URBAN IDOLS

 The Urban Idols story begins in 1997. Through the power of the Internet (AOL to be specific) longtime friends Jason Baygood and Mike Byrne reconnected through a punk chat room. The two eventually realized after discussing a specific Naked Raygun show each had both attended that they knew each other from previous meetings at Chicago area shows and record conventions. Neither were in bands at the time and discussed getting together to start writing songs in the vein of the classic Chicago punk rock sound. The two got together soon and started sharing ideas for melodies which would eventually form into songs. Jay Roth, who had previously played in the Champaign, IL indie rock band Civic with Jason, was recruited on drums. The three quickly began turning these ideas into songs. Lead vocals was the missing piece. Ads were placed around town at various record and music memorabilia shops. Dan Lougheed was one of the first to answer the ad and placed the call. Jason met up with Dan outside of the illustrious Fireside Bowl one evening for the first time. Dan was brought to the practice space near North and Western for his audition. Dan brought confidence and David Lee Roth like charisma to his performance. The lineup was set.  The band spent the next few months writing a set’s worth of material. The band’s first performance was at the Wicker Park staple known as the Big Horse Saloon. This was basically a music room in the back of a Mexican food joint. The debut Urban Idols performance, though not perfect, went off without a hitch.  Dan’s confidence was extremely evident which carried the band through. The band knew that the stage was their home. Shortly after, the band booked a weekend at Uber Studio in Chicago. Nine songs were recorded, including a cover of the Forgotten Rebels classic “Little Girl in the Snow.” This session also resulted in the band’s debut single titled “Sickday Breakdown” with the hard rocking “Flacked” as the B-side. Many shows around this time were booked as the band continued to play on the north side of the city. Urban Idols frequented spots such as the Fireside Bowl, Thurston’s, Empty Bottle, and Double Door to name a few. Along the way, the band got to perform on bills with bands such as Marky Ramone, Sloppy Seconds, Doc Hopper, the Lillingtons and even a surprise Screeching Weasel set at Fireside. Urban Idols went into Uber Studio a second time for another multi-song session. In addition, the band was asked to appear on various compilations, such as “Girls Kick Ass” and “Chicago’s Finest.” Both of these were released on the local label Punk Rock Onion Records. In addition, the band was asked to perform at the 2nd Annual Expo of the Extreme Festival. Due to the location downsize from the Riviera to the Vic, many locals got dropped from the bill. The Urban Idols track “Jugglerod” from the first session did appear on the festival compilation, alongside tracks from Motorhead, Dropkick Murphys and Dwarves. Like most bands, Urban Idols went through a couple lineup changes. Original drummer Jay Roth left the band. He was replaced by Mike’s former Vindictives bandmate Tre Beaudoin. Though a competent drummer, Jay was not too well versed in the style Urban Idols was going for in writing material. Tre brought with him a new life to the band through his experience and knowledge of the genre. Later on, to beef up the sound, rhythm guitarist Albi Boehm came onboard. Around this time, demand for the Urban Idols grew outside of Chicago. The band were setting up shows and participating at festivals around the Midwest. This included festival appearances with bands such as Chixdiggit and Showoff. The band felt the time had come to take their recording to the next level. Legendary Midwest punk studio Sonic Iguana in Lafayette, IN was chosen for the next recording session. The band entered the studio in the fall of 2000 and churned out five of the best written and recorded songs in the band’s brief history. During this period, Mike and Tre had both received offers from Dan Schafer to join the recently relocated Methadones. This led to their departure from the band. This left Urban Idols without their primary song writer in Mike. This, along with other life events, led to the break-up of the Urban Idols. Fast forward to the year 2020. Almost 20 years had passed since the Sonic Iguana recording of fall 2000. The band discovered a newly created local label Punkhead Records. This label seemed to be a perfect fit for Urban Idols. Through presentation of the material and discussion with the label, Punkhead agreed to digitally release the previously unreleased tracks from the Sonic Iguana session. This will lead to a new promotional campaign for the band as they prepare to make a large social media presence for the release.