Ah, the faithful laundromat-update:
- Pyramid Scheme show tonight
- Recording with Great Deceivers next week
- A couple small things left to overdub for the Coaster EP, and it'll be in the can
- Getting my amp fixed so Options LP will sound better
- Mixing records for Single Player, Anthony Sanders, Winter Classic, and more
- LOTTA really really good shows coming up
- ok bye!

Coaster is playing with Ratboys, Bedroom Sons, and Cashed Out on Tuesday at the Keep. Here's some more information. Got some more really rad shows coming up with Coaster, as well as Options, Pyramid Scheme, and Nnamdi Ogbonnaya.

Bass and drums have been tracked for the next Options record, and I'm starting guitars tomorrow. Gonna be recording with nearly every band I'm in within the next couple of months, which is really exciting, and hopefully touring in the spring as well. Nature's Neighbor's 2nd full length was just sent off to get mastered, and I am really really stoked on the way it turned out. If you haven't heard Mike's first record Lifa, it's awesome and you should definitely take a listen.

quick update from the laundromat:

- Great Deceivers and Coaster both have shows comin' right up this month!
- I'm beginning tracking for the next Options LP in 6 days
- Mary at Rare-States did a 3rd printing of those neat Options glow-in-the-dark shirts! You can get one on Bandcamp
- Playing at Lincoln Hall for the first time on 12/18 with Nnamdi Ogbonnaya
- Pyramid Scheme will (finally) be recording songs within the next month

Finished tracking for Winter Classic's new EP at Minbal last Sunday, and it sounds really great. The band and I are mutually stoked on how it turned out, and I'm psyched to dig into mixing it when I'm back from tour, which BY THE WAY, starts tuesday! Check out the "live" page for updated locations/times of my Fest shows.

Coaster v2's first show back was a banger, and we're stoked to get cooking on new tunes. I gave my first real shot at mastering a record with Mitar's newest release, Emerald. Would absolutely not consider myself a proper mastering engineer by any means, but I think it turned out pretty a-o-k! Check it below:


After a month of rescheduled dates due to a million things, New Color finally laid down vocals for their new EP, which they're mixing. Really really can't wait to hear it - some of the tightest, most original music I've heard come out of Chicago. If you haven't heard their debut LP that I recorded/mixed, check it out on my "recording" page!

Hopefully going into the studio with Great Deceivers soon to lay down a couple tracks. We've been writing a bunch, and playing with them is a blast.

WOW, lotta shows coming up! Got three this week, including a twofer on Saturday. City On Film tours to Fest at the end of the month, too. Coaster EP is coming along, and our first show with the new lineup is this weekend. Went into MINBAL this past weekend with Winter Classic to begin tracking for a new EP, and mixing Nature's Neighbor's 2nd LP this week.

Michael Byrnes (Coaster) and Julia Steiner (Ratboys) have a new project called Teethes. I recorded/mixed their first track at the Owlery, and it's out now. Listen below:

I recorded this track for Sean Eldon a couple days ago and it came out awesome. He posted it on his bandcamp and you can listen below:



Pyramid Scheme is playing our first show in a few months this Thursday at Quenchers. Information on the live page.

A new (limited-edition) incarnation of the Options Band will be playing this friday, 9/18, at SubT Downstairs. It'll be the project's first band-show since February. I'm also playing drums in Great Deceivers that night, too. Demoing is getting out of hand for the record (30+ songs/ideas for this project). I've whittled it down to a little more than 30 minutes of music, but still have a few important pieces to discover and put together before the album's ready to be tracked.

Bathing Resorts tracked our final release last week. It's been a great (and all too brief) experience playing with Michael and Brendan, and I'm glad we were able to put some interesting stuff into the world. If you'd like to keep tabs on Michael's musical adventures, do so here - Brendan is currently playing with Teen Cult, New Color, and Nervous Passenger.

What a summer it's been. Touring with Coaster was amazing, and it was such a wonderful thing to experience the West Coast for the first time. Hoping to be back as soon as I'm able. Tour with Great Deceivers was excellent too, and you'll be hearing some new tunes from us soon. Back in Chicago, and my September is already nicely stacked with recording projects. Making quite some headway on the new Options record, too. Maybe I'll write more on this, now that I have access to a computer again.

Coaster's first single off our new album, Slow Jams, is streaming over at the 1st Five.

You can grab a copy digitally or on cassette via Community Records 6/30.

Pre-order the cassette tape here:

http://shop.communityrecords.org/

Catch us on tour w/ The Appleseed Cast & Adjy

06/25 – Wichita, KS @ Marple

06/25 – Denton, TX @ Dan’s Silver Leaf
06/27 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
06/28 – Norman, OK @ Opolis
07/01 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
07/02 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
07/03 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
07/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
07/06 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
07/07 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
07/10 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
07/11 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
07/12 – Victoria, BC @ Logan’s
07/13 – Vancouver, BC @ Cobalt
07/15 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
07/16 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive *
07/17 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb *
07/18 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room *

7/21 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean*

* with Annabel

the new Options album, Driftwood Metaphor, is out today! Stream/download via Bandcamp.

The second single off the new Options album, Driftwood Metaphor, just dropped over at Midwest Action. It's called System, and you can listen here! Don't forget - the album is out 6/9.

Ghost Track has premiered the first single from my new Options album, Driftwood Metaphor. It's called Daylight, and you can stream it over here! The album will be out 6/9.

Pyramid Scheme released a video for a tune that'll be on our record. We'll be dropping another one before the month's up.

Coaster's going on tour out West with The Appleseed Cast in June/July. We're also playing at the Beat Kitchen on 5/25 for free (with advance RSVP).

Bathing Resorts did a live video session at the Owlery last summer, laying down a new tune called Pescetarian. It finally made its way online, so watch that. We'll be playing a show at the end of May at the Burlington, as well.

Kickoff show for the City on Film tour is this Friday at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. SXSW was totally nuts and amazing, and I definitely learned a lot. Options solo tour next month and my record is just about done. I have a name for it and I'm ironing out artwork and release date and such. Coaster's record is being sent off to mastering and we're planning a big ole' tour for the summer, and FOUR records I worked on have all dropped within the last week - check out the "recording" page for applicable links! Life is cool.

I'm going on tour playing drums with the City on Film from the end of March into early April! Truly excited for this.

I'm playing drums in a new band called Pyramid Scheme. We're playing our first show 1/17 at the Friendzone.

Anthony Leitch and I are putting some final things together for the About a Million record we did together a couple years back. It will definitely be out this year, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with the musical universe.

Options the Band will be playing a show at Quencher's on 1/13... details and more live dates for a bunch of bands are in the "live" tab. Album is maybe 80% done, but the end is always the hardest part.

Pinegrove just dropped a track called Problems that they recorded with me last year via Topshelf Records. Very awesome song and wonderful human beings.