The Automatic Sound * Mint Mile

Friday, April 19
The Automatic Sound * Mint Mile
$12 Adv. / $15 Day of / 21 & over / Doors: 7:30pm / Show: 8:30pm

In the late 1990s, Chicago’s Jeff Cohen was frequently dubbed The Midwest’s Elvis Costello: fast buzzy guitars and a torrent of lyrics underpinned early bands Men of Letters, c.o.v., and Philo. Over time Cohen’s songwriting began to more closely mirror his downstate roots, as did the influence of bandmates from seminal alt-country outfit, Church Key. As a result they won ASCAP, CMJ, and SXSW recognition as well as reviews in Billboard, Alternative Press, and No Depression. Performing with Matthew Sweet, Eddie Vedder, Buffalo Tom, Guided by Voices, the Jayhawks, the Bottle Rockets, Alejandro Escovedo, Syd Straw, and X, the group garnered solid college radio play and AAA nods. 

“More dour trio than power trio”, according to the Chicago Tribune, Cohen’s soulful country approach lasted another decade through his 2014 solo release, “Mid and Western”. 

But clearly Cohen never abandoned the rock and pop stuff entirely. Combining forces with bassist/vocalist Dan Polonsky (Extracto, Box-O-Car, Nash Kato), and drummer/guitarist Marshall Dawson (Spies Who Surf, Liz Phair, King Size), the Automatic Sound’s new single “Let’s All Take the Wonder In” b/w “Grain of Salt” reveals a throughline of hooks, melodies and love-lost lyrics metered out in sparkling, hard-hitting doses.