The Central Standard

You love being the first of your friends to discover new sounds and new talent – so The Chicago Lifestyle is introducing you to Chicago’s new bluesy-alt-rock band, The Central Standard. Formed just nine months ago, the band has already taken venues such as Double Door, Metro and Lincoln Hall by storm. On the verge of publishing their first album, vocalist Alex Garrison lets us in on The Central Standard’s history and inner workings.

While living in Indiana, vocalist Alex started writing music. He took the opportunity to be part of a Kings of Leon cover band, and met with a Chicago producer who offered them the chance to make a four-song EP. Paired with a guitarist, Alex would develop the lyrics and melodies, and they’d sync up to find a sound they liked. The songs are reflective of their lives, such as a snapshot of the age of 24 – living through post-college angst figuring out a world of structure and defining the next steps in life. One of their hit songs – Ghosts of Me and You – was written in a 15-minute flurry of creativity on an airplane.

With much room to grow, Alex started seeking out other talented musicians to fill out the band. Through friends and connections, the band The Central Standard is now made up of Alex Garrison on vocals, Steven Phillips on lead guitar, Manny Miller on rhythm guitar, keyboard and back vocals, Mike Bronk on bass and Jack McKee on drums. While each musician has a different taste in music, they have blended their styles to form a sound similar to Kings of Leon. Musical tastes include jazz, indie rock, synth, and finding a depth of sound by blending many different styles.

“Our focus is on sounding great,” explains Alex, “and building our stage presence and energy. During our shows we feature our new music and throw in a few favored covers repackaged with our own sound.” Their chemistry as a band is deepening with every night on stage. The personalities are flowing together not only to put on a great show but also to come together in the creation of their first album, due out later this spring. They’ve each exposed their own talents and creativity in bringing together the best songs and sounds for the album.

What can we expect from the first album? “This album plays to our strengths – it has a catchy and approachable sound with several singles that fans will enjoy. The first half is high energy, with the latter half featuring an 8-minute jam track with guitars and atmospheric synth. The back half of the album is experimental, allowing us to show off our influences,” says Alex.

The Central Standard is looking to engage with current fans and connect with new ones. They’ve been featured on college radio shows and their goal is to be featured on Chicago radio and television. With hopes to expand their influence beyond the Chicago market, The Central Standard appreciates Chicago as home. “There is a huge variety of music here – something to fit everyone’s taste,” notes Alex. “Chicago’s music scene is unique in that local bands can enjoy playing at great medium-sized venues that they wouldn’t be able to approach in other cities.” Their favorite venue so far? Lincoln Hall. Working with a great production company, Shoeshine Boy Productions, The Central Standard has opportunities to play with similar-sounding bands to open up their fan base.

Interested in learning more about The Central Standard and hearing what they’re all about? Catch them in their upcoming show at Double Door in Wicker Park on May 9 at 7:30 p.m. and watch for their upcoming album release in June. - The Chicago Lifestyle

They’re influences include southern rock, blues and modern indie. Members of The Central Standard join Nick Digilio to preview their Friday gig at Martyrs’. - Dan Sugrue

For Chicago band The Central Standard, the time is now.

The band in June released its self-titled EP, produced by Sean O'Keefe, known for his work with such Chicago area bands as Fall Out Boy and Plain White T's.

After the production of the EP was done, the duo - comprised of Alex Garrison on lead vocals and Steven Phillips on lead guitar - soon added members Mike Bronk on bass, Manny Miller on rhythm guitar and Jack McKee on drums.

The Central Standard will perform a headlining show Sept. 12 at Martyrs,' 3855 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Sona Bliss, Teach The Fire and Hi Ho Silver Oh also are on the bill.

The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $8, available at www.martyrslive.com.

I had the chance to talk to Garrison about the EP and the band's current activities.


Q - Great talking to you. Of course, you released your self-titled EP a couple of months ago. In sitting down to record the EP, what were your goals and do you think you accomplished them?

When Steven and I set out to record the EP, a big goal was to put something together that really defined the sound he and I had been honing in on over the course of the preceding months of writing. We were hoping to put out quality material that would hopefully resonate with others both on a listener level but also for those who would hopefully fill out the rest of the group.

We also were hoping to help gain traction with venues around the Chicagoland area to help get off to a strong start in booking shows. We were very fortunate to find great musicians and contributors in Jack, Manny, and Mike to complete the outfit and help expand our sound.

We also have received such a large amount of support and interest both in the material as well as in our live shows in Chicago area. I’m very satisfied currently with where we stand in so far accomplishing our goals from the EP.

Q - Producer Sean O'Keefe, known for his work with such Chicago area bands as Fall Out Boy and Plain White T's, produced the EP. How did you hook up with him and what do you think he brought to the table?

Steven was introduced to Sean’s manager through a coworker. Shortly after the introduction, Steven and I met with Sean to go through some of our ideas and get his thoughts.

It was evident there was a mutual interest in recording an EP and it just happened that Sean had a small window in his schedule in the coming weeks and everything just fell together from that point on.

