** News **

12-17-07: * No more updates. It's all over. But you can check what John's up to at The Pawners' Society site. That's his new project. It's good. Go see them.

* Goodbye.

08-20-07: * The end is upon us.

* We will be playing our last show ever on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Ronny's Bar in Chicago. Other bands will be announced soon, and we hope to see you all there to help us kill this thing in style.

* Thanks for coming out to our shows over the past four and a half years, or letting us crash at your place on tour, or taking photos and emailing them to us. It's been a blast.

06-04-07: * It's getting hot in the Windy City.

* We're happy to announce that our latest recording, The Burning Candle EP, is now available for purchase online both at CD Baby and on iTunes! How exciting!

* After our triumphant return to the Note in Chicago the other night, which saw a heavy-footed Fee putting his kick drum beater through the drumhead, cutting our set a tad short, we're officially taking a few weeks to record our next record. We're thinking EP. We like EPs. It'll be great. You'll love it.

04-18-07: * Hope you got your taxes done, faithful Americans!

* Holy schnikes! The Moaners were unbelievable and are our new favorite band. We had tons of fun with them at the Note the other night. Thanks for all those jokes, Laura!

* Our next show will be in Dekalb, Ill., otherwise known as the town where dreams are made. Stay tuned for other out-of town dates, as well as a special upcoming local gig!

03-17-07: * Sorry if John bled on you at Shekle-fest. He turned into Pete Townshend for a second there. Can't wait til the next one.

* Our next show in Chicago will be April 12 at the Note, in Wicker Park, opening for Chapel Hill's own The Moaners. We're going to try and make them screamers.

* Listen to this tasty nugget which was overheard at Shekle-fest. I call it, "They both suck."

02-27-07: * Oh man! The Silvie's show, though a thrown-together, last-minute affair, was unbelievably awesome. John had a cold, and his medicine combined well with the Old Style Light. Too many crazy and bizarre antics to recap, but it was quite a sight. And, if you missed it, you can hear an mp3 of the band playing Joanna Newsom's "Bridges and Balloons" over at the Grackles' Myspace site. It's the last song listed, so you'll have to do some clickety-click, but it's worth it (even though John messes up the words a bit due to his "condition").

* Who's excited about Shekle-fest, the big extravaganza coming to the Mutiny in Chicago next month? Everybody, it seems. The buzz is getting out. It's going to be amazing, and the Grackles have more than one surprise in store! See you there.

02-06-07: * Our record release show last month was a smashing success! (And yes, that's a pun...) If the dude who captured the end-of-set guitar demolition on his digital camera still has it handy, please email John.

* Our next show in Chicago will be one of those wacky free Mutiny shows. They're always a blast, so come have a half-pitcher of Pabst Blue Ribbon with us, willya?

* After that, we're going to be hitting the road for a few weeks in the spring to continue the promotion of The Burning Candle EP, our new recording!

11-19-06: * Our official record release show for The Burning Candle EP will be on Friday, Jan. 5, 2007 at the Note in Chicago's splendiferous Wicker Park neighborhood. Special guests TBA. Check back soon for more details.

* Many thanks to the Copy, Right? blog posting a link to our cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England." Check out the blog for other great cover songs!

09-27-06: * We got our new record, The Burning Candle EP, properly mastered and we're going to have an official release party for it soon. But for now, you can hear two previews right here. We're quite happy with it. Big thanks to Carl Saff for doing an amazing job!

* Our next big show will be Friday, Oct. 6 at the Nite Cap Lounge in Chicago. We're hosting our pals Bunnygrunt, from St. Louis, so make sure to come out!

07-02-06: * You'll have have to come to the Fireside Bowl in Chicago on Friday, July 7. Check the shows page for more info! Make sure to dig the show flier. It's one of our best.

* Thanks to Drunk Robert in St. Louis for taking his pants off after our show at Lemmon's. If you didn't get kicked out of the bar, you should have. Shame on you.

06-22-06: * Whew! Lots of information. First off, we're playing in St. Louis this Saturday at Lemmons with our good friends Macro Meltdown.

