The Backroom

The Backroom started when long time friends Keith von Kaenel and Matt Greenfield met up with drummer, Matt Jankowiak and they started jamming in the "back room" of Keith's garage. This is a quality release with a radio-friendly sound and smooth psyche-lite touches. The opener "Lost Without You" is really a good pop tune with clean harmonies and violin accents. The rhythm guitar leads the way with the mid-tempo "Flat Lined @ Zero" and has a Weezer-like quality. Much of the remaining tracks, although flawlessly produced don't always hook you. The exceptions to this are "Loads Of Love" with a great dual vocal harmonic, excellent lyrics and "The World That Revolves Around Me" with a catchy chorus and piano that is similar to the group, Field Music. That dual harmonic of Keith and Matt is also present on "Deserve","One Night Stand" and "Better Time Than Now" - in most cases it works beautifully. This is a promising debut worth checking out. Enjoy it!

http://powerpopaholic.blogspot.com/2008/01/backroom-reagan-era-rocketship.html - powerpopaholic.com

In my last post I profiled Shoes, a classic Chicago power pop band from the 70s and 80s. Shortly after I wrote it I listened to Reagan Era Rocketship - the recent debut release from local power pop trio The Backroom - and I couldn't help but think of the band as a sort of modern day Shoes, complete with loads of hooks, superb harmonies and a 60s-style lyrical and musical innocence.

The disc kicks off with the strongest song, the instantly catchy Lost Without You. This is one of those tunes that's filled with such expert pop craftsmanship that on first listen you'll swear it must be a cover of some old hit single, and will have to take a second glance at the liner notes just to convince yourself it's not. Lead vocalist and songwriter Keith von Kaenel has a pure, straightforward delivery that reminds me of Allen Clapp from California indie pop band The Orange Peels.

Reagan Era Rocketship continues in full force with the rocking I Want Out, while halfway through the disc "Loads of Love" stands out as second only to Lost Without You in irresistible hooks and radio-readiness. Other highlights include A Moment of Clarity, Better Time Than Now and Always Wish You Did, the latter two being a pair of peppy, just-over-two-minute gems. The CD is an enjoyable listen all the way through, and I can't wait to hear what the band comes up with next.

Link:
http://windycityrock.blogspot.com/2008/02/backroom-reagan-era-rocketship.html - WindyCityRocks

The first song on The Backroom’s first full-length album is so clean and unabashedly catchy that I’m not ashamed to say I woke up this morning with the tune in my head. It’s a simple, pop-driven song that negotiates Ben Fold’s heartbreaking story lines with Semisonic’s (“Closing Time,” 1998) sad guitar twists and supports pretty traditional, but still affective, love-longing lyrics (“I just want to see you again/I tell all of my friends to go home/So we can be alone”). A song like this proves there’s an art to writing “easy” pop songs – an art that follows such a fine line that one foul “ooo” or “ahh” could set the whole thing Hanson-bound (Hanson’s early stuff, anyway).

Moon men: Keith von Kaenel, Matt Greenfield and Matt Jankowiak.
Maybe it’s no surprise, then, that the album’s first run sold out within months of its July release. But maybe I’m just being a girl. The Downers Grove-based band’s manager tells me Song No. 1 (otherwise known as “Lost Without You,” but who pays attention to song titles these days anyway) is nearly explicitly a girl-fan favorite. To which I replied, “screaming girls?! No thanks.” Unsurprising for anyone who knows me, I immediately rejected the track – until I heard the damn thing again.

It’s kind of a shocker that the pop trio got its start just a few months shy of four years ago, though the band’s start-date is a little misleading considering that two of its members (Keith von Kaenel and Matt “Matt G.” Greenfield) have been playing in bands together for years. “We grew up together,” von Kaenel says. “We rode around on big wheels together.”

Admittedly, von Kaenel’s thoughtful, nearly-acoustic style shines during the first song. But for him, The Backroom was his chance to take these ballads, which seemingly flow out of his cerebrum so easily for him, and rock them out a bit. As such, the second half of the album – the CD is aptly titled “Reagan Era Rocketship,” in honor of the three ’80s-born friends’ birth decade -- is a stepped-up, high-tempo offering of the same pop that gives The Backroom its edge. Washed over with a classic-rock sheen that could’ve bridged the ’60s and ’70s underground scenes, the sound manages a throwback without all the pretentiousness that inadvertently spews from a bunch of 20-somethings who weren’t actually alive back then (me included).

As a kid who grew up with the sounds of the’70s at his back, von Kaenel says he respects the poetry of that era’s musical contributions and is kindly flattered by Backroom fans’ comparisons. But the band’s mission remains, sans historical context: they’re a pop group, plan and simple.

