Well, that's a wrap on 2012. We couldn't have asked for a better day and a better overall experience.
THANK YOU to the 10 fantastic bands who came and played. It's not a rock and roll pig roast without rock and roll!
THANK YOU to our gracious hosts Standard Bar/Grill for roasting 2 huge pigs, cooking up delicious sides and keeping the beer cold.
THANK YOU to Rock For Kids for their support in promotion, we're honored to benefit such a great cause.
THANK YOU to Do312 for spreading the word, and thanks to Simple AV for keeping the event rolling and sounding great.
Most importantly, thanks to everyone who came out to eat, drink, listen
to music and have fun. We appreciate your support and we'll see you
next year! More photos to come!
The Rock and Roll Pig Roast features all you can eat food and 10 of Chicago's local bands! Oh, and cash bars with great drink specials!! And you're supporting a charity! This is the best deal in town!
The MUSIC Menu!
Secret Colours – 9pm
Sybris – 8:00
Bully in the Hallway - 7:00
Michael Lux and the Bad Sons – 6:00
Velocicopter - 5:00
Absolutely Not - 4:00
The Fallen Rivers - 3:00
Box Jellyfish - 2:00
Treasurer - 1:15
ZED – 12:30
The FOOD Menu, prepared by Head Chef Jim August and the Standard Bar and Grill
All you can eat:
Slow roasted, smoked Cajun rubbed pork!
Served with Jameson Chipotle BBQ Sauce or Carolina –style BBQ sauce.
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Grilled Vegetarian Medley of zucchini, eggplant, portabella mushrooms, roasted red peppers with olive oil and balsamic glaze.
The Standard’s Famous homemade mac and cheese
Drink Specials!
$3 PBR Tallboy
$6 Three Olives Vodka Drink
Cash bars with much, much more!
It's hard asking questions of your own band, and in person it can be bizarre (especially because as a band, we all spend on average 8-10 hours per week together...). However, thanks to the context and formality of written emails, we (and I...) get to learn some more about Bully in the Hallway's latest album, a recent trip and upcoming plans. We're excited to play the pig roast again!
Check out the interview with lead singer Simon as well as the track "Golden Bones" off of Bully in the Hallway's latest release, Crooks and their Castles.
Can you tell me about how "Crooks and their Castles" was made? Any thoughts behind what songs were picked, how they were recorded and how the artwork came about?
CATC is a collection of songs written from 2007-2011... We recorded it at the Phantom Manor with our mentor Mike Lust in the Spring/Summer of 2011. As for the song selection, we wanted to espouse our love of harmonies, big rhythms, assailing guitars, and infectious hooks blanketed with invigorating verses. The songs cover a wide variety of topics from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010 (Blatant Persuasion), chasing sleep while building resumes (If I can't have my cake and eat it to...), the redundancy and hypocrisy of the American "Dream" (Crooks), friends growing apart (Golden Bones), Lincoln Park trixies (Stick-Up Chicks), institutions that claim to beset value through constructs (Life is Money), the walk of shame (Walk of Shame), wants vs. needs (Advice), work (9to5er), significant others (Magnanimous Corpses), women wearing tights (Tight Pantz), and being enamored with someone (You Got Me!).
The artwork came from a shoot with our long time photographer and good friend Justin Watson James. For me it speaks to the walls we imagine in front of us.
This was your first year really leaving the Tri State Area with a trip down to SXSW. What were your thoughts about the trip? Highlights? Lowlights?
We love Austin, hence the Pig Roast. We had so much fun and met so many wonderful bands/people. Also, it was a chance for us to bond with some of our home town brethren i.e. Mannequin Men, Heavy Times, Secret Colours, and so forth. SXSW is a must for young bands and a great opportunity to get road tested.
I think the highlights for me, personally, were our performances, seeing the Mannequin Men play a million shows and getting drunk with em, kicking it with our good friend Chris Ciesiel who came from KC to hang with us, all the abandon cars on the side of the highways, and tacos.
As for low lights... 19hr drives, hitting a bail of hay on the highway in Arkansas, but in all reality these were still highlights... hahaha!!
It's been 8 months since "Crooks and their Castles" was released. What's new with the band? Are you writing new music? What do you plan to do in Chicago's winter?
We have been preparing our new record... we have about 3 or 4 songs. One of which we will be playing on Saturday. It's called "Turncoats" and is about consumerism. We will continue writing in October after we play our buddy Ciesiel's wedding with the idea of recording in the Winter for a spring release. Maybe an EP release for SXSW with the LP coming out in April/May.
I heard about ZED through some friends of mine who are in the Chicago Stone Lightning Band, which was one of the bands that played the 1st Annual Rock and Roll Pig Roast.We all had so much fun watching the CSLB rip it up last year that I knew this group was going to be good. Based on what we've heard so far, I don't think we'll be disappointed when they kick things off this year.