* Then, we're making our first appearance at the Fireside Bowl in Chicago on Friday, July 7. Check the shows page for more info! The place is a punk landmark. But then again, it was also featured in "The Break Up" with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, so...

* Also, we have a new EP that's ready for release sometime real soon featuring five new songs and a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England." It's going to be terrific. It's called "The Burning Candle EP" and we'll let you know when it's ready for purchase!

* Last year, John H. accidentally set a car on fire with a sparkler during Fourth of July Festivities. He's still waiting for an invitation back to that party...so if you know anyone who's looking for adventure on our nation's birthday, have them send John an email.

* Also send him an email if you want a t-shirt (specify orange or black, as well as what size). Those are $10. And we have a few pairs of Grackles panties -- one featuring a different band member's face in the crotch. If you want one of those, you're truly a sick person. So you'll have to buy those from us in person.

* See you at the show!

04-05-06: * Another show has been moved to a new location! Our May 10 gig with our friends from Minneapolis, the Slats, will be at the Empty Bottle. Come on down! As an extra enticement, Brian'll show the first 25 people in the door the new tattoo he got on his dink.

03-16-06: * Our March 30 show has been moved to a new location: the South Union Arts Center, 1352 S. Union Ave. That's sorta near the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street. This is the new venue being run and booked by the people who once brought you the Fireside Bowl. We've very excited to be part of one of their first shows. It's all ages, by the way. We're playing with our pals the Cops from Seattle. Come out and say hi!

03-12-06: * A long overdue updating of the photos section has been done! There are lots of goodies there now, so check it out.

* Thanks to everyone who came out to the Nite Cap show and made it such a success! We had tons of fun with our pals from Minneapolis, The Slats.

* And speaking of friends...Tapes 'N Tapes, also from Minneapolis, are officially blowing up! First, a wonderful review from Pitchfork, and now they're on the way to superstardom via some excellent showcases at SXSW in Austin followed by some big-deal shows in LA! Good luck boys! Knock the major label reps dead! But a word of advice: we played the "AlterKnit Lounge" in LA, like you guys will. Be careful, it smells like puke!

* Look for some more tour dates real soon. See you soon!

01-09-06: * Happy New Year!

* John H.'s tour journal from our recent excursion to the West Coast is online! Take a look.

* Our next show is Friday, Jan. 13 at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. Yep, that's Friday the 13th. We're opening for Even in Blackouts, featuring an ex-Screeching Weasel member. Odd, but true: John H. is slightly related to Ben Weasel. And oddly enough, they both have the "asshole" gene.

* Also, if you can't make the Friday the 13th show, you should make absolutely certain to go to the Metro in Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 14. It's a memorial and benefit show for our three friends -- Michael Dahlquist, John Glick and Doug Meis -- who were killed last summer in a tragic car accident. More info here.

12-06-05: * The West Coast was a total blast. Thanks to everyone who helped us set up a show, gave us a floor to sleep on or just came out to a show. You're all aces.

* I (John H.) will be putting up a tour journal soon so you can learn all the juicy details and see all the gory photos! Check back soon.

* We're taking some time to rest and record some demos of brand new songs. Even newer than the new record we recorded earlier this year. I guess we're stockpiling songs for the winter.

* Speaking of which, brrr! It's cold in Chicago. Take us back to California...

11-06-05: * West Coast here we come! Check the shows page for more details. And tell your friends!

* Thanks to everyone who came out to our sold-out show Friday at the Hideout! It was a great send-off and nice to see so many of you. Again, thanks to Jonathan Messinger for putting us on the bill and being so gracious.

* When we get back to Chicago we'll let you know about upcoming local gigs.

08-24-05: * Lots of shows coming up! We're also planning a big West Coast tour for November. Things are heating up.

* Listen to a sneak peak from our upcoming album, which will be called Feline Strychnine. We're still figuring out the logistics (i.e. a record label) and once we get that all figured out and have a street date, we'll let you know. If you're extra good, we'll put another one or two songs up on our MySpace page!

