PureVolume

Members: Kevin McNamara, Mike Zevin, Chad de Leon, Mikey Plahm

Chicago is home to some of alternative rock's most acclaimed artists including the Smashing Pumpkins and Wilco. In recent years however, the Second City has given rise to substantially fewer artists. Draft Week is the solution to the city's quandary. Formed in 2009, Draft Week hit the ground running their debut EP Red Letters and within a year, had the toured the country, released a second EP simply titled The Sophomore (2010), played Chicago's most prestigious rock venue, Metro, and was a headliner for the second Local Music Revolution at the Congress Theater. All of the band's accomplishments are made even more impressive when you take into account that all of it's members are also full-time college students.

Draft Week's sound is best kept at alternative, though it is often taken for indie, post-punk, and pop. Though the band initially played more hard rock, Draft Week's music quickly evolved into a much more progressive and universal style. This is in part due to the band's work with covering other musicians. A year into the Draft Week's career, the band saw an opportunity in college towns to profit as a cover act on the side. Direct exposure to pop music has had noticeable affect on the band's sound, making Draft Week the missing link between contemporary indie and mainstream radio.

The future is promising for Draft Week as they plan to release their new album bad times specifically this spring and tour extensively over the summer in support of its realease.