The Original Craigslist Ad

When I first moved to Chicago in 2009, I was eager to start playing music. I didn’t know more than 4 people here, and they were all already in a band together. So I did what any desperate, semi-deranged juicer would do. I turned to CraigsList.

It didn’t pan out. Although I got a few interesting emails back, I never met up with anyone. Then one day my buddy Jason was in town, and he gave me some advice that he had applied to his band Talking Mountain – just start playing shows on your own, and you’ll meet people who dig what you’re doing and with whom you’ll want to be in a band.

So I did, and it quickly went from me playing solo with a sampler and a lot of delay pedals to a real four-person rock and roll band. Then, as the clock hands whirled round and round and life did what it does best and made fools of us all, it became a weird stripped down two-piece with a lot of delay pedals. Which, it turns out, is exactly the type of band I was hoping to start.

Here’s the ad in all its glory.

Looking to start garage/trash/weird duo or trio (Logan Sq)

Looking for one or two people who want to make weird/fun/interesting music that sounds like garage or proto-punk or surf or whatever.

Ideally, everyone would sing, and we would play instruments. Guitar, bass, organ/synth, small drum kit, drum machine, sampler, whatever. Maybe have all of them and play what sounds best/worst.

Where would we play? Maybe in basements, and maybe while wearing sunglasses.

I have a few song ideas I can share with you, but would like to write songs collectively.

Influences: ? and the Mysterians, Suicide, Voidoids, Modern Lovers, JAMC, Beat Happening, etc.

And yes, trash is a music genre. I just made it up and it is awesome.