07-20-05: * Our hearts go out to family and friends of Michael Dahlquist, 39, John Glick, 35, and Douglas Meis, 29. All three were friends of ours; all three were in awesome rock bands; all three were among the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. And all three were tragically killed in a car accident July 14. Michael played drums in Silkworm. John was guitarist and singer for the Returnables. Doug was drummer for the Dials and Exo. They will all be missed. Words just don't seem to work right now, as "sadness" doesn't even begin to describe the emotions left in the wake of this horrific event. Read about it here, if you don't already know. If that links expires, do a Google search.

* If it's convenient (and you live in Chicago), tune your radio to WLUW 88.7 FM at 4 p.m. this Friday, July 22. We'll be interviewed and John H. will do a song or two solo acoustic in promotion of our upcoming Abbey Pub gig.

* That show will be Thursday, July 28. In case you don't know, John H.'s birthday is the following day, but he'll be accepting expensive gifts and free drinks a day in advance. So come prepared!

05-20-05: * Too good to be true. Thanks CNN. Although you spelled John's last name wrong, it's Huston. But anyway, since that story came out we've had lots of curious people trafficking our site (and possibly illegal drugs), so come on bird lovers, while you're here, buy a CD!

04-21-05: * Our May 19 show has been moved to a new, all-ages venue in Rogers Park called the Heartland Theatre. Tell all your underage siblings, friends and internet chat partners! Address and other details can be found on the shows page.

04-11-05: * Whew! Back from our three-day mini Midwest tour. It was tons of fun. Thanks to everyone in St. Louis, Kansas City and Cedar Falls who helped us out.

* The new line-up is solidified with John Fee on drums and we're ready to unveil some local shows for you. See you then.

04-02-05: * We are pleased to announce and introduce our new drummer, John Fee. We'll soon add some more personal information about him on the bio page! John will be playing his first shows with the Grackles on our upcoming mini-tour. After the mini-tour, we're going to take a few more weeks and learn some more old songs before we do our first Chicago show with the new line-up.

* Before Nicole abandoned ship she helped us record a new EP with Mike Lust. We still have to finish the vocals and mix it, and we're still figuring out what to do with it once it's done, but it sounds awesome. It's going to be called Feline Strychnine. We'll post a song or two online sometime soon so you can check it out.

* We have new stickers and buttons! Email John if you want one.

* Also, the Illinois Entertainer wrote us a nice review of Honeypot in this month's issue. Click the link at the top of the page to read it!

* Oh, and by the way, we totally lost the Metromix.com/Chicago Red Eye competition. It's cool. Don't cry for the Grackles, Argentina. We'll be OK. We'll make it through. We'll keep our chins up and turn this thing around. But thanks to those of you who voted. If it weren't for you all, we would have come in last place, instead of ninth!

03-23-05: * Please take a second and vote for us! Metromix.com and the Chicago Red Eye picked us to be one of 10 local bands to vie for a show at the Metro. Go here to vote!

03-16-05: * The rumors are true. Wednesday, March 23 will be Nicole's final show in Chicago with the Grackles. It's sad to see her go. After that, we're recording a few new songs with Mike Lust and then doing a few shows on the road. Please come to the Bottom Lounge on Wednesday to bid Nicole adieu. It will be sad, but we promise it'll be a fun night. Be there.

* We kept the same lineup for over two years. Pretty amazing. But instead of breaking up, Barney and Brian will soldier on. Hopefully soon we'll announce the name of our new drummer.

* Also, we put up scans of as many of our past show fliers as we could find. Czech it out on the shows page!

* As always, email Barney with questions, comments, suggestions or tasty recipes.

03-02-05: * John will officially be known from this point on as Barney Cockstone.

* Some big news coming. Be patient. Some good, some bad.

* Come to our Bottom Lounge show to celebrate our "manager" Ken Keenan's birthday. And then let him tell you the history of heavy metal from a drunken pothead's perspective.

* We'll be recording some new songs with Mike Lust at the end of this month and then setting out for a week of shows in April.

* By the way, if you have a tour van you want to sell/rent/loan us, email John, er, Barney.

