Trickshooter Social Club – “Porchlight Pie”

Trickshooter Social Club is a roots-rock band out of Chicago, and if you haven’t crossed paths with them yet, Porchlight Pie is a decent place to start.

The band is built around guitarist Larry Liss and vocalist Steve Simoncic, who have been knocking around the Chicago music scene long enough to know what they’re doing. They write all the songs, and the material has a grounded, lived-in quality to it, the kind of Americana that actually sounds like it came from somewhere rather than a playlist algorithm. Blues, alt-country, a little garage rock. It works.

Something I keep thinking about is how the band manages to sound loose without being sloppy. There’s a whiskey-soaked, road-worn quality to it, but it never tips over into self-parody. They’ve shared stages with some serious acts, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, venues like the Whiskey a Go-Go and House of Blues, and you can hear that experience. My favorites are “We’re Better When We’re Broken” and “Poppy and Harriet”.

If you like Tom Petty, the Black Keys, Wilco, or Gaslight Anthem, this is going to feel familiar in the best way. Give them a follow on social media this year, they’re active and worth keeping tabs on as new material rolls out.