Beloved local indie four-piece Ne-Hi only just announced their split via a May EP release, but former members are already breaking new ground! This week, Ne-Hi vets Mikey Wells, James Weir, and Alex Otake drop a self-titled debut single and video as Spun Out, who focus more on synthesizers and grooves than their predecessor. The song features Clay Frankel and Chris Bailoni of Grapetooth, and the trippy video (which seems to show Wells living inside a river bridge wearing Aladdin Sane-style makeup) is directed by local DJ and art collective Noble Savage. Wells says Spun Out have been recording with Joshua Wells from Destroyer behind the boards and collaborators such as Sean Page of Mantra Blues and Deeper bandmates Shiraz Bhatti and Nic Gohl. Spun Out play a free show at the Empty Bottle on Monday, August 5, with Caroline Campbell and Noble Savage.
In 2016, Jasmine A. Barber (aka rapper J Bambii) launched the Brown Skin Lady Show, an event series to showcase women of color. On Friday, July 12, the festivities hit the lake via an anniversary yacht party. It starts at Navy Pier and features sets by Jean Deaux, Mother Nature, King Marie, Lisa Decibel, the Lab3l, and Coshe. Tickets are available at bit.ly/bsls_y.
On Friday, July 12, Chicago DJ and acid-house producer Terry Mullan returns to Smart Bar for his final hometown show—earlier this year, he decided to retire from DJing. “I’m not that far out from turning 50 next year, and I’ve had a great run,” he says. A veteran of the midwest rave scene, Mullan came to fame in the 90s, partly through the material he released through his label, Catalyst, launched in 1996. Though he’s lived on the west coast for the past 20 years, he still reps Chicago hard—his Smart Bar set should be intense. “When I was a young rave wisenheimer, I had a residency on a weeknight there, and this is bringing things full circle,” Mullan says. “Couldn’t be more stoked.” v
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