02-02-05: * Updated the bio page. It's long overdue. This one's just temporary, but it does the trick.

* Put up some high-resolution promo photos on the pictures page for all those crazy media requests we've been getting lately. And I suppose for all you fanatics to use as desktop wallpaper. Have at 'em.

* Speaking of media requests, we're always open to interviews and whatnot, so feel free to email John to set something up.

* As always, check the shows page for our upcoming performances.

* See you soon!

01-07-05: * Welcome, a week late, to the new year! And thanks to all you frost-bitten jerks who came out to our Schubas show last night. It was lots of fun.

* We have some more Chicago shows coming up in the coming weeks. You should come!

* We're also booking a Southwestern tour for April.

* And we're getting ready to head back into the studio to record our second record. The first album, Honeypot, is still available to listen to/purchase.

* Send us an email to subscribe to our mailing list or just to say hello!

12-05-04: * Catch us on television! We're the musical guest on Chic-a-go-go, the fantastical children's/hipster dance program. The rub is you can only see it if you live in Chicago and have cable. If you do, then tune to channel 19 at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7 and again at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8.

* Luckily for you poor bastards who live outside Chicago or without cable (or, gasp!, both!), super-fan Tom Shekleton took some photos at the taping last month. We uploaded a few here, though you can check out his site for even more!

* Also, you can download an incredible sounding copy of our Double Door performance from back in September by following this link! If you sign up for eMusic, you get 50 free downloads of live shows from venues all over the country!

* Have a nice December! See you in 2005.

11-18-04: * Just a quick note that our old email address (thegrackles @ yahoo dot com) isn't working for some brilliant reason. All email should be directed toward John. Sorry for the confusion.

10-27-04: * We've been asked to perform and be interviewed on Chic-a-go-go, the local public access children's dance show. That will be Nov. 21 from 6-8 p.m. It's an incredible honor, especially considering past guests have included some of our favorite bands, like Fugazi, Dismemberment Plan, Jets To Brazil, Archer Prewitt, Bobby Conn, Neko Case, Butthole Surfers, Quasi, Bratmobile, the Danielson Famile, Fugazi, Cheap Trick and Pansy Division. More info on our shows page.
* John's tour journal is still online, which follows the Grackles on our recent East coast tour. Thanks to everyone who has sent in comments about it.
* Maybe we'll see you on Saturday night?

10-25-04: * Check out John's tour journal from our recent jaunt out East. Just in case you're interested. And we know most of you aren't, but this is the information super highway, after all. So eat it.
* On a slightly less defensive note, we're playing a Halloween party, so all you scary Chicagoans can come out and do the Monster Mash or whatever it is you freaks do at Halloween parties these days. Info on our shows page.
* It may be our last show for a couple months. We're going to head into the studio soon. And we need some downtime. So we hope to see you soon.

10-21-04: * We're back from tour and we're exhausted. Give us a couple days and we'll have John's tour journal and some photos online for you to peruse.
* Thanks to all the great bands we played with, most notably Bastille and Fifth Period Fever. Thanks a ton, guys! You're both tops in the Grackles' book.
* Stay tuned for info on our super-secret Halloween extravaganza!

10-06-04: Long time no update, eh?
* We're heading out on tour soon, hitting the East Coast! A little Ohio action, a little Massachusetts action, a little New York action. We'll be playing in our nation's capital. And don't forget about Motor City. It'll be our second show in Detroit. So if you're in the area, come out and check us out! Refer to the shows page for more information.
* When we get back we'll upload a bunch of new photos and goodies from the tour.
* We're also heading back into the studio soon with our main man and knob-twirler extraordinaire, Mike Lust. We'll have a couple releases to tell you about soon, but can't spill the beans yet!
* Over and out!

07-26-04: We added some new photos! (Thanks Tom!) That was something that needed to be updated ages ago. Czech 'em out.

07-22-04: Hey! We were played on WXRT 93.1 FM in Chicago! Our first commercial radio appearance. I guess Sun Spots, off our new album, is our "single." Thanks to Richard Milne for playing us.
We have a few tour dates to do before we return to the stage in Chicago.

