Blood People

Blood People

With a sound-blast that buffers against the upper reaches of recording levels resulting in dampened furrows of sound, though turning your own sound system to highest levels and kicking the sub-woofers quite hard is worth doing, as for the tweeters – do what ever you like with them as they are redundant animals in the just under a quarter of an hour four tracks (available on bandcamp).

Blood People spill out music that needs to be bleeding the ears to gain maximum value as they hurl music for the mosh-pit that will find you grappling with your own shoulders if you are not in company.

Best ingested with plenty of floor space and lungs full of oxygen as Blood People launch themselves and the audience across the room – just check you have everything up to maximum and more and you are not listening to this on the whinny of an MP3 playback device before you hit play with my pick of the release – the closer Burn The Ships. - Emerging Indie Bands

Blood People?

A local name got noticed on last year’s Riot Fest lineup poster, inspiring laughter and intrigue ahead of the punk carnival’s fall return. But at showtime, Blood People was no joke.

The first set of the weekend, the four-piece played it loud and fast — with dueling, riff-heavy guitars edging themselves against a wall of punishing percussion as heard on songs “Burn the Ships” and “Clowns,” as singer Aly Jados, sounded as if she lived on a diet of cigarettes and whiskey and regularly gargled gravel.

But in real life, Blood People isn’t as “scary” as it sounds.

“I was high,” Jados laughs, with a shrug of her shoulders. “We weren’t even talking about the band, we were just talking about family. We were talking about that band Haim and I was like, ‘Yeah they’re sisters.’ I couldn’t think of the word ‘family,’ so I was like ‘They’re like blood people!’ It kind of evolved from there.”

“Now it more so means, kind of like we’re all one,” continues guitarist Jeff Loehrke. “Treating people how you want to be treated, that universal oneness. So it’s a loving name.”

“I mean yeah,” Jados interjects. “Strip the skin off everybody and then what do you get?”

For Blood People, the idea of what’s left once you strip everything else away sits at its heart — musically and personally.

“People are vulnerable, so you need to empower yourself and think for yourself. Human beings, they’re so complex. There are masks people wear for different reasons, I think we’re all guilty of that. And with that come so many different perspectives. I want to touch on that, but it’s focused more on dark things. I’m just not someone who’s going to write a song about hearts and rainbows. Who wants that over and over again?” she explains of her approach to crafting lyrics. “I write about psychological profiles. ‘Shapeshifter’ is about (actress) Shelley Duvall, who I love dearly. It was a shock to me when I saw her mentality fall apart, so I dove into that and tried to put myself in her shoes kind of thing.”

Recently marking three years together, and celebrating the release of its sophomore EP “Great Reactor” with a show at Beat Kitchen Friday night, the members agree that the wave the band is currently riding is the result of finally following their bliss — which just happens to be no gimmicks rock ’n’ roll.

A band built on “GO!”, the quartet played its first show just two weeks after officially forming with drummer Mickey Molinari (formerly of buzzworthy, early aughts pop-punk outfits August Premier and Danger Is My Middle Name) and then-bassist Shannon Burns, whose spot was succeeded by brother Norm.

“You couldn’t have asked for a worse first show,” Molinari jokes, while Jados recounts that night at Debonair Social Club — which included a set of four songs, two covers and two original compositions.

“It was fun, and I wore this leopard, one-piece jungle suit,” she remembers. “… But yeah I think they were all like ‘What the f--- did I get into?’ because I was like ‘Yeah let’s do it, let’s go!’”

But the road to Blood People has been long, with plenty of musical detours — particularly for Jados. While each member of the band has been hustling as a working musician in the city since high school, supporting their ambitions — and eventually families — with day jobs, she briefly explored the reality TV route to musical stardom.

A trip to Hollywood through “American Idol” in 2010, which came with meeting one of her own idols, then-judge Steven Tyler of Aerosmith — and a fruitless audition on “The Voice” thereafter showed her the opposite of what she wanted as an artist.

“Number 10,021 or whatever. I did it on a whim, but I don’t think anything of it,” she admits. “Some people were super rude. The coaches and some of the folks that worked there, were kind of insulting. When I got back from Hollywood, I was just doing acoustic gigs and covers and writing my own stuff.”

