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The pop trio combines years of experience into an irresistible sound.

Friday Jun 11, 2010.     By Centerstage Chicago Staff

Music Feed

Follow Friday is an interview series in which each Chicago artist we talk to recommends a fellow local act.

This week's guest: Love Raid
Recommended by: Roommate

Love Raid may have just released its debut album in February, but by no means is this pop trio new to the Chicago scene. Justin Petertil (OFFICE, Roommate, Crap Engine), Seth Vanek (Roommate, Velvetron) and Gerard Barreto (recording engineer for Old Fake, Blasted Diplomats, Roommate) have been making music together since 2008, and been involved in Chicago music since well before that. Petertil gives us a bit of background.

Describe your sound in 140 characters or less.
Off-Pop. "..wonderfully crafted songs, simultaneously satisfying and unsettling." (according to Cody Hennesy of The Rhombus)

Where and when was your first show - and what was it like?
The Empty Bottle, March 2008. It was a benefit for a film project by Actor Slash Model (eventually titled, "Riot Acts: Flaunting Gender Deviance in Music Performance"). The stage is pretty high at the Bottle but it is still a comfortable venue and proved to be a great first show filled with friends and awesome strangers. The three of us in Love Raid have been musical collaborators in various ways for awhile and are good friends as well. Getting together to play some songs was an easy decision and transition.

Name three of your favorite Chicago spots.
The Whirlaway. The Hungry Brain (esp. on Sunday & Monday). The Hideout.

What Chicago artist/band should we interview next and why?
The aforementioned Actor Slash Model not only got us our first show in relation to their film, but are also fantastic songwriters/performers that we've known for a number of years now. They are a positive force in the city, using old and new traditions, and writing great witty songs addressing love/sex/gender/political/etc issues.