ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Dehd

Photo by Alexa Viscius

I mean, seriously…Can we just get these vaccines moving already!?  Dehd released Flowers of Devotion last summer and I haven’t been able to rock with all the new songs in a live setting yet. Like many others, I was looking forward to their set at Pitchfork Music Festival, but of course the ol’ Rona had to stick her nose in our business and ruin everything.  Luckily, I've seen them once before at an “In The Round” show at Thalia Hall so that’s been able to hold me over for now.  Once live music is back though, I highly recommend checking out their performance if they hit a stage near you. Unless you’re one of those people that doesn’t enjoy dancing, good music, and feeling good. If you identify as such, then please stay away— but even then, Dehd is a great band for anyone since they tend to take serious subjects and place them in fun, groovy melodies.

Dehd is a trio out of the Windy City composed of Jason Balla, Emily Kempf, and Eric McGrady. They have three albums to their name and have also found themselves on “Perez’s Best” annual CD mix for the last two years (if you know, you know).  Balla and Kempf were previously in a romantic relationship during the early years of the band, but thankfully their songwriting partnership didn’t die when the romance did. Instead, they continued to hit us with bangers and keep making the people happy. 

If this is the first time you are ever hearing of Dehd, their album Flowers of Devotion is a great album to start with, but don’t sleep on their self-titled debut or 2019’s Water either. I dare all readers when listening to “Haha” or “Loner” to not groove with the music. It’s just not possible.

Be sure to also check out the amusing music videos that the band has released for their recent singles, and snag your own copy of their newest record here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Deeper

In the past few years, Chicago band Deeper became an integral part of the city’s live music scene—playing in venues from The Hideout and Empty Bottle to Thalia Hall. With their debut self-titled album and sophomore release Auto-Pain, Deeper puts a refreshing spin on post punk roots, giving their music a distinctive tone that accompanies a sense of familiarity.

It’s been just shy of a year since Auto-Pain’s release, and 2020 had been slated with tours in support of the album across North America and Europe for Deeper. While last year obviously shook up so much of the music industry, Deeper has used this break from touring to reimagine some of their music and find a creative way to keep sharing content. To follow up their livestream performance at Lincoln Hall in October that was part of Audiotree’s STAGED series, Deeper just announced they will be releasing a performance filmed at the Chicago Cultural Center later this month in celebration of the Auto-Pain anniversary.

Earlier this week, the band also put out a remix of their single “This Heat,” in which Working Men’s Club puts an electronic twist on the track. This remix marks the beginning of additional collaborations and new music that Deeper says will accompany the anniversary of their second album.

Get your tickets to the March 27th performance at the Chicago Cultural Center here, and tune into the remix of “This Heat” below. To learn more about Deeper, revisit our interview with them here. 

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Fauvely

Fauvely is Sophie Brochu, Dale Price, Dave Piscotti & Phil Conklin / Photo by Aaron Ehinger

At this point in the pandemic, we’ve all got our list of “things-we-can’t-wait-to-do-after-Covid.” At the very top of my post-pandemic bucket list sits a night out at a venue like Schubas or Empty Bottle, seeing a bill of Chicago bands perform. It may still be a while before we can all gather and experience the magic of the bustling local music scene together, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t new music continuing to be created in the city.

One group that has been hard at work crafting their debut album throughout the past year is Fauvely, the project of songwriter Sophie Brochu and bandmates Dale Price, Dave Piscotti, and Phil Conklin. Following the 2017 EP Watch Me Overcomplicate This, Fauvely gained traction in Chicago performing everywhere from The Hideout to Sleeping Village and Lincoln Hall. The band had kicked off 2020 with a slot playing alongside Hand Habits at the annual Tomorrow Never Knows festival, with plans to tour in Japan and perform as an official showcasing artist at SXSW festival during the spring.

While those tour dates unfortunately never came to fruition, Fauvely reemerged in early 2021 with “May3e,” the lead single off their upcoming album. The track resonates with vulnerability, driven by Brochu’s reflective lyrics and dreamy vocal range. This same sentiment carries over into the latest single that Fauvely released earlier this month. “There’s always a reason to be sad,” Bronchu sings on “Always,” which I think we all can agree rang particularly true during the year 2020.

