MWA Live: Truman & His Trophy, Jaime Rojo, Injecting Strangers, BlackGlass at Cole’s Bar – 9/25

Admittedly, I’ve never written a live concert review of a show I played at. But this was one for the books, as they say.

Our friends at Chicago Singles Club put on a helluva party on the last Friday of every month at Cole’s Bar. This particular Fourth Friday had me worried about the integrity of Cole’s floor.

CSC was gracious enough to have my band, BlackGlass, open up the night. I may be biased but the performance has been described as “transcendent”, “ground-breaking”, and “really loud and drone-y”. On top of that, Silas did a pretty sweet handstand.

Click any image to view the entire set as a slideshow.

Injecting Strangers were in town from Cincinnati and added even more energy to an already vivacious night of local music. I had caught them at Young Camelot months ago so I had some idea what to expect but the guys dressed to nines and really stole the show that Friday night. There’s barely a room for a breath between their songs and each one seems louder and more hi-octane than the last.

Richard, their vocalist, transforms into a charismatic frontman and seems to have an unlimited amount of energy (and dance moves). Anything seems to fit right in with the Injecting Strangers sound. Gang vocals, shredding guitar riffs, slap bass solos, you name it and it never seems out of place. If Queen and Marc Bolan had a doo-wop group it might sound like Injecting Strangers.

The night continued with Jaime Rojo who must’ve fed off the good vibes of the evening because they performed better than ever. Powering through some brand new tracks as well as plenty of highlights from their March release Running Mates, the band kept the energy of the night up and looked like they had a damn good time doing it.

By the time Truman & His Trophy hit the stage there was a line outside the door and a packed room of people bouncing up and down to the beat. They’re pure punk goodness with that plenty of catchy hooks and riffs to get ya dancing. One Truman fan literally screamed for more after their last song. The crowd (and the bands) really got a workout that night.

If you weren’t there then you must’ve done something else with your Friday night, and that’s on you. Listen up to these bands via the links below and put Chicago Singles Club’s Fourth Friday permanently on your calendars.

Chicago Singles Club | Truman & His Trophy | Jaime Rojo | Injecting Strangers | BlackGlass