Infinite Shuffle

I will readily admit that my indie music knowledge barely scratches the surface of what is out there. Sure, I can talk endlessly about different bands I’ve heard and upcoming albums I’m looking forward to, but I’m constantly being reminded I’m just at the tip of the iceberg with this stuff.

One such instance came a couple of weeks ago while I was perusing local concert listings. I saw that two solid bands — The Belle Brigade and Family of the Year — would be coming to Chicago soon. But they were just the openers for another band, Good Old War.

I had no clue who these guys were, which surprised the hell out of me. I can’t remember a time when I recognized multiple opening acts but knew not even an inkling about the headliner.

Apparently, Good Old War is a three-piece folk/roots-rock band hailing from Philadelphia, home to other solid acts such as Kurt Vile, The War On Drugs and Dr. Dog.

Good Old War was born out of the ashes of two well-liked indie rock groups from Philly — Days Away and Unlikely Cowboy. Moving from their rocker roots to a more folk sound, and taking advantage of some great harmonies, the band is reminiscent to such contemporaries as Dawes, The Head and the Heart, Fleet Foxes and Lord Huron.

They released their debut album, Only Way To Be Alone, in 2008, and followed it with a self-titled disc in 2010. Their third release, Come Back As Rain, is set to drop in a few weeks on March 6.

They’ll be making their way to Lincoln Hall — my favorite venue in Chicago — on April 14. I’m very hopeful that I’ll be in attendance.

In the meantime, here are a couple more great tracks from the band.

P.S. I’d hoped to do something special for my 100th proper band post, but I’ve been pretty busy so far in 2012. Maybe I’ll do something for No. 150. Fingers crossed.