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Once again we check in with guest blogger Office.......

Why Chicago?

Being heavily immersed in the Chicago music scene, we've had the luxury of performing and collaborating with some great bands since our inception. It's been my belief that for the last couple of years this city has slowly become the epicenter of new American music, due to it's manageable economy, geography, and camaraderie between the artists.

Economics is just one important issue to factor in while attempting to create a new movement in music. Artists need to have the ability to work freely and efficiently, and all great music requires a decent amount of time and resources. One of the reasons I came to Chicago in 2002 was because it was cheaper than living in LA or NYC. I knew it was possible for me to hold down an apartment within a vital neighborhood, take care of my living expenses, and still have the time and space necessary to work on song-writing. The rent is cheaper in Chicago compared to other major cities, and the musical and cultural history travels deep. This was crucial in my decision to move here.

I could have made the choice to move to Detroit after college. There I could live cheap, and be close to my family and the town I grew up in, while also contributing to Detroit's rock and roll renaissance. For some reason, however, I knew the garage rock crowd would hate my song-writing, especially since it relies more on melody and lyrics, as opposed to volume and pentatonic swagger. New York seemed enticing as well, and it, too, was having its own rebirth as well. After a little research, I realized that I'd never be able to survive with one job in New York, let alone have enough room in a closet-sized apartment for all of my equipment. Plus, its size and pace are not conducive to sharing with a lot of people. LA never appealed to me in the first place, so that wasn't an issue.

Kanye West and Common were just getting their feet wet within the national landscape when I moved to this city. The biggest artist around here was probably R. Kelly, and I wasn't about to follow his lead. All of my favorite Chicago rock bands from the 90s were either washed-up, split up, or involved in various recording projects. Depending on your perspective, the scene at that moment was "dead", or quite possibly just "fertile". For some people, this was a very difficult time to be a Chicago musician, but for me as a transplant, it was perfect. There was no rush to be a part of anything, because nothing was happening yet. I could work my day job, come home, write songs, record in my apartment, and meet new people. There was this feeling around Chicago that "anything could happen", and it took a lot of the pressure off.

Around 2004, OFFICE started to play more shows in the area, and people were starting to talk about our bizarre antics onstage. Great bands seemed to be forming everywhere, and the energy and pace of the music scene was gaining momentum. Pitchfork Media was becoming a near-household name, and festivals like Intonation, Pitchfork Festival, Mobfest, Tomorrow Never Knows, and Lollapalooza were bringing in people from all over the world. A year later, we released our demo album, Q&A, and ended up getting involved with these festivals. Our shows were getting bigger, and more money started coming in. Club owners and booking people knew us by name, bands we once felt intimidated by, were now asking us to play, and it seemed like you couldn't step into a bar or boutique without hearing OFFICE on the speakers. Even walking down the street, or sitting in a restaurant, I would see people reading newspapers with our picture in them. It was a bizarre time for us, but also very exciting. Our visibility in the market brought us to other bands, and we have had the unique opportunity of meeting some wonderfully talented individuals backstage.

By far, the best part of this whole experience was being able to establish connections and relationships with some of Chicago's finest: Devin Davis, The 1900s, The Changes, The Redwalls, My Were They, Mannequin Men, The Narrator, Star, Wilco, James Iha (now in NYC), Matt Roan, Kid Sister, and a host of writers, artists, musicians, clubs, bloggers, and people doing their part for the Chicago scene.

It's my belief that Chicago's spot on the map is just now getting noticed. We are the cosmopolitan pit stop for all bands on tour through the country, heading coast-to-coast. We hear everything from blues to jazz, R&B to hip hop, rock to punk, electronic to classical, avant garde to pop, and back again. Our geography, cheap rent, diverse culture, and transportation system keeps us grounded so we are still interested in what other people are doing. This is essential to any cultural movement.