“It’s a pop kind of music to begin with, so we’re not concerned with selling out,” he says when I asked him if he minds that I consider his music radio-worthy. He doesn’t (Q101 take note).

I caught von Kaenel on the road, at work, on his way to Chicago – he’s delivering prescriptions, or something. It’s kind of hard to hear him, but I think I can make out, through all of the street raucousness and truck noise, that this 25-year-old Downers Grove native would never be as comfortable making music with anyone else except Backroom bassist Greenfield and drummer Matt “Matt J.” Jankowiak, who Greenfield had known through Catholic school.

Sept. 13: Betty's Blue Star Lounge, Chicago Sept. 21: Martyr's, Chicago
The three fused under probably some of the least punk-rock circumstances in the business (or does the normality of it all make it doubly punk-rock?): in a Dominick’s liquor aisle on Christmas Eve. It’s appropriately noted online that they found themselves surrounded by alcohol before noon, so we’ll give them that. Greenfield and von Kaenel caught Jankowiak there by accident, and it turned out to be one heck of a lucky one.

“He wasn’t even playing drums at the time,” von Kaenel muses. And yet, somehow, he and Greenfield got him to think about it for this “project” they were brewing. A demo was passed on, Jankowiak took a listen, he liked it, and by February, the threesome was in the “backroom” of someone’s garage, plugging away at what turned into a 16-song demo in 2004 and the 15-song “Reagan Era Rocketship” early this year. Note that neither von Kaenel nor anyone else from the band will comment on “their favorite president” or 2008’s presidential election, as they are not a political band. Duly noted.

Although the album’s technical release date on 07/07/07 – you know, the “luckiest” day in, like, forever, when the line to Las Vegas’ drive-thru chapels trailed down the block – bares no significance to Reagan’s tenure, the date ended up superstitiously doing the band some good. It must have. Beyond the album’s initial sell-out, The Backroom has canvassed the local scene to positive results and even appeared on the Steve Dahl show last week.

“It’s good to appeal to a wide range of people,” von Kaenel says, noting that their local fan base runs the demographic gamut, from 14- to 50-year-olds showing up at shows.

The disc also acted as an enabler for the band’s self-made record label, Remedial Records, which The Backroom started six months before the album debuted with fellow indie rockers Grand Theft Cardio and The Soccer Sons. It’s a stand-in really for what The Backroom hopes will be replaced by a larger outfit someday, though von Kaenel says he has no bones about keeping it around and adding other artists someday.

For now, the suburban trio seems satisfied enough with touring the Midwest – they’ll get to the coasts at some point, he swears – and eventually working on a follow-up for a No. 1 song that sticks in your head like a reoccurring dream.




- Lisa Balde, Beep Magazine, Tuesday 9/11/07

http://www.beepcentral.com/story.aspx?story=18564 - Beepcentral.com

The Backroom were live guests at the "Back to the Beach Party" with Steve Dahl on Friday 09/07/07. They performed 4 songs from "Reagan Era Rocketship": I Want Out, Lost Without You, A Moment Of Clarity and Flat-lined @ Zero.

Some of the comments Steve Dahl made during the show were that "The Backroom is going to catch on big time" and "That's a lot of sound for a trio".

To read the full transcript of the show please go to:

http://support.dahl.com/show_logs/2007/09/07.asp

- WCKG Radio

The Backroom-Reagan Era Rocketship. Stumbling across this Chicago band's debut disc was a pleasant surprise - they have a polished, radio-ready sound without sounding overly derivative or lowest-common-denominator-oriented. "Lost Without You", the leadoff track, is so good that I urge you to click the MySpace link below this very second and give it a listen. It really ought to be on the radio. And while the remaining 14 tracks have a tough act to follow, several stand out in their own right, including the Posies-ish "Forevermore", the peppy indie-poppy "Better Time Than Now", and the driving "'Loads of Love'", which merits its own 46-second introductory track.

Published on Tuesday 10/20/2007.

Link to the full article:

http://absolutepowerpop.blogspot.com/2007/11/pre-thanksgiving-roundup.html

- Absolute Powerpop

The Backroom’s full-length debut, Reagan Era Rocketship, is an impressive collection of punchy power pop. Fueled by Keith Van Kaenel’s smooth vocals and a frantic bass that provides solid footing for the spiky, energetic guitars, “Loads Of Love” and “Lost Without You” reveal cracked hearts over crackling melodies. The broken-hearted hero of the faintly melancholic “Flatlined @ Zero” is backed with guitars reminiscent of Hüsker Dü, while an athletic piano line drives “Better Time Than Now.” (www.thebackroommusic.com)
– Patrick Conlan

http://illinoisentertainer.com/2007/10/31/local-cd-reviews-24/
- Illinois Entertainer

The first song on The Backroom's first full-length album is so clean and unabashedly catchy that I'm not ashamed to say I woke up this morning with the tune in my head. It's a simple, pop-driven song that negotiates Ben Fold's heartbreaking story lines with Semisonic's ("Closing Time," 1998) sad guitar twists and supports pretty traditional, but still affective, love-longing lyrics ("I just want to see you again/I tell all of my friends to go home/So we can be alone"). A song like this proves there's an art to writing "easy" pop songs -- an art that follows such a fine line that one foul "ooo" or "ahh" could set the whole thing Hanson-bound (Hanson's early stuff, anyway).

