CHICD: ROOKIE, American Grizzly, and Strange Americans at The Hideout– 6/15

My goal is to see one show per week. Yes, I might be that annoying friend that just has to tell you about the thing you missed, but I’m also catching every great show in the city of Chicago–with plenty more ahead of me. Welcome to the Chicago Concert Dispatch.

At the time of this show, it is 24 weeks into the year and I have seen 45 shows.

This is the second time I’ve caught ROOKIE playing a gig in Chicago this year. These five guys have a throwback classic rock ‘n’ roll sound. They have blatant joy when they are playing, smiling at each other and the audience. The bass player was so into his performance, his baseball hat flew off his head, leaving his hair free to fly. Both of the singers have great voices; I dig the variety in tone that gives their shows. This is furthered when they invite a friend up to sing. Uncle Sexy kicked things up a notch, singing the refrain “I gotta be free” with a fervor that was electrifying. I checked in with him after the set and he said, “We want to help the the kids remember what real rock ‘n’ roll is. It’s all in the name of rock ‘n’ roll.” From where I was standing, success.

<a href="http://rookietheband.bandcamp.com/track/one-way-ticket">One Way Ticket by ROOKIE</a>

American Grizzly had a more laid back vibe. They warmed the crowd up to their style with a bit of a jam, “Rock ‘n’ Roll and Cigarettes.” It showed off their chops and got us all groovin’ on the same frequency. It was great to see the audience pick it up and sway and dance to their set. The highlight of their set for me was “Love Somebody Else,” they really rocked the audience with that tune.

<a href="http://americangrizzlymusic.bandcamp.com/album/american-grizzly">American Grizzly by American Grizzly</a>

The only band from out of town, Strange Americans, hail from Denver, Colorado. They’re in the same vein of throwback rock as the first two bands, but with a little bit more country grit to their sound. No twang, just the grit, and the wailing vocals are pure rock. It is modern and throwback all at once, and taps into something true to them. The drum machine start to “These Arms” really caught the audience’s attention. I also really liked “Till You’re Told.”

Their energy really hit full stride near the end of the set when keyboard player, Murry Mercier, took the guitar from Matt Hoffman. His playful competitive interplay with Trent Nelson was memorable. They would strum each other’s guitars and push each other and generally act like punk fools. I was afraid the stage wasn’t big enough for their horse play. Really great energy to end the night with.