91.9 WFPK welcomes
Birds of Chicago
with Alan Semerdjian

8:30 pm / 8:00 doors open
21+

Americana, Indie-folk & Country-soul

They're back! BIRDS OF CHICAGO, is a collective based around JT Nero and Allison Russell. Whether touring as a duo or with the full family band, Nero and Russell have emerged as two of the most compelling new voices in North American Roots music. They return to the Unc after sharing earlier bills with Matt the Electrician and Sean Hayes. For several years Russell and Nero’s respective bands, Po' Girl (Vancouver, BC) and JT and the Clouds (Chicago, IL), have collaborated extensively, but on 2011’s Mountains/Forests, released under the JT Nero banner, they tapped into the true, bewitching power of their voices together on an entire record. The record received critical raves and won them new fans on both side of the Atlantic. Released late last year, "their brand-new eponymous debut (the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign) has already been hailed as one of the year's best roots debuts by the Chicago Sun-Times and L.A. Times, and exudes the kind of radiant harmonies and easy acoustic familiarity — spliced with clarinet, accordion and ukulele — that are difficult to fake." ~ Chris Grey, Houston Press. Nero’s fractured country-soul voice wrapped in Russell’s silver and gold tones, is a fine thing. Not too perfect, not at all saccharine, you’ll hear echoes of mountain gospel, street corner doo-wop, and classic soul. Accompanied by just a banjo and a guitar, it’s haunting. Fired by the band, it’s a full tilt revival.