Commonweather

Last month, Illinois quartet Commonweather released “Ebro,” the first single off their forthcoming record Lemon due September 14th. Today, The Alternative has the pleasure of premiering the track’s music video directed by Alex Zarek.

Commonweather’s sound finds a balance between warbled, distorted guitars and moody lyrics. Throughout “Ebro,” the band offer a glimpse into their unique blend of ‘90s-influenced alternative rock. Every note and lyric on “Ebro” work together to tell the song’s story, painting a vibrant scene for the song to exist.

The video for “Ebro” layers bits and pieces from different scenes into one dreamy montage. While there may not be a specific story to follow in the video, the washed out colors and facial expressions make it easy to get lost in it all. According to the band, the video’s concept is inspired about acts from the past. “ It was pretty much just a nod to how people shot music videos back in the 80’s,” said guitarist Justin Olin. “ There’s really no connection behind lyrics or meaning. We just thought it’d be a fun idea to shoot and we thought it turned out great. Alex did an awesome job of capturing that vision.”

“Ebro” is the first single off the band’s new record, Lemon, available everywhere on September 14th. The band’s album release tour with Overgrow kicks off on September 16th with appearances along the east coast. In addition to the tour, Commonweather celebrate the release of Lemon on October 5th in Chicago, Illinois.

Keep an eye out for more details on Lemon, and be sure to catch the band at a show near you. Watch Commonweather’s video for “Ebro” below. - The Alternative

Chicago’s alternative/emo music scene has been bustling with musical activity in recent years. The city provides a unique community for new artists to establish themselves, as well as a platform for larger groups to thrive. But amidst the seas of people and creative minds, Commonweather have pushed to stand out from crowd. Today, we’re pleased to bring you the premiere of the band’s new song “Ebro,” which is taken from their forthcoming album Lemon, due September 14, 2018. - New Noise Magazine

We’re pleased to bring you the premiere of Commonweather’s music video for their song “Reverie” (watch it below). The track is taken from the band’s forthcoming EP Nausea, which is scheduled to be released on June 23rd.

The band commented on the song:

“‘Reverie’ is a song about losing direction in your life and coming to terms with the reality that you haven’t made the best decisions in your past. We put this song out first because it perfectly encompasses ‘Nausea’ as a whole and is our all around favorite track.”

Commonweather formed as a 4-piece rock band in the winter of 2014. Combining their music tastes from the 90s rock and grunge scene to early 2000s emo, they have managed to self-produce and record 3 EPs with their latest being Apparitions.

From playing venues like the historic Cubby Bear in Chicago and various house shows around the suburbs, Commonweather continues to grow organically around the Midwest and gain exposure.

At the end of 2016, Commonweather teamed up to record with engineer and producer Sam Pura at The Panda Studios to work on their fourth EP Nausea.

Upcoming Show:
June 24 – Lansing, IL at Royal Skate Shop & Apparel (EP Release Show) - New Noise Magazine

Many artists have been around for a long time and some of them have had the opportunity to create a memorable album out of the pure aspiration to “make it” and become a touring musician. With 6 songs, Commonweather has become one of those bands.
The band will be releasing their EP, “Apparitions” on April 29th. And with the vibe of pop punk bands and giving the taste of alternative rock sound, Commonweather created something that makes all the hours on the studio be worth it.

“Stranger in the Flesh (Your Own)” has the Citizen vibe, with a dark melody, the track is filled with passion expressed through the vocals. While on the other hand, the melancholy in “Asphodel” is almost palpable since the beginning of the track; the sync of the guitars and the rough simple voice gives the chills. And the ending is so powerful, changing the tone of the song to give a stronger sense to it.
“Never Whole” is the darkest and last song on the EP, the smoothness of the instruments and the somber lyrics allow the song to give the listeners the perfect ending.

Every song on the EP has a different outcome for the listener; the addictive songs leave you wanting more because of the variety included in only 6 songs. The uniqueness in the material expresses the feelings of 5 guys who are trying to deliver quality music to the listeners. The EP will be released in a month so be sure to pick it up because “Apparitions” is worth listening just for the simple fact that they have a sound that hasn’t been explored that much.