Check out the interview with drummer John Dugan to learn more about ZED's style, formation and future. You can also hear a live track from a recent gig at the Hideout!
Can you tell me about how ZED came about? I know some of your members are/have been in other Chicago bands. Why start ZED?
ZED emerged from the Chicago Stone Lightning Band (which is still kicking and has a debut album coming in September on Downtown Records and shows later in the year) and VEE DEE. Nick D'Vyne also played with our bassist Mark Lux in Plastic Crimewave Sound a few years back. John has been in CSLB, Perfect Panther, the Tax here and was in Edsel, Chisel, Colour, and other bands in DC area. Dan played in the Brides and various other bands.
The original idea was to give life to Nick's songs that didn't fit Vee Dee or CSLB. At first, the tunes seemed to be very rock with a soul infusion a la the MC5, but the songs have been pretty varied. They don't fit neatly in any genre and the band doesn't seem to be boxing itself in one category, so that's exciting. You described ZED to me as "soulful punk rock" - can you elaborate on that? When ZED's on Pandora, what other artists' tracks would you be sandwich between?
It just seemed like an apt, if vague, shorthand description of the band. We've all played in punk bands, but this one definitely has a soul or R&B influence oozing through it.
[for Pandora] Ton Steine Scherben, The Stooges, MC5, Blue Cheer, Television, CAN, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Motorhead
Have you recorded anything or do you plan on recording anything in the future? If so, what exactly?
We're planning to record our current batch of tunes in our own studio—probably all analog and live. Also, we might not be called ZED for long.
It's Roast Week! Yes, the 2012 Rock and Roll Pig Roast is THIS SATURDAY the 25th, and what better way to start things off than with an artist feature with Chicago's own Sybris?
Sybris was one of the first local bands I started to follow in Chicago after coming back from college and playing with Bully in the Hallway. Their albums and 10 years of live shows were always a huge inspiration and equally as memorable to myself and many others. We're lucky to have them join the Rock and Roll Pig Roast, fresh out of recording their newest album, "Gold on Hold." Check out the interview with guitarist Phil below and the song "Quiet, My Stories Are On" a deep cut from their self released EP 'A Time For Hollerin' circa 2003!!
Based on what you've told me, the Rock and Roll Pig Roast might be your first gig fresh out of the studio from recording your new album. Can you share any details about the album? Songs? Title? Direction?
Yeah, the pig roast will be our first show out of the studio. You can't turn down getting paid in delicious pork cheek. We're calling the record "Gold on Hold". It is, in a nutshell, about the end of the world. A kind of chaotic haze that ends up leaving a fine film around the edge of your brain. We've definitely stretched our song writing more than in the past Your bio says it best - you've "been around," including US tours, opening for big acts, the works... which is part of what has made Sybris so special to see and listen to over the years. With the new record coming out, are you planning to hit the road again? Or are you just making music? Do you feel obliged, or inspired to do anything in particular?
We have some plans but they're top secret. I can say I think we've stopped trying to 'do it' and really embraced doing it for us. The only obligation we feel anymore is to ourselves. If we're making Sybris happy then everyone on syb island will be happy too.
I saw on your Facebook page you recently asked your fans to comment on their favorite Sybris shows and memories. What did you think of the answers? Any laughs? Did you come up with any on your own?
What stuck me about that is the passion and volume of responses, it's really heart warming. We've been around for almost 10 years now, so there's been allot of adventures, miss-steps and hilarity so it would be hard to pick just one. It was a trip down memory lane in the nicest sense, especially before going to record.
The best way I can describe and/or prepare someone to see Velocicopter is "Watch the fuck out!" This band does not mess around. I've now played two shows with them, each one getting heavier and gnarlier than the last.
We're really excited to have them join the pig roast and heat up the afternoon. Oh, don't forget to check out their BRAND NEW song "Drag" below and on our 2012 Rock and Roll Pig Roast Mixtape!
How long have you been playing together, and how did you form?
We’ve had the pleasure of sharing two scolding hot summers in two different
rehearsal spaces with no air conditioning together… so about 2 years, maybe a
little over. The sweat stain patterns that emerged from those sessions were
priceless – inverted crosses, pentagrams and even one time a stain that
slightly resembled the face of John Ritter.
