Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

Virtual L ®

Musician At Work Forums in Chicago. Learn the Biz.
RELATED INFORMATION
Who's Who - Music

Styles: Alternative Rock, Rock Artists, Bands

Directory: S
Own The Spelunkers Today!
Clubs & Venues
By Style
A to Z
Reviews by Users
Articles & Features
All Articles
SUBSCRIBE to
CRUMB and FestFile is Centerstage Chicago's Weekly E-Newsletter.
Enter your email to get
our weekly newsletter:

The Spelunkers
 
It's guitar-driven power-chorded rock 'n' roll music, man. Originally out of Bloomington, Ill., the band which grew out of the now-defunct Something Brothers, was recently invited to open for the Bottlerockets and Todd Snider at St. Louis' Mississippi Nights. The current line-up is a power trio made up of Tommy O'Donnell (songwriter, guitarist, vocalist and antique auctioneer in real life), Clay Thompson (bassist, vocalist and TV station master control operator in real life) and John Ganser (drummer and hog farmer in real life).

They have a new record Demand Your Annual Rent out on Whitehouse Records. It's more of their fantastic down-state pop-rock. It's funny, edgy and entertaining, and at times, even a bit arty, but above all it is a fantastic rock record. "Blessing," the title track, and "Grapes and Cables" are all fantastic. The last is a mellower song that is one of the best indie-pop tracks that I've heard in a while. In addition to the nice Odyssey reference in the title, "Lotus Eater" is a fantastic, driving rock tune and the colser, "Looking at Many" has a nice trippy, though at times almost creepy feel to it.

Their first record, Breakfast is America (named after the classic Supertramp LP), is also available on Whitehouse. The record encompasses indie rock and pop as well as some lighter moments and some impressive guitar virtuosity. The quirky record sometimes sounds like the soundtrack to a David Lynch directed episode of the Dukes of Hazard - if such a thing is conceivable. "Diggin' a Hole," "Goodnite Gents", "Bees" and "Powerhouse (The Ren and Stimpy Theme)" are standout tracks.

Got a correction? Click Here

Pages linking to this one include:

chicago, metromix