Chicago Sonic Coalition To Showcase 12+ New Bands

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on May 31, 2012 7:20PM

Back in March, more than 60 musicians from a wide range of genres threw their names into a hat. Those names were pulled at random to form 17 new bands for an experiment called the Chicago Sonic Coalition.

The whole point of this experiment, which is put together by Gonzo Chicago, is to force musicians “out of their comfort zones” and stir creativity throughout Chicago’s music community. The newly formed bands were given about two months to write and practice a 15-20 minute set of fresh new music, at which point they would perform it live for an audience.

Gonzo Chicago points out the potential issues of shuffling band members: “How would these people mesh? Would they get along? Could they even get together, let alone write together, or even agree on what to do? Almost everyone involved is in a current, active band. Some even touring as I write this.” And, in fact, some musicians did pull out of the project, like members from Mannequin Men, Wume, and Paper Mice. But there are still plenty who followed through, and at least 12 bands are working on their sets. Check out the current roster below.

Time’s almost up for writing and practicing, and the bands are preparing to do their thing in front of a live audience Saturday, June 16. The show is scheduled to be held in a basement space in the middle of the city. We suggest following the Chicago Sonic Coalition’s Facebook and Gonzo Chicago for location info and updates.

Chicago Sonic Coalition Lineup
Mortistork (Members of ONO, We Repel Each Other, Disrobe)
Alien Shit (Members of Bad Drugs, Lechuguillas, Paper Mice)
Cabin Cruiser (Members of Heavy Times, Slushy, Magic Milk)
Shit on Stage (Members of Piss Piss Piss Moan Moan Moan and Last King of Poland)
Lagoons (Al Scorch and Magic Ian)
Group Hug (Members of Big Colour, Rodeo, Distant Cities, Bowl of Dust)
Weddings (Members of New Black, Vamos, Heavy Times, and Magic Milk)
Gilded Mess (KG Price w/ Zachary Mark of Battleship)
Mother Jaguar (Members of New Diet, Snacks, Humminbird, and Skymaul)
Count Kindness (Members of T'Bone, Running, Esoteric Tapioca, Call Me Lightning, and House Sounds)
Natural Causes (Members of Thunders, Velcro Lewis Group, Toupee, and Bomb Banks)
Blasted (Members of Absolutely Not / Cinchel / Plastic Boner Band)