There's nobody else in the business pulling off a show like ours completely DIY, and we're definitely taking things to a whole new level with the Chicago concerts - from the musical performance to the technical production to the artwork displays. And even though we're DIY, so many people have worked so hard to help us get our production off the ground that we'd like to acknowledge their priceless contributions. After all - in Kicksville, the crew is as much a part of the show as the monkeys on stage. So without further ado, let the credits roll!

 

Sky Cleven (video)

Brent Davies (I.T. tech)

Ben Surman (audio)

Schaefer Stage Lighting

Matt Rockwell

Perry Serpa

The bad news: Our e-store provider has gone offline and we haven't gotten a new host yet.

The good news: You can still get all the CDs, t-shirts, and knick-knacks directly from us at the show in January! We'll update y'all once our online store is back up and running.

So the first Chicago show at The Viaduct Theater is behind us, and we thought it went pretty damn well. But to give y'all an objective view,here's what Jeff Elbel (Chicago Sun Times and/or The BIg Takeover) had to say about it:

 

"Madison, WI-based Kicksville are determined to break into Chicago. If anyone can do it on word of mouth alone, they can - but hopefully it won't come to that. To say the band's stage show is ambitious for club touring is an understatement. What immediately struck neophytes like myself was the feast for the eyes. Got ADHD? No problem. I have found the band for you. The band's production level is much more in tune with a theater presentation - think Blue Man Group. The music, however, is not as streamlined. Fans of at least three entirely separate genres of music could have walked away from the Viaduct with a new favorite song. Progressive and edgy darkwave stylings appealed to fans of Tool and Porcupine Tree. A cover of Monkey Man was a spirited romp to thrill fans of second wave ska or devotees of the Specials. Anyone who has followed Blur frontman Damon Albarn down the rabbit hole into world music was clamoring for more of the band's Malian fare. And the playing was superb.... Kicksville has been semi-accurately compared to Frank Zappa's later period, but that really just means they're unclassifiable - and perfect for people ready to engage with intelligent, crafty, witty virtuosos. Don't miss them."

 

Pretty nice, eh? Thanks, Jeff! Anyway, we've posted a shiteload of photos on our Myspace & Facebook pages, and you can download free MP3s from the show HERE - including some newer stuff we've never played live before. And  even better: we'll be at The Kinetic Playground in March to do it all over again!

Now the Viaduct show is behind us, it's time to look forward to the next show at The Kinetic Playground!

 

Kicking off the night will be the amazing and disturbing Biff Blumfumgagnge (pronounced "blooming ganja"), who will roll out his alien electric mandolin technology, a violin, and a few other surprises to create a live soundtrack to the classic vampire movie, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Other special guests include Geoff Brady (the Gomers, Zombeatles, Madison Symphony) on percussion and aqua harp, and a post-show party with DJ Hulk, spinning dub and electronica. And definitely don't forget the art exhibits by Andy Ewen and resident artist Tone Deaf. All brought to you as part of our Chicago-area multimedia event series in conjunction with our fine freaky friends at Zombie Army Productions.

Got any extraneous bits of weird shite knocking around your house?

Doll parts?

Broken CDs?

Old drum heads or guitar strings?

Toys your kids won't play with anymore?

 

Bring it all to the gig and give it to Tone Deaf - he'll make it into art during the show! Really.... You'd be amazed (and possibly horrified) what Tone is able to use in his artwork. So bring it on, and turn the useless into, well, something else useless but much cooler ;-)

To celebrate our Chicago run, we will be releasing a special two-disc version of our debut album, Enter the Flavor Hut. Since these upcoming shows are our first expedition to the The Windy City, we thought it would be a good way to introduce Chicago to the story of Bob, Candy, and Johnny.

Disc 1 contains the original tracks, lovingly re-mastered by Jay Frigoletto at MASTERsuite. Disc 2 contains live versions of the songs, plus a couple of bonus live tracks not on Enter the Flavor Hut or available anywhere else. We will not be releasing this digitally - it will only be for sale at the Chicago-area performances!