|
FEATURES
Interview
with Glen Danzig
Chicago Chevelle Revs It's Musical Engine
Departments
Soap Box|Tom Lounges
CD News|Dave Grove
Teen Scene|Sarah Lounges
For Immediate Release
CD
Spins
|
THIS CHICAGO CHEVELLE REVS ITS MUSICAL ENGINE
by Ernie Thomas
Most aspiring bands dream of reaching MTV stardom and one
day maybe
gracing the covers of Rolling Stone and Spin.
Not so for the Chicago-based band called, Chevelle.
These three siblings
from suburban Gurnee, could care less about the trappings of "rock
stars",
just as long as people like you are out there listening to their music.
"I know it may sound a little weird, but it's really
not about money and
it's not about being 'rock stars' for us," said Sam Loeffler, who
at age 24,
is the eldest of the brothers.
Taking their name from a classic 1969 Chevy muscle car their
father used to
own, these three gearheads (and former skateboarders) are the blood,
sweat
and tears of a new nationally signed power-laden group that could be
likened
to Helmet or maybe Godsmack
For the last half dozen years, Sam has been keeping
the drum beat for his
younger brothers Pete (age 22) and Joey (age 18) in their family-knit
group.
"We don't really care if people know who we are, as long as
they know our
songs," he repeats. "We want the emphasis to be on our
music, not on us."
To prove his point, Sam makes mention of the music
video for their first
single,"Mia". The mini-movie is a highly visual
stop-action animation
creation from director Johnathan Richter. It does not feature any
images of
the band members.
"It's a great video. The animation is very visual and
it grabs attention,"
said Sam. "If it had (featured) us jumping around or
whatever, then it would
have been like every other video on MTV. If people see this video
and it
catches their attention, then they will be listening to the song."
Debuting on MTV's "Return Of The Rock"
weekend, the eye-catching video
has done it's job well. It has been nominated for two Billboard Music
Video
Awards in both the Alternative and Hard Rock categories. It has
since been
added to regular rotation on MTV's "120 Minutes" and is also
in rotation on
several other video outlets, including Chicago's artist-breaking, JBTV.
The video has generated a lot of attention to
Chevelle. "Mia" is a hit
at college stations nationwide. Their album, "Point #1", was
the fifth most
added new release to the College Media Journal (CMJ) charts.
Presently on a West Coast tour with Type O Negative,
Chevelle is playing
in front of an average of 1,500 to 2,000 people each night. On off
nights,
the boys are picking up random headline shows to keep their music in the
ears
of the public.
One such date found them headlining at The Metro last month.
Aside from headline shows, selected Midwest dates with
Local H and dates
on the Southern leg of Sevendust's fall U.S. tour will keep Chevelle
busy
through thefirst part of next year.
Their level of success has taken the brothers by surprise
only because of
how fast it has come. "We've always believed in our
music," said Sam.
"We've never done cover songs. We always wrote our own music
and we would
play anyplace with an audience who was willing to listen."
Chevelle found a welcome audience at such underground area
haunts as the
Fireside Bowl and Lounge Ax. "We were playing the Double Door
when Joey was
only 14 years old," said Sam.
Chevelle avoids sibling conflicts by adhering to a
"majority rules"
mantra. "Having three of us in the group helps, because if
two agree on
something, than the other goes along with it," he said.
Chevelle did not land their record deal by shopping
demo tapes, playing
industry showcases or any of the other avenues most often traveled by
local
bands. Instead, they were simply in the right place, at the right
time, and
playing the right music.
With their
parents blessing and faith in their music, Chevelle,
financed their own Midwest club tour. They opened a show for the
nationally
signed act, The Insiders, who brought them to the attention of their
management. A contract with major indie label, Squint Records,
resulted,
along with a debut album produced by Chicago studio wiz, Steve Albini
(Nirvana, Bush, P.J. Harvey, etc.).
"We did the album in 17 days, which was a little
rushed," said Sam.
"Overall, I'm happy with the CD, but there are things I we could
have done
better if we'd taken more time recording."
Loeffler said Albini did a lot to enhance the band's sound.
"Steve didn't
change our songs or our style, but he has some techniques that brought
us a
much better sound," he said.
As Chicago area artists continue to cascade into the
national
consciousness and relocate to the West and East Coasts, it's refreshing
to
find a Chicago group so dedicated to the hometown scene that they use
their
media interviews to praise their unsigned local peers.
"We're lucky we've gotten the recognition we
have," said Sam. "There are a
lot of really good bands in Chicago that I hope get noticed."
Moreno and
Starball are among those Loeffler praised "They all deserve
to get noticed,"
he adds.
"No way! We are staying right here
in Chicago," said Sam when asked if
the group would now relocate to either coast.
"We grew up in the local music scene here. Now
we are a part of it and
that is a very special thing for us. We are proud to be recognized as a
Chicago band," he said. "We take a lot of pride in being
from Chicago. If
we can help shine a light on someone else here, than great!"
|
