Formed in 2005, Agents of Change has charted a course of their own by attempting to blend hip-hop, politics, and a DIY punk ethos. Over the years the group has performed hundreds of shows around Chicago and toured nationally; releasing several albums, EPs and mixtapes along the way. As the collective has progressed from a DJ/MC set up to a full band, musical diversity has become a prominent feature of their music, with many songs traversing between hip-hop/punk/reggae/dance/funk and beyond. The message behind the music is simple: educate yourself, challenge authority, demolish injustice and try to have some fun in the process.

O my God. Bio? um… ok. so, Jerky and Nerdy connected through craigslist… i think. They were both looking for some kinda weird, kinky…. well, … anyways, 10 million cases of beer and 18 bass players later, we now have a pretty good band. Nerdy started brewing his own beer that he called “Tit Fucker Fail Ale” and we’ve been friends ever since. In the beginning, we had no idea that Dopey could actually play drums because we played too loud. Once we recorded “Argyle Gargoy…

We are The Black Tie Operation. We’ll spare you the hyperbole and instead, tell you that we’re four friends, who play hardcore punk. We love playing music for a hearty crowd that enjoys good old school punk rock. Sing or dance along and we’ll love you forever. We’ll never deny playing a show so long as all the members are available. Talk to us, we’re nice guys.

-TBTO