Shooting Blanks among bands set for Shameless Hours

Thursday, August 10, 2006

By Jessi Virtusio
Gig of the Week

Nearly 30 bands will gather this weekend for Shameless Hours 06.

Featuring headliners Local H and State & Madison on Saturday and Witroy and Flying Just Below Radar on Sunday, the second annual festival features some of the most well-known names in the Chicagoland music scene.

Several bands who played the inaugural Shameless Hours are back including Shooting Blanks (shootingblanks.net), which is part of the Saturday lineup at Stage 83 in Lemont.

"We're fortunate because the day we're playing, probably half the bands are bands that we're really good friends with that we play with all the time," said vocalist and guitarist Matt Hoffman.

"It will be like a big party. We don't go on until 10:30 or 11:30 p.m. so we'll be staying and seeing everybody. It will be a fun day for us."

Shooting Blanks is all about fun, and Hoffman quipped that the band first formed because the members merely wanted to open for some of their favorite bands.

"Six years later, it's a joke gone too far. People keep coming to our shows and people keep buying our stuff," Hoffman, of Elgin, said.

While Hoffman and his bandmates — guitarist John Brey, bassist and vocalist Deech and drummer Scott Hero — are all about fun, they also work hard at doing everything for their band.

"We try to get on the road and tour. We do the whole band thing," Hoffman said.

"We take it less seriously than most, not in the sense that we wouldn't want it to happen but that we're realistic. It's a one-in-a-million chance (of making it).

"We put out a good product when we go in the studio. We take our time to record stuff, but it's totally about fun."

Shooting Blanks is in the midst of recording a new full-length CD set for September release.

Rob Ruccia, formerly of From Zero, is handling recording and producing of the platter at Uptown Recording in Chicago, where the band recorded its 2004 full-length, "The Sticky Album."

While the members of Shooting Blanks are serious in the studio, Hoffman said the social aspect is his favorite part of the local band scene.

"Being with other bands, or when you get off stage and brand-new people come up to you, it's a really good networking thing," he said.

You get these demos that I still listen to, and you really hear a lot of hidden gems that people would probably never know and hear about.

"It's a cool thing to be a part of."

The pop punk band opened for several big names including the Lawrence Arms and Taking Back Sunday.

Sharing the bill with Local H — and in fact following that very band at Shameless Hours — is something Hoffman said he is looking forward to.

"We're all big fans of them. To play with these bands that you don't get the opportunity to play with and bands you've been listening to, is awesome."

Hoffman also said he has an affinity for Stage 83, where he has been only one other time — to see Local H play another gig.

He added that he hopes a ton of people will show up for Shameless Hours.

"Aside from the fact you get to see Local H, it's great to support this local scene," Hoffman said.

"Ed (Drzazinski, organizer of Shameless Hours) made leaps and bounds in progress from last year. And next year, it can even be better than this.

"If you like good shows, you should come and support them. It's a snowball effect. It will just keep growing and growing."

IF YOU GO ...

WHAT: Shameless Hours 06, featuring After the Fight, Donkey Punch, JuiceHead, Local H, Much the Same, One Light Out, PGS (acoustic), Rocky Denis, the Romeros, Second Path, Shooting Blanks, Skapone and State & Madison on Saturday. Sunday will include the Adversaries, Dead Town Revival, Evil Empire, Full, Flying Just Below Radar, Hoodwink, Laugh to Scorn, Question Mark Zero, the Repellents, Rule 22, Rusty Pipes, She Likes Todd, Tusker and Witroy.
WHEN: Doors open at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. All-ages portion is 1 to 10 p.m.; 21-and-over portion is 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. both days.
WHERE: Stage 83, 10900 Archer Ave., Lemont.
TICKETS: $10 before 5 p.m. or $12 after 5 p.m. each day.
PHONE: (630) 257-9800.
WEB: shamelesshours.com.

Jessi Virtusio may be reached at jvirtusio@starnewspapers.com or (708) 802-8854.