These two songs lead up to the release of Fauvely’s debut album Beautiful Places, a collection of songs which the band describes as being “about duality: light and dark, memory and haze, being stuck and running away.” Pre-order the record ahead of its April 2nd release date on Bandcamp and check out the video for “May3e” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Sir Sly

Sir Sly is Landon Jacobs, Hayden Coplen and Jason Suwito. Photo courtesy of Press Here Publicity

One live music trope I can’t stress enough is to always catch the opening band when you get a chance. Back in early 2014, I showed up to St. Lucia’s show at Lincoln Hall having never heard their supporting band before, and now Sir Sly is easily one of my favorite bands.

Since those early days of being the opening band and the era of their debut album You Haunt Me, Sir Sly has continued on a trajectory of slow and steady maturity. Thanks to lead singer and songwriter Landon Jacobs’ vulnerability and transparency as a storyteller, listeners can sense a stark shift in tones from their first album to their sophomore release Don’t You Worry, Honey; An artistic shift that stems from the major changes that occurred in Jacobs’ personal life. At surface value, you could listen to 2017’s Don’t You Worry, Honey and hear glossy, upbeat melodies destined to gain popularity because of their catchiness, but at its core, Jacobs candidly shares his struggles of losing his mother to cancer and dealing with the disintegration of his young marriage. On top of that, Jacobs managed to turn an experience of a panic attack in a hotel room into the hit “High,” which saw chart success and made appearances in shows like 13 Reasons Why and Riverdale.

Almost four years later, Jacobs and his bandmates Hayden Coplen and Jason Suwito are ready to embark on a new chapter with their third album The Rise & Fall Of Loverboy, which is slated to be released on April 23, 2021 via Interscope Records. To accompany the news of the album, Sir Sly released the fourth and fifth singles off the upcoming record last week: “thx.” and “Loverboy.” In contrast to the mellow vocals and faded instrumentals of the former, “Loverboy” jumps right into an effervescent hook that expresses the joy and ease of a new relationship. On the third album as a whole, Jacobs has said, “The Rise & Fall Of Loverboy is an album about falling in love with someone new, and the magic that brought into my world.”

You can pre-order the new album here, and listen to “Loverboy” in full below.

Keep up with Sir Sly on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Middle Kids

Middle Kids is Hannah Joy, Tim Fitz and Harry Day.

Photo by DAPHNE NGUYEN

The Sydney-based trio Middle Kids released their debut album Lost Friends back in 2018, and songs like “Edge of Town” and “Never Start” from that record have remained in my frequent rotation throughout the past few years thanks to their timeless qualities. While I still appreciate their first record and the singles they’ve released along the way, I was excited to learn that Middle Kids will be releasing their sophomore album next month on March 19th.

To tee up the new record, called Today We’re The Greatest, Middle Kids has put out a few singles- the most recent being “Cellophane (Brain).” The track fades in with a slow burn, gradually swelling up over the course of the song. Since their early days, lead vocalist for the group Hannah Joy has displayed a knack for sharing her stories with a captivating sense of conviction, and that’s continued to shine through in the newer material. On the brink of announcing Today We’re The Greatest, Joy has stated “I want to make music that loves its listener. Music that makes people feel seen, seen in the tiny little places that hide away in their hearts,” and that sentiment rings true when I listen to the releases from the upcoming album.

For more on the band, revisit our interview with Middle Kids here, and make sure to preorder Today We’re The Greatest here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Rag'n'Bone Man

The best and most inspiring artists are those who consistently push new boundaries and refuse to let their style be pigeonholed into one genre. Rory Graham, better known as Rag'n'Bone Man, released a debut full-length album Human that is heavily rooted in blues and soul, but his extensive music catalog dabbles in everything from pop to hip hop to provide a little something for everyone.

The successful title track off the 2017 record “Human” showcases Graham’s distinct and raw vocal chops while also hooking in listeners with an explosive chorus. On the same album, tracks like “Lay My Body Down” and the A cappella “Die Easy” slow things down to put even more focus on Graham’s gritty and bone-chilling voice, while the groovy bass line in “Your Way or the Rope” nods to Graham’s past work of performing in rap and hip hop groups.

After a bit of a hiatus, Rag'n'Bone Man returned this week with another dynamic shift in his sound. Released on January 29th, “All You Ever Wanted” marks the first single from Graham’s highly anticipated sophomore record. The track puts Graham’s characteristically rich vocals over a bright and buoyant guitar riff that carries a subtle hint to 80’s pop influence. “All You Ever Wanted” gives us the first taster of Rag'n'Bone Man’s 14-track album Life By Misadventure, which is slated to be released April 23rd this year. You can pre-order it here, and be sure to watch the official music video for the lead single below.

