Recap: Swimsuit Addition vinyl release; Oh My Snare! stop by on tour

Swimsuit Addition at The Hideout on Saturday

This weekend featured an abundant choice of shows in and around Chicago. Swimsuit Addition played a vinyl release show for their 2014 album Wretched Pinups at The Hideout. That album made it onto Change the Rotation's best albums of 2014 bracket. Wretched Pinups was released on cassette and digitally last June. Saturday's show at The Hideout was the party for the vinyl release of the album on Berserk Records. The house was packed to see the locals play their last in-town show for a little while (they have some road shows coming up and are recording their next album.) Swimsuit Addition played Wretched Pinups in its entirety Saturday night, bookended by a few new songs at the beginning of the set and a handful of older tunes at the end.

If you have never been to The Hideout, you should find an excuse to get there. It is an aptly named small room tucked into an industrial part of town off of North Avenue. Sandwiched between Concept Laboratories (a skin care product manufacturer) and a waste managment site, it is an oasis in the cold. It is the type of bar that surely draws regulars. It also draws talented bands and quality beers.

The Wretched Pinups vinyl comes in a variety of color splash variants. In a rarity that I cannot remember ever coming across, the A side plays starting from the center grooves and going out to the edge of the record. Well played, Swimsuit Addition. Check out the album at their bandcamp page.

Sunday, Oh My Snare! played at Mount Happy in Pilsen. The group, from Montreal, is on tour in support of Høyeste Gang, released at the beginning of February. This seven song release is highly recommended for fans of RVIVR. Stream it below or head to their bandcamp page to download it or order it on vinyl. Touring across the border comes with challenges, especially when it is not a big money tour. The show Sunday was at a DIY space, the type of place that deals more in passion than currency.

There was a lot of love for the music on display from the fans and members of bands on Sunday. Microphones were looped over pipes and knotted into singing position to compensate for the lack of mic stands. Smartphones were comically held up to said microphones to broadcast house music between sets, for as long as someone felt inclined to hold a smartphone there. Drumkits and amps were shared. People stuck around for all the bands. The show had the sense of community that is fundamental to any punk scene.

This was the second show for Ultrahazard with their new trumpet player and the first show for Melomaniac, which features members of Ultrahazard. They split a set between the two bands. Melomaniac, as a brand new band, only has a handful of songs to play (hear a couple of them here.) They are off to a solid start. Watch for more from this band in the future. Ultrahazard played some of their newer songs, along with older tunes with the addition of the trumpet. "Mandated Ignorance" sounded like a brand new song with an extended ska intro and trumpet running throught the chorus. Look for new recordings from them sooner rather than later.