The Shaping of the Passerines

By Timmy Watson in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 1, 2007 4:25PM

Walking in Sylvie’s Lounge from the brisk and breezy night was like arriving home after a long day at work. Greeted with smiles by the few faces in the front room, we wondered for whom the three bands we came to see would be playing. Most notably, the Passerines, a band hailing from Hyde Park who will take the stage at Chicagoist’s own Ctrl-Alt-Rock v. 2.0 on Thursday, February 8.

Passing the half dozen or so dart boards, we ventured around the corner to see the stage. The entire place had the feel of a kid in middle school that isn’t quite sure what he wants to dress like. Posters of popular paintings like Van Gogh's Starry Night, adorned the walls while a faint black light lit the room. Somehow though, Sylvie's pulls it off. To the left, seated snuggly on the couch were the three members of the Passerines — Emily, Gabe and JJ.

The Passerines sound is a coupling of intelligence and innocence. Evoking the poetic tones of a Calvin Johnson and heartache of Fleetwood Mac, the Passerines somehow manage to actually sound and look incredibly happy. This is where the innocence of the group comes in. For the most part the band plays in and around Hyde Park, frequenting art galleries and record stores. When asked about their preference for this type of venue, the members all attribute it to both fan base and surroundings. “They seem to fit us better, more intimate, more for a small band,” said Emily. Gabe, almost finishing Emily’s thought, explained, “We are from Hyde Park, we all went to school down there. A lot of our core audience are students, when we were starting out they weren’t of age and it was harder to get them to come.”

Here would be the appropriate place to fill you in on what the three in the band play, but it is a regular game of musical chairs (get it!) on stage. The easiest member to pinpoint would be Emily, whose presence on stage singing and playing guitar gives the impression she is the center of the band. However, the band and their history give a different impression.

Initially an all-girl band, it was started by the expat Sarah Johnsen, who has moved to San Francisco. The band has had many members come and go which is attributed both to the changing sound as well as circumstance. Gabe entered the band because he lived in the house they were practicing in at the time. The drummer would miss practice and Gabe would hop on. When asked how the constant changing of members has shaped how they play, Gabe enthusiastically answered, “The best part is that we get to draw on this catalog of songs, when it was the four of us we all wrote songs. We’ve all played in different arrangements. Even now we play those songs that the previous members played in the band.”

Some of these will be making it on an epic 15-song LP that is currently being finished up by the group and is expected to be out this month. They are also preparing an EP which will include songs left over from the first record, and they expect this to be a free internet-only release.

Passerines will appear at Chicagoist's Ctrl – Alt – Rock v. 2.0 on Thursday, February 8, at Double Door. Show starts at 9 p.m. Keep reading Chicagoist for more details.