BLUE RIBBON GLEE CLUB




Time Out Chicago (Sept. 6, 2007):





Chicago Sun-Times (Jan. 25, 2008):





Chicago Tribune (March 21, 2008):







"The choir puts its quirky stamp on punk and indie-rock tunes, including "Bad Kids," "Waiting Room" and "Words and Guitar." Can we please get these kids together soon with the old folks from the documentary "Young @ Heart"? That would rock." Chicago Tribune (April 25, 2008)



"(Glen) Hansard's storytelling helped lighten the mood just enough between songs; without his affable presence, this could've been a tough go. The encore turned momentarily celebratory with covers of the Pixies' "Gigantic" and "Where is My Mind," with the Blue Ribbon Glee Club adding oomph to the wordless harmonies." Chicago Tribune (Nov. 2007)



"Blue Ribbon Glee Club + Fugazi + Video Mash-Up = Awesome."
Read more at The Chicagoist



"This a capella choir is known for its high-octave renditions of punk and indie rock tunes. But did you know the group formed in an attic and is named for cheap beer? The band returns to Looptopia for a second year with takes on The Dead Kennedys, P.J. Harvey and others. 6:15 p.m. Friday. Free. Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, 55 E. Wacker Drive." Metromix (May 2, 2008)


"Idolator's Maura Johnson posted a fantastic video mashup by Chicago's Blue Ribbon Glee Club this past week, which sparked a trend of comments (well, just two actually) which bounced about the accessibility of Fugazi's "Waiting Room." The limited query was started by one comment asking, "My only question is, why is 'Waiting Room' ALWAYS the go-to Fugazi song? For a band who never had any proper radio singles or music videos, why does one song rule over all the rest? It's not anywhere near their best song either." Responding immediately (and subsequently ending the discussion) was the next comment, "I think it's pretty easy — 'Waiting Room' has one of the greatest bass lines and opening riffs in all of recorded music and is instantly recognizable. And that riff has been played and recognized for almost twenty years now, so that it's part of the subculture. I agree that there are plenty of great Fugazi songs, but none have quite the same playful immediacy of 'Waiting Room'." All this kind of made me thing, since Fugazi has recorded and released so much great music, why don't I like Fugazi more in practice than I do in theory?" - Read more at Culture Bully


"If you've been lamenting the absence of punk-rock a cappella groups, this outfit is here to fill that void. Covering everything from the Pixies to the Dead Kennedys, the unique club numbers between 25-30 and will present songs you've heard before in a whole new way. (6:15-6:45 p.m., Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago)" Chicago Sun-Times (May 2, 2008)


"These locals tip the scales at around 30 members, culled from the lineups of other Chicago groups, but you can't blame that on the Polyphonic Sufjan mega-band trend—they're a bona fide glee club. Their sound is so wobbly, so amateur and informal, that calling them a choir would be a bit grandiose, and they plunge into the songs they've chosen—mostly punk and indie-rock standards—with a reckless enthusiasm for which glee is really the only proper synonym. They ooh and aah and bomp-bomp-baah their way through Fugazi's "Waiting Room" and the Clash's "Spanish Bombs," bringing out the songs' latent whimsy—plus you can finally understand all the words. Performances are entirely a cappella, save for some sparse drumming or tambourine shaking—they even sing the riffs and solos." - Jessica Hopper / Chicago Reader (Jan. 2008)


AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GLEE CLUB
by the Chicago Independent Radio Project (May 12, 2008)



Chicago's Blue Ribbon Glee Club proves best in show
Venus Zine (June 24, 2008)