HOT: Turnstile, Belmont & Household

What a great weekend for music.

Thursday I went to see The Story So Far @ The Bottom Lounge, which I was stoked for. If you know me, you know TSSF is one of my absolute favorite bands on this planet. They are also one of the only few bands I will still mosh for. To keep it short–the show was phenomenal. I was buzzing for an entire day after that show.  A band named Turnstile was one of the openers. I knew of them, never actually listened in depth. HOLY SHIT was I missing out. Turnstile freaking crushed it. They have one of the most unique styles I have heard for a hardcore band. Their lyrics are simple yet powerful, heavy bass & breakdowns do most of the talking. They make you want to move, so if you are standing still you must not have a pulse.  Upbeat and positive aren’t words you would traditionally use to describe a hardcore/metal band, but take a listen to them and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I think these guys have so much potential, I hope they kill it in 2017. Gravity is my favorite track, and you can listen to that here.

Friday was a quick trip to Evolution Music in Downers Grove to see up and coming Hot Mulligan & Chicago local Belmont. I was an instant Hot Mulligan fan when I first heard Dary via spotify discover weekly. The group of five Michigan natives are about to tear up the Midwest. They recently signed to No Sleep Records and put out a sick EP titled Opportunities. You can’t go wrong with any track off that record, but Dary & Something About a Bunch of Dead Dogs are my favorites. I’ve already pre-ordered the vinyl.

Belmont. They can they jam. I’ve been able to catch them a few times this year opening for Knucklepuck & Real Friends, and at Centennial Lanes for a local show. The pop punk powerhouse is signed to Mutant League Records and recently put out a new jam titled Water Weight, but Overstepping is my shit. They remind me a lot of Counterparts, and early KnucklePuck. Personally I think each of the members are equally talented, they totally balance each other out. The singer brought so much energy to this small local show, the drummer just absolutely rips, and the breakdowns are groundbreaking. You literally cannot stand still listening to them, you will want to jump right into pit. The break down in Overstepping is one of my favorite break downs of all time.

Moving onto Saturday, Madison and I were off to The Wire in Berwyn for the first time to see our friends in Hearts Like Lions who were touring with headliner A Lot Like Birds. If you aren’t familiar with HLL, they are Alternative/Indie Rock group from Long Beach. We caught them on a whim opening for Capstan back in February, and I have been a fan ever since. They put out a wicked cool Stranger Things themed music video to It’s Not Gonna Be This Way which happens to be my favorite track off their new album If I Never Speak Again. Check out the music video for that here.  It is also important to mention that their drummer is arguably one of the most talented drummers I have ever heard. Ask Madison–she is his biggest fan, i’m partial to the bassist 😉

The best part of getting to shows early is being able to check out the bands before the headliner, that is how I have come across some of my current favorites. This is how I now have become obsessed with Household. Holy shit are they good. Within the first two songs they performed I was hooked.  They hail from Minneapolis, 4 dudes and 1 kick ass chick. They are described as progressive punk or melodic hardcore. I don’t care what they are categorized as–they are AWESOME. I would put them alongside Such Gold–who I also really dig. They recently put out a split with Infinite Me and it is amazing. I really can’t tell you more, just take my word for it and give them a listen. Sway is my personal favorite but I can’t stop jamming to Distant Truth Pt. 1-3 from the split.

I have now slipped into post show depression, until next weekend when the boys in Capstan come back to Chicago. Until then, you can find me listening to Distant Truth on a loop ✌🏼