The Assembly

Originally a side project for singer Dave Suh to showcase his Brit-pop influence, The Assembly is in the gamete stages of being one more musical entity for Chicagoans to be damn proud of reminding others “They’re from Chicago.” Commencement, the little CD that will has five songs, all of which are radio-ready sing-alongs with potential cult-like followings; think “Mr. Brightside” circa spring/summer 2005. (www.myspace.com/theassemblyband)
– Angie Maldonado

- Illinois Entertainer

Dave Suh has been a staple of the local music scene for over the last decade. His first band, Emil Muzz, provided the city with future members of Light FM, Rockit Girl and Veruca Salt. Suh himself went on to join simultaneously join Caviar and Woolworthy and, later, The Drama. While he was a vital component of all those bands none allowed him the free control of sitting solo in the driver’s seat. So he formed The Assembly a few years ago as an outlet for his own material. After a handful of performances he disbanded the group in order to concentrate on other projects…only to reform with a slightly different line-up late last year.

Chicago is primarily a pop-rock or post-rock town but the Assembly dares to be massive. Big melodies and bigger guitars are thee group’s trademark and their sound is more tailored for the thousands of cheering crowds flooding international music festivals than it is for the small stages of local Chicago clubs but it is a sound rarely heard in this city. The band is obviously influenced by groups like Ash and Suede while also drawing inspiration from The Smashing Pumpkins’ grandiosity (if not that band’s matching pomposity.) The end result is a collection of anthems begging to envelop the listener in a beautiful and precise sonic attack.

The Assembly is performing at The Darkroom tonight. Also on the bill are The Strategy Game and – another band Chicagoist can’t get enough of -- The Ladies & Gentlemen.
- Chicagoist

We've gotten happy with you at some Chicagoist happy hours. We've gone roundabout about the bucket boys, MacyFields, and where you can still get your smoke on. But now Chicagoist is going to bring you the rock.

The event is Ctrl-Alt-Rock, and it's happening Thursday, February 16th at Schubas. Three bands (May or May Not, Alphabet and The Assembly) are going to bring their musical wares for you. Click here for all the details.

We've done interviews with May or May Not and Alphabet, and now it's The Assembly's turn. David Suh from the Assembly gave us the lowdown on his band, their re-formation, recording, and their being ready to rock.



Chicagoist: Who did you grow up listening to on the radio? What were some of your first records/cassettes/albums?
Well first of all, my brother and I were raised in a very religious household. Both of my parents taught Sunday School, and it was a very Ned Flanders environment. We weren’t allowed to listen to anything that wasn’t Christian music and we went to church 3 times a week. For my sixth grade birthday my parents bought me a “boombox”, and I would steal away to my room and listen to whatever pop music I could find on the radio. I recall being really fond of The Police…I still think Every Breath You Take is an amazing pop song. I think I recorded it off the radio like 4 times before I got it without the DJ talking at the beginning or end.

C: Who became your influences as a guitarist?
I didn’t get a guitar until high school. I borrowed the money from my dad. I remember him asking me “You’re going to play hymns with this, right?” In high school I liked The Edge and Slash…two guys with ridiculous fake names. I still think both are really cool.

Find out more about The Assembly after the jump....

C: Do you have a musical family? Are you originally from Chicago?
My younger brother and I were born and raised in Naperville. My older brother was actually born in Seoul, South Korea. My parents got married there then moved here. My grandmother on my mom’s side was the church pianist for like 30 years, so my mom would tote us over to her house every week for piano lessons. I remember not liking it…although looking back, it probably helped us learn other instruments much easier.

C: You're playing with your brother now. Did you and he play together growing up?
Nathan is much more the multi-instrumentalist…he plays piano very well, and was actually in a bunch of youth symphonies as a trombonist. Now he plays guitar and keyboards in The Assembly. We used to share bunk beds…now we share the stage. I think that’s cool.

C: Did you ever imagine doing something else besides music?
Actually I currently work as a microbiologist by day at a pharmaceutical company. True story! I quit for a while when Caviar got signed to Island/Def Jam. They used to make jokes about me working with “controlled substances.”

C: The band's biography on the website chronicles an interesting history. A band who gets local airplay on two major stations with a song off their self-titled EP. But then it says you get "called away" to play out in Sacramento.
Okay, I’m going to explain this the best I can… at the time I left for L.A. back in 2004 The Assembly was still just a side project I started while I was in Caviar. The band I joined in L.A. was called The Drama, and they were originally from Sacramento but transplanted in Los Angeles. I was introduced to the band by a friend, and convinced to join by Braden Merrick, who at the time was managing The Killers as well as The Drama. The Killers took off and The Drama was left basically treading water. The Drama was supposed to have a deal with Geffen but the ink wasn’t dry, and when the band got put on the backburner, I headed back to Chicago.


