Scott Lucas & the Married Men @ Pritzker Pavilion, May 2012 (more by Zach Pollack)

Like many other acts, Chicago's Scott Lucas & the Married Men are gearing up for a spring U.S. tour which includes appearances at South by Southwest in Austin, TX. Before heading down to Austin for the festival, they'll join a heap of Chicago bands at the Hideout on March 9 for the venue's annual SXSW send-off party. Advance tickets aren't being sold for this one, but you'll be able to purchase them at the door. In April, Lucas and co. will be supporting Sam Fogarino of Interpol's EmptyMansions project on tour. That tour is in support of their debut LP snakes/vultures/sulfate (out 4/2 via Riot House), and now includes a performance at the Empty Bottle on May 1. Ticketing information for the Chicago show is forthcoming, but check Ticketweb for updates.

We're also proud to premiere the Married Men's new video for "Steady Gaze" from their 2012 sophomore album Blood Half Moon. The clip, which was directed and edited by Scott Lucas himself, features tour footage from their frequent stints on the road in support of the LP. "Shooting inside a van hurtling down the highway at 70 miles per hour might not have been the safest thing - but I like it. We look like the Muppets," said Lucas.

All Scott Lucas & the Married Men dates and their brand new video for "Steady Gaze" are below...

Continue reading "Scott Lucas & the Married Men have a new video (premiere), playing the Bottle & other shows with EmptyMansions"

Scott Lucas & The Married Men have a new self-directed video for the Blood Half Moon cut "There Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down)." The clip features footage edited from the 1932 horror flick Vampyr, and fittingly, it will be shown as part of the 24-hour Music Box of Horrors festival at the Music Box Theatre this Saturday (10/13). Check out the clip at the bottom of this post, and purchase tickets to the Music Box of Horrors fest HERE.

A three-song bundle of the single "There Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down)" hits iTunes today (10/9) via The End Records. There's the original eight-minute track, the four-minute single edit (which they used to make the video), and a live version of the song.

Speaking of live recordings, Lucas and co. recently played a Daytrotter session. The five-song session, which also includes "There Ain't No Grave," was just posted on Monday.

The group also have a handful of upcoming tour dates, two of which are hometown shows. They'll play Township on November 9 (tickets) and the Double Door on November 17 (tickets).

All tour dates and their new video for "There Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down)" are below...

Continue reading "watch a new Scott Lucas & The Married Men video, which will be shown at the Music Box of Horrors festival this weekend"

photos by Zach Pollack

Kelly Hogan / Scott Lucas & the Married Men @ Pritzker Pavilion on 5/28/2012

On Monday night (5/28) Kelly Hogan and Scott Lucas & the Married Men kicked off the 2012 edition of Downtown Sound at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. A full set of pictures are in this post.

As mentioned, Scott Lucas & the Married Men are set to release their new LP, Blood Half Moon, on June 5 via The End Records. Check out their brand new video for the album's lead single "Blood Half Moons" at the bottom of this post. You can catch Lucas and co. at the Logan Square Farmers Market on Sunday (6/3), where they'll be performing an unplugged set at 12:30PM. They'll also be supporting Deer Tick at Metro on June 6.

More pictures from the Pritzker show and the Married Men's new video below...

Continue reading "Kelly Hogan, Scott Lucas & the Married Men @ Pritzker (pics); a new Married Men video (premiere)"

DOWNLOAD: Scott Lucas & the Married Men - "Blood Half Moons" (MP3)

Kelly Hogan @ the Vic in March (more by Chase Turner)

The A.V. Club: What was the origin of this album?

Kelly Hogan: Andy Kaulkin is the honcho at Anti- records, and I've known him for quite some time now through Neko. ... I was at Amoeba Records. We were doing an in-store with Neko, and I was shopping in the jazz section and Andy walked up. "I gotta talk to you." I thought I was late for bus call. I was like, "I'm sorry I'm late!" He said, "No, no, no. I want you to make a record for Anti-." I thought I was being punked. I was like, "Really?" It all goes back to Andy. The label's fantastic. It all goes back to the dude who's running it, because Andy just loves music so much.

The A.V. Club: So he had the concept of putting this band together and having all these people write songs for you?

Kelly Hogan: Yeah. He suggested from the get-go that I should call in favors, because I'd sung with so many different people. Last February, he said, "What do you think about coming to L.A.? And we invest our money in the band?" And I was like, "Okay, who are you thinking?" And he said, "I'm thinking Booker T." And I'm like, "Tell me more." He mentioned James Gadson on drums, and I'd just seen that Still Bill documentary the night before, the Bill Withers documentary. It's so great. James Gadson was Bill Withers' drummer. Have you seen the footage of Bill Withers on "The Old Grey Whistle Test"? You've got to Google that, man. It pans over to James Gadson and he's got this awesome Afro and this cool suit and a gold tooth and he's just smiling this gorgeous "Everything is all right and it's gonna be all right" smile. He still does that. That's his playing face. You know how when most people are concentrating on playing, they look like they're pooping?

Kelly Hogan kicks off the 2012 edition of Downtown Sound on Monday night (5/28), at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Her new record and first since 2001's Because it Feel Good, I Like to Keep Myself in Pain, is due out on June 5 via Anti-. Check out a short documentary on the album at the bottom of this post.

Local H frontman Scott Lucas and his project the Married Men will act as main support on Monday night's show. Their new album, Blood Half Moon, is due out on June 5 via The End Records. Download the album's lead single "Blood Half Moons" at the top of this post. The band, who describe themselves as "country-ish alt-rock for people who like metal," will also be doing some touring with Deer Tick next month, and are included on the bill of the band's Chicago show at Metro on June 9. Tickets are still available.

All dates for both Kelly Hogan and Scott Lucas are listed below.

Continue reading "Kelly Hogan discussed 'I Like to Keep Myself in Pain,' playing Jay Pritzker w/ Scott Lucas & the Married Men on Monday"