When we had begun the process, the songs structures and frameworks were there however in really filling out the sound and honing on the right tone and pacing for the songs Sean was instrumental. He was able to get a very clean and composed feel to the music as well.

Q - The band expanded to five members after the EP was released. What made you want to expand the band and do you think the band's sound now better represents what you envisioned? How did you get together with the other members?

As mentioned before, it was always intended to expand the band to more members. When looking for new members we reached out to a variety of people to see who they knew who may be interested we also posted on classifieds of several websites.

When it was all said and done, we found Mike through one of our classified postings. Also, Steven was connected to Jack through a mutual friend and an ex-girlfriend of Jack’s.

Following Jack joining the group, he brought Manny from another one of his projects to the group and we’ve been playing together ever since. The new members brought to the table a wide range of influences from classic to psychedelic rock.

The sound has really stayed true to the EP, but at the same time has evolved as the group has spent more time playing together and melding their interests both musically and tone wise to new songs.

Q - Is there any other meaning behind The Central Standard's name other than referring to the time zone Illinois is in?

When coming up with the name of the group, I was really hoping to find something that would connect to Chicago. The writing process prior to meeting Sean and even during the recording process was always complicated by my travels for work.

For months, Steven would send samples and ideas to me while I was seemingly always in different places across the country. The name came together when we were trying to plan out our schedules on different time zones for the coming weeks during my travels to California.

It continued to grow on us and eventually just felt right to name the band The Central Standard.

Q - Are you currently working on a full-length album? What should people expect from the album?

We have added a lot of material since the release of the EP and have put together 14 songs or so that the group has been happy with. Currently, we are in the process of figuring out logistically when we will go in and record the full LP, but our goals are to get back in the studio at the end of 2014.

In terms of what to expect, I would expect a few of the songs from the EP to make it into the album. Conceptually, we are really looking to put together an experience that stays true to the evolution of the band, and us as people, from the beginnings of Steven and I as a duo to the band really coming into its own as the five of us in the past few months.

Q - What do you think of the Chicago music scene and how do you think the band fits into it?

Chicago has a very talented and diverse music scene that features a broad variety of styles. It also has so many great venues, both big and small, throughout the city.

I think our band has been fortunate to get off to a strong start at some great venues (Double Door, The Metro, Elbo Room) and been a part of some diverse bills full of very talented acts. Our music definitely skews more main stream alternative rock as opposed to the more experimental rock and folk/Americana type of music we see a lot locally.

Q - What are the band's short-term and long-term goals?

Obviously in the short-term, we are very focused on getting the production of our debut album underway and playing shows that really help us to hone in on the track list before we actually get in the studio.

From a long-term perspective, we would love to expand our reach from Chicago to other areas in the Midwest and would hope to get support from a label moving forward if all goes well. - Eric Schelkopf

The Central Standard are an alternative indie rock band from Chicago, IL. After meeting in college, founders Steven Phillips (lead guitar) Alex Garrison (lead vocalist) began jamming in small campus apartments off and on for several years. Soon after graduating, the duo began collaborating on new original material in a Illinois suburban basement. After an introduction from a coworker, the two met with acclaimed producer Sean O'Keefe and began discussing recording a self-funded EP. A month later the duo completed production on their debut EP and quickly added new members Mike Bronk (bass), Manny Miller (rhythm guitar) and Jack McKee (drums) to complete the outfit.

Under the name The Central Standard, the band has began writing new material in the same basement the original duo began their first material. Influenced by an eclectic mix of genres ranging from southern inspired rock and blues to modern indie rock, the band has continued to hone in on its sound with the goal to record a full length album in the near future. Armed with new material, the band has begun to make waves in the Chicago music scene with aspirations of making its footprint known on a national basis. - Fearless Radio

The Central Standard would like to announce their largest show to date at The Metro in Chicago on Friday, July 25. The band kicked off the debut of their self-titled EP at The Double Door in June. With the addition of more new material, the band will be showcasing their southern rock sound blended with modern indie rock to The Metro for their third performance together as a band. The doors will open at 7:30pm for this 18+ age event and will feature acts from Eagle Trace, Distant Brothers, Sami Grisafe, and Nothing Company.
After meeting in college, founders Steven Phillips (lead guitar) and Alex Garrison (lead vocalist) began jamming off and on in small campus apartments for several years. Soon after graduating, the duo began collaborating on new original material in an Illinois suburban basement. After an introduction from a coworker, the two met with acclaimed producer Sean O’Keefe and began discussing recording a self-funded EP. A month later the duo completed production on their debut EP and quickly added new members Mike Bronk (bass), Manny Miller (rhythm guitar) and Jack McKee (drums) to complete the outfit.
Under the name The Central Standard, the band began writing new material in the same basement the original duo began their first material. Influenced by an eclectic mix of genres ranging from southern inspired rock and blues to modern indie rock, the band has continued to hone in on its sound with the goal to record a full-length album in the near future. - Radio One Chicago