David (guitar/vox) was in a band called Sweet Polly that my old band The
Groodies played with several times back in the day. I was immediately impressed
by his song writing and vocal style (90’s grunge throwback, reminded me a lot
of Nirvana and Local H). We respected each other’s writing styles and decided to
get together and see if we could create something. I knew Haywood (drummer)
through mutual friends and knew he was a beast on the skins, so we all got
together and just started writing without a definite “sound” in mind, just with
the intention of creating songs that were heavy and hooky, with male/female
vocal harmonies. Haywood and I had both been in bands previously with Brett
(bass) and knew he was the last piece of the puzzle. No other bass player could
compare. All of the members are definitely irreplaceable that’s for sure.
Everyone is a master of their craft.
I think even the world's most boring person would get a laugh out of the
artwork for your album, and also some of the posters I've seen associated with
VCOP shows. I know (guitarist/ singer) Meghan is an artist, does she do art for
the band?
I do! A lot of my band related art is “last minute” so it ends up being real
tongue and cheeky, usually drawing reference from favorite childhood movies.
When there’s extra time though I try to hand draw the posters and color them in
photoshop (punk rock, man). I figure if people don’t want to come to the
show, at least they can get a chuckle or feel nostalgic about a certain image.
I have to say, after seeing you for the first time I was pretty
excited to hear a band that (in my view, at least) fully embraces the riff. Is
riff-creating an active part of songwriting for you? Are you working on new
material?
Major RIFF-age man. We do enjoy a good riff with a groove. I don't think we
ever intentionally set out to be super RIFF based, it just kind of worked out
that way. I think the culmination of everyone playing together just
brought that out. We are always trying to write new material; When we do,
usually the core RIFF is brought to the table, then we tweak a few
things, find a solid groove, and run with it. Riff doesn't even seem like a
word anymore.
Who is Treasurer? I caught wind of Chicago's Treasurer through some friends and Pig Roast Alumni, and was immediately intrigued. Consisting of bass, drums and synth (dubbed "basement synth" in the below interview), Treasurer's sound is spacious, heavy, mysterious and experimental all at once. We're happy to have them share their first show with us at the pig roast!
Check out an interview with Maya Nash (synth/vocals) below, as she shares background on the band's history, style and goals. You can also check out their song, "The Country Is Behind Me!"
You guys are a new band, and the pig roast might be one of your first shows. How did you form?Have you played in other groups before? Where did the name come from?
Maya Nash: We have all known each other for over seven years. I’ve always wanted to start or contribute to some kind of music project but my background is in architecture and that field, especially while in school, is pretty all consuming. So after I graduated the guys were looking to start a new project for whatever reason and asked me to be part of it. In a way, I felt that I needed to reacclimate to the world outside studio and school. I thought the band would be a great way to apply myself creatively in a different format than what I was used to which is much more visual.
No [Editor: Maya hasn't played in other groups]. We kicked around a few ideas before settling on Treasurer. Did you know that every combination of noun, verb, and adjective is already a band name? I like it because I am obsessed with money. I would like to have some someday. I have not yet figured out how to make this happen except to name my band Treasurer. It’s an “if you build it” situation. I know it may be a standard question, but since you're newer I wanted to ask also what your influences are. Your Bandcamp lists a genre as 'basement' and 'synth' - can you elaborate?
I play an analog synthesizer. We used to live in the basement of our building while I was in grad school. It was not that great, we were robbed and flooded. It will definitely influence my decision not to live in another basement in my life. I think maybe Henry was referring to a less polished, more immediate aesthetic to the music. I appreciate an atmosphere of obsessive tinkering, maybe that’s what the “basement” part refers to.
You've got two tracks on Bandcamp already. Can you tell me about them?Are you working on an album or an EP? If so, can you share any details?
I can tell you a little about the process at this point. Hank and Robby work out a basic song structure and I concern myself with the overall idea of the song. I say things like, “this one is all about winning” or “its a party that is sad like a middle school dance” but I don’t know if that really helps anyone besides me.
We are in the process of recording a couple of demos on our own. I was really hoping you would ask me if I had ever been to a pig roast before. I would have told you that I used to work at a barbeque restaurant for over 6 years but I was a vegetarian the entire time. I’ve handled so much pulled pork, it’s ironic and disturbing.
So Lollapalooza is finished, but August is by no means over!
This year we're very excited to have Michael Lux and the Bad Sons join the Rock and Roll Pig Roast. I first got wind of this band last year when I saw this video of them rocking out at the Empty Bottle, and I thought to myself something like "Holy SHIT!"
Loud, guitars, solos, blaring drums.... everything I like. I was sold, and it didn't take long to realize these guys are going for it 100%. Not much else is needed to be said about this band except DON'T MISS them.
Check out the interview with Michael Lux below, and also listen to "Salt and Pepper!"
Your band name leads with your full name. How did you form? Is this more of a fleshed out solo project, or do you write as a bull band?
