In just a few days there is a show at The Empty Bottle that I put together to showcase some of the bands that recorded Hasty Revelations sessions in 2013. This is our second year in a row at the Bottle, and I couldn’t be more excited about the lineup. Last year we had four bands playing a free show on a Tuesday night in the middle of a torrential downpour and the turnout was so great (Thanks to everyone who came out last year!) This time we’re putting on a Sunday night gig with three amazing bands that will cost you a ridiculously low amount. It isn’t free, but $5 to see 3 sets of music is the same amount you would pay for one Grande White Chocolate Mocha at Starbucks, and that only lasts about 20 minutes if you’re lucky.

If you’re still unfamiliar with the whole Hasty Revelations thing, allow me to explain: A couple years ago I was at Handwritten Recording chatting with the owner/engineer Rick Riggs about some recording possibiites, and over the course of our conversation, we came up with the structure for Hasty Revelations. A band comes in and they’re given an hour to record whatever they want. My preference was for something the band hasn’t recorded before-the best example of this is Vintage Blue’s track. The song was still being written while they were in the studio-the session went a bit over an hour, but it absolutely embodied the spirit of the whole concept.

I really shot for the moon at the beginning, getting artists like Langhorne Slim and Bhi Bhiman to come by and record. It was a lot of fun, but over the first year I figured out that having local bands that I like come in was a much better use of the sessions. Bringing Langhorne Slim in was great, but it’s not like I was introducing his music to anyone-he’s well known enough that it was just another session for him and his band (good guys, though). So I started asking people like Chris Dertz of Bedroom Sons to come by and record. Bands that might actually benefit from this site featuring their music. We did about one session a month in 2013, a little less this year because I took the summer off to do other things. You can check out the results over on our Bandcamp page, and if you like what you hear feel free to not enter 0 when it asks you how much you’d like to pay for the record. All the money I get from record sales goes toward more sessions with great bands.

This year’s showcase at The Empty Bottle features one Chicago band and two out of Des Moines, Iowa. I’m really pleased with these three, and I hope you come check it out. Here’s some info on all three:

Christopher The Conquered is the solo project of Chris Ford. He put out one of my favorite albums of 2012 called The Fate Of A Good Man, and he’s been posting a video a week of himself covering a song that has produced some great results. I’ve never seen him perform live myself, but I’ve heard he’s one hell of a stage presence. Here’s a video of him covering one of my favorite Poison Control Center songs to give you an idea of his vocal range and charisma.

Project Film is the duo of High School friends Sam McCallister and Megan Frestedt, who in addition to putting out a great album in 2010 also have their own label with a roster full of great acts. They finished up recording their next record sometime last year, but have yet to announce a release date, or even put out a single. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll probably recognize them better as the people I’m constantly talking to about Forever Yogurt. If you’d like to bring us some Forever Yogurt at Empty Bottle this Sunday, please use the Contact Us tab to get in touch and I’ll get you all of our favorite toppings.

Gloom Balloon, our headliners for the evening, was born out of the need for artistic expression when Patrick Tape-Fleming’s band went on an indefinite hiatus. He paired with Chris Ford and brought in H.D. Harmsen to arrange some strings, and put together one of the best albums of 2013, in my opinion. You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Disaster/Fix The Sunshine (An Ode To Bill Doss In 7 Parts) is a huge departure from the usual guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll you would expect from the frontman of The Poison Control Center. It’s filled with large helpings of jazz, R&B, and pop. I described it as Herbie Hancock and Conor Oberst making a duet album, and I stand by that. Patrick has always been one of my favorite people to see live, and missing this opportunity, to see him along with two other great sets of music, would be a huge mistake.

Here’s a link to grab tickets if you don’t like carrying cash to pay at the door.