FRET12 SESSIONS
LIFEGUARD – Live Performance
A driving force of Chicago’s DIY scene, Lifeguard’s earned themselves a rep for high-octane shows and jaw-clenching riffs — now, they’ve bottled that energy and uncorked
it in this FRET12 Session.
Broadcasting from our shop at The Salt Shed, FRET12 Sessions invites musicians of all genres and styles to come in, perform, and share their work with the world.
FRET12 SESSIONS
LIFEGUARD – LIVE PERFORMANCE
A driving force of Chicago’s DIY scene, Lifeguard’s earned themselves a rep for high-octane shows and jaw-clenching riffs — now, they’ve bottled that energy and uncorked it in this FRET12 Session.
Broadcasting from our shop at The Salt Shed, FRET12 Sessions invites musicians of all genres and styles to come in, perform, and share their work with the world.
F12-SESSION 005 // LIFEGUARD
Some bands are products of a scene, some make the scene themselves — Lifeguard is the latter, spearheading an ascendant new incarnation of Chicago DIY. The trio’s fingerprints are all over the city’s indie landscape — drummer Isaac Lowenstein and bassist Asher Case have performed with Horsegirl, while Kai Slater plays with Dwaal Troupe and documents the scene in punk zine Hallogallo. Check out their performances of “New Age (I’ve Got A),” “I know I know,” and a cover of Iceage’s “Broken Bone,” in this FRET12 Session.
After the performances, we sat down with Lifeguard to discuss the songwriting process, making visual art, getting respect like Tony Soprano, and juggling school with their fast-evolving musical career.
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“We aren’t the most similar in our music tastes — we have a lot of overlap and we can appreciate what each other likes — but I think the thing that’s very cool about us as a band is that we’re very different in our tastes in general, I think.”
— Asher
“We aren’t the most similar in our music tastes — we have a lot of overlap and we can appreciate what each other likes — but I think the thing that’s very cool about us as a band is that we’re very different in our tastes in general, I think.”
— Asher
“We've tried not to write with intention... I think a lot of the time we just improvise and like convince ourselves that the song is really good and then it becomes good... Just play some bullshit and pretend that you're like, on stage at like the biggest venue you can think of, and that it’s the best song you’ve ever written. And then maybe it’ll be the best song you've ever written.”
— Kai
“We've tried not to write with intention... I think a lot of the time we just improvise and like convince ourselves that the song is really good and then it becomes good... Just play some bullshit and pretend that you're like, on stage at like the biggest venue you can think of, and that it’s the best song you’ve ever written. And then maybe it’ll be the best song you've ever written.”
— KAI
HARD-WON TOUR TIPS
💥 “School also serves the purpose of being something to kind of come back to and a schedule to be on, which I know is very helpful for me.”
💥 “We brought DVDs on tour, we watched Star Wars.”
💥 “Develop some stable things you do every night that can take away that strange Groundhog’s Day thing from touring.”
💥 “Make yourself wake up early enough to feel like you're real. It's like it's better to not just wake up and immediately get in a car.”
💥 “Taking a walk, eating breakfast, maybe with a piece of lettuce or something, just [doing] little things. Self-care, it’s 2024.”
💥 “Try to fill your days with things that aren’t just driving and moving gear.”
“I think cymbals deserve to be loud and long, and I want to fight with the guitarist, unlike everyone else.”
– Isaac Lowenstein
“I think cymbals deserve to be loud and long, and I want to fight with the guitarist,
unlike everyone else.”
– Isaac Lowenstein
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
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FRET12 SESSIONS – LIFEGUARD
Follow their journey ➔ Web // Instagram // Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Hallogallo
All video and photos by FRET12.
Venue: FRET12 Shop, located in the main lobby of the Salt Shed - Chicago.
FRET12 SESSIONS – GANSER
Chicago-based post-punk quartet Ganser performs “Lucky” and “Emergency Equipment and Exits."
