Cameron McGill & What Army, Eyedea & Abilities, Fruit Bats, Sondre Lerche

CAMERON MCGILL & WHAT ARMY
Imagine a young, tall, scruffy bearded man wearing a Woody Guthrie hat and a battered jacket, toting an acoustic guitar adorned with peeling stickers while wandering the brown, icy streets of Chicago. Then image that man escaping the brutal white skies by tracking snow and mud all over your house. At first you might be pissed, but it’s a pretty safe bet that the man’s piercing eyes and smooth croon will deter you from doing any scolding. I first saw Chicago’s Cameron McGill with his band, a unified engine of folk-pop/singer-songwriter rock, playing at Lollapalooza in 2006. Shortly afterward I discovered that McGill had been working at local café/venue Uncommon Ground as a host, but was taking a break to tour and record. Cameron McGill & What Army’s excellent new 10-song indie/folk eargasm, warm songs for cold shoulders, was released this April on Parasol Records. (Appearing at Space on September 24) –text: Katie Knaub

EYEDEA AND ABILITIES
Minneapolis duo Eyedea and Abilities is a hip-hop battle supergroup. MC Eyedea (born Michael Larsen) is known for freestyling skills that have won him rap battles from Scribble Jam to Blaze Battle, while battle scratcher DJ Abilities has DMC DJ victories under his belt. The two teamed up and released First Born on Minneapolis hip-hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2001. Bridging the 5-year gap from their last album, E&A have been heavily involved with other musical projects. Larsen has released solo music under the moniker Oliver Hart, has played with freestyle/jazz group Face Candy, and even formed the alt-rock band Carbon Carousel (which is signed to Larsen’s own Crushkill Recordings). Gregory Keltgen (a.k.a. Abilities) also DJs in Semi.Official with another Twin Cities rapper, I Self Divine. Since reuniting, E&A have released By The Throat, which features complex turntable work, guitars and keyboard, as well as Larsen’s typically philosophical and science-themed narrative lyrics. (Appearing at Reggie’s Rock Club on September 23) –text: Ariel Sundel–photo: Darien Chin

FRUIT BATS
Even in our over-digitized, over-computerized, and technologically terrorized society, the nostalgia and simplicity of antiquated recording techniques have not entirely been forgotten. While old-school reel to reel recordings and 4-tracks may be stale and dusty, they still warm the heart of any track with their sepia-tinged, stripped-down sound. This is how Eric D. Johnson (and many other musicians) got their start: the 4-track. Johnson’s band Fruit Bats was formed during his stint in Califone, which acted as a creative catalyst that would later emerge and morph into his own project. Sub Pop’s Johnson-led folk-rock 5-piece Fruit Bats has been chugging out albums since 2005, morphing old and new sounds by combining a little bit of The Band and a little more of Vetiver. Rolling guitars and carefully crafted songs construct this underrated band’s recently released record, The Ruminent Band. (Appearing with Iran at Schubas on September 20 & 21) –text: Katie Knaub–photo: Annie Beedy

SONDRE LERCHE
It may be the start of fall, but that doesn’t mean we’ve tired of summery and cheery rock to carry on the happiness of the swimming pool season. Sondre Lerche is the king of chilled out, romantic and warm music — and he both looks and sings the part. Lerche looks young and kind of dorkily handsome in a romantic comedy kind of way, wears Converse Allstars and shakes his foot incessantly while straining into the microphone. Throughout it all, he seems hopelessly hopeful. His music is largely the same and is overlaid with mostly goofy, nonsensical lyrics that appear endlessly charming when matched with the simple acoustic strumming popularized by Jack Johnson. Lerche has certainly made this type of music work for him, as his latest outing in Chicago is to showcase his fifth studio album, Heartbeat Radio. (Appearing with JBM for two shows at Schubas on September 19) –text: Diana Novak