Keep up with Rag‘n’Bone Man on Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Shame

Photo by Sam Gregg

As a frequent concert attendee (pre-pandemic), one of my favorite things in life was seeing a band perform live for the first time, especially if there’s been a lot of buzz around them. The band Shame sticks out in my memory as one of those acts that everyone was talking about leading up to South by Southwest festival in 2018, and I can still vividly remember watching them play an afternoon gig under the sweltering Austin sunshine on my first day at the fest. After listening to their debut album Songs of Praise, Shame had won me over as a fan, but there was something particularly magnetic and cathartic about witnessing the band’s lead singer Charlie Steen interact with an audience. Seeing songs like “Concrete,” “Friction,” and “Tasteless” brought to life in front of a crowd added another layer to the band that you can’t get from listening to the record. Following that initial gig, I saw Shame a handful of times throughout the years they toured their debut album, and there was never a dull moment during their shows.

In late 2020, Shame released their first single to follow up their debut album with the track “Alphabet.” With its lead-in of distorted guitar, a bouncy backbone of a drumbeat and the amplified vocals in the chorus, the song sets the tone for Shame’s recently released sophomore record, titled Drunk Tank Pink. The new record came out nearly three years to the day after the band’s first release, and while it stays true to group’s South London post-punk roots, there’s also an added dimension of maturity and intensity. While working on Drunk Tank Pink, guitarist Sean Coyle-Smith said that when he got to the point of finding guitar-playing to be mind-numbing, he began to experiment with writing outside of a conventional “rock” style. His efforts come across in the texturized riffs in songs like “Water in the Well” and “6/1.” Throughout the album, there are moments of frenetic swells and built up tension, with just the right amount of release sprinkled in to keep listeners on our toes.

You can listen to Drunk Tank Pink in full below, and be sure to check out our interview with Shame for more on the band.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Retirement Party

Maybe it’s trite to write about a band right after they’ve announced a new album. My convictions of them and opinion could all be upended after the release. But I’ll do it anyways because I think about frontperson Avery Springer singing “I think cancer’s gonna kill me 'cause I got a real bad sunburn when I was 13… Maybe I shouldn't have fallen asleep in that hot, hot sun without a little bit of sunscreen. Don't let this reflect too badly on my character” at least two times a week. The painful modesty of it, the reflection of it as a wrongdoing instead of a child’s mistake. The humor of it. The entire song is playfully confronting death and thinking, maybe instead of fixating on this I should focus on being a little kinder. Retirement Party’s last album Somewhat Literate (2018) perfectly captures that moment of waking up and realizing “oh shit, I think I’m an adult.” A common horror. But Springer doesn’t pull away from the moment but rather reassesses herself. Retirement Party is an apt name for a band that writes lyrics and has a work ethic years ahead of their peers. They’re a Gen Z/Millennial cusp band with growing pains of their own. And to an extent they embrace not knowing and instead trying to learn as much as possible. It’s introverted but not insular; Retirement Party are not only not alone in their feelings but they play with an infectious energy that can fill much more than a basement. They play big, with ever moving riffs and frantic drum beats. I’m hesitant to call them emo or pop punk when they have a good amount of rock n’ roll breaks and jangling chord progressions. There are practiced breakdowns and guitar solos that never break from the story but instead bring it home, rarely unaccompanied by Springer’s clever narrative. The band’s self awareness is always unmatched, they’re nimble musicians but Springer presents herself as unvarnished- maybe sipping on that passion fruit tea you probably shouldn’t be wasting your money on. Retirement Party questions how to be an adult. Or probably more accurately, how to grow up. How to just keep getting better. How to “shoulder it” to put it in their terms. Retirement Party are figuring it out just like the rest of us.

