As someone new to the Chicago, I didn’t realize that I didn’t have to go out to the United Center or Soldier Field to see an amazing concert. I’m still warming up to the idea of getting out and going to dive bars all across the city to see some live music. But it only took 30 seconds after hitting play on their spotify page to make me want to go see this next band. Blocks off the Belmont stop, we arrived at the glowing neon sign above Schubas Tavern. We walked into the bar area of the little old tavern and waited for a while, while the crowd was still small.

I was fortunate enough to get to talk to Edward & Graham before the show, whose middle names are the inspiration of the band. Their real names are Johnny and Evan, and they are in advertising and music education, respectively, by day. They were the most down to earth artists I’ve had the chance to interview, and we laughed as we reminisced about going to bars under the age of ten with our moms to watch our dads perform. He probably will be embarrassed that I wrote this, but Johnny’s number one fan, his mom, made an appearance in our interview for a brief moment as we sat by the bar. They are inspiring and talented, and for the real tea on the rest of the great interview we had with Edward and Graham, stay tuned for an article coming in a few days.

Edward & Graham took the stage around 9:00 to the cheering and applause of a full house. This was the first time they had ever appeared live with a full band behind them. If you listen to the studio recordings on Spotify or Apple Music, you’ll notice they produced their album strictly acoustically. Today a band of five took the stage, and I can confirm that their album sounds even better with the rest of the band. Self described as a band who makes “songs for the person who doesn’t want to admit they like country and for the country fan that needs something fresh and exciting,” their musical style is a blend I’m not sure how to describe. With influences from country, indie, folk, pop, and rock, their music bridges the gap between almost all of my favorite genres. I think that is why the crowd of people gathered in Schubas for that concert had such a huge range of people. There were people who you could pick out as everything from country fans to very edgy twenty somethings, and a mix of young, middle, and older aged people.

By the time they were a song in, the crowd was hooked since there was something in there for everyone. They are talented musicians, and their vocals still sounded great live. (I was living for the three part harmonies.) By the time their set was over, the crowd was calling for an encore. We didn’t have time for one that night, but at least you can check out and listen to their new album anytime and anywhere, I know I will be.