Last Minute Plans: Tyler Jon Tyler

By Jon Graef in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 4, 2010 7:40PM

Tyler Jon Tyler has a name that’s bound to mislead. Tyler Jon Tyler may sound like some redneck parody out of My Name Is Earl or Eastbound or Down, or perhaps a forgotten teen idol from the mid-nineties. But, in fact, TJT is a sharp, tight power-pop group from the Windy City. Tonight, the trio is set to release their self-titled debut full-length at the Empty Bottle.

Musically, TJT’s scrappy, fun but disciplined rock resembles past Midwestern acts like Green, but with attitude-fueled vocals tough enough to make Chrissie Hynde cower in a bar’s back corner. Tracks like the jangly, minute-and-a-half kiss-off “Tick Tock Tick” (“Got a problem with the way you talk/your lips are moving and they never stop”) and the bouncy, bass-driven “New England Street” have a loose, carefree but not careless vibe.

If there’s anything negative to be said about the trio, it’s that the limitations of their sound ensures that their songs can all run together in a same-y sounding stew. But, based on their recent Coach House Sound session, if there’s a live band in Chicago that knows the virtue of hitting it and quitting it, it’s probably Tyler Jon Tyler.

Tyler Jon Tyler, Maximum Wage and Squish, Empty Bottle, 9:30 p.m., $8, 21+ TONIGHT