Written by Shea Roney

On Tuesday, January 20th, the ugly hug will host our next showcase at Schubas Tavern in Chicago. The lineup of Friendly Faces, Girly Pants and Liska will play in part of Schubas local High Five music series. Tickets are $5 with doors opening at 7:30pm and show at 8:00pm.

We recently got to interview each of our featured artists in preparation for the show.

Friendly Faces have always brought words to motion, recentering what matters most in the world with such simple fixations, open hearts and really good tunes. Started by Cam Goulder and Griffin Mang, but now showcasing friends Jakob Morris, Simona Boson, CJ Wells and Nick Von Oldenburg. What stands out at any Friendly Faces show are the harmonies between Cam and Simona, playing to their endearing lyricism and the definitive characteristic of storytelling that brings a lasting charm to each track. Songs like “Lonely Trucker” and “Smokin’ Doobies” offer subtle and sweet affairs to these unruffled, picturesque daydreams of being young, dumb and sensitive. 

Friendly Faces started in 2021 as just a three-piece, but has since become a much larger bawith the inclusion of Simona, CJ and now Nick. Where have you seen the project grow from the early days of “Why Do I Care” to the full band performances that folks will catch at Schubas?

I think we’ve grown a lot with new songs and covers.  The music has become fuller especially with the drums. It totally changes the sound and pace in way that I really like.

You guys recently embarked on a tour for The Apartment, your DIY traveling venue, with both Friendly Faces and Yin Waster. Having been your first time playing out of Illinois, what was that experience like? Did you find other DIY scenes in other states similar to Chicago?

We’ve played in other states before but not on a tour. This was our first time doing a weekender, going to Fort Wayne, Columbus and finishing the tour up in Chicago. It was fun to be able to take our music to different audiences and have crowds that I’ve never seen before. It’s very different than Chicago, and makes me really love Chicago. There’s always so much going on here. 

I can’t help but to connect songs like “Dear Satan” and “Your Total is 666” to the devil. Are you at all worried that your songs will have a negative influence on the youth and their fragile minds?

I wrote Dear Satan with Griffin and it’s inspired by a song from the 1950s, “Satan is Real” by the Louvin Brothers. Dear Satan is a love song, just like the one by the Louvin Brothers. People have been singing about Satan for years. I don’t think it should corrupt the youth any more now than it did then. 

What’s next for the faces? More songs in the works? 

Yes! We are recording more songs right now, some that will be played at the 1/20 show at Schubas! Look out for new releases, including a music video.

Girly Pants, fronted by songwriter Sabreen Alfadel, is a project that has become interchangeable with both her growth as a musician and as an individual. Girly Pants as a band, consisting of friends Luigi De Col on drums, Drew Emerson on bass and newest member David Ho on guitar, who as a unit craft steady tracks amongst swooning guitar lines and invigorating rhythms. But at its core, Alfadel’s writing becomes a point of reflection, wielding both strength and tenderness with each melody and quip she performs.

Girly Pants recently embarked on your first tour with fellow Chicago band Rain Garden. How was that experience for you? Did it make you look at your work as a band in a different way after that time?

It was such a special experience, and we learned a lot about what it means to test new songs out on the road. There’s one unreleased song that was taking us forever to piece together, and after playing it for the first few shows of the tour, we accepted that it just wasn’t fully there yet and decided to cut it from the setlist. Now that we’ve stepped away from it for some time and revisited it with a new perspective and new lead guitarist, there’s a clear newfound confidence in how we play it live, and it feels good to see how far that song has come since tour.

There’s another unreleased song we played on tour that we thought we really liked, but later realized doesn’t fit the somewhat new direction we’re going for. Touring really made us reevaluate the sound that we have, and we feel excited to step things up and be extra intentional with how a song fits a setlist or future release. 

You recently introduced a new lead guitar player to your lineup. What was that audition process like for and what are you excited about with the new contributions? 

David Ho! We love David! We’ve grown so close in such a short period of time, and we’re so thankful for his talent, enthusiasm, and creativity. When we first auditioned David, he expressed that he’s an alt-rock boy at heart who nowadays is delving more into r&b, soul, and jazz-adjacent stuff to level up his musicianship. It’s definitely very apparent in his playing and guitar tone, which gets me so excited. The new songs we’re working on together feel a lot more melodic/dreamy with a rock undertone, versus having distortion at the forefront. It’s a natural progression to my songwriting, and his contributions fit like a glove. 

We auditioned four guitarists and asked them to learn two songs from Nurture and contribute ideas to an unreleased song to get a sense of their style. David’s ideas for the new song were what sealed the deal, and as we were really getting to know each other, this text from him was just the cherry on top:

This past October, you hosted what may be your final Halloween/birthday show. How did that tradition begin? What have you taken away from planning and performing a much anticipated show every year?