Keep up with Retirement Party on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Camp Cope

Camp Cope makes music first and foremost for themselves. Then maybe, as an inside joke, for all of us who have suffered at the hands of the patriarchy or all of us who have seen and held death up close. Though often galvanizing, the title of their most recent album How To Socialise and Make Friends (2018) later revealed to be the title of a man’s self help book, the more I listen to Camp Cope the less I hear their cheeky retorts and the more I hear the tenderness there. Of course they’re not here for Sensitive Indie Boy(™) . Maybe he’s being genuine when he suggests they change their bass frequency? He’s not like that. No. But Camp Cope are masters at seeing through bullshit and cutting to the meat of things. Their wittiness is baked into something bigger. I don’t know if lines like “hearing cat calls from police cars” are a symptom of being an observer or of being bold enough to sing about the sexism that becomes almost white noise by the time we are adults. Their production quality is always no frills, keeping it rough around the edges (which hints to an almost punk influence). This highlights frontperson Georgia Maq’s raw vocals and Kelly-Dawn Helmrich’s solidarity bass licks that sometimes function as musical eye rolls. Camp Cope will not take up less space physically or emotionally so that you can feel more comfortable. But it’d be an utter misread of their sound to describe the band as a sort of Kill The Patriarchy Girl Power matter. It’s a deep dive into experiences and people who have been taken from you or won’t let go (“I slept in the middle of my bed, with the comfort of my own choices”). Maq sings jaggedly about people who are defined by the full emotional impact they’ve made on her. There are fingerprints all over their tracks. There’s an anger and an acceptance. Camp Cope can feel empowering one moment and have you in tears the next (“sometimes making love is the only time I’d ever feel love, there was never any middle ground”). There is a deep self reflection when Maq is riding her bike to the hospital and understanding that humans are simply “flesh and electricity.” At times Camp Cope have an element of protection, like big sisters putting an arm around you and saying we’ve been there too. We want to put up with it so maybe you don’t have to. Camp Cope says “me too.” Not as much in the hashtag movement but in a way that they have seen it before and will walk with you through it- no matter what pain or relief it is. 

Keep up with Camp Cope on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Sincere Engineer

What happens when you don’t get into dental school? You put out a pop punk record. Or at least that seems to be Deanna Belos’ (AKA Sincere Engineer) approach. In 2017 she put out Rhombithian, an introverted yet vibrant album about trying to surpass disaster. A sort of goofy ambition undercuts most tracks, like in ‘Corn Dog Sonnet No. 7,’ her ode to dealing with depression ("It's been a few days, I took a shower/watched some TV, fed a sunflower/I'm still learning how to be.”) Her brand of punk is punchy and earnest, as she growls through melodic riffs her lyrics keep a tender charm. It takes a lot to make your own screw ups the focal point of your music. Her songs about feeling like shit tend to have an off-kilter sense of humor, on ‘Ceramic Tile,’ a promise that this is the last hangover, Belos sings “I welcome forehead kisses from the floor.” Recording with a full band adds fast paced drumming and heavier hooks to her severely catchy tracks. With her raspy voice as an anchor she spits out references to Lake Michigan and creates anthems for the most anxious Midwesterners. Belos takes a gutsy and earnest approach to confronting your past and figuring out how to maybe do better (“I'm running late again, I'm gonna explain why in all the texts I send.”) But she has fun with it. Her latest music video for ‘Dragged Across The Finish Line’ features the band wearing literal trash cans over their bodies while training for a marathon, if that gives you a sense of Sincere Engineer’s style. It doesn’t seem like Sincere Engineer are waking up on the bathroom floor so much these days, just trying to finish the race on their own time. Maybe we’re all garbage people just trying to get through it. Corn dogs and all.

Keep up with Sincere Engineer on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Gouge Away

I once worked with an oldhead who used to ask me a lot about current punk. Always deeply worried that kids these days were not listening to punk and that his beloved genre would be lost forever. After a particularly worried conversation I promised I’d make him a list of all the current punk bands out there that I like. He liked maybe three of them, my guess being that none of them were the punk he remembered. Which is part of what makes Gouge Away so good. Despite their allusion to the Pixies, they’re not your dad’s (or in my case ex punk co-worker’s) punk band. They’re as far from replica as you can be. Instead staggering through and around hard labels. All snare and open chords Gouge Away’s 2018 LP ‘Burnt Sugar’ is a Pandora’s box that can’t be shut until frontperson Christina Michelle decides she’s released enough unto us all. It’s a sound that’s foaming at the mouth and gasping for breath, Michelle’s coarse vocals sometimes leaving her sounding ragged. Though the sound is dense Michelle’s frank lyrics can still be understood as she openly broaches mental illness and sexual assault. Admitting that she has begun welcoming pain as company she tells herself “I’ve just been trying to quit, whatever that means.” There are fingernails on the wall from where the band is just trying to hang on, “hurt is a commodity.” Gouge Away is an onslaught always toying with instability, on ‘Ghost’ drawing out the heavy bass and building the crash of drums, Michelle even briefly singing before her howls take over the track. A whiplash guitar teases us on ‘Dis S O C I a T I O N’ adding to the band’s varied sound. But what I like best about Gouge Away is how unafraid they are to be ugly, to be visceral, to get their spit on you when they’re leaning in and talking real close. 

