This new feature is called No Place Like Home. The point of it is to interview bands about their hometowns and why they love where they’re from. When traveling it is always best to have a local to direct you to the spots worth spending your time and hard earned money.
When one of our readers travels to a place that is foreign to them they will have some solid recommendations from an awesome source, one of their favorite bands!
I know I look forward to checking out some of these places and am sure that there are many others who would be interested.
Eventually the intention is to have a full blown travel guide here at B.G.M.!
Cheer-Accident are heroes of the underground progressive rock seen and have been creating some of the more inventive and unpredictable music over the last two decades. Their newest record, Fades, is a whirlwind of epic proportions. Staying true to having a dynamic cast of guests even those familiar with the band will enjoy the surprise twists and turns they have in store.
This edition of No Place Like Home is slightly different than ones that have come before. We are lucky enough to premier a song!
“Monsters” opens up with a heavy tone. A crunchy, sludgy kick to the face that you may expect to open up a Melvins show.
As the song progresses you are treated to a dizzying combination of eerie guitar and mind distorting keys.
However, they don’t subject the listener to a full decent into madness. As you near the brink of cracking a gospel choir-esque breakdown of optimism showers over you complete with triumphant horns. Phew! Saved from the monsters. Similar to when a child is afraid to go to sleep because of monsters, the reprieve is only temporary.
A parent can do their best to convince their kid that they are safe and the monsters will not get them. They can cover up their rocking leopard chair. Turn on a night light. Regardless what measures are taken, once that quiet darkness consumes the mind it promotes wandering thoughts. That brief moment in the song was just Cheer-Accident reading us a bed time story in effort to sooth. On a dime they hit back with the same opening tone.
The monster puts on a relentless pursuit while cackling at how much tastier things are when frightened.
This song is awesome. It is completely different than every other song found on Fades. But then again, so is every other song from the next. The one thing they all have in common is they are massive. Massive in sound. Massive in feel. They are songs that make you want to see performed in a live setting. Don’t miss the band on their upcoming West Coast tour (see dates HERE) featuring a stop at Seattle’s SEAPROG FESTIVAL!
Skin Graft Records is putting out the album on May 25th in various formats and you can buy it HERE. Some additional pre-order links:
I want to thank Jeff Libersher (guitarist, vocals, trumpet) for being so kind and taking part in No Place Like Home!
Where does Cheer-Accident call home and how long have you been there?
Chicago. I’ve lived here for 35 years.
Are there any attractions you would consider touristy that you would also consider a can’t-miss for visitors?
Millennium Park is great (and free!), especially if you can catch a free show at the Gehry-designed pavilion on a warm summer’s day/night. Cloud gate and the Crown Fountain (both located in the park) are both pretty darn resplendent.
The architectural boat tour rocks. You will learn a crap-load about the beautiful architecture and history of the city while absorbing an amazing and unique view of the downtown area via a boat ride along the winding Chicago River.
I’m personally a fan of all the museums – I’m an art-nerd and an astronomy-fan, so my personal favorites are the Art Institute of Chicago and the Planetarium, but the Field Museum, Aquarium, and Museum Of Science And Industry are all pretty damn great.
Then there’s always the putting-yourself-into-a-coma-with-deep-dish-pizza thing (Gino’s East, Lou Malnatti’s, Giordano’s, Uno’s for the touristy versions – all very tasty).
If you are a baseball fan, it’s a no-brainer to try and see a game at Wrigley Field, given the history of the park, and the fact that the team doesn’t suck nowadays. After the game, you can stumble around amongst the drunks roaming the pestiferous neighborhood teeming with dumb bars if that’s your thing, or, like me, you can jump right on the ol’ Red Line and get the hell out of dodge (In case you’re not certain, yes this is my least-favorite neighborhood in the city).
If you are hosting friends or family for a weekend, where would you bring people for grub?
There are oodles of amazing food-spots in this town. Where I would bring someone obviously depends on budget/tastes, etc.
If you’re up for poisoning yourself with one of Chicago’s infamous “Chicago style” hot dogs, I would personally choose Superdawg (a vibrant, old-school drive-in). Where else can you get all of that salt, sawdust, and pig nuts in a cool little box, covered in crinkly fries, and delivered to you by a surly car-hop?
