Erik Roldan writesCHIRP + Coach House Sounds Present: Fake Limbs

Fake Limbs have joined the ranks of Chicago indie royalty – they have a Coach House Sounds session up, and they just signed to BLVD Records CHIRP chatted with them about Chicago, their feelings on living here, and the exciting summer they’ve got lined up. Check out their session, released on May 22 over at coachhousesounds.com and listen to CHIRP for some preview tracks!

1. What the dumbest thing you’ve ever done in a basement?
 
Stephen: When I was a kid, my older sister had her first ever sleep over and I streaked it. Okay that’s not dumb, that’s hilarious.  When I was in high school, I had a noise band called The Boot Licking Shovel Diggers. Most recordings took place in the basement, and we had an old upright piano stashed down there. It was beautiful… we trashed it. The guitarist jumped on top of it, and danced on the keys… straight up wrecked it. Allowing him to do that was easily the dumbest thing I’ve done in a basement.
 
Bryan: I guess I’ll go with helping my friend test a zip gun that he’d just built, back in high school.  It was a bit of steel tubing welded to some steel rod with a piece of wood duct taped to it for a handle.  We went right outside of the basement stairs and my buddy lit the fuse.  Neither of us thought anything was going to happen, but then it fired.  It was the loudest thing I’ve ever heard.  I couldn’t hear anything.  We were screaming at each other but all we could hear was ringing.

Nick: Taught myself how to play drums 
 
2. Can you tell me about one time when you realized Chicago was YOUR city?

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Stephen:+ I’ve never felt this way; I’ve reached a point in my life where I can burn a little clout here and there (e.g. I can get a discount on some coffee, I get some records set aside for me, people show love) but I’ve never once felt like Chicago is my city. There are people that have lived here their entire life that will remind you of that, and I think it’s engrained in me. Chicago is not my city. The roads are fucked, and the pizza is terrible. Barcelona on the other hand, is my city. Maybe Montreal from ’92—‘94 (Guns N’ Roses & two Stanley Cup Riots. That’s living!)
 
Bryan: Stephen’s full of shit.  He’s about as Chicago as they come.  I grew up in Logan Square, so I’ve always felt that this was my city.  I think that sense of belonging hit me most recently when I was watching Mayor for Life at Quenchers a few months back.  They’re a great band made up of hardworking and unpretentious dudes: quintessentially Chicago.  The special brand of music this city produces has always resonated deeply with me.  Nick hates it here.
 
Mat: It was my fourth or fifth trip to NYC. I was riding in from JFK in a taxi and I wasn’t having any of those tingly feelings I had when I previously visited.  Chicago is awesome, even if it lacks a lot of things that a city like New York has. It’s a tough city in its own right, I’ve seen it chew people up and spit them out.  Ultimately, it’s a city to be proud of, especially when it comes to music, definitely when it comes to beer.

Nick:  The jury’s still out on this one.  I’ve been here for 7 years and it’s just starting to grow on me.

3. Describe a scenario where Fake Limbs could be someone’s life coach
 and the top 2 life lessons you’d teach them.
 
Stephen: It’d probably be at a basement show, and there’d be a crowd of completely disinterested kids. They would not be paying attention at all. Lesson #1: Ice. Pistol. Maid Service.  Lesson #2. Your anger should know no bounds. 
 
Bryan: Lesson #1: If someone threatens you with an implied gun, they probably don’t have one, but you still shouldn’t try to be a fucking hero. Lesson #2: Learn to live with uncertainty.

Mat: No one would want a life-lesson from me, other than they should know not to get a life-lesson from a bass player.
 
Nick:  Lesson #1:  Knock it off!  Everybody!  Lesson #2:  Never get a life lesson from a bass player.
 
4. Tell me about your CHS session—what did you like about it? Was there anything that surprised you or was spontaneous that came out in the recording?
 
Stephen: Everyone at CHS were total sweethearts. It was somewhat nerve-wracking to perform what could be considered loud, aggressive music to three people with nary a response other than “Cool. Let’s do the next one.” I felt like I had a better understanding of what Rodney Dangerfield felt on the set of “Caddyshack.” He would do his lines, and then freak out that no one was laughing. They weren’t laughing because they had to be quiet in order to get the shot. So, for me, I kept thinking “Oh Christ, they HATE us.” But they didn’t… they were so nice and so great. As for spontaneity, I changed some lyrics around.
 
Bryan: Because the ceiling was so low, I found myself wanting to play guitar while hanging from it somehow.  I petitioned the band to let me play from a sex swing, but to no avail.  It’d have been a logistical nightmare anyway.  Stephen was wearing a balaclava, but then he got hot and took it off. 

Mat: CHS were great. Those guys were genuinely into it and it made the session more exciting than I thought. We rolled in almost limping as a band due to colds and a rough evening before.

Nick:  CHS was a super fun experience.  I was sick as a dog and it was like 10 in the morning but we still managed to pull it off.

5. What’s happening? What are your current/upcoming shows or releases?

Stephen: Our debut album just came out on BLVD records. It’s great. You know that band Flipper? It doesn’t sound like that. It also doesn’t sound like Void, so it’s technically better than Flipper but not as good as Void. (Note: any band that compares themselves to VOID is full of shit) The next release will come out when it’s finished.
 
Bryan: We’ve got a record release show coming up on May 25th at the Hideout!  We’re playing with Blizzard Babies, our BLVD labelmates, and the Blasted Diplomats.  DJ Supreme Court spins.  There will be copious libations and unforgivable debauchery.

Mat: Besides the Hideout release party, we’re playing the PRFBBQ that Tar is graciously reuniting for and opening up for us.  We are also currently working on our new album that is going to be about FDR. I’m not even joking.

Nick: What they said.