Health and Beauty - Nitetrotter Session

Illustration Duane Jewett / Sound Engineering Brian Sulpizio / Text Nathan Gregory - March 25, 2012

For a long time I thought that the most beautiful things in life are love and friendship. Now that list has grown to more and more things and Health and Beauty is right near the top. After playing a show with this apathetic duo at Happy Dog, I knew I had to bring them in for a session. Well instead they brought us in to do the session. The lead master behind Health and Beauty, Brian Sulpizio runs an amazing recording studio called Chateau in Humboldt Park. At Chateau, Brian has tracked other nitetrotters like Animal City, Names Divine and Mines. They invited us over and Brian did the tracking and we did the video. This session really captures the quiet hopeful sound of Health and Beauty. With just a desert delayed guitar and windy auto harp paired with Sulpizio's expressive vocals, the music gently flows happily into the listeners ears. Catch Health and Beauty all around Chicago and new upcoming releases.

Here is some beautiful footage of Health and Beauty live at Chateau during the tracking of their nite session. Both delicate and goofy.



Health and Beauty - Mary, Little Kings, Nancy, Fine Horseman

Recorded live at Chateau in Chicago, IL

Generfius - Nitetrotter Session

Illustration Katie Shlon / Sound Engineering Nathan Gregory / Text Nathan Gregory - March 25, 2012

I first met Generifus in 2011 at SXSW. Friends of friends and now friends for life. The solo man Generifus resides in Olympia, WA. Also a musical member on local well known label K Records. We crashed at his house in Olympia one time on tour. Woke up in the morning to everybody drinking the remaining beers from the night before watching Back Yard Wrestling movies. Besides being just a rad fun guy, Generifus also known by his real name Spencer Sult is a blossoming singer songwriter. I have had the song "I Know," stuck in my head for a year now. Blessed with an apathetically beautiful singing voice and creative ability to play the guitar. Generifus is a truly amazing songwriter. If you ever are in Olympia make it a point to meet this person and watch for upcoming releases from Generifus.

Really feel what this session was like with this sick video.



Generifus - Tunnel, Train Track, Out Loud, I Know, Gunna Come Back, I Will Comply

Recorded live in Logan Square in Chicago, IL

Mines - Nitetrotter Session

Illustration Katie Shlon / Sound Engineering Nathan Gregory / Text Mykee P - March 20, 2012

Diggin deeper than a fantasy, and somewhere past that one night you spent tripping alone in an attic for a few years where you stumble out of the psychedelic vortex rubbing yr guitar with a toothbrush and suddenly all your friends are there, and you haven't slept for days because yr too high. And in a weird way drugs have disposed of yr faith in any situation that lacks feeling. And that's a good thing, cuz yr feeling good. And if yr ever not feelin it, you just hum until you sing and sing until you follow that feeling deeper till the drums start thumping again, and you feel the bass ripping along the edges, mmmmmmmmelting the edges, and you feel like shaking yr edges because when yr shaking, in a funny way they go away. All the edges dissappear, and slowly so do you…
Then you wake up surrounded by a mess of beer cans, empty pizza boxes, and cassette tapes. and some clip from sickdunks.com is idly playing on the screen, begging to pull you away from the mess. But instead you gaze at the mess…
You feel the mess, because, shit, the world is a mess, and you are a part of that mess.
But its only saturday morning, and yr still allowed to feel good for one more night. So you grab a guitar pick, and with one giant sweep across the strings, the mess is swept under the psycho-sonic rug. And soon all yr friends are there again.
And you know what it feels like to vibrate.
And as long as you're there yr shitty job means nothing.
And yr happy yr broke again, because that means yr drunk and you know why you have friends. Mines are our new friends and hope you get to know them too.

Check out how psychedelic this session was during the tracking courtesy of NitetrotterTV.



