The Unsung Heroes of Cardboard Kingdoms: A Salute to the DIY Community (Part One)
The heart of a city lies in its basements. Somewhere, everywhere, it is Friday night, a drummer slides over a homemade bar, flashes a UV smile to every confirmed Venmo payment. Intoxication doesn’t run free there but music does. A bassist shoves wooden pallets together, the night’s stage. Behind the stage is a half-room, it houses a water heater, disheveled musicians stoop beneath skeletal heating ducts trading joints and war stories. A midwestern brownstone hums and buzzes, warms, begins to fill with chipped five strings and broken-down wine-coolers. No one knows who lives there, yet they’re there every week. Colored LED lights—pink, orange, red, pink, pink blue pink, bounce from head to cup to mic to couch to keg to drumkit, repeat. There’s little room to move, much less dance between the barrage of gear lining the wall—three touring bands worth—of drumheads, plastic casing, sleeves of beer, tangles of cords; folding tables sporting free stickers, donation cups, more beer, homemade merch. Some say the industry was built upon this crude cardboard kingdom of rock and roll. I agree.
Here I present to you a handful of our cities’ unsung heroes, connoisseurs of DIY that help make their hometowns a little more rowdy, a little more home. Cheers to them.
CHINSTRAP (CHICAGO)
Instagram: @chinstrapband
Chinstrap, oh Chinstrap, how to describe you. You’re twangy, you’re spacey, you’re the love child of Roger Waters and Bob Dylan, raised on jam bands. Chinstrap’s sound is already completely its own—an admirable feat within a city with a thriving DIY community—as showcased on their debut EP “We Love You!!” (No, Chinstrap, I love you.) Recommended if you like the Grateful Dead, Connan Mockasin, The Band.
FARKLEZAAR (LINCOLN, NE)
Instagram: @farklezaar
This raucous group is recommended if you like the Violent Femmes, Pavement, or FIDLAR. Be sure to listen to “Bender” for some off the wall harmonica and ripping riffs you won’t get out of your head for days. Earplugs not optional.
LIP SERVICE (BOSTON, MA)
Instagram: @lipservice.interweb
Lip Service may only have one song out on streaming services, but they’re still one of my most-listened-to bands of the past couple months. This cheeky four-piece is recommended if you like Television, Deeper, or White Denim. Listen ASAP!
WRENCH (CHICAGO)
Instagram: @wrenchtheband
Wrënch will forever have my heart in a box, I’ve been lucky enough to work with them on various projects and tour with them these past couple of summers. What is most striking about this duo isn’t their personable lyricism or their punchy, fun instrumentals but rather the community that surrounds the band—Matt and George make everyone listening feel like they’re part of their friendship for the ages. Recommended if you like Twin Peaks, The Rolling Stones, or Bob Dylan. Unrivaled stuff.
NOODLE BOY (CHICAGO)
Instagram: @noodleboymusic
Tasty! This duo dubs their lively discography as a genre called ‘pasta rock,’ reflecting their spirited sound—sometimes taking the form of rowdy, snap-a-table-in-half-with-your-bass-type-jams, and other times taking the form of sleepy, slow-burning pockets of melodic reverb. Recommended if you like Paul Cherry, Post Animal, and Peach Pit. Eat up!
BEAU TURRENTINE (NASHVILLE, TN)
Instagram: @beauturrentine
Only having two songs on streaming services didn’t stop Beau Turrentine from getting picked up as an opener for up-and-coming country artist Orville Peck’s latest tour, a true testament to Beau’s impressive musicianship. Please, please, please check out “Already Gone,” your life (and heart!) won’t be complete until you experience its hauntingly beautiful vocal tracks. Tissues suggested!
TALENT SHOW (LINCOLN, NE)
Instagram: @talentshow._
Talent Show could earn a spot on list alone for their live set—ever since seeing them rip a sweet, sweet saxophone over their already infectious instrumentals, I was hooked. Recommended if you’re into Surf Curse, The Cure, or Vundabar. Get to their gig!
GARST (OMAHA, NE)
Instagram: @garst_usa
The first time I saw Garst it knocked me on my ass, and I haven’t gotten up since. Words can’t do the band’s explosive, brazen sound justice; Garst is a band you just have (read: need) to feel for yourself. Recommended if you like Hüsker Dü, Iggy Pop, Thee Oh Sees—not recommended if you can’t handle the pit.
TWINSPUR (CHICAGO)
Instagram: @twinspurband
Twinspur is for brooding souls who like Sonic Youth, King Krule, or Cosmo Pyke, a playlist necessity for the upcoming chilling seasons. Be sure to check out their newest release “Deep Blue,” just released at the end of September!
SEYMOUR (LINCOLN, NE)
Instagram: @seymourband
Who can resist a good ol’ literature reference when it comes to band names? Seymour’s impressiveness, though, certainly doesn’t begin nor end with their shared namesake of Salinger’s novella. Their most recent release “Sideways” is recommended for lovers of Twin Peaks, Good Morning, and Yellow Days.