Deeper

Photography and interview by Drew Reynolds.

Sophomore Album Auto-Pain was released on March 27th via Fire Talk Records.

Most of the band lives in Pilsen, which is a southwest side neighborhood of Chicago. What’s the community like? Is it still filled with artists and what are some of your fave Pilsen spots?

• Pilsen is really great – it’s a pretty working class Mexican neighborhood, but that has changed more in recent years. There are still some artists, but most of the main drag on Halsted that used to be home to art galleries are now vacant. Basically developers started raising rent and there hasn’t been anything to replace those galleries. The neighborhood is in an interesting spot in terms of gentrification, but we recently elected an alderman who is committed to protecting the most vulnerable.
• When it comes to food the neighborhood is loaded. Here are our favorites: El Milagro for tacos, Atotonilco for tortas, 5 Rabanitos for a more sit-down spot, Cafe Jumping Bean for bagels, Brew Brew for coffee, and Skylark for a drink at the neighborhood watering hole.

What are some of your fav Chicago venues and why?

• The Hideout is a sentimental favorite. They have great programming, a wonderful staff, and a cozy vibe that looks like a camp mess hall. It’s also ground zero for a commercial takeover of the land around it, which could radically impact its future. The music/art community has really rallied around The Hideout to make sure it can survive.
• Sleeping Village is a newer spot, but is run by a bunch of homies that do a really great job. Since they opened, they’ve pulled in some pretty dope bands to fill out the schedule. Kyle the talent buyer is best.
• We came up at the Empty Bottle over the last 6 years or so – it’s truly an institution in the city. We’ve spent more nights here than just about any other place in the city. You can always count on something cool to be happening here.

Best Pizza & late night burrito in Chicago?

• Pizza: A bit blasphemous to say, but the Paulie Gee’s in Chicago does a really great Detroit-style pan pizza that we really love. Otherwise, Middlebrow Bungalow is solid as well.
• Burrito: El Patron has the best burritos. They relocated from their original spot to a zone close to where Drew and Kev used to live. Can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.

What’s your fave piece of public art in Chicago?

• Agora by Magdalena Abakanowicz is a favorite. It’s at the south end of Grant Park and is a bunch of cast iron bodies only from the waist down. A bit surreal walking through it.

Five best things to do in Chicago in the summer?

• Catch a show at The Hideout. We all have a ton of memories here since we moved to the city. It’s a great zone to be packed in with people and the patio is the perfect spot to get some relief between sets and socialize.
• Go to a street fest. All the neighborhoods have their own budgets to put on festivals, so there’s basically something going on every weekend. A couple favorites are Do Division and Fiesta Del Sol.
• Hang at 31st Street Beach. There are some really great beaches, but this is the favorite. They have live music regularly and it has a diverse crowd that reflects the city properly.
• Have a michelada and chill on a patio. People really turn up in the summer in Chicago and try to take advantage of patio season. Parson’s and Big Star have some of the best micheladas and also biggest patios to chill on.
• Picnic in Humboldt Park. This is the perfect place to tell all your friends to bring some drinks and food to chill for the afternoon. It’s a huge park with a little beach and lagoon. It’s especially bumpin in the summer. Perfect spot to relax in the dead of summer.

If you could collaborate with any Chicago artist who would it be and why?

• It’s tempting to say Jeff Tweedy, but I think Makaya McCraven would be a dream to collaborate with. He’s an incredible drummer and brings a very fresh perspective to everything he does. Probably the best musician in the city currently.

Best song by Big Black, and would you ever want to work with Steve Albini?

• The Power of Independent Trucking. We would totally be down to work with Steve Albini, he’s an icon without a doubt.

Best Chicago breweries?

• Whiner is a really great one. They do a bunch of cool sours and the brewpub has great pizza too. The owners Brian and Ria also run a great coffee company called Four Letter Word.
• Marz is solid as well. They just opened a taproom about a year ago, but the founder Ed Marszewski has been helping cultivate a strong community in Bridgeport for much longer. He founded this radio station called Lumpen Radio, which is a favorite of ours, and his mom owns this great bar called Maria’s Packaged Goods.

Drew McBride, ran the Chicago Marathon in 2019. How was training, and will you run another marathon? If so, which marathon will you run next?

• Training went pretty well. I got really lucky with nice weather on the long run days. That’s not to say I didn’t get caught in a thunderstorm or two…but it wasn’t too bad overall. The hardest part was probably the last month of training while we were on tour. I either had early morning runs before getting in the van or I slipped one in after soundcheck. I’d love to do another marathon, it will probably be in 2021 since we’re on the road so much this year. I’d love to do another of the big ones (Boston, NYC, London, Berlin), but I think first I would opt for one out west or internationally – possibly like Lake Tahoe or Rio De Janeiro.

Beside’s Deeper, what other Chicago band should everyone go listen to & see live?

• There are a ton of good bands coming up right now – Dehd, Melkbelly, Divino Nino, The Hecks, and Nnamdi – but I think Cafe Racer in particular is a band you really have to see live to get. They have such an awesome dynamic and we’re really excited for their next record to come out later this year.