ANCHR’s Artist of the Week: KennyHoopla

The project of musician and songwriter Kenneth La'ron, KennyHoopla crafts nostalgia-tinged songs that blend pop punk, emo, and rock influences with modern and experimental touches.

KennyHoopla began releasing music as early as 2016 via SoundCloud, but his most popular release to date was his single “how will i rest in peace if i’m buried by a highway?//”— which came to be the title track of his May 2020 EP that also included tracks like “sore loser//” and “the world is flat and this is the edge//.” From the genre-defying sounds and artistic exploration in his music to the specific stylization of his song names, the creative element of KennyHoopla continues to shine through in everything he releases.

Later on in 2020, KennyHoopla collaborated with the artist grandson on a version of the track “lost cause//” before releasing yet another version of the single with Jesse Rutherford. In 2021, he worked with Travis Barker on the song “hollywood sucks//,’ which ended up on the collaborative EP called SURVIVORS GUILT: THE MIXTAPE//.

I’m looking forward to see what other work KennyHoopla puts out in the future, and who he’ll partner with next. As far as his live show, I caught most of his set at Riot Fest this year and had a lot of fun watching his performance. He had a minimal stage set up but made up for that with his presence and the energy he projected.

He’ll be touring again this month, including two sold out shows at Schubas Tavern on November 27 and 28th, and you can see all of his upcoming tour dates here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Katie Toupin

“Are You Dreaming of Me?  I’ve Been Dreaming of You!”  That is a lyric from the chorus of “Magnetic Moves,” the title track of Katie Toupin’s album which came out in the summer of 2019 that I thought would be a great new pickup line, but it hasn’t really worked yet. Regardless of my lack of game, today’s ANCHR Artist of the Day is going to Katie Toupin. Toupin is a singer-songwriter from a town on the southern tip of Indiana called New Albany, which is directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.  If you put her name in whatever search engine you use, the images that come up might cause you, if you’re also a live music lover like myself, to possibly recognize her.  That would be because she was once a member of the band Houndmouth.

Taste of Chicago 2015 was the first time I noticed Toupin when Houndmouth was opening for Spoon.  I remember her being stylish and had a vibrant smile. Toupin was on vocals and keys but one of the highlights from the set was when she took over the guitar to sing “Gasoline.”  About a year later my brother-in-law and I were in Memphis for Beale Street Music Festival. I brought him to the Houndmouth set, but when the band came on stage, Toupin was missing. If there are any Houndmouth ”stans” out there reading this, please do not direct any anger of what I’m about to say to ANCHR since this is only my opinion, but they weren’t as good anymore.  We only stayed for 3 songs.

Toupin has released an EP, Moroccan Ballroom, the aforementioned album, Magnetic Moves and just this past week, on March 6th, a single called “Don’t Wanna Die.”  This coming May 14th you could catch the aural pleasure of Katie’s vocals and songwriting for yourself when she performs at Schubas.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Fran

As the project of songwriter and vocalist Maria Jacobson, Fran has quickly become an integral part of the Chicago music scene. Inspiration initially struck Jacobson when she was working as an actor at a summer repertory theatre in rural Indiana, and she taught herself to play guitar. She continued to play and write songs while teaching English in a small city in Mexico.

Eventually, Jacobson moved back to Chicago and found a band to perform with. Playing just about every local venue ranging from The Hideout to Thalia Hall, Fran has continued to connect with audiences thanks to Jacobson’s ability to illustrate her own narratives in a universal light that allows listeners to paint themselves into the plot lines. In 2019, Fran released a well-received debut album A Private Picture via Fire Talk Records to follow up the 2017 EP More Enough, and we can’t wait to hear more of Jacobson’s storytelling in the future.

2020 has already seen Fran on the lineup for Tomorrow Never Knows Festival, and they’ve got a couple of shows coming up in Chicago this month. Get your tickets to see Fran at The Empty Bottle tomorrow, February 7th, here and tune into “Company” and “So Surreal” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: CHAI

CHAI captivated my heart (and the hearts of many music fans in Chicago) when they performed at Pitchfork Music Festival this past summer, radiating infectious positive energy and donning matching outfits. They performed songs from their 2019 album PUNK, as well as their 2017 debut album Pink— the former of which garnered international attention.

I was lucky enough to catch them again at Iceland Airwaves Fest back in November, but this week the Japanese four-piece are back in Chicago performing not once, but twice. If you missed out on CHAI’s sold out headline gig at the Empty Bottle on Saturday, hopefully you snagged tickets to see them with Whitney at SPACE on Tuesday night.

Check out “N.E.O.” and “Fashionista” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Accessory

If you’re in tune with the Chicago music scene, you’re likely already familiar with musician Jason Balla’s projects Dehd, Earring, and the no longer active NE-HI. Balla’s latest musical endeavor comes in the form of his lo-fi solo project: Accessory. Under the Accessory moniker, Balla released the track “Eyes for Berlin” this past Monday, as a follow up to the 2018 album Blue Tape. Balla describes the sensation of finding a new perspective in a familiar setting in the song— “It's about finding new eyes. Seeing the old and everyday that has become the background of my life with a fresh sense of wonder.”

The new music arrived just before a hometown headline gig at The Empty Bottle on Thursday, January 16th. With a live line up that will feature members of Bunny, Deeper, Grapetooth, The Hecks, Twin Peaks, and V.V. Lightbody, this Accessory show will certainly deliver a fresh perspective of some of Chicago’s finest musicians that we’ve all come to know and love. Tune into “Eyes For Berlin” below, and grab your tickets to see Accessory with Tenci and Products tonight here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Diane Coffee

Sometimes drummers need to step out from behind the kit and show their full talent. That's exactly former Foxygen drummer, Shaun Fleming, did with Diane Coffee.

Cooped up in his New York City apartment, he recorded his first album "My Friend Fish" for a 2013 release. Fleming said he didn't enjoy the hustle and bustle of city living, so he ended up moving to Bloomington, Indiana, home of his label Jagjaguwar. There, Fleming brought in session musicians to give his second LP "Everybody's a Good Dog" a bigger sound.

He's stayed in Bloomington and just released his third album "Internet Arms" last year.

For an introduction though, spin "Green" from his debut, which is one of my favorite songs of all-time. 

Before he's set to open for the New Pornographers, Diane Coffee will perform two back-to-back nights at Hideout on Jan. 23 and 24.