She released a solo EP, “Don’t Come Easy” in 2012 before again finding herself in a bartending and serving position to pay the bills.

“I just think that taking any opportunity that comes your way, that you’re into, it’s like why not?” she continues. “You can always stop. If you sign up for something and it sucks, then, you know, don’t sign any contracts! But if I want to do something I’m just like, what do I have to lose, my serving job? Okay. Every person you look up to, we all have the same parts. So why them and not you?”

That mentality, however, has helped propel the band forward.

Despite contending for what many non-believers would consider “long shot” opportunities, including Metallica’s 2017’s ‘Hit the Stage’ search for an opening act for five dates on its WorldWired Tour (which Blood People lost to fellow Chicagoans Local H), with just a handful of demos — embracing the idea that maybe anything is possible, even in an industry as cynical as music, is better than the alternative.

Then Riot Fest happened.

“Are you into witchcraft?” Molinari asks, half-joking about how the band ended up on the bill.

Burns suggests it was the power of blood magic before Jados pipes in.

“It was a seance — no, I’m just kidding,” she says. “To be honest, it’s another thing of (us) just keeping pressed toward what we want. We’ve been going (to Riot Fest) for years and asking how do we play, getting no’s, no’s, no’s. But on the day, our set-up, we basically opened the festival. It couldn’t have been a better situation for our band. We’d never played a giant stage like that.”

That experience also emphasized a need for more songs, which — for a band with seemingly little time to waste, is a more collaborative, committed process. With its overall catalog count now at nine tracks, Blood People is honing in on a sound that carves out its own lane between pop-punk and heavy metal; drawing comparisons to recently reunited Los Angeles punks The Distillers.

For the record: no, the band doesn’t think that’s a cop-out.

“She’s like … I mean, seriously though – that was my favorite band growing up,” says Jados. “I heard them on (Hellcat Records compilation album) ‘Give ‘Em the Boot;’ ‘L.A. Girl’ was the first song I heard and I was just in love. I hadn’t heard any other current bands at the time that were speaking to me. This girl, she played guitar. She sang with a rasp and a deep growl and I was like … that’s what I want.’” - Chicago Tribune

There will be blood: Give me a punk singer who sounds like she lives off cigarettes and whiskey, and I’m in love. Local punk outfit Blood People did just that. A set stacked with riffs, often punctuated by the hard crack of a drumstick, the band’s intensity under the high sun was like a punch to the gut. But technical quality wasn’t sacrificed for the sake of volume or speed, as songs like “Shapeshifter” and “The Queen” sounded just as good live as on recording. The only issue? Why put a band this good on a stage tucked away? — Jessi Roti--
http://www.bloodpeople.com - Chicago Tribune

“We’re super loud, and we like it loud. That’s part of our sound. I want people to feel the music in their heartbeat, vibrating with us,” said Blood People front woman and guitarist Aly Jados of performing the raucous sounds of the group’s new release “Great Reactor.”

The five-song EP – released on April 19, 2019 – builds on the nuanced noisiness of the Chicago group’s eponymous 2016 debut with layered storytelling, raw emotion and riffs, riffs and more riffs. The album is best experienced loud, as fans at the Beat Kitchen during Blood People’s release party can attest, as the four-piece – comprised of Jados, Jeff Loehrke (lead guitar), Norm Burns (bass) and Mickey Molinari (drums) – played “Great Retractor” in its entirety from front to back.

Speaking by phone, Jados explained how the group’s passion for performing, resilience in the face of personal hurdles and an unappreciated genius served as inspirations for the new material. But first, every song starts with a riff.

“Jeff will come up with riff ideas – he’s the riff master – so he’ll come up with that and set a tone for the song,” said Jados. “He’ll bring ideas and I’ll say, ‘Ooh, I like that.’ Then either Jeff will take it farther by piecing parts together, or he and I will work together on adding a verse here or structuring it there so it flows like a song.”

