The Bigger Empty is a four-piece rock band from Chicago,IL. Its members include: Mike Felumlee (ex Alkaline Trio, Smoking Popes) on guitar/vocals, and Jim Steinkraus, Reuben Baird, and Kevin Baschen from the Chicago band Sketch Middle. This foursome has been playing together for several years as Mike’s solo act. During rehearsals for their upcoming album, the guys discovered they were sounding more like a band than a solo project, and so The Bigger Empty was born. 

With a shared passion for straightforward, hard hitting pop-rock, The Bigger Empty are diving into the recording of their debut full-length album. The album is currently being tracked at Reuben’s studio Chicago Sound Lab with Reuben manning the console. The guys are very excited to share their musical vision with the world. Rock music just as it should be: pure, simple, and catchy. No skinny jeans, loafers, or neon shirts required.

A podcast about election-related prediction markets. Hosted by Jon Kimball and David Rees.

Dann Morr, songwriter and sideman, steps out with his debut album Shouting Into the Wind, a collection of indie rock gems that deftly incorporates the best parts of his long tenure in the Chicago music scene. Produced by Mike Hagler (OK Go, Wilco, Billy Bragg) and Morr, the 10-track album was recorded in Chicago at Kingsize Sound Labs and will be released September 23, 2014 on Squirrel Trap Records.

Since the 1990s Dann Morr has been a singer and multi-instrumentalist in the folk-rock group Wells-next-the-Sea, indie-rock/power-pop outfits Analog Radio, and High Energy Physics, as well as bassist and backing vocalist for a number of other Windy City artists including The Cheetles, Mooner, Kerosene Stars, Kevin Lee, Phil Angotti, and Tom Daily. “My original plan for this album was to find a home for orphan songs that had fallen by the wayside over the last few years… songs that were performed by my previous bands, but never properly recorded or never released,” Morr explains. “Although, once we started recording together, I was inspired to write some new material for this amazing line up of musicians- which we dubbed The Dashing Bastard Sideshow.”

Dickie’s 2015 self-titled release was a moody testimonial of singer-songwriter Dick Prall. Prall took a succession of personal losses and nestled them inside a beautifully-layered soundtrack that found Dickie on the top of several “Best of” lists that year. 2019 finds Prall in a nostalgic headspace, partnering with talented drummer/multi-instrumentalist Billy Barton to produce a stripped-back mix of reflective and pulsating sing-alongs in the latest release, “Minus Thieves.”

The new album impeccably complements the collaboration of Prall and Barton through Pat Sansone’s (Wilco) and Josh Shapera’s modest approach to making their record, proving a welcome transformation from Dickie’s lush debut to the hook-laden simplicity of “Minus Thieves.” The simplified effort was performed at The Magic Barn, a studio outside of the small town of Solon, Iowa, which houses the gear of NYC’s now-defunct The Magic Shop where many iconic artists such as David Bowie, Blondie, and The Ramones have recorded. Sansone and Shapera reached back even further into the archives of recording history by applying a formula of straightforward guitars of all sonic sizes -- played by both Prall and Barton -- and fusing them seamlessly with Barton’s tight rhythms and Prall’s continuous knack for infectious melody. The minimal production of “Minus Thieves” welcomes you to happily ingest the most important parts of pop-tinged record.

All McCartney: a podcast exploring the musical legacy of Paul McCartney - created by Paul's fans, for Paul's fans. Hosted by the husband and wife team of Andy Nelson (a professional musician and music educator) and Amy Nelson (an art historian specializing in Modern and Contemporary art of the UK). Email: allmccartneypodcast@gmail.com, find us on Twitter (@allmccartneypod), Facebook (All McCartney Podcast) and at http://www.allmccartneyposcast.com

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