07-07-04: We are pleased to announce that you can purchase our new album, Honeypot, online. Just visit our sounds page for information.
It's also available at both Reckless Records locations in Chicago, as well as at our upcoming shows.
We also have t-shirts for sale at our shows. They're more orange than this picture seems to indicate, but what do you expect from me? I'm colorblind.
See you soon.

06-25-04: Our first album, Honeypot, has arrived! We're very excited about it.
Very soon you can order it online, but until then either come to one of our shows or email us for a copy.

06-12-04: Our first record, Honeypot, will be released shortly via Pirate Alley Records. We're very excited.
And we're very busy booking some more shows...
Check the shows page for updates and tell your friends to come see us when we're out of town.
And, if you're a member of Myspace (I know, I know, lame-o), you can be our "friend" and listen to an exclusive mp3 from our forthcoming CD that's only available over there.

06-01-04: New show added! Empty Bottle on Monday, June 28. And it's free!
Check the shows page for more information.

05-20-04: Important! The June 12 Bar Vertigo show has been CANCELED! It's out of our hands. Check back for updates to our summer schedule.
Email us to join our mailing list for news and show reminders and advice on how to make a 5-way chili that'll knock your knickers off.
And thanks to everyone who came out to the Subterranean show! It was amazing to see so many of you on a Wednesday night! (I mean, Hump Day...)

05-18-04: Our first full-length album, Honeypot, will be released in July on Pirate Alley Records.
We're going to have a big release party* to celebrate. Update on that coming soon.
Email us to reserve a copy.
Our next show in Chicago is at Subterranean on May 26. And we'll be adding lots of summer dates, so check back and keep in touch.
Hope to see you soon!

* Not THAT kind of a release party, you sicko.

04-26-04: Long time no update, eh?
The Wisconsin trip went great, except John had a nasty throat infection the whole time and made himself delirious on Chloraseptic lozanges. Doctor said he might have to have his tonsils removed!
Our record will be out in July. At long last! Email us to reserve a copy.
Our next show in Chicago is at the Bottom Lounge on May 16. You should come!

02-14-04: We're gearing up for a busy spring. Check the ever-growing shows page.
We're playing two shows in Wisconsin in April and hopefully doing a week-long tour in May. Maybe a few special hometown Chicago shows...
Happy Valentine's Day.

01-11-04: Whew! Lots of stuff.
* The website structure has been fixed and everyone should be able to view it the same. The lyrics page is being fixed and should be finished
by tomorrow. Also, the photos page is not 100% yet, bare with me on that too. Thank you everyone for your feedback, it's greatly appreciated.
* We are The Grackles. Tell your mothers and your cousins. To make a long story short, we avoided a lawsuit from the British band Lomax that, unbeknownst to us, existed. They put out their first album in November. So instead of siccing our L.A. lawyers on them for the rights, we took the high road and changed our name.
* Of course, this is our new web site. Welcome to it. Tell your friends.
* First show of 2004, and our first under the new moniker, will be Thursday, Jan. 22 at Quenchers. Starts at 10pm. We're playing with our friends, Knife of Simpson -- Chicago's finest '70s freedom rock quartet. Check back for additional shows here.
* We've got some new mp3s up for you to download from our recent recording session.
Hopefully we'll have a record out this spring or early summer.
* If you want to book us, email us.
* If you want to put out our record, email us.
* If you want to complain about our website, email our webmaster.
See you soon.

11-5-03: We just finished recording and mixing 13 songs with Mike Lust in Chicago. We're hoping to find a label to put out a record soon. Until then, we have three mp3s from the sessions online for you to download. Check the shows page, as always. See you there.

9-19-03: The new site is up and still in the works. Enough of it is completed and I felt it was time to get it out there.
Please don't think that this is final because there is going to be more pictures, a guestbook, MP3s, and more graphics in time. If you encounter any problems or have any thoughts please email me. That shirt brings out your eyes.
Go to the shows page for info about a couple of things.
Big Saturday night Beat Kitchen show added. Bring your friends!
Buttons! Come and get 'em!