Walking through the frost-bitten doors of Chicago’s Empty Bottle, one would immediately think you’ve been teleported back to the hazy days of college house parties and PBR. A divey-for-all-the-right-reasons bar in the Windy City’s Ukrainian Village, the venue has played host to countless indie rock acts who have went on to do great things (Nirvana, the Smoking Popes, The Flaming Lips). And with a laid back atmosphere and rough around the edges personality, the Empty Bottle is a cozy, albeit a bit grungy, home to those who find the downtown clubs not to be their thing.

We got there in time to catch opening sets from Aaron & The Sea (who did an amazing cover of Lykke Li’s “Little Bit”) and the The Noise FM, both serving as excellent new soundtracks while I indulged in the $6 beer and Beam shots. Time passed between sets and before we knew it, The Kickback were interrupting our inebriated conversations to draw the crowd back from the bar.

Comprised of Billy Yost, Eamonn Donnelly, and Jonny Ifergan, Chicago’s The Kickback came about through the most classical means of starting a band – the wanted ads. In this case it was Craigslist, and thus formed an indie rock troupe tailor-made for the hipster youth wandering the Northwest city – the ones who not only rock out at the shows but who also like to understand the deeper meaning behind the song. From exploring journalists banding together in the early 1980’s to battle the decline of print journalism through sheer ultra-violence, to the emasculation of trying to protect the woman you love in a city you don’t understand in a body you know is eventually going in the ground, The Kickback’s songs carry more than just a melody.

For the rest of the evening, the crowd rocked out to the edgy guitars and pounding drums reverberating off the tiny space, bringing, if anything, a more intimate vibe to the performance. This was a great introduction from the group as I had not previously met their sounds, and while I drank my beer and immersed my ear buds in tracks like “Please Hurt” and “When I Die”, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of the venue. Check out some our photos of The Kickback and stream their new single “When I Die” below.

 
Photos by: Vladimir Zaytsev

The Kickback Tour Dates
The Kickback on Facebook
The Kickback on Soundcloud

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