CD: "I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement" Live At The Sweatbox Compilation

Artist: Various
Album: "I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement" Live At The Sweatbox Compilation
Label: Stars/No Stars Records
Released: 2006

Review: Remember those kids you went to high school with who bought a couple of microphones and a four-track to record some songs with in their basement? Well, they've grown up and instead of the refuge it once was, the basement has become a destination dubbed The Sweatbox.

Chicago band, Big Buildings, may owe their local staple status as much to their house parties in Roscoe Village as they do to their hard work, hard play and hard drinking as a rock band. The band has decided to pay homage to the happening that they helped grow, but once it started, took on a life of its own. I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement is a collection of nineteen bands performing live from the shows held at the now defunct Sweatbox. The lineup represents some of the best bands the midwest has to offer. Chicago's Telenovela, Milk at Midnight, Camaro Rouge and Adam Fitz all contribute a track, as well as Big Buildings themselves, who kick off the collection. Not to be dismissed - and perhaps most importantly - is the dedicated and passionate crowd that can be heard on every track. Not to lessen the impact of each band's performance, but without the friends, family, fans, drinkers, hecklers, writers, dancers, lovers and others who made each show something that was remembered through the nicotine haze, the Sweatbox would have been nothing more than a basement with faux rock and wood siding where a few bands recorded their demo tapes. The communal experience was what made the Sweatbox the important, even romantic, venue it was. Rightfully, the crowd even gets their own track. After the music ends, the party continues with a few minutes of conversation snippits, crowd chatter, and the happy clink of quickly emptying bottles and cans.

Each performance on this CD was recorded live with minimal equipment... and it shows. That, however, should not deter you from the experience captured here. This is one album where the result is worth infinitely more than the sum of its parts. As I said, some of the best local rock bands appear here. They may not be at their best, but they are at their most vital. I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement is a loving document of proof! Proof that there are good creative people out there having a good time together in a place that not only felt like home, but was home to everyone who passed through.

Rating: 3.25 / 5