Music
Press
It's been ten months since original inchWORM drummer Ryan Juravic left the band to be a drum tech for Wilco. Int that time, the resilient and talented group has released a new six-song EP, Porchlight, that finds them continuing to skirt the line between catchy pop melody and the heartfelt twang of alt-country. The album's strongest track "Lost Days," written by core songwriting duo Matthew Baugher and Brian Morrissey, is part Floyd and part Neil Young, with a plodding bass line and meandering keyboard. Other tracks, such as "Rotten Fruit," sound as though they were recorded live in the studio and have a looser, Wilco-esque feel to them. The band's southern-roots rock influences come out on "Nowhere Bound," which features David VanDervelde on banjo and Wurlitzer. As a whole, Porchlight's laid-back feel is a perfect complement to the bittersweet closing days of summer.
- Sara Farr
- UR Magazine (Chicago, IL)
Interesting smart direct pop from Chicago, Illinois-based Inchworm. These guys craft smooth, hummable pop that sounds something like a cross between Neil Finn and Redd Kross (sometimes more the latter than the former and at other times more the former than the latter). The vocals on some of the tracks sound remarkably similar to Jeff McDonald at times. Inchworm is Matthew Baugher, Mike Holtz, Dan Ingenthron, Amos Lieberman, and Brian Morrissey. This is definitely one of those cases where--because there are only six tunes--the listener is left wanting more. Cool cuts here include "Simple Days Without Money," "Green House Grown," and "Silent Observers." It'll be interesting to see what these guys can do on a full-length... (Rating: 5) - lmnop.com/babysue.com
Chicago's Inchworm performed at Subterranean Thursday evening. The band, which offers a noble throwback to Americana roots music (think Neil Young, CCR), performed songs from its latest release, Sheep in Wolf's Clothing (Deli's December Album of the Month), as well as debuted new, unreleased material.
Inchworm started its set off with “Greenhouse,” a standout from Sheep. The song features quirky guitar parts that could be heard in a circus ring (yes, really) while its chorus projects the image of a boozy crowd, singing along in a dusty saloon. “Tangled Web,” a newbie from the band's forthcoming record, previewed Inchworm's promising follow-up, as the song was well-crafted, catchy, and received a strong crowd response. But “Silent Observers” seemed to evoke the strongest crowd response of all. “Silent Observers” is to Inchworm as “Effigy” is to CCR: the song is full of build-ups, break-downs, and organic harmonies, displaying respectable nods to the band's implicit influences—perhaps The Band, and shades of Uncle Tupelo are heard in the mix. Singers, Matthew Baugher and Brian Morrissey, took turns at the mic throughout the set. Having seen Inchworm a handful of times, it was evident to me that over time, the band has progressed in its live set; Baugher has become more assured in his own vocal ability, now displaying a wider range and more confident approach to his singing. Drummer Mike Holtz serves as Inchworm's secret weapon of sorts. He adds impeccable drumming and has a rare style I can only most closely compare to Wilco's Glenn Kotche.
Inchworm played a short set, as they supported the evening's headliners, Retribution Gospel Choir, but in the short time they were on stage, they delivered a slew of worthy rock. Inchworm has presented itself as a sort of musical, or at least regional, dichotomy—personally, each member oozes Chicago, but together they're able to create a song and mood that has most often been displayed by Southern-bred musicians. But Inchworm pulls it off, as did Tupelo, which not only makes their music enjoyable, but novel in its own way too. - Neph Basedow
Published on Sun, 8 Mar 2009 09:46:53 - www.thedelimagazine.com/chicago
Plenty of warm tones and meandering, heartland rock with pretty, calculated swells of melodic interplay define these club scene vets’ ’08 offering. Saloon piano-driven marches of dusty, stomping minor key troubadouridry, and summer’s day harmony-laden treats of sweet, ’60s inspired pop.
Read the full list here:
http://chicagoist.com/2008/12/23/rockin_our_turntable_the_best_local_1.php - chicagoist.com
Sheep in Wolf's Clothing” speaks to the heart of that sound and the heart of the city. As the weather turns brisk and the pace becomes manic, Inchworm asks you to slow down and look a little deeper."
link here (may be time sensitive):
http://www.thedelimagazine.com/chicago/ - www.delimagazine.com/chicago
"Inchworm borrows inspiration from plenty of like-minded touchpoints - The Band, Neil Young, and Wilco all come to mind - the album feels more like pulling that one extra comfy sweater out of the closet for the first time each fall than overtly derivative."
full write-up here:
http://chicagoist.com/2008/10/10/do_the_worm.php - www.chicagoist.com
"A gem indeed and really worth a good listen... You'll hear fantastic music that's an enduring culmination of blues, rock, folk, and pop - a blend in good measure that will keep you listening. "
Read full article here:
http://nbc5streetteam.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/inchworm-cd-release-and-limited-time-free-download/ - NBC5.com blog
" With not a bum track in the mix, Inchworm has honed its craft here into a confident, timeless identity that should earn them fans of all ages."
full article here:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=240849&src=145 - Daily Herald
" There's just an all around wholesome sound that Inchworm brings to the table - similar to The Band - endearing vocals and harmonies, quality musicianship and well written timeless songs."
full article here:
http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2008/10/03/inchworm-sheep-in-wolfs-clothing-review-cd-release-show-chicago/
- bandweblogs.com
"...sophisticated pop a la Ray Davies. It swings organic...with nary a bum note on the record."
- Richard Milne, WXRT Chicago DJ
listen to clip here:
http://www.inchwormmusic.com/downloads/simpledaysWXRT.mp3 - WXRT 93.1 FM Chicago
Discography
Sheep in Wolf's Clothing (2008)
The Porchlight EP (2005)
Outlying Areas (2003)
Photos
Bio
Inchworm is the novella you’ve yet to write, the bedtime story you will one day tell, and the fanciful version of your life that you live only in your head. Culled from the hearts and minds of Chicago’s most underrated tavern troubadours and best-kept secrets, the group’s inception itself is the stuff of dusty legend.
In the summer of 2003, guitarist and vocalist Matthew Baugher was given a son’s nightmare summer job: travel deep into the Southern Illinois valley to restore and renovate his father’s ill-purchased Lake Paradise cabin. Fearing years of hard labor on his own, Matthew enlisted the help of three trusted friends from the Chicago independent music scene: Brian Morrissey, Mike Holtz, and Dan Ingenthron. With instruments and implements in hand, the wrecking crew rock band that would be known as Inchworm was born somewhere along a desolate stretch of I-57. The boys spent the entire summer of 2003 hammering and harmonizing, composting and composing, scrubbing and scratching together the kind of music that the time-forgotten cabin seemed to be longing for – organic, folk-laden pop with reverent undertones of ragged blues and barroom psychedelia.
Almost 5 years later, the DIY spirit that incubated that long-ago summer remains alive and well in Inchworm. Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing (out this Fall, 2008) was written and recorded by Inchworm in the places that inspire them most – their homes, hangouts, and the habitat they call Chicago. Creating a mood is as important as crafting a melody to Inchworm - soaring harmonies and atmospheric tones color songs like “Simple Days Without Money” and “Learn to Grift,” while “Green House Grown” saunters along like a Tom Waits melody with a Bourbon Street hangover. In just six songs, the band proves that the ability to translate one’s ideas from the rehearsal space to tape is a skill that’s all to often overlooked in today’s world of pricey studios and sound-altering producers. When a band can express itself as intimately and completely as Inchworm has on Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing, the result is a cohesive, translatable, and memorable musical statement.
Links
