Open road, windows down, 85 miles per hour on a summer day. Hair blowing, not another person in sight. This is freedom, the kind of freedom that needs a soundtrack, and The Statutes of Liberty were made to be the companion for those sweet moments of independence.

The Statutes know that freedom isn’t free but they also know that the only thing to do is rock it out! In a world where government drones fly overhead, our personal records get summoned by the NSA and our politicians are as well known for their dick pics as their policies, SOL gives you the license to question authority and do what you want.

SOL’s sweltering, new album,“VOX POPULI”, provides the rock that you crave in this age of watered-down YouTube wonders, and none of the bullshit. A year in the making, this record represents the best of the SOL sound; equal parts rock and psychedelia, 70s guitars, and tight vocal harmonies.

In the true spirit of America, SOL is a melting pot of people and instruments. Since 2004, nine members strong have taken over the stage and commanded the crowd to move their asses and use their minds to question the world around them. Inspired by the MC5, Hellacopters, ZZ Top, and many more, SOL came together to bring their experience and chops to make sure that those who still want to rock, can.

Chicago based, SOL have a solid local presence, having played most of the usual suspect clubs in town (House of Blues, Double Door, Schuba’s, Hideout, Empty Bottle, Fitzgerald’s) and festivals such as Taste of Randolph Street, Taste of River North, and Skokie Backlot Bash. In 2014, SOL were one of the only Chicago bands selected to play the Detroit Metro Times Blowout.

SOL have also been featured on “Angry & Unarmed”, Adam McKay’s (SNL, Anchorman, Funny or Die, etc.) album of public domain protest tunes (along with Wayne Kramer, Jill Sobule, etc.).   SOL’s new single, “Dead or in Jail”, was recently featured on McKay’s Protest Tunes re-launch in Feb 2015:

Led by drummer Brad Elvis (Screams, The Elvis Brothers, Big Hello, The Romantics) and vocalist/guitarist/saxophonist Chloe F. Orwell (Big Hello), Chicago’s The Handcuffs will be releasing their fourth studio album Burn The Rails. The 13-song album was tracked at Kingsize Sound Labs, Chicago with producer/engineer Mike Hagler (Wilco, Neko Case, Billy Bragg, Mavis Staples, My Morning Jacket, The Mekons). Burn The Rails is being released by Pravda Records in June on CD, download and via streaming platforms and later on 12″ vinyl.

For the the new album, The Handcuffs found inspiration from the heady, analog days of early 1970s rock & roll, weaving together elements of glam, indie, garage, art and blues rock. Inhabiting some of the same musical turf as T-Rex, Mott The Hoople, Roxy Music, The Raconteurs, P.J. Harvey, Led Zeppelin, and Patti Smith – all filtered through a modern lens – they deliver bold, sexy songs with memorable melodies and unexpected twists.

Guest keyboardist Morgan Fisher (Mott The Hoople) demonstrates his synthesizer and piano prowess on a couple of tracks on the new LP. The relationship with Fisher, a musical hero of the band, began after singer Orwell’s rave review of Mott The Hoople’s 2018 reunion tour went viral on social media, attracting the attention of Fisher, who got in contact. From there a creative collaboration was sparked, in-spite of an ocean separating the now real-life friends.

Finishing the record during the peak of the pandemic and lockdown, gave several of the songs an  inadvertent anthem-for-the-times feel – with themes of love and loss, heartache and hope, and even the great ideological divide that was as omnipresent as the virus.

Elvis and Orwell formed The Handcuffs from the ashes of Big Hello, their first band together, which released three indie label records and toured from coast to coast. Elvis’ career also includes a few major label go-arounds, arena tours, and a backstory that will be documented in a new autobiography in the near future. The duo’s eagerness to explore new sonic territory and evolve into an entity that aligned more with their ever-expanding influences and broad range of musical tastes prompted a change. The Handcuffs began as primarily a studio project, in which Elvis and Orwell wrote and recorded an abundance of material. During the process, they realized that they missed the live band experience, and so The Handcuffs as recording artists and a dynamic live band was born. Completing the line-up are bassist Emily Togni, lead guitarist Jeffrey Kmieciak, and keyboardist Alison Hinderliter, all of whom originate from different parts of the country, but have made Chicago their home.

MoonToweR is Chicago’s premier and only “Van Rock” band.

Formed in late 2013 as “Ignition Control”, they have quickly moved up the food chain. They’ve shared the stage with local favorites The Handcuffs and I Love Rich and opened for international acts Wild Adriatic, Stupidity and Blue Coupe. Their song “Tomahawk” has received airtime on rock radio station 105.5 The Kat.

Their music and professionalism has made them a go-to band for bookings at many of Chicago’s most popular music venues.

With original music that’s a unique blend of classic and hard rock, blues and metal, as well as a refreshing list of cover tunes for flavor, MoonToweR is bringing a sound, feeling and vibe that has long been missing back the local scene. All together this four piece has 30 years of stage experience and is thrilled to be bringing the party-on good times soundtrack we call “van rock” to all of you.