Blood People performing at Empty Bottle in 2017
Blood People performing at Empty Bottle in 2017

Each “Great Reactor” track flows into the next, painting a human portrait of angst, beauty, menace and self-reliance starting with “Shapeshifter,” a heavy hitting rocker about the award-winning actress and producer Shelley DuVall.



“I love Shelley Duvall so much I feel like I know her personally,” Jados explained. “I think she’s such a brilliant artist in the way that she can shapeshift into these different characters that she plays in different films. It’s unbelievable how she throws herself in there. I don’t feel like she gets enough credit as an actress. To make great art like that you sacrifice a piece of yourself. ”

Jados looked inside herself in crafting the lyrics for “Recluse.”

“That song is kind of a conversation with myself about dealing with depression. When I’m talking about resistance in the song, it’s that resistance internally of knowing what you have to do in dealing with addiction or this or that. It’s saying, ‘Hey, pick yourself back up.’ I’ve had friends pass away from drinking after getting into this spiral. In your life you have to come to a point where you have to change, and you have to fight it every day.”

Though the venue isn’t the subject of the song, Blood People paid homage to Liar’s Club in Lincoln Park with the aptly titled “Liar’s Club,” and elsewhere the band explores its softer side – which is still heavier than 90 percent of popular music – on the EP’s closing title track.

Following a buzz-worthy set at Riot Fest in 2018, Blood People’s fan base has continued to grow. The good news for Chicago concert-goers is the group has plans to unleash the new tunes across the city this summer and fall.

“We play pretty often in Chicago, so be on the lookout,” said Jados. “We’re all always excited to play. We would play every day if we could. We’re kind of like balled-up animals, and you unleash us when you have us on stage.”

“Great Reactor” is streaming on Spotify. More information about Blood People can be found at Bloodpeople.com. - Rebellious Magazine for Women

MUSIC
BLOOD PEOPLE – SHAPESHIFTER: FEMALE-FRONTED POP PUNK ISN’T DEAD
Posted on 13th August 2018

By the sounds of Blood People’s latest single Shapeshifter Pop Punk Riot Grrrl has made a come back with a fiercer bite than ever. The female vocals carry an undeniable reminiscence to Brody Dalle and Courtney Love, yet the punchy, angular instrumental melodies carry all of the bouncing hype of bands such as the Offspring and Rancid.

In short, every second of the angsty progression won’t fail to leave you in a state of empowered euphoria as you listen to the aggression spill from the vocalist’s gutturally raw style. There’s a fabulous drawl to the vocals as lyrics weave into the amplified sound. I can only imagine what Blood People could bring to their live performances. Even though Blood People carry a lot of essence from time’s past, they’re undeniably one of the most conceptually pioneering acts to be gracing Chicago with their aural wrath.

You can check out Blood People’s latest single Shapeshifter for yourselves by heading over to their website. - ANR Factory

got off work at 4:30PM and immediately sent out a text to David and Kendra. I was fucking ready to go. I made it to my car. Nothing. I drove all the way home. Nothing. I hopped in the shower and as soon as I had soap in my eyes I heard the unmistakable ‘bzzz-bzzz’ sound of a fresh new text message. I washed myself as fast as possible, sacrificing cleanliness for potential shenanigans, hopped out of the shower, and saw a message from my mom telling me to be safe tonight. Fuck.

I got dressed and was out the door to the store to pick up some pre-game drinks when I saw the message from David, “Qwe didn’t sleep. Come over please. Bring beer and soda water. Help.” Oh no. A thirty rack of High Lifes and some soda water from the store later, I was walking up David’s porch when I greeted by the biggest hug from the smallest dudes I have ever received in my entire life. It was Mike Morales and David Holtz, and they were druuuuuunk. Apparently, Mike flew a red-eye into Chicago from Los Angeles and drank instead of going to bed, and David and Kendra stayed up from the night before and also drank instead of sleep. I went upstairs to find Kendra laying on the couch. Apparently she had taken over the blankets identity or was the blanket or some dumb shit that only makes sense when you’re delirious. I just started pounding High Lifes, I had a long road to go down if I wanted to try and catch up to these heathens. When that didn’t work, I switched to Tito’s and soda as I watched Mike light up a smoke mid-conversation with David in the dining room. It wasn’t until Mike was looking for a place to put his cigarette out on that David even noticed what was happening, “You can’t smoke in here. Go by the window and you can smoke in here.” Kendra the blanket slinked off and disappeared for the rest of the night, but was replaced with good guy Rory Henderson. The Tito’s started to take its hold of me, Mike fell like a ton of bricks onto the couch in full blown snore mode (I kicked him as hard as I could to try and wake him up, nada), and it was finally time to head to the Bottom Lounge for the second night of The Lawrence Arm’s Annual War on Christmas.

