The Moves

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

A local band, pining for a bigger slice of the musical pie, juggling full-time jobs, marriages and battling financial constraints, feverishly peppers an area with fliers in advance of their show.

They plan and scheme in between their other day-to-day responsibilities.

And sometimes, it doesn't go as well as they hope. Sometimes, hardly anyone shows up.

"It sucks, I'm not going to lie to you," The Moves singer Dave Spaulding said of the hiccups along the way. "It's a letdown, but at the same time, you have to take it. There are times -- and not to sound overly dramatic -- that it seems like everyone is against you. Your favorite club doesn't want to book you, you’re writing letters to your favorite bands and they're not writing back and you don't have any money ... it seems like the biggest uphill battle in the world."

Spaulding was talking about a St. Louis show on his band's Midwestern tour last summer -- one where the group's best-laid plans yielded just a small smattering of fans.

"What you have to do is take situations like that -- that are s----- -- and make the best of them, turn them into positives," he said. "OK, was it bad playing for that many people? Yeah, it was. But afterward, we sat down with them, we had beers, shared stories and the next time we were out there they came back and saw us again."

Such persistence is the key for outfits of this size, Spaulding said. The powerfully-voiced 28-year-old's band of musicmakers have made a splash on the local scene by infusing punk elements with early-80's pop to create a sound that doesn't shy away from melody-based roots. Q101 and XRT have played songs such as "No Way Out" and "Pump" and college radio joints have also spun their full catalog.

They'll be at the Beat Kitchen Thursday -- another step in a journey around music's game board based more on rolling 2's than 6's. A path the optimistic Spaulding admitted is paved with unpredictability.

"Two years from now, I'd love to be making money," he said with a laugh. "I'd like to see the band in a situation where we've established ourselves well enough that we can put more time and effort into the group, hopefully go on tour for longer periods of time and be able to finance that comfortably.

"This is the third band I've been in, and I've realized in that time that it's difficult to predict what's going to happen and when. That being said, we're about where I expected to be. In my first band, my dream was always to play at the Metro, because that was the best club in Chicago -- to have this great sound system and huge capacity. We played all over the city and we never got there. With this band it only took a year."

Their sound draws heavily on U2, with soaring vocals backed by listener-friendly progressions. What stands out most is Spaulding's voice. At a recent show at the intimate Angles & Kings, he belted out his words like he was trying to take the audience to the edge, but pulled back before overdoing it.

According to the singer, it wasn't always easy for him to perform in this fashion. In previous bands, he held back. Then, he made the decision to get the most out of his pipes.

He quit smoking and began singing along to everyone from Bono to Stevie Wonder, along the way letting loose.

It's paid off.

That being said, he points out that it's an ever-evolving process for a band of The Moves' level. The key is putting the time in.

"The one thing I learned is that the most important thing is preparation," Spaulding said. "But at the same time, a valuable lesson was learning that you need to concede to the fact that as a band of our level, you don't know to expect."

Warts and all, Spaulding and his group are enjoying the ride, no matter where it takes them.

"I could go on and on about the stage, the sound system, the lights and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, what really matters is the audience," he said. "I'd rather play to a basement full of kids or someone's garage to an excited packed house than a sparse crowd at a bigger venue."
- Kyle Koster, Chicago Sun-Times

"• Revolution Bound. Every revolution needs an anthem, right? Well, the Chicago band, The Moves, has stepped in to fill the void. Revolution Bound is the new song AND video that tells us to NOT BE NICE. With lyrics like “the haters and the bigots should’ve know they had it coming”, “we don’t need nobody to save us from fire, we don’t need nobody to show us the light” and “if anybody’s looking for soul we have it right here”, The Moves has me, at least, ready for a fight! I have a heart-on for these Windy City punks! No more Mr. Nice Gay" - Ray Hunt, 365gay.com

"Not only do [The Moves] rock but they've got some really cool ambient vibes going as well--I love their songs" - David Bash, International Pop Overthrow

For rock trio The Moves, what started out as a home recording project has developed into a well-oiled rock machine fueled by '80s pop sensibility.