My favorite: “Never Whole”

Get in touch with the band, support good music
https://www.facebook.com/CommonweatherIL
https://twitter.com/commonweatheril
‪https://commonweather.bandcamp.com - Loudlight News

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Justin Olin - Vocals/Guitar

Patrick Maloney - Vocals/Bass

Alec Mackowiak - Guitar

Kyle Ahlstrom - Guitar

Jon Clark - Drums

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Commonweather? How long has the band been around?

Yeah we were actually. 3/5th's of us were in an easycore band called This Is Our Year for about 3 years and Patrick played in a Pop-Punk band called Johnny Rockette for a couple years as well. If you listen to either of those bands and then to us now, you would definitely not believe we were members of those bands. Commonweather formed in November of 2014.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

We originally started with the name Storyteller but realized it wasn't a good fit for the direction we were taking the music. Commonweather actually comes from a Citizen song of the same name. We thought it sounded cool and decided to just put the 2 words together.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

We usually start off with Justin and Alec writing the base of the songs along with some lyrics. Pat, Kyle and Jon come in after to sprinkle on their ideas and complete the song. Kyle has actually produced/recorded our whole discography as well and has been a big help bringing in his ideas when doing the demos. We write and record demos of the songs in a studio before actually going in to record the final product. With most of us being perfectionists, it's crazy the amount of times we've written full songs then had to rewrite them down the road because we didn't like the way they came out.

We write a lot of songs about personal experiences we've all been through over time such as losing loved ones, heartbreak and depression. On our new EP "Apparitions", we dove deeper into substance abuse, and the suffering that comes with mental health problems. As far as changing over time, we write about what we know. Things that mean a lot to us. So it all just depends on how we're feeling the next time we write.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Currently the biggest influences are a lot of 90's grunge bands such as Smashing Pumpkins, and Pearl Jam. We've also been listening to some newer alternative bands such as Superheaven, and Balance and Composure.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

I think a lot of us can agree that 90's Rock influenced us to start making music. That also goes into a lot of early 2000's Emo/Pop-Punk such as Taking Back Sunday, Alkaline Trio and Bayside.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

We usually just like to loosen up, relax and enjoy a couple brews together. We're all about having a good time, especially if craft beer is involved.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

The biggest highlight would have to be finishing our new EP “Apparitions”. We're very proud of what we made and are just really excited to finally be able to share it with everyone.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Presently, Bayside, Basement, Circa Survive. Some in the past would probably be The Beatles and Nirvana. Also if Phil Collins ever decides to do another run, he should hit us up.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for having us be a part of Kill the Music, and look out for our new EP "Apparitions" coming out April 29th through iTunes, Apple Music, Bandcamp and Spotify. - Kill the Music

Hailing from the Windy City, Commonweather are starting to gain recognition for their brand of no-frills alternative rock. They've been gradually building a following in their hometown, and soon, that will extend beyond. We're stoked to offer their "Dismantle Me" as today's Free Song of the Day. With a riff that's eerily reminiscent of the Killers, the quintet has the potential to make waves in the rock world in the not-so-distant future.

“‘Dismantle Me’ is the lead single off our upcoming EP Apparitions, which drops April 29th," singer/guitarist Justin Olin says. "We picked this as the first track to share with fans because we feel it collectively describes the tone of the EP. It features a little bit of everything you can expect from Apparitions and is one of our favorite tracks as well!”

Commonweather's Apparations EP will be released on April 29. - Purevolume

We're super excited to premiere a brand new song, Jean Jacket, from Chicago, IL band Commonweather.

“It’s a song about consistently letting the ones you love down, feeling burnt out and useless. Basically a satirical look at my own shortcomings and insecurities that I feel many people around my age in this generation do, due mostly to societal standards and pressures.” - Alec Mackowiak, Guitarist - Charm Music Magazine

Introspection and uncertainty about avoiding relationship imbalance is the thematic crux of Commonweather’s new track “Mellow Drama.” It’s full of surging, Free Throw-like riffs and it was produced by two members of Microwave, which is palpable in its sound. - The Alternative