The Bottom Lounge was easily four times the size of the Cobra Lounge, but was still packed to the brim. Rory bought me a shot and a drink from the bar (thanks), and headed off with David backstage as I stood there and watched Blood People play. I don’t remember much, just the fact that I didn’t hate what I heard. I made all sort of mental notes about the band, but they were kidnapped by Jameson and Tito’s. Whelp. Good thing they are from Chicago and I live in Chicago and I’ll hopefully get to see them again. Maybe sober. Probably not.

David kept coming out from the backstage area and bringing me beers, so that was cool. Before Teenage Bottlerocket started, I saw my Portland buddies Josh and Brittany in the middle of the crowd and made my way over to say hey. Unfortunately, as soon as TBR started playing, I puked a little in my mouth and had to run to the bathroom. The puke was unrelated to TBR beginning to play… I’m pretty sure. At any rate, after I washed my mouth out a little and smoked a cigarette outside, my drunk brain decided that going to the McDonald’s across the street was a good idea, so I did that. I sat in the corner and smashed a McDouble and a McChicken together and ate the sad concoction while Teenage Bottlerocket probably played “Bloodbath at Burger King” 50 yards away.

I did feel better though and worked my way back to the venue with a new Tecate in hand for The Lawrence Arms. There was a good leaning beam that I claimed as my own as The Larry Arms played a heavy dose of Metropole. I mean, 6 out of 17 songs is a pretty heavy dose when you’re splitting the other 11 songs between various other albums. Fuck you, I’m not doing set math again. I didn’t give a shit, mind you; I love Metropole. The crowd was larger and into it as well, dancing violently and crowd surfing all over the place. Every once in a while Brendan Kelly would try and say something about Christmas, but either I was drunk or he was because I never understood anything that dude tried to say. After The Lawrence Arms encored, the crowd animorphed into plastic cups, that or they just left the venue and every single person threw a cup on the ground on the way out. Maybe it was some sort of tradition I was unaware of, or maybe people are just giant pieces of shit who can’t clean up after themselves. What I’m trying to say is throw your garbage in the trash can, you fucking idiots.

Eventually David found me and got me backstage as well, where I ate bomb ass salsa and had a few beers while we all decided what our plan for the rest of the night was. Eventually, we decided on a house party in lieu of the GMan since: A. It would be cheaper and less crowded and 2. Everyone already gave David the money to buy a bunch of booze. And just like that I was at an Airbnb in Chicago with people from The Lawrence Arms, Sincere Engineer, Teenage Bottlerocket, American Steel, Red Scare Industries, and more. It was fucking bizarre, and I have no idea how i found myself in that situation. Then Toby Jeg yelled at me for not liking the new Flatliners album and I remembered that all my ‘hard’ work has not gone unnoticed and that I have actually carved out my own itty bitty little tiny notch in this scene and that’s really fucking cool to me.

By the time I made it to my bed it was 6:30 in the morning and the sun was coming up. The War on Christmas had finally truly began.

TO BE CONCLUDED… - The Bad Copy

We’re beyond stoked to be premiering the new album from Chicago’s Blood People! The EP, entitled Great Reactor, will be released on April 19th. The album was produced and mixed by Steven Gillis at Transient Sound and mastered By Ted Jensen.

Stream Great Reactor in full now!

The band will be celebrating the album’s release with a show at Beat Kitchen in Chicago on the 19th. Not in Chicago? That’s okay. You can catch the band Pouzza Fest in May too! - The Bad Copy