Craig Reptile: Your Sunday Sonic Sundowner writesCHIRP Radio Presents Fountains of Wayne at the Old Town School of Folk Music on April 20th

CHIRP Radio is proud to present Fountains Of Wayne in a special, all ages solo acoustic duo performance this Saturday April 20th at the Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall in the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Park. 

Since 1996, Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger have been crafting the most perfect power pop songs, with lyrics that inspire with their specificity and intellectual perspective without ever leaving behind the average listener.

Years ago, reading an article in TIME magazine, their critic was bemoaning the general language of love songs, and I thought to myself, "What about Fountains Of Wayne?"  Sure enough, their writer went on to say that the exception was the New York born quartet, for whom referencing a car in a song is insufficient, it has to be a "late '92 Subaru" and the narrator in "Hackensack" didn't just have "a class" with a girl when they were younger, "we sat together in Period One, Fridays at 8:15."  "Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim" is another great example of the clear pictures that Fountains Of Wayne paint, and one of their most poignant pieces.

In a review of their most recent record, Sky Full Of Holes for NPR, former Entertainment Weekly writer Ken Tucker called them without doubt the finest contemporary pop-rock band in America," Alternative Press called the record "exquisite," and Spin magazine included it in their "Summer Albums That Matter Most."

The "Dean Of American Rock Critics" Robert Christgau has called Fountains Of Wayne "lyric poets" and "true art heroes, and the band has been nominated for two Grammy awards, including Best New Artist after the release of their 2003 album, Welcome Interstate Managers, which included their biggest hit single, "Stacy's Mom."

This special acoustic performance will feature Fountains of Wayne's Collingwood and Schlesinger in their most stripped down musical setting, allowing the audience to focus on their brilliantly constructed lyrics and wonderful melodies.

The show starts at 8 pm with Mike Viola, founder and former front-man of The Candy Butchers opening.  Not only has Viola written and produced for artists like Mandy Moore, Rachel Yamagata and Brett Dennen, but he's also composed music for movies like Walk Hard, That Thing You Do! and Get Him To The Greek.

The artists on tonight's line-up will make it a night to remember and CHIRP Radio is delighted to present this special concert event.

For further details, visit the Old Town School's Web site or CHIRP Radio's Events page.