Bryan Doherty here from the Chicago band Hood Smoke

We are currently promoting the release of our third album Rough Around The Hedges and our next show, at The Hideout on Friday, May 20, celebrates the release.

For Rough Around the Hedges we enlisted a small choir, a string trio, Chicago trumpet phenomenon Marquis Hill, and George Martin-inspired brass ensembles.

Many of the songs on this album are very much inspired by the city of Chicago, specifically the Ukrainian Village neighborhood, which plays host to the Hood Smoke headquarters. Other songs deal with lifting heavy burdens, the fear of losing hope, the company we find ourselves in, attractive crazy people, and what a stained glass saint might say if able to speak.