Upcoming Show: March 13 at Gallery Cabaret

Well, Cartographers fans, it looks like Friday, March 13 is going to be your lucky day. Our usual partners in crime at Gallery Cabaret (2020 N. Oakley in Chicago) had to cancel, so we'll be playing two full sets that night. First one starts at 9pm, so come help us celebrate the coming spring (and the birthday of yours truly).

Upcoming Show: Thursday 2/26 at Reggie's Music Joint

Please join us this coming Thursday for our South Side debut, as we headline what promises to be a great night of music at Reggie's Music Joint (2105 S. State St. in Chicago). The show starts at 9pm8:30pm, with Milwaukee band John Petty & All Good Things' "mix of alternative, folk, bluegrass, old-timey country, rock and pop." Majors Junction and their "diverse meld of country honky-tonk blues with folk undertones and hints of bluegrass pickin' and good old rock & roll" follow, and then it's everyone's favorite directionally challenged mapmakers. The cover is just $5 and there are all sorts of food and drink specials; head on over to Reggie's site to check them out. We look forward to seeing you there!

First Glimpse of the Final Album Mix + Contest Winner

We're getting closer and closer to the release of the Lost Cartographers' debut album, "Walk On." We don't have an official release date yet, but we do have the final mix of the album ready to be pressed -- and now you can get a sneak peek of the album cover and the final mixes of two of the tunes! Just visit our website.

As you may recall, we asked our fans for their feedback to help us choose the album cover (cleverly baited with the prospect of a free cd). And the (randomly selected) winner is... Jeanette Thompson! Thanks to all of you who commented!

Vote for us in the Chicago Reader "Best of Chicago" Poll

The Chicago Reader has launched its 2009 "Best of Chicago" poll, and you can vote for the Lost Cartographers in the music category. We hope you'll consider nominating us in "Best Folk/Country Act," and/or in the area where we probably stand the greatest chance: "Best Name!"

Platypus Rock?

The Lost Cartographers have always have a hard time describing what we sound like. When people ask me what kind of music we play, I usually say "alt.country." Then they look confused, and I attempt to explain what "alt.country" is, and it's all downhill from there. But while I think our sound is rooted in the alt.country/Americana genre, we've never fit into that category as comfortably as some, and we seem to be slowly creeping further away from it. This is, I think, a result of our members' varied backgrounds -- Erin, Jason, and Karl all have classical training and jazz inclinations (not to mention the fact that Karl is in a doom metal band), and while Gabrielle and I bring the country flavor to the band, she listens to everything from Beyonce to Solomon Burke, and my record collection spans from indie rock to Hindi film music. It's hard to keep a group like that playing one type of music.

I think the diversity of our sound is one of our strengths as a band, but it does make it tough to figure out which clubs we should be playing, the bands we should be trying to open for, and so on. And now, as we near the release of our album, we have to decide how we're going to pitch the record to radio programmers, reviewers, etc.

When we played the Empty Bottle, their website described us as "rustic indie rock that references the finer points of country's past," which I thought was a pretty good summary. But we want to know what you, our loyal fans, think. So dig down deep, find your inner rock critic (look for the awkward-looking guy berating your inner child for not owning the vinyl import of that rare My Bloody Valentine EP) and tell us: what do we sound like?

Aaron's Top 5 Albums of 2008

While I downloaded or purchased physical copies of over 50 albums in 2008, only about 20% of them were actually released in 2008. So I really ought to be doing a list of the albums I listened to most during the year, but who am I to buck the conventions of rock criticism? (Except, you know, by being lazier and only choosing 5 albums.)

5. The Whigs, "Mission Control" - Drum-pounding, melodic, no-frills rock and roll, with just enough indie swagger to keep it interesting. I like the Hold Steady, but in a battle of the bar bands I think the Whigs would eat Craig Finn and company's lunch.

4. Okkervil River, "The Stand Ins" - On paper, Okkervil River sounds like a cynical combination of some of the darlings of college radio's last few years: the desperation-filled but enthusiastic crooning of Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade, the relatively complex orch-pop arrangements of the Decemberists and Beirut, the dark humor and Americana-roots of Wilco. But somehow, this Austin band manages to make it all sound fresh and new.

3. Frightened Rabbit, "The Midnight Organ Fight" - With their frantic sound and plaintive vocals about heartbreak, these Glaswegians would probably be considered emo if they took themselves seriously -- which, thankfully, they do not. Plus, they put on an amazing live show.

2. Murry Hammond, "I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way" - As the bass player in the Old 97s, the laid-back Hammond contributes a few (usually excellent) songs to each of that band's albums, but has often been outshined by charismatic lead singer Rhett Miller. On this solo disc, however, Murry really shines as an interpreter of gospel and old train songs. Many of these songs, especially the ones featuring just his lonesome voice and the drone of a harmonium, are just breath-takingly beautiful.

1. The Old 97's, "Blame It On Gravity" - Hammond, Miller, lead guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Philip Peebles make a return to form after 2004's muddily produced "Drag It Up." In the accompanying DVD (which also features a driving tour with Miller of the band's early days) producer Salim Nourallah says that his goal was to be able to capture the energy of the band's live shows. He succeeded admirably, producing the band's best album since 1997's "Too Far to Care."

Happy New Year from the Lost Cartographers!

2008 marked the Lost Cartographers' second full year as a band, and the first full year with our current lineup. It was a busy one; aside from playing a bunch of shows (thanks to all of you for coming out!), we just put the final touches on what we hope will be the final mix of our debut album, "Walk On." If all goes as planned, we should be announcing an official release date soon.

With the impending release of "Walk On," 2009 promises to be even busier; we're even kicking around the idea of a mini-Midwest tour in the summer to promote the record. And it all starts with a January 28th show at the Red Line Tap. Details on this show are still TBA, but we're planning to debut some new material, including a bluesy torch song by Gabrielle, a Zeppelinesque epic by Karl (his first contribution to the corpus of Cartographeriana), and what we're pretty confident in calling the only alt.country retelling of the ancient Hindu tale known as the Ramayana. You don't want to miss this show, so keep an eye out for future updates.

In the meantime, we hope you are all enjoying the holidays and want to thank you again for your support of the band!