Tag Archives: Chicago

MFT#007: THUNDERS

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(Michael Preuschl, Ryan Reidy, Duncan Kissinger)

Listen to MFT#007 w/ THUNDERS while you read!!!

This week I am bringing you the lo-fi psychedelic garage stoner rock explosion that goes by the name of  THUNDERS! They are currently on tour supporting the release of their new album “BEAUTIFUL BABY IN THE BUMMER OF LOVE.” Despite their hectic tour schedule, they managed to make time to stop into REBER RECORDING to record five songs to be consumed by the masses via Musical Family Tree. This performance was stellar and the recording process resulted in a sonically thick product that really captured the intensity of their live shows. A thick wall of distortion driven bass lines and shrill guitar tones combine to create an impervious wall of sound that will animate your entire being into tapping your feet and nodding your head. You will become intoxicated by these audio drugs. Did I mention that two of the songs they performed are NEW?!? It’s true. Two of the five songs are new and you can only get them here! The new tracks are titled “NORTH COAST TIDAL WAVE” and “DIAMONDS.”

THUNDERS revolves around guitarist/vocalist/front-man Ryan Reidy; whose primary musical influences are comprised of The Stooges, Nirvana, and Guided By Voices. When I say that the band revolves around Ryan, I mean that he is the songwriter. However, he’s not a one-man-band. He still requires other musicians to help bring his musical visions to the stage. For this particular tour he is playing with Duncan Kissinger on the bass and Michael Preuschl on drums. You may have heard these names before being that they are both members of HOTFOX (featured in MFT Session #004)!


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The stunning images that you see above are provided by Lauren Bultman Photography! She helps document every MFT session that comes through the studio and without her we would have a whole lot less to look at. She does a killer job and deserves a round of applause for putting up with a bunch of rowdy and smelly musicians, not to mention myself. ha! But seriously… her pictures are awesome and her work is appreciated by everyone involved in these projects.

Last but not least, I was able to sit down with THUNDERS and ask them about the new record and talk a little bit about their current tour.

MFT#002: The Bears of Blue River

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[Gavin, Brian, Maggie, Justin]

Listen to MFT#002 w/ The Bears of Blue River while you read!

This week we were fortunate enough to hook up with The Bears of Blue River on the last leg of their Dastardly Tour. Our session took place on a Tuesday morning before they were scheduled to drive up to Michigan for their last two shows. We were scheduled to start at 10AM but The Bears had played a show the night before so I had expected them to be a little late. It was a good thing I did because they didn’t end up arriving until 10:30. The band loaded in around 10:45AM while I made up a big pot of coffee. Early morning sessions are usually pretty rough. It just isn’t natural to make music early in the morning unless you stayed up all night and haven’t gone to bed yet. Nonetheless, we marched on in the hopes that the morning bummers would pass (and they did). We hashed out a few early takes to get everyone warmed up and feeling good as the fatigue fled our bodies. I can hear the early morning hour retreating throughout the session.

The weather was exceptionally warm for February which made the outdoor photo shoot nice and comfortable. The Bears picked a few hats, glasses, and props from around the studio and trudged out into the forest to have their likenesses captured by Lauren of Lauren Bultman Photography. The photo session was pretty fun. The Bears made sure to include my dog Cleo in the shoot… oh, and a grill. Yeah, it was one of those mornings.


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

We didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend on the interview process because the band needed to hit the road if they were going to make it to Michigan in time for their load-in. Despite our limited amount of time, we were able to get a quick interview with The Bears of Blue River. Hopefully it will make you crack a smile.

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Afternoon at Navy Pier

Lauren and I made a trip up to Chicago this week to retrieve the few things that I left behind during my brief stay in Chicago for my internship at Electrical Audio. Just a few little things… Headphones, portable recording rig, and a few books. We were only planning on staying in Chicago for 2 days so we were determined to make the most of it. Despite not having an itinerary, we managed to have a good time.o Navy Pier and put on our tourist hats. As we were getting ready to leave Chicago, Lauren decided that she wanted to see the lake and we made a last-minute decision to drive t

Navy Pier

The transformation into tourist-mode is quite easy. You just walk around aimlessly and take pictures of things. Oh, and you have to spend money on things that you normally would not. For instance, you have to buy Italian Ice. It is imperative that you do this.

Italian Ice

While munching on Italian Ice, we booked a boat tour of the Chicago skyline so that we could acquire even more tourist-points. Just so you know, tourist-points are similar to punk-rock-points only they aren’t punk-rock. The boat ride was pretty awesome. The lake breeze was a nice reprieve from the heat and humidity.

Boat Tour

Oh, did I mention we saw a light house? Because we did.

Light House

After the boat ride, we walked to the end of the pier and saw the ferris wheel. I hate heights but ended up conquering my fear so that Lauren could have a good time. It wasn’t so bad. The view was pretty good. I got a little nervous when the radio in our gondola started to short out.

Ferris Wheel

After we exited the ferris wheel, we walked directly towards a snack booth so that we could consume corn-on-the-cob-on-a-stick. It was delicious. Look at Lauren chomp into this corn!

So yeah, that concludes our little trip to Navy Pier.

Golden Thai 4 Dinner

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One of the greatest aspects to my internship in Chicago is that there are so many food options! Tonight I was in the mood for thai food. I opted for delivery because I didn’t feel like dealing with the hassles of driving. I ordered Roasted Duck Noodles w/ vegetable pot-stickers. This sub-par phone picture just doesn’t do it justice. It was delicious.

Parking Ticket Cherry: Popped

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Today started off a little rough. I woke up early to move my car so that the street cleaner could do its thing. Unfortunately, when I turned the key, I got nothing. My battery was dead. Despite my best efforts I was unable to find anyone to give me a jump and resorted to calling AAA. However, they told me that it was going to be 30 minutes before they could send someone out to my location and within that 30-minute time frame I was issued a ticket. So that concludes the amazing story of my first parking ticket in Chicago.