I originally started this project on downtime from another band. I had all the tools and instruments to record but no material to put down, so I took a stopwatch and timed out 30 minutes. When the timer was up, that was the song and I'd record it just after. I did this for a few days until I had the 5 songs that are on the Neat Repeater EP. It was mostly for myself, until I my girlfriend staged an intervention with Marc and Gen from Company of Thieves who convinced me to put it out. So for the first few months, it was essentially a solo project, as I'd grab my friends from other groups to back me up live. After awhile, we found Otto (our keyboard player) and Paul (our drummer) and it's become more of a unit, us writing things together and building stuff around a rough template.
I heard you were the Clash for Halloween or part of a Clash band. How was the Halloween/cover experience for you and the band?
I was in a Clash tribute at Double Door for Halloween. I was sitting in with AM Taxi for a few months, which was really fun. Playing 77' Mick Jones was a dream fulfilled for me actually! I don't really get all crazy about tribute stuff, but I borrowed a white les paul and we completely geeked out on the wardrobe and I have to admit I was really into it! Plus, I got to sing "Train in Vain," which I was wanting to try live in The Bad Sons anyway. The crowd was mental with singing and moving and all Halloweened out, my English friends got into a healthy scrap with some dickheads and I think for all of us on stage, just as friends jamming our quintessential Clash set in front of a sold out crowd, it was an incredible experience... I'd do it again tomorrow.
You just released a two song single, "Salt and Pepper" just a few
weeks ago. Is this part of a full length, or was it simply a single?
Where did you record it? Is it true you built your own studio? Any other plans for 2012?
We just released a two song free single, for "Salt and Pepper," which was a music video (Check the video here!) we had made a few months back. This is a different mix than the video though, and much better sounding! We have been acquiring gear at Otto's studio, Ottopilot, and building it up for the better part of a year. Colin and I produced The Young Distractions EP in there and it was a great experience. Since then we've been working out our own full length record, and it will all be ready in due time.
Until then, apart from building that record and playing the show here and there, we'll all be busy running round; Joe's writing a musical and my psychic told me it's going to Broadway, Colin's always in the studio working with artists, I have a project in the works with a few members of the opposite gender. All stuff to look out for.
I first heard about Chicago's Box Jellyfish when I was talking to Bob Howe (vocals/guitar) at Lincoln Hall, and he invited me to one of their shows at the Empty Bottle. When I got home I checked out the No Sound EP and was immediately intrigued by the mellow, brooding, atmospheric music I was hearing; no pretension or gimmicks, just honest style, breezy hooks and dynamic guitars that build to support the group's well thought-out arrangements.
What I like most about Box Jellyfish is that they've managed to develop a unique sound and feeling that creeps up on you... in a good way. We're happy to have them join us! You can learn more about the band's thoughts on musical style, vocal harmonies and more in the interview below.
Tell me about Box Jellyfish's origins? How long have you been playing? Why is "Shoegaze" listed as a category on bandcamp?
We got started as a writing project between the two founding members in early 2010. The material that was produced eventually became our first EP, No Sound. We’re currently a 3-piece outfit working with guitar, keyboard, drums, and the incorporation of baritone guitar in lieu of a bass. Our goal is to create a rich sound within the dynamics of our instrumentation -- the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
And, clinically speaking, we aren’t really a “Shoegaze” band, though we do admire the sense of atmosphere created by bands like Slowdive, Ride, and My Bloody Valentine. And yeah, we use a ton of reverb on everything. Bob's vocals are breathy and dreamy. But we all have quite different and overlapping musical backgrounds: from folk, jazz, punk, pop, and metal, to indie rock and electronic music. We figured that since we have to categorize ourselves by choosing three words from a list of 20, “Shoegaze” was more fitting than "indie-folk" or "black metal".
I noticed that all three of you sing on your tracks. Was it your intention to put together a band with so much vocal emphasis, or did the vocal capabilities of the group come as happenstance?
This is an element that sort of evolved over time and is still evolving, actually. Adding vocal harmonies allows us to create a more dense and dynamic sound than we would be able to with only our instruments. We feel that the sound of the human voice is the most engaging of all sounds to the human ear. Two or three people singing in perfect harmony is more powerful and soul-stirring than any other instrument. We try to incorporate that power into our music as much as possible.
You just recorded a live EP at the Empty Bottle, a follow up from "No Sound EP" with new songs. Is this a taste of things to come, and if so, what exactly?
The tracks from The Bottle (Click here to listen to the live EP!) are pretty much a bootleg recording that turned out pretty nice. That being said, it does provide a benchmark for our current sound. We have been working for the past year honing our sense of dynamics, paying more attention to the arrangements, and tightening everything down. The track "Two Rooms" is the most recent example of this progression. It has the dynamic tension, texture, and range of emotion we’re going for.