C: What happened to the band in your absence? Did they carry on? Are you all still on amicable terms?
Everyone involved with The Assembly are still on great terms. At least with me, I think.

C: The band's been reformed. That is, re-formed. You're in the studio right now?
My little brother joined the band and plays both keyboards and guitar. Our ex-guitarist and ex-keyboardist have both moved on to other opportunities.

C: Who's responsible for creating and writing the songs you play out right now?
I do all the songwriting these days. I bounce ideas off of everyone, though everyone contributes to the overall sound of the band.

C: Do you play any of the "old" Assembly songs?
We don’t play any “old” Assembly songs. I just feel like the songwriting is much more developed these days.

C: Where are you looking to see yourself in the next year? The next 5?
I think The Assembly is oozing with potential right now. I think everyone is just starting to take notice. In a way, I feel like the band is brand new, and it’s very exciting. We are jumping into the studio this month to record a new batch of “mega” hits.

C: How was California? How do the scenes compare (that is, Chicago vs. - Chicagoist

The Assembly celebrates the release of its second EP, "Paranoia Will Destroy Ya", a fine follow-up to its previous EP that finds the band diving further into its Interpolesque slickness. The guitars interweave and clang as there's some Brit-pop influence to be found here, but the real treat is the synths, played by frontman Dave Suh¹s brother Nathan, which create a space-like swirl that, while heard in live setting, clouds your head in a good way. The vocal delivery, haunting and echoed, matched with the hook-heavy songwriting, makes the band instantly accessible without sounding derivative (The Smiths are there, sure, but so is some heroin-chic). This is a band to watch.

-Tom Lynch - New City Chicago

*The Assembly Friday Night @ Elbo Room
Another impressive offshoot from the ashes of Caviar, The Assembly is Dave Suh's current project, and has been receiving critical acclaim and attention from the likes of Local 101, Crash Test Radio, Fearless Records, and now, MOBFest. Ultra-melodic pop-rock doesn't get much better than this. Check out what industry insiders already know. This ain't your little brother's Warped Tour pop. This is the real shit, and it just might give you a toothache it's so sweet. Check them with Ladies And Gentlemen and more.

- Local 101 (Q101)

Chicagoist.com presents its first live music event, Ctrl ? Alt ? Rock, at Schubas Tavern on Thursday, February 16th, 2006.
After more than a year and a half of blogging about Chicago’s innovative music scene, Chicagoist, in conjunction with Tankboy Productions, joins the fray with a live show featuring three Chicago bands on the rise: The Assembly, May Or May Not and Alphabet.
The Assembly is riding a wave of acclaim thanks to their 2005 album Commencement that combines Brit rock influences with that distinctive Chicago guitar crunch. For fans of shimmering guitars, melodious vocals and wanderlust musings. - StolenMixTape.com

It’s pretty common knowledge that we’re big fans of The Assembly. They just celebrated a packed CD-release show at Metro for their latest EP, Paranoia Will Destroy Ya, so if you missed them there, this is a great chance to catch them in the relatively cozy confines of Double Door and pick up your own copy of the new disc. The EP is populated by the anthemic British-tinged rock they have a particularly adept command over, while throwing in a remix of "Never Even True" that'll probably be popping to move the crowd up at the next Darkwave Disco gathering.

- Chicagoist

There's always been a big music scene in the Windy City, and Ryan Manno has his finger on the pulse of which acts may break next. "The Assembly is one of the most promising bands in Chicago today," he says. "Dave Suh (ex-Caviar, ex Woolworthy) is on his own for the first time as a singer-songwriter, and he's got a four-song EP called "Commencement" that is worthy of label attention. - A & R Worldwide

Local band The Assembly is the most recent outlet for Dave Suh, former guitarist for Caviar and Woolworthy. Suh started The Assembly in 2003, quickly building a catalog of Brit-poppy songs, but the band more or less ended in early 2004 when he moved to California. When Suh returned, he reformed The Assembly with new members and quickly recorded the Commencement EP, whose ingratiating synth melodies and big, anthemic choruses sounded like a grown-up version of The Get Up Kids. The new Paranoia Will Destroy Ya-released at this show-recalls the glory days of '80s synth rock, with Suh's vocals in full Richard Butler mode. - The Onion

Led by ex-Caviar lead guitarist Dave Suh, The Assembly offer bright, powerful pop on their sophomore EP, Paranoia Will Destroy Ya. “Never Even True” is the standout cut, but all four tunes (plus a remix) are first-rate, helping cement the group’s growing reputation (recently validated by their selection as a Q101 “Local 101 Band To Bust Out”) as one of the tastier morsels presently available on the local music smorgasbord. ([1] www.theassemblyband.com)
– Jeff Berkwits - Illinois Entertainer