 people on stage. Has there been a few changes in lineup or structure of the band? Are you liking the three piece setup you have now?

I have been very lucky with landing some great gigs. Thee Oh Sees are a fantastic band and fantastic people. That was probably my favorite show. A very close second would be opening for Menomena, they're a fantastic band as well.

Since Absolutely Not is technically my solo project, the line-up changed quite a bit during the first few years I was playing shows. When I started out in Florida, I ended up having two of my dear friends play shows with me until I started to realize that Florida might not be the best place for Absolutely Not (haha). I moved to Chicago about a year later and reformed the band with new friends that I had made in the city. We played together for about 2 years and then they both eventually moved out of Chicago. At that point I wasn't sure what to do, so I just had whoever was available from my circle of musician friends play gigs with me. A few months later, my sister finally made her concrete plans to join me in Chicago. She had been a fan of Absolutely Not from the beginning, so who would be better suited for the band!? Once she got here, we found a little baby drumming angel, Jenna Horwath, who was playing in an AMAZING band at the time called Heart Shaped Hate. I knew after I saw her play for the first time that I would want to try to get her to drum for me eventually, and luckily she agreed! So now for the first time in 6 years, I've got Absolutely Not just the way I've always wanted and needed it to be.

I really like the Extended EP. It seems you've been a band since 2006, have there been other releases I've missed? Who's on the cover of Extended? Anything coming out soon?

Thanks, I'm very proud of "Extended". It is actually the 3rd album I've released, and the first to feature other people playing with me (Madison on keys, Jenna on drums). I stopped selling the older EP's because I plan on re-recording or re-packaging the good songs from the first two albums at a later date. As far as new material goes, I hope to have the new 7 song EP, "Mister Something," out by fall. We just started playing some of the songs that will be on "Mister Something" at recent shows, and they seem to be getting a good response from people, so that's awesome!

Absolutely Not - I Don't Want To Get Married On A JumboTron by RockPigRoastChi

2012 Artist Feature - Secret Colours

To be honest, when I asked Secret Colours to play the First Annual Rock and Roll Pig Roast, I didn't know much about them. I really liked what I heard on their BandCamp page, and I saw they already had gained a large local following. As it turned out, they're just about the nicest, most professional and talented bunch you could find in the area, and I was happy when Bully in the Hallway shared the stage with them again at SXSW at the Wahoo's Fish Tacos SXSW Showcase.

Most importantly... they rip! Their blend of (many) psych guitars, catchy rhythms and vocals that shift from dreamy and direct create what many bands strive (and often fail) to achieve: a vibe. We're pumped to have the Secret Colours back to headline the Second Annual Rock and Roll Pig Roast!

Check out the interview with lead vocalist Tommy below:

This year has been (at least from my view) pretty crazy for Secret Colours - SXSW, Psych Fest, and an EP to name a few of the things I was privy to. Did I miss any highlights? What do you have in store for 2013?

This year has been a lot of fun for us. I think my favorite show we played in 2012 has to be at Subterranean opening up for The Ravonettes. It was a sold out show and the energy of the crowd fueled us like an adrenaline shot straight to the heart. We were so amped on it, we basically played our songs twice as fast. Towards the end of our set we realized that we still had twenty minutes, so Dave told me to play the Spacemen 3 tune "Walking With Jesus" which we free-styled the fuck out of and it seemed to work.  The crowd was singing along and digging it. 2013 will be a great year for us if the world doesn't end. We will finally release our second full length LP called Peach. We might also release another new EP with an entirely new vibe for Secret Colours, but that's up in the air right now. We're hopefully going to make it across the pond in 2013, following our LP and/or our EP release. We are also planning on re-releasing our self-titled LP on vinyl.


