autobiography

Well, we’ve been a band since early 2005. We play pop music with a celebratory feel, except sometimes we write sad songs. We practice in a small very cold or very hot garage behind Robbie’s apartment in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. We have one release, Uh-Oh (Tense Forms/Rock Proper) that we recorded with Matt Dewine at Pieholden Suite Sounds.

Anika Balaconis — trumpet, organ, vocals. She also plays in Brother Truck.

Jason Eckerson — bass, vocals. He also performs with Brother Truck, Mar Caribe and the Prospects.

Joshua Dumas — guitar, vocals, words. His various projects live at Quiet Errors.

Robbie Hamilton — drums, vocals. He also plays with Where the Moon Came From.

Whitney Johnson — viola, vocals. She also plays with A Company.

This band began as a 48 hour recording project. Our past members include VJ Hyde and Steve Quantock.

You can contact us here. We have a myspace page. We have a Facebook page. We have an old website.


some reviews

The credits list more esoteric instruments than a Gypsy pawn shop, but the nicely understated production lets them all bleed together into a hazy shimmer that gives ‘The Hours’ and ‘The Cass Song’ a palpable sense of ennui.Chicago Reader by J. Niimi

The Notes and Scratches’ raspy, writerly country pop sounds like early Tom Waits channelling Ben Gibbard.3 Hive by Sam Cannon

Raucous, glorious stuff. The melodies are sterling, and the arrangements about as messy as can be. Kinda like Nick Lowe producing a later OMD album…though probably a bit busier than even that. This album sounds completely alive.Aiding & Abetting by Jon Worley

The album overall is warm and friendly and it gives the distinct impression of having been recorded with one mic in a big empty room…. just the thing for playing in the car on those winter nights riding home from the bar.Pulse of the Twin Cities by Steve McPherson


notes & scratches

photograph courtesy of carlsweets, site by Joshua Dumas, powered by Mike Piontek's Junecode.