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Geronimo! :: A Different Kind of Greatness

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Guest post by David Schutz

Sounds Like: Somebody’s having a good time


RIYL: Fugazi, Don Caballero, Dredg


A Few Words: I’ve been a sucker lately for bands that sound like they’re having fun (see also Hot Cha Cha). Not that most bands aren’t probably having fun, but I think a lot of it gets lost in the pursuit of self-legitimation. Not so for Geronimo! (exclamation theirs). The Chicago trio’s flair for experimentation in both sound and structure has an off-the-cuff feel that is reminiscent of Fugazi, and while they take a certain amount from that band, sonically, Geronimo! is Chicago through and through. Their self-recorded A Different Kind Of Greatness is thoroughly Albini-esque in production, and the band’s style sits in between the region’s more avant garde groups (Don Caballero, Tortoise) and heavier rockers (Hum, that other band with the bald guy).


Geronimo! does so with a guitar/drums/organ configuration, a setup that puts a band at risk of sounding like either R&B revivalists or something off the circus train. These guys avoid all that, though, and Ben Grigg’s fuzzed-out organ sounds are sufficiently guitar-like that it’s easy to forget that he’s plinking keys and not plucking strings. This adds a degree of versatility that’s tough to achieve with a three-piece band, and Geronimo! makes the most of it. I’m looking forward to hearing more out of these guys.


Download "Approaching the Skyline" off their EP A Different Kind of Greatness


When he isn't writing, David peruses Anthropology texts and plays guitar for The Dicky Jaguar Band. He lives in Colorado.

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