"I tend to say we're a mix of early U2, INXS and The Clash ... pop music with an early '80s vibe to it. Those [bands] are definitely some of our biggest influences," singer-guitarist Dave Spaulding said.

The Moves--Spaulding, Bryan Piper and Max Shreffler--are moving up the ranks of the gritty Chicago music scene and have been hitting stages all across the Midwest. RedEye got the chance to talk to front man Spaulding about the band, dreams of a future record deal, gay rights and mosquito bites.



What's the most interesting thing about the band?

We're the type of band that does not have a lot of gimmicks. ... I guess I would just say that the three of us mesh really well together musically. A lot of bands struggle with songwriting and there tends to be a lot of arguments and our songs come really naturally. If anything we know our identities as musicians and we know what type of band we are.

What makes your live show great?

We don't suck! [Laughs.] That's the best way to put it. The fact that we are a tight band and we consistently play good is what makes our live show great.

What can people expect from the upcoming show at Metro?

High energy. ... We only have a half-hour set, so you can expect it to be raw and uncut. We're going to fire out as many songs as we can one after the other. This is a pretty big show for us.

Your song "Revolution Bound" has gotten some buzz. Tell us about it.

It's a new song, and it's a gay rights anthem. I wrote it right around the time [of] Proposition 8. ... I couldn't think of another song that explicitly calls for equal rights for gays and the whole gay marriage issue, and to me that was an interesting thought to have. The lyrics just came together in a way that could best describe my thoughts about the issues.

Tell us something totally random about the band.

We all eat very differently. I am a carnivore, bassist Bryan is a vegetarian, and our drummer, Max, is gluten-free. Needless to say, we don't share meals on tour.

What's the craziest thing that's happened to the band?

We were just on tour in July, and for the first three days we camped out to save money. Long story short: We were drunk and the tent flap got left open. The mosquitoes hit me like the plague. For the rest of the tour it looked like I had the chicken pox.
- Matt Kuhnen, Chicago Red Eye

Monday, February 8, 2010
Q&A: The Moves

Take a listen to songs such as "Revolution Bound" (mp3) and "AlrightAllrite" (mp3) from Chicago's The Moves and you'll get a good idea of what the trio is all about: Catchy pop choruses, driving guitar and infectious energy all wrapped up in genuine rock and roll swagger. Since forming in 2007, the three - Dave Spaulding (vocals, guitar), Bryan Piper (bass) and Max Shreffler (drums) have played a long list of successful shows in and around the city, and recently hit the road for a Midwestern tour in addition to filming their first video.

As the band gets ready for their next gig on Thursday, February 18 at Beat Kitchen ($8, 8:30 p.m., more info and tickets here), WCR caught up with Spaulding to find out more:

WCR: Tell us a bit about how The Moves came together and the kind of music you guys set out to make.

DS: We came together about two-and-a-half years ago after my previous group disbanded. I was tired of the more straightforward punk rock I had been making in previous bands and wanted to draw in some of my other pop, glam and indie influences. Max called me up and asked if I wanted to get another project going and Bry answered an ad I took out in The Reader for a bassist. I had just recorded a demo of "Squeeze" (listen on the trio's MySpace site) and that sort of set the tone for the band.

What sets The Moves apart from other indie rock bands in Chicago?

I think we just have a different vibe. Many of them are very heavily influenced by emo - whether they acknowledge that or not - whereas I don't think we were influenced by that movement at all. That said, we have played with a lot of local bands that we like and respect a lot.

Last year you released your debut EP, One Two Three Four. Tell us about the recording of that EP and about some of the particular songs. Any favorite tracks among the band?

That was our first time recording in a professional studio - everything else we have laid down has been self-recorded. It seems like it took forever! We were doing these real late night sessions to save money. Bry and Max were done pretty quickly but I had to break up all the vocal sessions and mixing sessions since I couldn't always be up all night because of work. But it was a lot of fun and we learned a lot from the process, I think. Our favorite tracks tend to change all the time.

You recently made a music video for one of your songs, "Revolution Bound." What's the story behind the song/video?

