Ganser – 7th Level Music

I went to the first of two shows A Place to Bury Strangers, Glove, and Ganser were playing at Chicago’s Empty Bottle beginning on the evening of Memorial Day. The holiday Monday night crowd was small, as many people were still returning home from the weekend or still gone on vacation, and due to every restaurant in the area being closed. I had to walk over twenty minutes to find an open Jimmy John’s.

Shame on you if you missed the show due to being hungover from a backyard barbecue or stuck at some family gathering full of drama and your bigoted uncle rating while he spilled mustard on his shirt. You missed a wild show.

Chicago’s own Ganser were first up, and they put on a solid set of post-punk that had influences of Joy Division and The Cure all through it. Their guitarist, Charlie Landsman, seems to play like he has no idea what he’s doing, but that’s kind of the point. My friend, Rafael (bass player for Chicago death metal band Asphyxiator), marveled at the sound Alicia Gaines got out of her bass throughout the whole set (“Her bass tone is really good!”).

Glove were up next, and they reminded me of a heavier version of Ladytron. The throbbing synth beats mixed well with their post-punk guitars and krautrock vocals. Their set grew a bit darker as it went on, which was all right by me.

APTBS as always, came out and demolished the place. I wondered how loud it was going to be, as they’re one of the loudest bands out there and the Empty Bottle is a small venue. Sure enough, my feet were vibrating by the time they got to the heaviest version of “Oceans” I’ve heard them play.

Oliver Ackermann in his natural element – using a strobe light to play his guitar like its a washboard.

One of the best parts of APTBS‘ set was seeing how much fun they were having. Ackermann told me early in the evening that he was happy to be back out on the road and seeing everyone. He and his friends, the husband and wife duo of John and Sandra Fedowitz, were grinning through a lot of the set and having a blast as they melted faces and minds. You can always tell who is attending one of their shows for the first time because they always have the same “What the hell is happening?” look on their faces. I saw a lot of that.

A Place to Bury Strangers exploding heads in Chicago.

Go catch them if you can. You won’t regret it.

Keep your mind open.

[Thanks to Steven at Dedstrange for the press pass!]

It’s a bit difficult for me to believe that it took me nearly three months to see some live music this year, but it’s true. January and February were filled with crazy work schedules that weren’t conducive to making a trip even an hour’s drive away to see any bands or performers.

That all changed with getting to see Shopping, Tyvek,and Ganser at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen two nights ago. I’d been keen on catching Shopping since hearing their newest album, The Official Body. I knew nothing about Tyvek and Ganser going in, apart from a few video clips and digital tracks here and there. Tyvek was loud and brash garage punk. Ganser was darker and local post-punk. This was also my first time at the Beat Kitchen. It’s a nice, small venue, and the food there looked pretty good.

One thing I’ve discovered about Chicago shows is that, for the most part, the set start times are rigid. Ganser kept up this tradition by starting at promptly 8:00pm. They played an impressive set to a hometown crowd that included multiple tracks from their upcoming album Odd Talk. Their stuff was sassy, jagged, and assertive. Odd Talk should be a fine record based on what I heard at the Beat Kitchen.

Up next were Detroit’s / Philadelphia’s Tyvek. They were as loud and hammering as I’d expected, and throwing saxophone riffs into the mix only made it better. Lead singer / guitarist Kevin Boyer‘s axe looked like it had been bounced off a few floors and used as a cutting board, and the blaring chords he drew out of it only seemed to confirm my suspicions.

Shopping had a large crowd by the time they took the stage. I was glad to see so many people for the U.K. band that had spent most of the last couple months zig-zagging across the U.S. They had the crowd jumping almost from the first note, and encouraged dancing throughout their entire set. They sounded great. Rachel Aggs‘ gets notes of her guitar that jump like water across a hot griddle. Every song had a bouncing energy to it that was inescapable. Highlights from the set included “The Hype,” “Wild Child,” and “My Dad’s a Dancer.”

The best way I can sum up their set is by what a woman yelled out from the crowd between songs: “You guys are so fun!” Bassist Billy Easter said, “Thanks. It’s fun being up here, too.”

Shopping set the bar high for live bands to follow this year. Catch them if you can. You need to get in on the fun they’re delivering.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to Andrew Milk, Rachel Abbs, and Billy Easter for singing this gig flyer for me.

[Thanks to Sam McAllister from Pitch Perfect PR for hooking me up with a press pass for the show.]

Tag: Ganser

Live: A Place to Bury Strangers, Glove, and Ganser – May 30, 2022 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL

Live: Shopping, Tyvek, and Ganser – Chicago, IL – March 28, 2018