Ghastly Menace is undergoing a transformation. Consider this current lineup — Andy Schroeder, Chris Geick, Kody Nixon, Clinton Weber, Patrick Lawlor and Michael Heringhaus — as a new band, or at least a newer band. From a finalized lineup to a more open songwriting process to stronger instrumental and vocal nods toward pop music, Ghastly Menace is eager to embark on the next chapter in the evolution of the band.
Growing up in suburban Batavia, Schroeder and Geick frequently performed together in a post-hard-core band. “Every single band that we’ve been in has been together, one way or another,” Geick said.
Forming Ghastly Menace became a chance to further develop their sound, without sticking to the same type of music Schroeder and Geick were too familiar with. “We had been doing it for a while and we found a good groove. It was just easy for us to knock out these songs,” said Schroeder. “And by that time, we were just playing to play. We were listening to other music too.”
Schroeder and Geick eventually moved to Chicago, a few years apart, to pursue music and art. Chicago — with its abundance of local bands and an eclectic environment — proved challenging and rewarding. “It took me a while to transition, I think, just spending my life growing up in this small town,” said Schroeder. “It’s a big contrast coming to Chicago, living in a neighborhood hearing gunshots for a while. But now, within the last two or three years, I’ve started to embrace it.”
The group began in 2009 but went through numerous lineups and a long hiatus before reaching its current status. “When we started it, we were just these kids growing up in Batavia,” Geick said. “When we restarted, we had both been in the city for a few years so it was much easier.”
Regrouping for Ghastly Menace was an easy transition. Schroeder and a few other current band members were also members of the Chicago group Suns. And during the Ghastly Menace hiatus, Schroeder and Geick still received requests to perform in local shows. After some consideration, the two came back together to examine the type of music they could create.
Like the band, the songwriting process is also changing.
The group’s latest album, “Songs of Ghastly Menace,” was recorded last summer and only released in winter 2014. The group is now hard at work on its next release, which the members hope to record and release soon. Schroeder and Geick describe their new process as a more stripped-down effort. Rather than crafting songs from Schroeder, the band’s original and primary songwriter, the group is more likely to come together to craft the direction of each new song.
As with “Songs of Ghastly Menace,” the upcoming album will feature the full band lineup.
The group is more comfortable playing together, a comfort that allows for a more experimental sound. “Our sound now is up in the air,” Schroeder said.
In “Weird Year,” a new track, the group is pushing itself toward a sound it wasn’t used to: pop. “You have to start allowing yourself to say, ‘I’m going to listen to this because there’s a reason why people like it.’ Am I going to bring it into my music? Probably, but that’s a good thing,” Geick said.
In contrast to, as they describe it, the “DIY garage rock” approach currently dominating the Chicago scene, Ghastly Menace feels comfortable incorporating its many interests and experimenting with the final results.
“We’re in a spot where we’re much more comfortable working together and playing together and knowing our roles together in the band,” Schroeder said.
When: 12 p.m. Saturday
Where: Emporium Arcade Bar, 1366 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Tickets: Free (21+), 773-697-7922 or emporiumchicago.com
Julious is a freelance writer.
Twitter @chitribent