Keep up with Gouge Away on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Floral Tattoo

Floral Tattoo’s new record You Can Never Have a Long Enough Head Start starts with a manifesto of sorts, giving explicit mission to the album. “Young gay people, living our lives in radical self-love/in an act of defiance against the people/who would like to see us torn down” they speak, softly. With a warm low-fi tone Floral Tattoo lets us know exactly who they are. They’re unapologetically trans and anti-capitalist, capturing a radically different coming-of-age narrative with soaring reverb. They question whether or not they’re good people, and in the same song questioning “when they’re tired of your abuse/will you tremble at the sight of the barrel?” of rich businessmen. Floral Tattoo works in a careful crescendo. There’s an exclamatory, even rowdy nature to some tracks (see ‘Leaving’) and a minimalist meditation in others. There’s a palpable pulse working through the album that desires survival. With crunchy guitars and full bass tones they create relief amongst the confusion. The band is revelatory despite minimum wage dredge and not being able to leave the house. Floral Tattoo are often miserable but they’re brave, brave enough to temporarily push aside the hurt and anger to celebrate themselves and their ability to carve out revolutions with their music. They’re willing to consider true moments of joy even when doom feels heavy on their chest and inevitable.

ANCHR'S Artist Of The Day: Claud

Claud makes dorm-pop music. It’s sad, it’s grooving, it’s self-conscious, and it’s a big, big mood. Chicagoland born, Claud Mintz’s first breakthrough project began at Syracuse University, opening for alum Clairo under the name Toast. Since then, Claud, along with Toast-mate Josh Mehling, have been signed to Terrible Records and put out an EP “Sideline Star” and a handful of singles. The latest of which recruits the talent of Brooklyn Trio, Del Water Gap to perform an ambling, wistful, slow jam with a chorus lamenting: “you only want me for My Body.”

The stress of grey-area intimacy is the foundation of many of Claud’s lyrics. In “Want To” the nonbinary singer places us in the POV of someone realizing the one-sidedness of their relationship, “you only call when you want to, you only call me what you want to.” Whether the lyrics refer to relationship titles, pronouns or pet names, the lyric hits all the same & is sure to bring up a few sour memories.

One of the largest acts of bravery is to speak openly about your feelings. So consider for a moment that nearly every one of Claud’s songs contains expressions so private and intimate, each could fill up their own diary. And they’re SINGING it. Talk about bravery.

Check out Claud’s Tour Dates, Instagram, Twitter & Merch Shop!

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Awakebutstillinbed

For Awakebutstillinbed frontperson Shannon Taylor, emo isn’t a phase, it’s a lifestyle. And naming her last album after an old Facebook post proves that she isn’t just talk. Awakebustillinbed shouldn’t be limited to the dimension of one genre though- tracks like ‘life’ progress with a disarming pop jangle and ‘fathers’ turns at a rock angle. This doesn’t mean Taylor is ditching her signature howl anytime soon. Her scorching vocals give the idea that she’s experiencing 2010 for the first time everyday. But Taylor isn’t some overgrown Hot Topic Kid, her music is often representative of what can feel true when you are struggling. In this case, being emo is almost an act of reclamation from all those who previously condescended to or manipulated her. You don’t like it? Watch her dig deeper. It’s nuclear, with the uncanny ability to take the most frenzied of feelings and spit them out into something profound. Despite her album being seismic, she’s detailed in how she crafts each song. Awakebutstillinbed is sporadic but Taylor manages to use that energy to thoughtfully dissect internalized guilt and shame. With Taylor refusing to hold back conceptually, emotionally, and instrumentally, it doesn’t exactly make for easy listening. But you wouldn’t want to hear any less.

