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The Suburbs were the Minneapolis band whose throbbing groove meant every show was an instant party. A solid and funky rhythm section, great musicianship and catchy songs that veered from nearly cerebral to almost creepy, they were the first artists to release a record for the Twin/Tone label.
The band was described as a “Midwest Roxy Music,” with songs like “Love is the Law,” “Waiting” and “Music For Boys” earning them great reviews. (“It’s not your blues-based country rock band. It’s kind of wigged out,” says keyboardist-frontman Chan Poling.)
A six-year arc took the band from indie Twin/Tone to majors Mercury to A&M Records. Formed in 1977, by 1988 they called it a day. Yet they never fully went away.
In 2005 Poling formed The New Standards, a trio to play jazz and also worked in theater and soundtracks. But by 2013, the itch returned and The Suburbs released Si Suavage, their first album in 27 years. The album Hey Muse was released in 2017.
Somewhere around 1983 a young me was set for his first interview with a big-time rock ’n’ roll band. My conversation with The Suburbs Chan Poling and Blaine John “Beej” Chaney soon turned the situation into a Marx Bros. movie. Calling recently from St. Paul, Poling described a band of elder statesmen who are currently “firing on all cylinders.”
“I get onstage and Hugo begins playing and it all starts up. I sometimes worry I’m 60 years old and am not in good enough shape. Then I walk out of the dressing room and I feel all those years fall away. It’s kind of like magic,” Poling says. “I don’t know if a life on the road would have been as healthy.”
The Suburbs’ 10 years as road dogs found bands like The Replacement and R.E.M. opening for them. These days Poling says the band carefully pick their punches. “What pays good or what sounds fun, that’s our M.O. The Mott gigs sound like fun. We travel smart and take care of ourselves now. It feels good to keep writing.”
With a revitalized lineup that includes drummer Hugo Klaers, saxophonist Max Ray and guitarist Steve Brantseg, the frontman says to expect “40 minutes of favorites and new tunes.”
The Suburbs open for Mott The Hoople at the Miller High Life Theatre on Monday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit millerhighlifetheatre.com.