Speaking of Vinyl, I know you put your EP, EP3 out on vinyl recently, after it was already put out on CD. Are you guys writing new music yet or are you still promoting EP3? Will your future releases be exclusively vinyl? (listen to EP3 here)

I think we are going to stick to vinyl and digital, CD's seem to be becoming more and more obsolete. All we have to do is look at merch sales to attest to that. We have been writing loads of new songs which some of them feel like songs in the same vain as our first record and EP, and others seem to be taking us in a new direction.  I'm excited for the future.



This isn't your first Rock and Roll Pig Roast... what brings you back?

Meat. (Except for Nate, the vegetarian.)


Secret Colours - Faust by RockPigRoastChi

2012 Artist Feature - Fallen Rivers

Chicago's Fallen Rivers are a band I've known of and had the pleasure to see live more than once, including a few shows with Bully in the Hallway. Originally blending folk elements with a live band, Kenny Nelson's songwriting outlet really has fleshed out into a full-on rock outfit over the past few years, much to the enjoyment of myself and others in the Chicagoland area. Scheduling conflicts prevented Fallen Rivers from joining us last year, so I'm pumped to have them on board in year 2 of the Rock and Roll Pig Roast.

Check out the mini interview below with Kenny Nelson, as well as the first track and SNEAK PREVIEW of our Rock and Roll Pig Roast 2012 Mixtape!

Fallen Rivers

I've seen some of your shows over the years, and I happen to have
noticed more electric instruments as of late. Am I wrong? Or if I'm
right, is there any reason behind this? How has it worked out for
you?

That’s true, and thanks for coming to our shows! We are for the most
part only using electrical instruments now. That’s just where our interests
currently lie. The first EP was a couple of songs that I had written over the
years on my acoustic guitar. I wanted to record them so I asked Brendan
and Kevin (who are in a band called the Biltmores) and John (who I had
played in other bands with) to play on the recordings. That is how the band
formed. We finished the EP and started playing shows. We also started
to write new material together and everyone’s influences came through in
the songs. Hashing out the ideas together and wanting to play louder just
called for electric guitars. We are having more fun with it live also.

I've heard Fallen Rivers have been in the studio off and on lately. How
has that been? What material have you been recording?

We have. We recorded with Mike Lust at the Phantom Manor. We had all
worked with Mike before and thoroughly enjoyed it. The recordings got
halted a little because we all got really busy with our jobs. We are anxious
to get it done though and are planning to start up again in September.
Hopefully it will be finished right before the New Year. We are pretty much
only playing those songs live now which has helped to really develop them
and we are really pleased with where they have come to.

Can you tell me more about the song you've submitted to our 2012
Mix Tape.

The song is called “Strange” and is off our EP. It was recorded with Mike at
the Phantom Manor also. It is a song that we still enjoy playing and I think
best represents who we are now from our EP. It just relates better to the
material that we are currently playing. Lyrically it is talking about coming in
to new experiences.


Fallen Rivers - Strange by RockPigRoastChi

The Second Annual Rock and Roll Pig Roast is August 25th! Lineup Info!

That's right! We are back!!


WHAT?
The Second Annual Rock and Roll Pig Roast is here! The RRPR2012 will feature all of the greatness of the first roast, including LIVE CHICAGO MUSIC, incredible food and cheap drinks!

Rock and Roll Pig Roast 2012 LINEUP:

Secret Colours
Sybris
Bully in the Hallway
Michael Lux and the Bad Sons
Velocicopter
Absolutely Not
The Fallen Rivers
Box Jellyfish
Treasurer
ZED

WHEN? August 25th from 12pm till 10pm

WHERE?

The event will be held outside of The Standard Bar and Grill at 1332 North Milwaukee Avenue. We're going to be blocking off the whole side street! This is a great location in the heart of Wicker Park, and close to both the Milwaukee/Damen and Division Blue lines!

STAY TUNED FOR TICKET INFO AND FULL EVENT DETAILS!!

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Incinerate!

THE OCEAN

GREEN RIVVVA

SUBURBAN HOME

SHE

HAPPY

Lucifer Sam

I Gotta Move

My My Hey HEY