ZapTown

It takes a certain kind of talent for a band to exist purely on its own merit without some form of gimmick to help establish a band’s identity or market them in hope that it will make someone notice. But for Yourself And The Air, there is nothing flashy about these four guys — Erick Crosby, James David, Drew Rasmussen, Jeff Papendorf, and Nicholas Sinclair — except for the reflection off of their instruments.

This Chicago group defines the pure essence of indie rock with well-crafted songs that stand out on their own and simply use the music to speak for itself. Known for their heavily guitar-driven sound thanks to their debut Hola Mi Cielo and the 2008 release Cold Outside Brings Heavy Thoughts To Think, their latest EP —Friend Of All Breeds — expands their initially-developed sound of early ‘90s alternative guitar rock with a subtle form of shoegaze and adds a degree of atmosphere through the occasional electronic sampling.

“We are a guitar band, and our CDs are very guitar driven,” said Crosby, lead singer. “At the time, I was getting into music with little things in songs you don’t necessarily hear right away, and we decided to incorporate that style into the EP. It’s these little things in the background that help you better relate to the music.”

Coming from Chicago and a scene that launched the careers of Naked Raygun and Jesus Lizard to 90 Day Men, The Promise Ring and Joan Of Arc, it’s only natural for a band like Yourself And The Air to be pushing themselves out of the norm and into the forefront with what Crosby considers a lacking time for the Chicago scene.

“There have been and are so many great bands and artists in this city,” he said. “But lately, I feel like the scene has kind of fallen. We are hoping that we can change that and would like to be apart of changing that.”

However, when it comes down to it, they are their biggest fans, and it’s the music that matters most.

“We don’t put too much into the music we make,” he said. “The music just makes itself. We are not trying to change the world. We just let things be and craft the music into what it naturally becomes.”

Two years in existence as a band, and a longer history as friends,  it was this band of brotherhood that became the only real constant and got them through all of their obstacles. No money on tour, a broken-down van, and at times almost broken down mentally, the early days were challenging, but they found ways to move forward and get through it all, from sleeping off of the shore in Virginia to scrounging around for a few bucks for gas just to get to their next show. And even now that they are in a much better place as individuals and a group, the idea that they actually “made it” is still foreign to them.

“The DIY aspect was what captivated us to get our hands dirty,” Crosby said. “You appreciate it more when you book your own shows and work through the issues. This is our first real tour, and we are super excited to see the real business side of it. We are very grateful and realize the position we are in right now as a band. It’s something 80 percent of bands never really get to experience. But we still have a long way to go and want to keep this shit moving because if things don’t move forward than we are doing something wrong.”

Their continued journey will bring them back to Indianapolis to play at The Vollrath on July 30th. This will be their second visit to Indianapolis. Their initial experience was a house show, where a few days prior to their arrival, the area was a murder scene.

“Sometime during the show we were approached by this guy who tried to sell us a gun. He told us that he had to get out of the city because they had done him wrong.”

Let’s hope the only thing that is for sale this time around is the band’s merchandise.

Band’s website: http://www.handsorganics.com/