Maybe it's no surprise, then, that the album's first run sold out within months of its July release. But maybe I'm just being a girl. The Downers Grove-based band's manager tells me Song No. 1 (otherwise known as "Lost Without You," but who pays attention to song titles these days anyway) is nearly explicitly a girl-fan favorite. To which I replied, "Screaming girls?! No thanks." Unsurprising for anyone who knows me, I immediately rejected the track -- until I heard it again.

It's kind of a shocker that the pop trio got its start just a few months shy of four years ago, though the band's start-date is a little misleading considering that two of its members (Keith von Kaenel and Matt "Matt G." Greenfield) have been playing in bands together for years. "We grew up together," von Kaenel says. "We rode around on Big Wheels together."

Admittedly, von Kaenel's thoughtful, nearly acoustic style shines during the first song. But for him, The Backroom was his chance to take these ballads, which seemingly flow out of his cerebrum so easily for him, and rock them out a bit. As such, the second half of the album -- the CD is aptly titled "Reagan Era Rocketship," in honor of the three '80s-born friends' birth decade -- is a stepped-up, high-tempo offering of the same pop that gives The Backroom its edge. Washed over with a classic-rock sheen that could've bridged the '60s and '70s underground scenes, the sound manages a throwback without all the pretentiousness that inadvertently spews from a bunch of 20-somethings who weren't actually alive back then (me included).

As a kid who grew up with the sounds of the '70s at his back, von Kaenel says he respects the poetry of that era's musical contributions and is kindly flattered by Backroom fans' comparisons. But the band's mission remains, sans historical context: They're a pop group, plan and simple.

"It's a pop kind of music to begin with, so we're not concerned with selling out," he says when I asked him if he minds that I consider his music radio-worthy. He doesn't (Q101 take note).

I caught von Kaenel on the road, at work, on his way to Chicago -- he's delivering prescriptions, or something. It's kind of hard to hear him, but I think I can make out, through all of the street raucousness and truck noise, that this 25-year-old Downers Grove native would never be as comfortable making music with anyone else except Backroom bassist Greenfield and drummer Matt "Matt J." Jankowiak, who Greenfield had known through Catholic school.

The three fused under probably some of the least punk-rock circumstances in the business (or does the normality of it all make it doubly punk-rock?): in a Dominick's liquor aisle on Christmas Eve. It's appropriately noted online that they found themselves surrounded by alcohol before noon, so we'll give them that. Greenfield and von Kaenel caught Jankowiak there by accident, and it turned out to be one heck of a lucky one.

"He wasn't even playing drums at the time," von Kaenel muses. And yet, somehow, he and Greenfield got him to think about it for this "project" they were brewing. A demo was passed on, Jankowiak took a listen, he liked it, and by February, the threesome was in the "backroom" of someone's garage, plugging away at what turned into a 16-song demo in 2004 and the 15-song "Reagan Era Rocketship" early this year. Note that neither von Kaenel nor anyone else from the band will comment on "their favorite president" or 2008's presidential election, as they are not a political band. Duly noted.

Although the album's technical release date on 07/07/07 -- you know, the "luckiest" day in, like, forever, when the line to Las Vegas' drive-thru chapels trailed down the block -- bares no significance to Reagan's tenure, the date ended up superstitiously doing the band some good. It must have. Beyond the album's initial sell-out, The Backroom has canvassed the local scene to positive results and even appeared on the Steve Dahl show last week.

"It's good to appeal to a wide range of people," von Kaenel says, noting that their local fan base runs the demographic gamut, from 14- to 50-year-olds showing up at shows.

The disc also acted as an enabler for the band's self-made record label, Remedial Records, which The Backroom started six months before the album debuted with fellow indie rockers Grand Theft Cardio and The Soccer Sons. It's a stand-in really for what The Backroom hopes will be replaced by a larger outfit someday, though von Kaenel says he has no bones about keeping it around and adding other artists someday.

For now, the suburban trio seems satisfied enough with touring the Midwest -- they'll get to the coasts at some point, he swears -- and eventually working on a follow-up for a No. 1 song that sticks in your head like a reoccurring dream.

- Lisa Balde

http://dailyherald.com/story/?id=41573 - Daily Herald