Last fall, Republic of Lights released their debut album, Go Rococo, and gave it away for free. The album is a perfect example of indie pop. The sound is driven by piano, solid drums, and intricate guitar melodies.

Republic of Light is performing on May 28th at Lincoln Hall.

There is something special and honest and exciting about a local singer/songwriter creating a sound and standing on stage and delivering. One of my favorite local singers right now is Jennifer Hall. She has an angelic voice, but it is the passion that she delivers that is really captivating.

Jennifer Hall will be performing at Schubas on May 24th (tonight!) at 7pm.

Indie music super group Candy Golde began out of necessity. Chicagoans Nicholas Tremulis and Rick Rizzo(Eleventh Dream Day) were playing an acoustic set together when a phone call came from John Sinclair who announced the MC5 were going to play and wanted Tremulis to open up for them. Tremulous seized the opportunity but had to throw a band together. He snagged Rizzo, had worked with Bun E Carlos (Cheap Trick) before and then added on John Stirratt(Wilco). Some might think this was a dream, but it was just a day in the life for these talented musicians.

The groups name was born as Wesley Kimler, a painter and friend of Tremulis, began calling him Sugar Pink after the album he had put out called "Pinky". Kimmler thought “it would annoy me, but I took it as my stripper name and so I started calling him Candy Golde.” Tremulis figured “it would embarrass him if I called him that in public, and it did, so it served its purpose.” Naming the group after his buddy’s stripper name takes the joke to a whole new level.

“Nick knows everybody in the world…he’s like the Mayor of Chicago” Stirratt jokes as the guys playfully rib each other. It comes off as a project born from necessity, yet grown from mutual respect, admiration, and love. The musical community in Chicago is tight because “we’re older and time sort of weeds out the *ssholes” Tremulis shares. He notes that people get tired of the business, egos fuel departures, and so some of the more difficult people to work with fall out. The fact is because Tremulis has been on tour and played many gigs for countless years, his musical community now spreads throughout the world.

The industry has also changed allowing these vets more freedom. “The restrictions with labels and lawyers have passed” with the demise of the industry. Tremulis happily cites that now “we can record with whomever we want.” The guys do exactly that and created an EP rather than a LP because they wanted to keep their project “fun”. They also will not be touring, because being on a bus "just isn’t fun" and "smaller towns just don’t have the same crowds anymore" explains Stirratt. Instead these 20 plus years music vets are only playing special gigs, like SXSW or at the Double Door in Chicago last week. They prefer to keep the “sweat and grind” for their “day jobs” of their other bands and keep this as “light” as possible.

Another fun aspect of life these guys share beyond music is coffee. Bun E Carlos owns a coffee house in Northern Illinois and it was suggested to him that he have his own “Bun E Blend” which can be ordered online. He gets paid in coffee from a gentlemen in Minnesota who sells the coffee for him. John Stirratt and Wilco have their own blend that was created and sold through Intellegensia coffee shops. The company works to bring fair trade blends into major cities in the US. Stirratt and other Wilco members occasionally get a free cup of joe and has total respect for the company and the product they produce in their name.

These talented musicians have kept their art light and fun throughout the years. They’ve learned how to enjoy life, collaborate well under pressure, and survive in a tough industry for all over 20+ years each. In keeping with the light, fun, spirit of Candy Golde’s project, we all gave up our porn/stripper names to each other and now share them with you…

Nicholas Tremulis = Anthony Fair

Bun E Carlos = Ezualia Parkview

John Sirratt = Chadwick Jane

Michele = Marie Ridgewood

Candy Golde’s self titled EP was released on Ten O Nine Records on May 11th. – Michele McManmon

Out June 28, 2011 on Funambulist Recording Company is the sophomore album from The Laureates. Spells, is a cleaner more polished recording, and shows how much the band has matured as a unit. The tracks were recorded by Johnathan Crawford on an 8-track tape machine at Catalyst in Chicago, and finished at Clown Town during last summer and fall.

Simeon Viltz and Race (aka The Primeridan) have dropped their new mixtape Da Crack-A-Dawn. The tape features some of Chicago’s finest including the veteran Pugs Atomz. You can download the mixtape for free here.

The cover of the new ep, The Dusty Wolf, really says it all. This music is a series of unicorns riding rainbows out the mouth of a werewolf. Seriously, Rememberwhens blend intricate guitar play when solid garage sounds, and surprising vocal harmonies and interplay. The band has been together for four years, and this, their debut ep, is solid effort. My favorite track is "Dope Kicks". You can stream the album here.

Well, I’ve posted quite a bit about the new Company of Thieves album, and finally today is the day it officially is released. If you can’t waiting for you copy to arrive in the mail or the iTunes download is taking too long you can stream the album over at Spinner while you wait.

Roll Call Records will be rereleasing the debut album from Scattered Trees, Sympathy, on August 8th. The band just released a new remix of their track "Four Days Straight" reworked by The Album Leaf. The band will be heading out on a national tour from now to early June. Why don’t you also go like them on Facebook and be a part of their 6,300 fans.

The latest video from Giant System features the indie-pop sounds of Pet Lions. The band just released their debut full-length album, Houses.