Great bands transcend city borders. Just ask Spirits Having Fun, a half-Chicago, half-Brooklyn-based band on the verge of breaking out both here, there, and across the country. This summer the group released “Auto Portrait,” its debut album chock full of off-kilter, post-punk-leaning art rock that eschews routine structures for something far more compelling sonically.
Operating on different coasts (the East Coast and the Third Coast, aka Chicago) has never been a challenge for the four-piece, comprised of Katie McShane, Jesse Heasly, Andrew Clinkman and Phil Sudderberg. In fact, that is how the group first formed. McShane and Heasly, based in Brooklyn, were members of a different band. Clinkman, who is based in Chicago, subbed in during their previous band’s tour. The experience was fruitful for the three.
“I think the three of us realized that we could make it happen playing music to each other if we wanted to, even though we lived in different places,” Clinkman said. “And so that was kind of like the birth of the band.” As the group discussed its aspirations, the members realized that Sudderberg, Clinkman’s frequent collaborator and a fellow Chicago resident, would make a perfect addition.
Although the logistics of creating a band on different coasts would be complicated for most, the members of Spirits Having Fun claim the benefits far outweigh any challenges they may encounter along the way. “We kind of decided from the outset that the value for us was playing music with your friends. Friends that you care about is a really powerful thing. And even if you have to spring for a flight every couple of times a year, it’s totally worth it,” said Clinkman.
Playing things by ear has been vital. Every few months, they’ll get together in Chicago or Brooklyn, write songs, play music, and pick up a few gigs. The process repeats a few months later. Developing a deep trust in each other has also been key.
During the earliest days, McShane and Heasly came to their sporadic rehearsals with nearly complete songs. Clinkman “actualized” the music, according to Heasly. The writing process for the second album, in the works, has been “totally different,” “much more collaborative,” and not unlike “writing together in the room.”
“I feel like that’s possible just because the band identity has really become something,” Heasly began. “We have to tap on our interactions in our relationships with each other to write, I think, more special music.”
That’s not to say “Auto Portrait” isn’t special. A quick listen to the nine-track record is something of a treat for audiences eager for music that challenges as much as it pleases. The music of Spirits Having Fun has been described as “telepathic-rock,” “not-quite-no-wave,” and “collaborative-magic,” just to name a few and it’s not hard to see why. Songs harken back to cult bands like Life Without Buildings or Family Fodder, who played with rhythm and structure and melody and still made it all work. The band’s music is born of an improvisational approach to music, resulting in a sound that’s endlessly weird and endlessly fun. “Because it’s just knowing each other and trusting each other, when we meet up, we’ll just pick up where we left off,” said McShane.
Britt Julious is a freelance writer.
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When: 8:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave.
Tickets: Free (21+); emptybottle.com