I never really planned for this to be a yearly thing, I just remember thinking playing a Weezer set for my October birthday would be a blast and a half. And it was! So Coldplay, Pixies, and then Nirvana followed…but every year it became more stressful to organize. I never want music to feel like an obligation, and if I have to force myself to figure out what other band to cover, then maybe it’s not meant to be. I really love learning and covering songs, and it’s cool getting an in-depth insight into a band’s tunings and chord progressions. There’s nothing like playing a setlist of bangers for a crowd that knows all the songs!

Girly Pants is a heavy frequenter of local Chicago bills, being a highly anticipated act for both DIY and venue spaces. I know that you have experienced some show burnout the past year. Have you reevaluated the way you embrace performing over that time? Have you been able to further express how burnout feels to you and ways to help ease that tension?

We’re definitely becoming more selective with the shows we play. I think playing a bunch of shows last year was a great way to get our name out, but now I want to focus my efforts on new music. It’s been fun tightening up the setlist and spending practices working on new music instead of playing through the same setlist. Having time to just mess around on my guitar on my own time is so important to me, and playing shows a little less frequently gives me more time to do that. 

What’s on the horizon for the Girly Pants crew? New music perhaps?

We are actively working on new music for an album! All show funds we play from now on are going into the recording bank, and I couldn’t be more excited. We’re embracing a different sound and I’m confident it will be a strong follow-up to Nurture. 

Liska is the stage alias of Chicago-based pop artist Annelise Steele, blending the glitter, glam and sweat with both a rambunctious heart and a catchy melody. This past summer found Liska sharing her latest EP, Acting Above Your Station, the title being a phrase relating to someone acting pretentious, but to her can also be used as a deliberate means to make things happen. Since its release into the world, receiving attention for the pop-centered hit “I Guess That’s What I Get”, Liska has seen changes happen in a tangible sense. Releasing new singles, playing many shows and opening her own local recording space called Hazy Star, Liska has not only made a name for herself in Chicago and beyond, but continues to look ahead into a more engaging and glittery community. 

You recently released a one-off single called “I’ll Tell You When to Laugh” that your dad helped you produce, mix and master. What did that experience mean to you? 

This song was a way of reminding myself I still got it, for lack of better words. I recorded the song on vacation in Florida on a USB mic I had shipped there and wasn’t recording with the intention to release anything. The experience reminded me how much I love to work and write alone, and how good of a producer my dad actually is (lol). I’m lucky to have such a talented and cool dad.

Speaking of producing, you recently opened your own recording studio, Hazy Star, with fellow Chicago producer, Ricardo Tolbert. Having worked on a session together back in 2020, what sparked you two to create your own space? What are you learning about your own approach to recording and producing from this experience? What do you want to see this space become?

I spent a lot of time in the studio around the time we met and was beginning to miss writing and recording regularly throughout the week, having a place to go and create and just forget about my more mundane life worries. When I approached him with the idea of getting our own space he seemed to be in a similar mindset so it just kind of worked out.

I’m learning I have a lot of ideas and opinions and being a producer isn’t necessarily about inserting them; I now aim to guide artists through their own sea of thoughts, ideas and even insecurities. I want the space to be a safe haven for grounded creative exploration. I took an incredibly cathartic meditation-focused healing class this past spring (s/o Penny Gac of Casa Penny!) that inspired me to bring the same grounded practices to the space – I hope to provide more guided vocal meditations to artists who are interested to help navigate them through the recording process.

This past spring saw you release your latest EP Acting Above Your Station, which found you writing with more confidence in order to manifest new things to come. How does it feel to have that EP out for some time now, and have you seen these manifestations come through both in your personal and creative life? 

In all seriousness “Le Creuset” manifested scary accurate for me in the best way, so that’s fun. I’m finally embodying that air of confidence I was projecting while writing and recording those songs. It all seems so long ago – I feel like an incredibly different person. I don’t think this EP is ready to completely go away; like it’s waiting for the right ears, the right time, the right music distribution platform.

This upcoming show at Schubas will be unique for you, as you said you will be performing solo and mixing on stage. How does the Liska stage presence come through with this setup compared to the full band experience? What do you feel when performing alone?

I lied a little bit (will have keys and guitar) but I will, in fact, be holding it down on the sampler. In all honesty, I’m always extremely nervous trying something new on stage but the feeling of having done it afterwards is worth the worry. I think I end up giving more when I have less around me on stage – like I’m subconsciously trying to compensate for the lack of full band. Chicago realllyyyyyy loves a live band so it can be a little nerve wracking.

I know you will be taking some time off from performing in the weeks ahead. What’s in the works at Liska HQ going forward? 

Mostly boring things, some fun. There’s one more song I’m hoping to put out with a video that will be shot this spring. Hopefully more photoshoots – I love a photoshoot. I’d like to put a lot of focus on Hazy Star and get my reps in as a producer. Oh and um… I would love to start playing live in other cities. Tour?

Buy tickets to The Ugly Hug Schubas showcase HERE.