Chicago: City of Rock

I guess I have a penchant for rock bands from Chicago. Some of my favorite music has emerged from bands who first fired up their amplifiers and pedals in the Second City. Some bands many people have been listening to for years, but others may have fallen under the radar. My hope in this article is to connect fellow musi-holics to bands they may not know, but only within the scope of those from Chicago. And, I guess an even more specifically, of the 90's rock / alternative / pop-punk genre.

Smashing Pumpkins is probably the most popular of the bands that I plan on listing here. Definitely a raw/heavy sound mixed with the whining melodies of Billy Corgan. Although they had their soft ballads and throwback sounds, they are best known for that grungy feel of hating, self-loathing, and anger mixed with lyrics of love and lust.

Another band that is all about whining, but in such a catchy way, is the Smoking Popes. I first heard their song Need You Around from a CMJ CD insert. I knew instantly that I had to find out more about this group's music. Since then, I have been trying to keep up with their discography as much as I can. Their sophomore work Destination Failure is probably my favorite, but the follow-up to that, Stay Down, is also very good. They tend to have those slightly humorous, and sometimes down-right silly, lines mixed in with normal lyrics but their pop-y sound and hooking chord progressions get me bouncing in my seat instantly.

Somewhere between those two bands (musically) is the Alkaline Trio. I don't think I had ever heard a song by this band until after the turn of the millennium, but I wish I had. I think most would describe them as pop-punk, but in my mind, they are close to my definition of alternative with a leaning to pop. In their song Blue Carolina, I have found one of my absolute favorite lyrics: "All my favorite singers have stolen all of my best lines." This band is definitely worth giving a chance. Their sounds has changed some between albums, so you might find that some of their albums are more appealing than others.

Local H is one of those bands that I think you either like or don't. They have had moderate success (when they were together). High-Fiving MF is probably my favorite song by them.

When I first heard Fig Dish, I thought I had found a diamond in the rough. Come to find out, they had a pretty solid following, but only after two albums, they called it quits. Blake Smith and Mike Willison went on to form Caviar. Fig Dish had amazing mainstream 90's alternative songs and Blake and Mike took that ability on with them to Caviar, but their sound was definitely more pop. Caviar's song Tangerine Speedo actually got quite a bit of airplay and found itself in the movie The Cat in the Hat. Caviar then went on indefinite hiatus and Blake and Mike went on to pair up with Scott Lucas from no other than Local H to form The Prairie Cartel. I listened to a few clips of The Prairie Cartel on iTunes but found it not to my taste. It's described as electronica.

Peeling their name from the Roald Dhal book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Veruca Salt emerged on the scene in the early 90's. They manufactured two great albums before Nina Gordon left in 1998. I have never been able to get into anything released by Louise Post or Nina Gordon since then.

A few other bands of Chicago esteem that I will mention, but not necessarily in the same genre or decade: Ministry, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Urge Overkill, Liz Phair, Disturbed, Rise Against, Chevelle, Wilco, OK Go, and Fall Out Boy.

Hope you found some new (older) bands to add to that playlist.