Tune in below and keep up with Awakebustillinbed on Twitter and Instagram.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Mannequin Pussy

“If you’ve never seen us before you’re probably wondering what the fuck my problem is” said Mannequin Pussy frontperson Marisa Dabice, taking a break in between songs at their First Avenue performance. After beating on her chest with her fists and dangling the microphone above her throat like a snake about to unhinge its jaws the dads in the crowd definitely had some questions. She performs the way her music lives: visceral, intense, cathartic. Because a big part of Mannequin Pussy’s appeal is the way they’re unafraid to scream and cry and make a scene in public. Their 2019 album ‘Patience’ was an emotional exorcism of her past relationships, the good ones and the toxic ones, and the ones with herself. Instead of being another jaded punk, Dabice makes music for the uncontrollably empathetic. She sets fire to everything around her and you can hear it. Dabice, individually and in her music, is complex, showing women as capable of rage, and strength, and defiance, and fragility (“and everyone says to me "Missy, you're so strong" but what if I don't wanna be?” on ‘Drunk II).’ Mannequin Pussy is seething with teeth clenched and hot breath on your face, but they’re also painfully vulnerable. With unflinching lyrics and intricate melodies they create music that is no longer ashamed of who it is. In venturing to the most brutal of places they bring a pure pleasure in listening.

Tune into Mannequin Pussy below and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Goth Babe

Perpetually beginning the next leg of his US tour is Tennessee native, Griff Washburn, better known as Goth Babe. The 23 year old multi-instrumentalist musician has been publishing music for half a decade and in 2018 committed to a nomadic lifestyle, driving up and down the west coast in an RV with his blue-eyed pup, Sadie. 

The music that’s come from this experience is adventurous, dreamy, echoing synth rock. And much like the road before him, Griff’s music never stops coming— though no more than four tracks at a time. His latest Single “The River” was released at the end of February. 

You can follow along Griff’s journey by listening to his music on all major streaming platforms or catch him touring along the west coast through April.

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: Joanna Connor

Here in Chicago we are spoiled with a copious number of blues clubs.  Any night of the week you could see some great music being performed at clubs all across the city.  Our focus today is going to zero in on Kingston Mines where the Chicago queen of blues rock, Joanna Connor, will melt your face off.   Joanna is originally from the east coast, but has called Chicago home since the 80s.  You can catch her at Kingston Mines most weekends, starting on Thursdays, holding down the north stage.  If she's not at Kingston Mines, then she's on the road blowing away audiences somewhere else in the world. 

Joanna Connor has gifted us with 13 albums.  Her latest of which, Rise, just came out this past November of 2019.  Her vocals are sweet on the ears, but her guitar playing is mean.  She's recently gotten shout outs from other guitar heroes like Joe Bonamassa, Tracii Guns, and even the living legend Bootsy Collins.  Whenever any of my family or friends come in from out of town, outside of getting a pizza Vito & Nicks or a breaded steak from Ricobene's, I always take them to Kingston Mines for a Joanna Connor show.  There isn't anything quite like stumbling into Kingston Mines at 3 am and seeing Joanna on stage with her band, shredding her guitar as if it owes her money.       

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: 070 Shake

Only one year after launching her music career, New Jersey-native Danielle Balbuena signed to GOOD Music. Four years later, donning the name of her hometown area code, 070 Shake is taking major strides with her first solo album, Modus Vivendi. Latin for “Way of Life,” Shake invites listeners into a world of intimacy, trust-issues and loneliness. The album features production by GOOD Music collaborator Mike Dean. 

In the 22 year-oldʼs fast paced career, 070 Shake has contributed to group- mixtape The 070 Project: Chapter One, been featured on albums by Kanye West, Pusha-T & DJ Khaled, released an EP entitled Glitter and in January 2020 dropped her first full length album. She is currently touring Modus Vivendi in the US, then will run a festival circuit through August in several countries abroad. 

Listen to Modus Vivendi on any major streaming platform & follow 070 Shake on Instagram and Twitter.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Bad Bad Hats

Today’s focus falls on a long-time ANCHR favorite— Bad Bad Hats. The Minneapolis-based trio, consisting of Kerry Alexander, Chris Hoge, and Connor Davison, craft bright, effervescent indie pop-rock. Throughout the band’s two albums Psychic Reader and Lightning Round, you’ll hear melodies that you can’t help but bop your head along to, which accompany thought-provoking lyrics written by Alexander.

Bad Bad Hats followed up 2018’s Lightning Round with EP Wide Right last year, and they’re continuously touring to share their songs at live shows. In March, the band will tour the east coast and mid-west, including a stop at Schubas Tavern on March 15th. Keep up with Bad Bad Hats on Instagram and listen to “Midway” and "Nothing Gets Me High" below.