It’s Bandcamp Friday, Let’s Celebrate with Great Music from Local Musicians

Today marks the last announced Bandcamp Friday! What started as a short term way to help bands affected by the pandemic shutting down touring by waiving fees and letting more money flow to the artists has become a mostly monthly tradition. There aren't any official Bandcamp Fridays announced for the future (even COVID cases unfortuntely rising again), so let's make the best of this one!

In the past two years since Bandcamp's initiative, there have been some wild changes. Venues have been opening back up and touring feels a little more feasible, but still risky. The monthly surge of music buying has made some a little weary of how much it’s all actually helping. And the biggest change of all: Bandcamp was purchased by Epic Games. A big emphasis was placed on the idea that this would not change the front face of Bandcamp much, rather allow for help on back-end tools and future development of things like vinyl pressing and live streaming services. As of now, it seems that they have kept to their word and nothing has truly changed. Certain rumblings about terms of service changes being enforced in the future abound, but as of right now it’s the same ole Bandcamp. Forgive the slight pessimism, but with any huge company comes a lot of new res and need to color within the lines. Something Bandcamp eschewed most of the time in favor of artists.

Change is inevitable and while I hope that change is for the positive, I can’t help but be wary of where this whole thing is headed. But as we keep an eye on the situation as more information trickles in (and prepare for the worst, hope for the best or however that platitude goes), we can still support the artists we love on this Bandcamp Friday!

While this initiative is fantastic, remember to support your favorite bands throughout the rest of the month as well. Bandcamp is a pretty great platform as an average of 83% of your money reaches the artist/label (after payment processor fees) on any other day.

Bandcamp Friday will be happening today April 1 until midnight PDT tonight. If you’re unsure what time it all ends in your timezone, check isitbandcampfriday.com for exactly how much time you have left to jump in on the sales effort.

As with every edition of this feature, we’ve added a few more local acts that we highly suggest you check out. If there are any local bands that you think should be added to the list, please leave a comment and spread the Bandcamp Friday love! And don’t forget to head over to your favorite artists’ Bandcamp pages and see what they’ll be doing for today’s push to support quality music! For those of you who have meticulously curated Spotify playlists (although with everything going on I’m sure many of you don’t now), we suggest using Merch Table to see what artists are on Bandcamp so you can support them directly.

We also recommend you check out some of the great compilations that help support various causes!

Now let’s get to the bands!

bnny – Photo by Julian Ramirez
Circuit des Yeux – Photo by Julian Ramirez
Divino Niño – Photo by Julian Ramirez
The Flat Five – Photo by Julian Ramirez
  • The Flat Five are a Chicago supergroup that we absolutely adore. Kelly Hogan, Nora O’Connor, Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough, and Alex Hall make up the band with decades worth of musical expertise! Their slightly twisted dulcet tones are a sure fire way to make these trying times feel a little better. Check out their debut album It’s a World of Love and Hope (with songs written by fellow Chicago mainstay Chris Ligon) and their recently released Another World!
  • Floatie released their stellar math rock debut Voyage Out last year! It was so damn good that we included it in our favorite albums of 2021, so don’t miss out!
  • Fran‘s guitar-driven songs with extraordinary vocals are perfect for these physical distancing times.
  • Freakons
  • Friko
  • Gal Gun – I first saw Gal Gun perform at a living room show four years ago and their latest album Critical Hit is fantastic! Pick up their deluxe vinyl of the album which includes ton of fun extras for only $20!
Ganser – photo by Julian Ramirez
  • Ganser – Need some downright incredible rock music to pulse through your veins? Look no further than Ganser’s exhilarating sound, especially right now since their newest album Just Look at That Sky is out now! Let yourself melt into Alicia Gaines’ range of confident vocals and snarls and the band’s raw post-punk surge. The first pressing of their album is sold out, but the second pressing (on an even cooler color vinyl) is available now! And they just released a new remix EP!
  • Girl K – You can’t get much better than Katherine Patino’s excellent project! Check out our review of their set with Charly Bliss from TNK!
  • Glad Rags
  • Good Fuck is experimental madness from Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse. To put it simple, it’s fucking good.
  • The Glow Ups Chicago-based, punk rock trio features Mike Licari (Bass/Vocals), Kevin De Leon (Drums), and Brian Perfect (Guitar/Vocals). After a series of three separately released singles, the band officially released its debut album, Take Your Tapas Off, on April 27, 2020. Accompanied by the band’s “down to earth” nature, their songs take you on a voyage of pop-punk nostalgia. They hold the central theme of “not having to impress anybody” and you witness this in their lyrical storytelling—comprising real-life stories and experiences.
  • Glitter Moneyyy – Need some sexy, raunchy goodness in your music? Look no further than this amazing duo!
  • Chris Greene Quartet‘s last album PlaySPACE, which was recorded live at Evanston SPACE, is one of my favorites and a great introduction to this fantastic jazz band.
  • Jason Griff
  • Half Gringa has a new album out right now! Force to Reckon is exactly that, giving you some much needed new tunes from Isabel Olive!
  • Heavee
  • The Hecks – Great local band balancing angular post-punk and catchy synth rock, with an awesome live show to boot.
  • HLDAY MAGIK
  • Ivy Hollivana
  • Hollyy
  • Honey Cellar
  • Huntsmen
  • Hushdrops
  • Impulsive Hearts makes sun-soaked tunes that will make staying at home way better. Her latest album Cry All The Time is a perfect example of her sound and another great record for summer (or whenever!). She also recently released “Dearie” and all proceeds of “Dearie” will be donated to Chicago’s Brave Space Alliance.
  • THE INEFFECTUALS
  • J@K@L
  • Angela James
  • Mick Jenkins
  • Joan of Arc has come to end and released their final album Tim Melina Theo Bobby. This genre hopping band has been going two and a half decades with a rotating lineup always lead by the formidable Tim Kinsella. Check out this amazing local act as they call it a legacy.
  • Jodi released a new album of beautiful alt country tracks Blue Heron last year!
  • Mohawk Johnson
  • Syl Johnson passed away on February 6, 2022 and we lost one of the great soul singer. Luckily Numero Group has kept his legacy alive and thriving. Please check out this amazing voice!
  • Rich Jones’ music just makes you feel nice and warm whenever it comes on. We’re big fans of his sound, whether it’s his more hip hop leaning stuff like Light Work, or the R&B smoothness of The Shoulder You Lean On or the collaborative album with Montana Macks, How do you sleep at night?! Check out our thoughts on the lead single “Groceries.” And there is another new project: Blue Beach, Jones’ collaboration with Killer Kane
Jordanna – Photo by Geoff Stellfox
Lala Lala – Photo by Julian Ramirez
Miranda Winter – Photo by Julian Ramirez
Sen Morimoto – photo by Julian Ramirez
Ohmme – Photo By Julian Ramirez
Ovef Ow – Photo By Julian Ramirez
Ratboys – photo by Julian Ramirez
Macie Stewart – Photo By Julian Ramirez
Tasha – photo by Julian Ramirez
V.V. Lightbody – photo by Julian Ramirez

Also let’s not forget these incredible local labels.

There are plenty of other great bands on Bandcamp, so take a look around and discover something new! If you have any recommendations, comment below and spread the love because everybody needs it right now.

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Julian Ramirez