__Thu Oct 16th__ Absolutely Not, Punk Talk, Burning Hatreds

poster by Ben Lyon

Thursday Oct 16th, 2012
Absolutely Not
Punk Talk
Burning Hatreds
10PM
$5

THE MEDIA SAYS:
“It’s always nice when you stumble across an overlooked yet supremely promising local act. Absolutely Not hit my radar in December, when I was looking for bright spots in the bleak live-music landscape of the holidays. Led by do-it-all front man Donnie Moore, the band plays poppy, infectious quick-hit garage punk with a charmingly snottyz “nyah-nyah-nyah” sneer. The new eight-song Extended EP is easily the band’s best release, endearingly dorky and loaded with minute-and-a-half pileups of hooks upon hooks. Moore, who moved here from Orlando just over four years ago, admits that he’s been plugging along ever since, waiting for any sort of attention from the Chicago scene. With any luck this EP will do it.
The self-released album was recorded in a couple of days, and it’s the first to feature other members of the Absolutely Not live band. “I wanted it to be truer to the live set,” Moore says. “So Jenna [Horwath] played drums and my sister [Madison Moore] played some keyboard lines. With older stuff, I’d throw a lot of distortion in and make it sound more lo-fi and crunchy.” Absolutely Not plays a release show for Extended on Fri 2/17 at the Burlington with Vamos and Dumpster Babies. Moore will be hawking CDs for five bucks.” – CHICAGO READER

“Absolutely Not deliver quite the wild ride in a minute thirty. The local rockers merge dance-y punk rock and glammy guitars with unbridled, synth-fueled garage rock for a sound that addictive as diet coke. Their latest release, 2012′s Extended, bubbles over with frantic hooks such as on album opener, “Invention,” but they also offer up a fun yet controlled release on the record’s not-as-spastic cuts like, “Hey You,” with it’s spooky keys and tasty handclaps. Either way: Get ready to move.” – LOUD LOOP PRESS

“Absolutely Not is the brainchild of Donnie Moore and generates infectious one-two beat punk chords. It’s an Iggy Pop meets Kevin Barnes approach to jagged garage-rock.” – TIMEOUT Chicago

” (Chicago Reader Recommended Show) Having brought his snotty, sorta-garagey project Absolutely Not from Orlando to Chicago more than four years ago, Donnie Moore might have expected it to stir up a bit more hubbub around here by now—and honestly, I couldn’t much fault him if he did. A little Jay Reatard, a little Mclusky, even a little Thermals, the band can’t quite be straight-up packaged and shipped as “garage rock,” but that’s not to say that Moore—who uses a live band onstage but does it all himself in the studio—doesn’t occasionally throw a noisy bubblegum party on simple tunes like “Local Disappointment,” from last year’s self-released EP It’s Over. Absolutely Not’s slower, almost postpunk tunes keep the sound from slipping into a rut, but Moore’s at his best (and catchiest) when he’s dishing out loud, organ-backed, Okmoniks-style fuzz. Having recently opened for Mark Sultan and Thee Oh Sees, Absolutely Not has started finding its crowd in Chicago—and if Moore took a note or three over the shoulders of those brilliant iconoclasts, that can only benefit his own music.” – CHICAGO READER

“Chicago’s glamtastic garage rockers Absolutely Not impress with their spastic punk rhythms, scratchy vocals and highly-charged new-wave synth play. The band’s 2012 album Extended pumps up the danceable grooves while breaking out plenty of tasty guitar riffs. Don’t be surprised if Absolutely Not causes everyone to break out into uncontrollable fits of dancing.” – LOUD LOOP PRESS

“Products of robots relationships, Absolutely Not! A glam-rock punk band from Chicago, absolutely yes.” -MPshows

“You’ve probably heard of the bands Wavves and Times New Viking? They are bands that are get a lot of attention in the press for leading a movement of lo-fi scuzzy sounding indie rock. They even get records released on Fat Possum and Matador Records. But you probably haven’t heard of Absolutely Not, who operate on a similar level but do it so much better than those bands. Absolutely Not is the spazzed out lo-fi music project of Donnie Moore. His band only played a small number of shows in Central Florida from late 2006 to early 2007 before relocating to Chicago. Before moving, he recorded two albums worth of material (Dancing on Elizabeth Taylor and Products of Robot Relationships) that is just out-of-this-world amazing, but you’d be hard pressed finding it anywhere! He told us he recorded it late at night by himself in his apartment in his underwear. Haha. I totally believe him. The music is fast and fun, not making the mistake of being serious. He’ll keep things razor sharp and unpredictable. He just released an EP in 2010 called ‘It’s Over’ which is easier to get. The newer material is not as frantic but still pretty great. I find it hard to believe labels aren’t fighting over each other to release his music. Filling out his live band in the early days were Courtney Rackley, and Trisha Burrows. The three of them all switched between drums, guitar and keyboard depending the song; each showing off their individual skill on multiple instruments. In their short-lived existence I put them in the running for most memorable bands to come out of the Sunshine State. Moving to Chicago should get him much needed attention. When the trend ends a lot of these bands and their music won’t hold up in the long run or need to be remembered- this won’t be said of Absolutely Not.”
-KICK BRIGHT ZINE

“Absolutely Not, from Chicago, opened for Menomena. They were good! Wicked fuzz with warped keyboard lines and a hint of Blue Meanies style yelping and mood.” – GONZO CHICAGO

“Melodic without seeming poppy, retro without seeming nostalgic, and aggressive without sounding angsty, Absolutely Not is something of a gem within the modern punk scene. The group’s rough garage-punk sensibilities provides a glimpse at the days of the early KBD records and the Voidoids. “It’s Over” has a brilliantly thick atmosphere, comprised of contrasting of melody (the fuzzy, pop-filled keys) and the harsh (Ron Asheton-like) buzzsaw guitar, and hard-hitting drumming. More important than the musicianship, however, is the songwriting. Absolutely Not has a knack for writing utterly listenable songs; there’s no pretense, there’s no gimmick. “It’s Over” just makes you want to dance, sing, and listen to good music.”
-BANNED! Punk Zine