If you DO in fact want to experience the Chicago deep-dish pizza thing, I would hit Pequod’s (less touristy than the others and actually better) or Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders (very small/long wait but worth it).
If you’re a big fan of chewing on the animal, Kuma’s Corner has monstrous, amazing burgers, of many incantations, each named with a reference to a metal band. And they blare metal music to help wash it all down.
If you’re seeking something a little healthier, I would definitely hit the Chicago Diner – great menu of all things vegetarian – and their vegan shakes are like crack. I eat here all the time and have never grown tired of it.
If you are a fan of spiking your insulin level, I would hit Margie’s Candies – it’s an old-school confectionary that was built in the 1920s (first “Chicago/Al Capone” reference – he used to frequent this place)…the décor has not been changed since then. Homemade ice cream and candy. Very cool throwback spot.
There are too many great Indian, Thai, and Mexican spots to even start to list.
A key to any hometown is a local watering hole. Any spots that you like to go for drinks? Breweries, dive bars, distilleries…whatever floats your boat.
Though this spot could almost be included under Question 2, the Green Mill is a legendary jazz haunt laced with history (second “Al Capone” reference coming up…wait for it….wait for it……..it used to be a speak-easy back in the Prohibition era, and Capone and his mob pals frequented it). Great vibe. Some nights you can feel the ghosts.
As for dive bars, I’ve always been partial to the L & L and the Old Town Ale House. The L & L is just far enough away from the Wrigley-vile insanity and inanity, and during the day it presents all the staples of a good neighborhood dive bar – lots of creepy old men (hey wait, that’s ME) and plenty of melancholia to go with your Old Crow and PBR. The Old Town Ale House has that whole Chicago-history thing going on for it, of which I’m obviously a fan…lots of the great, old, famous newspaper scribes spent many a drunken night in here holding court and it hasn’t changed much since then…plus the jukebox is filled with great jazz and blues.
Music is life. What music venues should people be checking the calendars for shows to catch?
The Hideout is my personal favorite spot to see a show. The owners rule and the vibe here is so uplifting and welcoming.
On a larger scale, if you can catch one of the larger acts that come through town and play at The Chicago Theater, it’s an amazingly ornate and beautiful old theater.
I also love the Park West – design-wise, it has a very 1980’s vibe to it (ok it’s stuck in 1983) but of the countless shows I’ve seen there, I’ve never once heard a band not sound great in that place.
After working up a sweat at a good show are there any late night spots to grab a bite or a night cap?
Regarding late-night food, I’m generally more a fan of the late-night experience itself (“look, that guy is licking pickles off the wall”) than the actual food. Having said, that, it’s pretty hard to screw up a hot dog, especially at 3am, right? With that in mind, I would definitely hit The Wiener’s Circle, where not only can you fill up your gut with steamed, grilled, or fried things, but you will most-likely get magnificently verbally abused by the folks slinging up said steamed, grilled, or fried things. A fun, hateful experience.
If you want your palette-remover to go, I’d recommend the Goose Island Shrimp House. Lots of amazing and unhealthy fried things.
The Golden Nugget Pancake Houses are diners that offer up a very good version of “which-of-these-five-thousand-average-tasting-and-overpriced-menu-items-do-I-want-at-4-in-the-morning?” And there a few different locations to choose from.
The morning after can be rough. Where is your go-to for breakfast and/or coffee?
My favorite breakfast spot is Tre Kronor – a quiet, Swedish spot in a quiet neighborhood with a very non-hip crowd. They have the best eggs benedict I’ve ever tasted and there are paintings of trolls on the walls.
My second-favorite breakfast spot is Over Easy Café. The food here is mind-blowing. It would land first on my list, but it’s fairly small, and you will most certainly have to wait (Outside. In the cold. Chicago is cold most of the time) a fairly long time to be seated at one of the few tables.
To get out of town life, what are the nature based options surrounding your city? Any good hikes, camping and other fun outdoors stuff to do?
I haven’t played Wiffle Ball in one of the many parks for quite a while but I think I need to soon.