Musically, the song came together really quickly. I had this vocal part in my head for the chorus - "come on, come on / we are the women / We are the men...," but I wasn't sure where to go with it. Then I started thinking about Prop 8, which had just passed, and the rest of the vocal just wrote itself. I couldn't think of any other songs that were real explicit about gay rights or gay marriage, and we've been proud of that I think. We did the video ourselves in our practice room with Max's brother shooting, and pieced it all together on a computer.



You've listed bands such The Clash, U2, Green Day and INXS as influences - which comes through in the music - but who or what would people probably be surprised to learn influences the band?

I think you can hear all of those bands in our songs in one way or another. More recently we've had a few people compare us to Muse and Placebo. We all like Muse but I don't think any of us have listened to Placebo at all! We'll have to download some of their records...

Bry is a big Yes fan, which might be kind of surprising. I've definitely walked in on Max playing classical music more than once (he's also an awesome marimba player). I'm unashamed to listen to a lot of modern pop stuff like Britney and GaGa. I'd say we're all pretty shameless about the stuff we like! Guilty pleasures without the guilt.

Last summer you took on your first Midwestern tour - how'd that go?

It went really well! We sold merch at almost every show and made it through with pretty minimal arguing. We literally came out a few dollars ahead, too, which was great. We can't wait to do it again, especially now that we know a little more what to expect!

Since you started playing out as a band, which has been your favorite so far and why?

There have been a lot that have been great for so many reasons, but playing the Night Of Noise the past two years has been really something special. It's an outdoor event outside the Thompson center sponsored by GLSEN. Basically it's a gay rights rally for teenagers. It's just awesome because the kids are really into it and it's a cause we all care about.

What can people expect to see and hear at Moves gig?

We rehearse a lot and we really try to be as tight as possible. So we like to think that people who come see us are in store for a solid performance, not a complete disconnect between the recordings and live show that you find with some artists.

What's next for the band? Are there plans to record more music?

There are a few tracks that have gotten a great response when we play live and we'd like to do them as more free downloads. We'd like to do another music video sometime soon as well.

Where can people go to find out more?

www.facebook.com/themoveschicago
www.myspace.com/themoveschicago
www.twitter.com/themoveschicago
www.youtube.com/themoveschicago - WindyCityRock.net

The Moves had all of the right the moves on stage to impress this reviewer. SouthSide had a great time moving and grooving to their rock alternative sound. She liked how the keyboards in their music gave it a pop tone and energy. For example, during Pump, fans could feel the vibes from the band as they rocked out the stage. Thrilling the audience with wild guitar riffs, this song had The Moves more animated than before. Other times their pop sound took on a different personality. It was interesting not knowing where this band would take her next within their set. From alternative to powerpop, this band knew how to mix things up to keep fans rockin’. Drama Queen was a fine example hearing Dave switch from pop to angst in his vocals. SouthSide highly recommends listening to the political themed song, No Way Out. They closed out their performance with a retro 80s cover before quickly vanishing off stage. Fearless fans are encouraged to snag the latest copy of The Moves’ EP titled One Two Three Four. Or better yet, check them out live on stage at their next performance. For more information about this band, visit them at www.myspace.com/themoveschicago.
- SouthSide On The Town

The Moves are an under-the-radar rock band from Chicago who late last year debuted their One Two Three Four EP. Musically The Moves plant themselves somewhere between the catchy creativity of Collective Soul and the futuristic stylings of folks like INXS or Depeche Mode. As a result, the 80s feel just a bit closer to home and much cooler than they have been in recent year. The Moves project the right blend of talent and cool that I would expect from a band of their status and style. At worst, One Two Three Four leaves me wanting more. At its best, it leaves me chomping at the bit for a new album. Either way, The Moves sold me. - ¡Viva La Mainstream!

The Moves, a three piece from Chicago was one of 4 bands featured at the Canopy Club’s ‘New Sound Sundays’ yesterday. Although The Moves was a three piece, they sounded like a rockin’ four piece with the use of a mini-disc backing track. The singer stepped on stage with his orange Brian Setzer Gretsch (complete with dice knobs), white v-neck t-shirt and was a spitting image of Mike Ness from Social Distortion. I’ve got to say: I was blown away by this band’s pop rock. Grab a PBR, check out a show (or myspace cranked to 11) and enjoy.
- www.champaignrock.com