FRET12 SESSIONS
The Back Alley –Live Performance
The high-powered Chicago indie rock quintet, The Back Alley, stopped by on a quick break from their spring tour to chop it up at the FRET12 shop and record a 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
THE BACK ALLEY – LIVE PERFORMANCE
The high-powered Chicago indie rock quintet, The Back Alley, stopped by on a quick break from their spring tour to chop it up at the FRET12 shop and record a 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.
"We played songs that came our of my solo project to start off, because we didn't really have any songs at first. Once we had a few writing trips at Ben's cabin we started to find our own sound."
- Ralph Porter, vocals
"We played songs that came our of my solo project to start off, because we didn't really have any songs at first. Once we had a few writing trips at Ben's cabin we started to find our own sound."
- Ralph Porter, vocals
F12-SESSION 022 // The Back Alley
Breaking onto the scene in 2024 with nationally recognized singles “Gray Skies” and “Brand New”, The Back Alley is renowned for their jazzy, jammy riffs, and their catchy, well-written vocals. Lead by Ralph Porter on vocals, alongside Jayden Cone on guitar and Ben Kremer anchoring on the drums, The Back Alley also features Ax and the Hatchetmen members Sal Defilippis and Hunter Olshefke on guitar and bass respectively. One thing is for certain, in their own words, The Back Alley will make you jam out.
"We made a point to come in there with some material, people kind of paired off for the weeks leading up to the trip to do smaller sessions. That was beneficial for everyone's ideas be fully fleshed out"
- Ben Kremer, Drums
"We made a point to come in there with some material, people kind of paired off for the weeks leading up to the trip to do smaller sessions. That was beneficial for everyone's ideas be fully fleshed out."
- Ben Kremer, Drums
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 grew up singing in front of six, 700 people a week. You know, every Sunday was a concert basically.”
— Brother Wallace
“I grew up singing in front of six, 700 people a week. You know, every Sunday was a concert basically.”— Brother Wallace
“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
↓ ↓ ↓
FRET12 SESSIONS – The Back Alley
Follow their journey ➔ Web // Instagram // Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube
All video and photos by FRET12.
Venue: FRET12 Shop, located in the main lobby of the Salt Shed - Chicago.
FRET12 SESSIONS – OLIVE VOX
Olive Vox, the young Dallas-based alt-rock band took a break from their tour to pop into FRET12 and record a session.
