Dead Rider, Lung, Heather the Jerk

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Bread Casey

Dead Rider

This triple bill of performers who could all be headlining is certainly the show of the week for fans of challenging rock music. Chicago's Dead Rider features former U.S. Maple guitarist Todd Rittman, and the project's recorded output seems on a mission to present a new sound every time out. Lung is a heavy duo of drums and cello playing like you've most likely never heard before; the Cincinnati band is on tour for the 2021 album Come Clean Right Now. And Madison is ably represented by Heather the Jerk, the solo project of Proud Parents drummer-singer-songwriter Heather Sawyer; an LP version of the 2021 album Cable Access TV is now available.

media release: Dead Rider, formerly known as D. Rider, is an American experimental rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was created by former U.S. Maple guitarist Todd Rittman, including Rittman as guitar and lead vocalist, Andrea Faught on trumpet and keyboard, Thymme Jones on keyboard, and Matt Espy on drums.

Powerhouse art-punk electric cello & drums rock duo. Lung has a sound that is dark and commanding, evoking the driving sludge of early grunge with layered sinister undertones.

Friday May 27, 9pm. $10; ages 21+.

More on Lung:

WHAT CRITICS HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT LUNG:

“Lung is the oddest couple since Oscar Madison and Felix Unger. Former Foxy Shazam bassist-turned-drum-beast Daisy Caplan and electric-cellist-to-the-stars Kate Wakefield team up to either A) slap on spandex onesies and fight crime in Metropolis or B) comprise a completely unexpected musical duo that upends genre expectations and pummels Grungy Indie Rock into new and unclassifiable shapes. Come Clean Right Now is Lung’s third and best album so far, a brilliantly dark document of feral intensity and agitated ferocity. “Sugar Pill” and “Landlocked” suggest Tony Iommi teaching a Nirvana class at Julliard, while the title track is the melodic cacophony of a Classical Punk chamber duo being menaced by murder hornets. Lung doesn’t try to fit in — they pry their way in with a velvet crowbar.”—Brian Baker, CityBeat Cincinnati

  “Blending prog rock, grunge, punk, metal and even references to classical music, Come Clean Right Now is a fast-paced roller coaster ride of explosively infectious music. For a duo that can easily be described as experimental in their approach not to mention their instrumental dynamic, the songs on the album are surprisingly melodic. It’s easy to hear inspiration from guitar-drum rock-and-roll duos, but Lung clearly takes their own path with the addition of a cello used for maximum rocking and only amplified by a gloriously relentless drum assault. Thematically, the duo ties in sadness and joy almost equally, making for a truly compelling listen.” —Glide Magazine

“There simply are so few other bands currently making music at this level, with this emotional resonance and with such innovation and poise. Lung is in a class all by themselves and this album is the just the latest in a string of incredible releases from them. It is expressive, explosive, and an exceptionally powerful gift to the world.”—Kate Hoos, Full Time Aesthetic

“The resulting music is fascinating, with both heavenly and evil vocals and powerful grunge emanating from the cello. The tracks are amazing post-grunge mixed with a dose of the avant garde. ”—Paul Silver, Jersey Beat

  "Lung's new single 'I'm Nervous" is all filthy riffs, the cello given this hard edged feel with effects, and pulsating drumming, but it’s also this taught, simmering pop song, blessed with singalong melodies and a punk edge to it." —Jim Fletcher, Backseat Mafia  

“’Sun God’ examines where there is beauty in the chaotic, the way that isolation has moments of small joy. The song explores the contradictions and polarities found in the uncomfortable and ugly sides of being human. Lyrically vulnerable and musically explosive, ‘Sun God,’ takes the listener on a journey through their own insecurities. It creates an opening to seeing what is lovely in the darkest of places.” —Loud Women  

“Straight out of Cincy (the city that gave birth to the mighty Afghan Whigs), Lung are loud, dissonant, innovative and fearless. Basically, they're exactly the type of outsider band that we’re designed to heap praise upon.” —Fair Shakes and Just Dessert

Powerhouse art-punk cello-rock duo Lung have a sound that is dark and commanding, evoking the driving sludge of early grunge with layered sinister undertones. The band is Kate Wakefield, a classically trained opera singer and cellist, and drummer Daisy Caplan, formerly of Foxy Shazam, Babe Rage, and Ayin. Playing shows from SXSW to Nelsonville Music Festival to famed DIY venues like 924 Gilman Street, Lung have made their presence known and developed the reputation as a “must see” band. Since their first performance in April 2016, the pair have played over 500 shows across North America and Europe.

When able to tour, Lung lives out of the van for most of the year. The band chooses to play in all-ages, non-bar venues as much as possible because it’s a part of their conviction that all people deserve access to music and art. Lung has shared bills with Le Butcherettes, Screaming Females, Big Business, Brainiac, Swearing At Motorists, Fucked Up, Priests, The Messthetics, La Casa Fantom, Machine Girl, Shellshag, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Hawthorne Heights, Downtown Boys, and Street Sects. Touring heavily in 2019, Lung traversed Europe and headlined a US tour. Their third album, Come Clean Right Now (released in 2021), hit the NACC charts at #17. They recently returned from a six week tour through the western US on their way to play Treefort Music Festival 10 in March 2022 and head out on a US tour supporting Mac Sabbath in Fall 2022. Catch them this summer at Nelsonville Music Festival and Mile of Music Festival.

Lung's new album Come Clean Right released via Sofaburn Records.