The M’s
2001-2009
In the year 2000, out of SANOPONIC came The M’s. Together with Steve’s old emo core Ordination of Aaron bandmate, Rob Hicks, and Joey King who worked with Rob at a restaurant, we made some stomping, 3-singer garagey rock music. I met Steve working at Uncle Dan’s on Lincoln Ave next to the famed rock club, The Lounge Ax. Joey moved here from Arkansas and things clicked pretty immediately. It was a real collaboration with everyone bringing songs and recording them together, throwing ideas around and drinking lots and lots of High Life. First on local Chicago friend’s label, Brilliante, we signed to Polyvinyl in 2003 and released 3 records with them, along with some splits and singles and EPs, made some videos and toured incessantly for years, playing festivals like SXSW, Lollapalooza, ACL, and Pitchfork and so many more. For a short time, we were Chicago media darlings and and opened up for all the great early aughts bands coming through town. Fun times all around.
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This is the first 4-song EP we put out in 2001. and started to get us some notoriety….and lots of gigs at sweet holes in the walls that don’t exist anymore like Cal’s Liquors in the Loop and The Mutiny.
Woodcut by Jess Lopresti
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Same debut 4-song EP released with new artwork . I made the diorama with wooden elephants from Chinatown and Joe Wigdal, Chris Strong, and Ed Menacho made the pic with us for their label, Brilliante Records in Chicago.
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We originally wanted to put out 3 EPs, but ended up signing with Polyvinyl and just put everything, including the 1st EP on this record. We found Dave the Robot who made these costumes out of trash.
design: Chris Strong
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This was our 2nd full length: Future Women from 2006. After 3 years of nearly constant touring, we holed up for weeks at Semaphore studios (RIP) with Steve as producer, chipping away on our most ambitious recordings up to that point. Some of the best times.
Cover design by Myra Mazzei and Chris Strong.
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Real Close Ones, our last record for Polyvinyl in 2008, and the most eclectic stylistically. After 8 years, we were moving in new directions and finding new inspiration. Photo from Simon’s Tavern by Jonathan Johnson
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The Personal Touch was a fun weird car crash of a record - a collaboration with Chicago friends and experimentalists TV Pow.
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The last 3 tracks compiled on this EP from Polyvinyl. I don’t know who put it together. It wasn’t us, but I’m glad they did. Last lyrics on the last song: “I’ve got to take my hand, and wave goodbye.” So it was. I look back at that time of the M’s with so much joy and happiness that I found these guys and we did that thing that felt on top of the world for a while.
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Tune In Turn On Drop Out was a record from the Isley Brothers that we covered at Schubas Tavern once and decided to make an homage 7” with the song fading and continuing on the B-side just like the original single. It’s bombast in the best way.
Dir. Jonathan Johnson with the Fisher Price PXL 2000 Camera
Dir. Eric Fensler w/ totally cleared excerpts from Captain America (1979)
Dir. David Faccini, Josh Chicoine