Chain & The Gang

***This spring, CHAIN & THE GANG will release its fourth full-length album, Minimum Rock n Roll, on IAN SVENONIUS’ imprint, Radical Elite. Chain & the Gang is led by Svenonius, the prime mover behind the bands NATION OF ULYSSES and THE MAKE-UP, and author of two books — Psychic Soviet and Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group—not to mention online talk show host and auteur filmmaker. The band deals in a new genre called CRIME ROCK that updates rock n roll, blues, and gospel music of the late ‘50s /early ‘60s for the discerning few. As Ian himself puts it: "If asked about it by a prospective fan, I would say 'Watch out; it might hurt your feelings.' Or 'Be careful...there's no telling what might happen if you put it in your ear.'" Why? Because Chain & The Gang isn't for everyone. It's not designed for the victims of Ikea who rely on robots to choose their background muzak, but it can also prove to be addictive and has some disturbing side effects. A gang with a fluid and floating active core, Chain & the Gang recorded Minimum Rock n Roll in Portland, Oregon with Ian and KATIE ALICE on vocals, BRETT on electric guitar, CHRIS on bass guitar, and FIONA on drum kit. It was then mixed down in Washington, D.C. by BRENDAN CANTY (Fugazi, Deathfix). Minimum Rock 'n' Roll is a protest against a world where everything is available—the internet's engorgement of the senses has bred a world that's stupefied, self-satisfied and sedate. It's time for a diet. This record is a kind of aural austerity! Barely any words! Hardly any beats! Fewer notes! It's just EXACTLY ENOUGH.