I took a trip to Chicago about two weeks ago and had the pleasure of meeting up with some HearYa friends and one of our favorite unsigned bands, The Record Low, at Stephen Shirk’s studio on the city’s west side in Wicker Park. We first wrote about these guys back in February. It’s been a great experience hearing their early demos, then receiving their debut album Hear to Stay, now seeing them in the studio and drinking beers with them after. I just wish I could have stayed longer.

Henry, Robby, Markus and Justin are what a band should be. They are a talented group of musicians that are passionate about their music and believe in one another. They have a good time, but the music always comes first. Our session started with each of them sporting headphones. After a few songs, Henry (the lead singer) and the crew weren’t feeling it. A short smoke break later and the headphones were stashed away, the lights dimmed, some candles lit, and The Record Low played as if they were around a campfire amongst friends. The way it should be.

We had several long conversations about their band an our website. They are hell bent on never promoting themselves, almost to a fault. Most bands these days are scouring blogs and MySpace working to get the word out. The Record Low have no plans of following the path of self-promotion. They plan to work hard and let their music speak for itself.

Right about the time I wanted to open a debate about why I think indie bands shouldn’t be ashamed to promote themselves, Henry and Robby (the guitarist) started playing alone together while Markus and Justin (the drummer) were hanging with us in the sound room. Henry and Robby started an acoustic cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers” and Markus said, “Shhh, Listen. That kid can sing the shit out of this song.”

It was the last song of the night and we all finished our Busch Lights and quietly sang “Dead Flowers” to ourselves. And I won’t forget to put roses on your grave….

http://myspace.com/therecordlow

The Record Low - Southern State

The Record Low - Keep Up

The Record Low - These Girls

The Record Low - New Song (Click here for Video)

The Record Low - Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones Cover)

HearYa Session 2 - The Record Low - “These Girls” from HearYa