One of the newer groups to crop up in the Chicago scene, Gross Pointe was made known to me through Animal Kingdom's Tuff + Rumble Vol. 1 mix tape. The song was "Feelin' Alright," a scrappy, poorly recorded number - raw and snarling, loaded with snotty, pissed-off attitude. It is rock 'n' roll punk rock in its rawest, purest, most juvenile form. Needless to say, I instantly fell in love.
"The name Gross Pointe is an homage to the bottom of the barrel," says guitarist, vocalist and brains of the operation Michael Santana. "[It's] that sort of helpless flail when your luck has run out, and you decide to write a bunch of songs about it."
These guys are exactly the kind of band you'd want to see on a sweltering summer night in a beer-drenched, crowded bar. It's raw, in-the-moment energy blazing with attitude and a throwback vibe. It's music that tackles life's many frustrations in a fun and upbeat way, a surefire sound for rocking away the blues.
"We want them to feel a bit ruffled," says Santana, "like someone shook their hair up. We want them to relate to the lyrics in our songs. We want people to dance and have fun. We think our songs are motivational, even if the content may seem antithetic at times."
At the time of this writing, Gross Point has released two cassettes: A Dumpster Tapes split with another great Chicago garage band, Son of a Gun, with which Gross Pointe shares a member, and a more recent five-song EP, also on Dumpster Tapes, that's definitely a step up in production quality, having been recorded at Public House Sound Recordings.
Their next show is July 11th at Cole's (they think, I think, they aren't sure yet, but check back here on VoT because you know we have the best listings in Chicago y'all).
