by Melissa Komar
Much to the delight of fans, Bailiff, the Chicago-based trio just released their second full-length album, Remise. Backed by another Kickstarter campaign, Bailiff’s latest work since the release of 2011’s Red Balloon, sees the band exploring new territory.
Unlike their past experience with releasing a record, Bailiff worked with a publicist during the months leading up the release. The band also brought in Beau Sorenson, music engineer whose resume included Death Cab for Cutie, to lend his musical genius to the project. The nine-track album has rock and tribal influences and two rare ballads according to the band’s front-man, Josh Siegel.
While the band that formed out of a Craigslist advertisement has experienced a good amount of success in Chicago, releasing music has been one of their biggest achievements. “Making two albums does feel like the biggest accomplishment. Seeing the physical copy on my desk and being able to hold that little catalog of music is great,” Siegel reveals.
Drummer Ren Mathew and bassist Owen O’Malley complete the trio, who all live together. “We all live in a coach house in Chicago next to a Domino’s pizza. The dream scenario is to have a big house where you can have all your instruments and walk around and roll out of bed and rehearse. and we actually found that years ago,” Siegel says.
Although the band lives together, Bailiff itself is not yet a full-time gig. According to Siegel, all three have day jobs. “Our goal is to have what happened in Chicago happen in lots other cities, and to get into the festival circuit. The goal is to get it where we work full-time as Bailiff, spending the year touring and working on the next album.”
Regardless of what the status of Bailiff is, there’s something to be said about a band that grew from an internet ad. Now that the album is released, fans can expect a music video of single “Helicopter” in the near future. Be sure to check out their Facebook page for the latest updates.
