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Whether in a beer garden, a media center or a cramped basement, there is no shortage of live music in Carbondale.
Bands such as The Black Fortys, The Moon Buggy Kids, Spokesmen, Himalayas, Young Loves and Secondary Modern are the bands consistently playing Carbondale and pushing forward the city's growing rock 'n' roll scene. The Black Fortys have gone the furthest toward putting Carbondale on the map by winning a Rolling Stone and American Eagle-sponsored nationwide New Band Showcase. The band received a monetary prize to record new material and a spot opening for Santogold and Nas at a Rolling Stone sponsored concert Wednesday.
Spokesmen: Forming against the fascists
This Carbondale three-piece has been assaulting local venues and house parties for the past two years. Not content to stick to southern Illinois, the band completed its second tour at the end of this summer as the members traveled to New York and back in the span of eight days.
However, the band members enjoy the groups they get to play with around town and said they believe there is a lot of good music happening right now.
"Coordination is the key to having an organized and functioning music scene," drummer Taylor Sprehe said. "We all take part in doing everything: the sound, the booking, the door, playing, promoting, etc.
The band does its share of shows at local bars, but members said they prefer the personality house shows offer.
"I definitely prefer house shows because it is more personal and people have more freedom, but if there's a band from out of town that needs gas money bars are better for that," Sprehe said. "Plus, when dealing with house shows there's always the threat of fascist intervention, and nobody likes that."
The Moon Buggy Kids: Come together
The shape-shifting three-piece has settled on a sound.
"We've evolved from acoustic punk to alternative folk to now more of a straight indie rock sound," Matt (Cat) Copeland said.
The band is planning to release its first studio EP in the next two months as it is being pressed at the moment. They are constantly playing around town and enjoy rocking venues and house parties alike. The Black Fortys and Himalayas are part of The Moon Buggy Kids' "immediate family" because they always seem to be playing together, Copeland said.
"Camaraderie among local bands is an essential part of playing shows," Copeland said.
The Kids is excited about where the scene in Carbondale is heading and the recent national exposure of its good friends The Black Fortys, he said.
"The Carbondale scene has always had great bands, so when local bands like The Black Fortys gain national interest it's great for all the bands in Carbondale who deserve recognition," Copeland said.
Himalayas: Seeing eye to eye
Himalayas bassist Jef Hill said the band has been honing its live skills at Booby's beer garden. The venue offers the intimacy and energy of basement shows because there is no stage, and the band enjoys when it gets to play and be eye to eye with the crowd.
"That's not to say we can't rock a stage," Hill said. "It's just that you get more immediate reactions from an audience when you're right there with them feeling the moment."
The band's sound falls just under the rock umbrella, because it is generic enough to cover all the influences the band has, Hill said.
"I think the best description of our sound was a friend telling me we sound like a shoegaze (musical genre) version of Fugazi (post-hardcore rock act), to which I responded, "Shoegazi?" Hill said.
"Butcher's Apron," a brand new EP, was released Friday and is the band's second EP. The band members are finishing their first full-length and hope to have it out in the early part of next year.
The Black Fortys: Illmatic
The Black Fortys has quickly made Carbondale a force to be reckoned on the rock 'n' roll landscape after winning the American Eagle run New Band Showcase in Pittsburgh this summer.
As part of its winnings, the band was able to record a new EP with Brian Deck (who has recorded for Modest Mouse and Iron & Wine) in Chicago and hopes to have the six new tracks out in late November.
They played a New York City show sponsored by Rolling Stone Wednesday. The band opened for hip-hop legend Nas and electro act Santogold.
When the band first learned whom they would be opening for, the members had a bit of a chuckle, lead singer and guitarist Josh Murphy said.
"When we found out, we, um ... laughed, felt a bit out-of-place and then focused on how a situation like this will most likely never happen to us again," Murphy said. "So we'll make the best of it and hopefully have a wild time backstage."
Murphy cited the Halloween show at Booby's as a perfect example of the camaraderie among groups creating a successful local music scene. Everyone lent his or her talents to create an "incestuous rock 'n' roll circus." It is not just the bands making these concerts go smoothly, a number of people loan sound equipment to make each band sound good as well, he said.
These groups are just a handful of the musicians making music in our fair city. Take some time during the rest of the semester and support these local artists.
Luke McCormick can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or lmccorm2@siu.edu
