Who: Like the band on Spin‘s March cover (read more), This Is Me Smiling formed in the Chicago suburbs, began with humble roots, and soon might take over the world. The band’s core members — Dan Duszynski (guitar/lead vocals), Sheldon Miller (piano/vocals), Matt Schuessler (bass), and Adam Kaltenhauser (drums) — have already shared bills with All-American Rejects, the Hush Sound, and Motion City Soundtrack.
What’s the Deal? Their self-titled debut, initially released in 2005 on hometown imprint the Vinyl Summer, has just been reissued via Onehaven/Columbia. It’s a sly set, infused with immense wit, both through Duszynski’s lyrics and unconventional songwriting that marries power chords with tongue-in-cheek tints of modern jazz. Think Ben Folds Five with Weezer’s guitar heroics and a shot-glass full of Steely Dan.
Fun Fact: The band’s friends on MySpace change their display names to “This Is [Name] Smiling.” But there’s so much fun stuff to know about this band, so watch their video interview with SPIN.com’s Emily Zemler below, then scroll down even further for a snippet of live footage from their set at SXSW last week. PETER GASTON
On the Web:
This Is Me Smiling on MySpace