Mines - Rose Marie/ Answers My Head, I See Better in the Dark When I'm High, Parting Partly Party, Hearts, Bad is the Old Better

Recorded live in Logan Square in Chicago, IL

Alaskas - Nitetrotter Session

Illustration Calvin Whitehurst / Sound Engineering Nathan Gregory / Text Nathan Gregory - March 13, 2012

It truly is so amazing how much one can do with there own voice. Add a delay pedal and loop pedal and ones voice can carry you through many dimensions. Alaskas, the one man machine of Brooklyn's Dillon James Rego accomplishes that. The voice of Alaska's Rego is almost every piece to the puzzle. Beat boxing drum loops start these masterpieces. Followed by some looped singing that sounds almost like a synth. These really start to build his creations before his voice comes through yet again chirping words of being up and down and wanting. Even adding a emotional scream that shows he is serious. Was lucky to meet Dillon while he was visiting Chicago and tracked this sick session.

Here is some footage "I Love Life" from Alaskas Nitetrotter session live.



Alaskas - I Love Life, Farewell to them All and Play Rough

Recorded live in Pilsen in Chicago, IL

Lil Dusk - Nitetrotter Session

Illustration Drew Labarre / Sound Engineering Nathan Gregory / Text Nathan Gregory - March 11, 2012

Lil Dusk is my good friend Ashely Johnson. A long time lady of Chicago decided to pack her bags and head to the big apple. We tracked these two songs only days before she left us for the even bigger city. What she left us with was these two gems made with her partner Bryan Clopton. With both a mixture of hip hop and sharp singing vocals screaming sex and drugs. What more could you want.

Want to see this live? Here you go...



Lil Dusk - First Song and Second Song

Recorded live in Pilsen in Chicago, IL

The Funs - Nitetrotter Session

Illustration Duane Jewett / Sound Engineering Nathan Gregory / Text Nathan Gregory - March 6, 2012

"All you want to do is bring me down," sings The Funs male half Phillip Lesicko. This band does everything but bring me down though. Crunchy driving guitar backed with beat bopping drums with some 80's punk vocals and you have a nasty mix that is The Funs. Even more interesting his how the duo switch from drums and guitar. The guitar reminds me of a sped up Joy Division. Resident Chicago rockers create the boy girl duo of The Funs. Lesicko also runs his own label called Manic Static. Catch The Funs playing around town and really enjoy these tunes.

This is live footage courtesy of NitetrotterTV, of The Funs while being recorded for this session.



The Funs - Drag, Dead Days, Still Sick, Moon, Yeah Sure and Hey Babe.

Recorded in Pilsen in Chicago, IL

Anthony Levin-Decanini - Nitetrotter Session

Illustration Katie Shlon / Sound Engineering Nathan Gregory / Text Nathan Gregory - March 4, 2012

Deep in the dark confines of the late Drone City played a man named Anthony Levin-Decanini. A long time Chicago noiser and proud father. We tracked this very original session while Decanini performed live at Drone City with bands Deep Earth and Food Pyramid. A very avant style with uses of electronics and panning. The most interesting being when he used this device that would slide a card through it. The sounds were jarring and frightful but to my delight. Take a listen to this abstract nite session by Anthony Levin-Decanini.


Anthony Levin-Decanini - Live @Drone City

Recorded at Drone City in Chicago, IL

Johnny Young - Nitetrotter Session

Illustration Drew Labarre / Sound Engineering Nathan Gregory / Text Nathan Gregory - March 3, 2012

Watching Johnny Young picking is like watching a ceiling fan go round. Its movement so quick that it looks as if it is standing still. Even more fascinating about his picking is the fact that he only picks with with two fingers. Many people refer to this style as Travis picking after famous guitarist Merle Travis. Johnny Young is quite the experienced guitar player for being so young in age. Well versed at many traditional folk tunes and war hymns, Young plays acoustic 12 string to bar slide to even picking up a banjo for the first time and sounding like a veteran. We spent an early afternoon in the living room of my apartment tracking some great stuff. Keep an ear out for some future releases of Johnny Young and hopefully some collaborations with good friend Ryley Walker.

Here is some great footage of Johhny Young while recording the session and his furry audience.



Johnny Young - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Recorded in Logan Square in Chicago, IL