Thursday, July 23, 2009

Long-lost classic Chicago bands: Homunculus!

Long-lost classic Chicago bands: Homunculus!

Homunculus weren't technically from Chicago, I believe they hailed from an Indiana college town where they all met, but I booked them at The Note so often in the early part of this century they may as well have been locals. They played this odd sunshiny pop that hinted at just what virtuosos all the members were without bashing you over the head with it. Admittedly this meant they occasionally teetered into territory then also occupied by Phish and bands that loved Frank Zappa, but they loaded their sets with sing-along tunes that were some of the catchiest stuff I've ever heard.

They had a "hit" in their song "Okay," and I've included it below with "Here and There" and "Kitten Got Claws" since they're lesser known but just as good an example of what they sounded like when combining their varied backgrounds into perfect pop.

The band broke up in 2004, but I do remember booking one the singers -- Kevin I think -- at The Pontiac a few years ago without realizing it was his new band I was booking. I remember the new project being pretty good, but it couldn't hope to reach the heights Homunculus did. I still miss those guys from time to time.

If you like the tunes hunt out their albums. I couldn't find them new anywhere, but you can buy used copies of their best album Words really cheaply at Amazon, among other places.

MP3: Homunculus "Okay"
MP3: Homunculus "Here and There"
MP3: Homunculus "Kitten Got Claws"

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