Chicago punk-rock legend Brendan Kelly is probably best known for his work with The Lawrence Arms, his previous output in Slapstick and The Broadways, and the hilariously bleak things he tweets as his “Nihilist Arby’s” internet alter ego. Additionally, Kelly bolsters his sterling musical reputation with The Falcon and the misunderstood masterpiece that is his Brendan Kelly and The Wandering Birds solo endeavor. While you likely know and possibly love at least one of those bands, you almost certainly have no awareness of Kelly's preceding projects like Vegetable Train, J.P.B and Gladhand.
Kelly recently met My First Band host Tyler Maas in the back room at Gman Tavern in Chicago, where the two talked about the prominent punk rocker's modern-day material, writing songs like "Nuts, Nuts, We Want Nuts" as a grade schooler, playing his first shows in high school, the unexpected rise (and rapid fall) of Slapstick, making kids cry tears of disappointment in The Broadways, and The Lawrence Arms' slow build over the course of their 20 years together. Kelly and Maas both also spent some time discussing the important role Mike Park, of Dill Records and Asian Man Records, played in their musical past.
My First Band is sponsored by Boulevard Brewing and is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. Music used in this show comes courtesy of Devils Teeth (“The Junction Street Eight Tigers”), Slapstick ("February One") and Brendan Kelly and The Wandering Birds ("Black Cat Boy").
