Putting out an album takes time. Booking studio space and tracking down a producer can be hard enough, not to mention the time involved in conceiving and shaping tracks for the finished product.
Yet local rockers Central Standard managed to release an EP a little more than a year after forming.
While the trio hasn’t been a band for long, the members aren’t exactly strangers. Bassist Andrew Maggio and drummer TJ Devoe played with each other for a few years in the punk outfit Johnny Crackeye.
“We were all about playing as fast and tight as we could,” said Maggio of his days with Crackeye, adding that his focus has since changed. “The songs have slowed down. It’s given us more room to play.”
Besides, he said, “We’re a three piece. We have to keep our side interesting.”
“Knowing TJ for so long definitely made that easier,” Maggio said of the music he has been working on with Devoe. “It’s also easier to be late in giving him the rent for the rehearsal space.”
Where does vocalist Frankie Ostello fit into the mix? He wasn’t exactly a newcomer to the group, either. “I’ve known Frankie since grade school,” Maggio said.
Although Ostello had previously released a solo album, he was looking to try something louder. Maggio said he was happy to oblige.
“I loved his songs and really liked the idea of turning his style into something bigger,” Maggio said, adding: “Frankie’s also Canadian, and I think that might work to our benefit somehow.”
Central Standard’s EP “Uniforms” was released earlier this year. You can see them June 30 at the Double Door with Cealed Kasket.
Listen to “Ruiner” at redeyechicago.com/chitunes.
