Guitar/Vocals - Pablo Mena
Bass/Vocals - Brian Ruhe / Brent Willems
Drums/Vocals - Wendi Freeman
Daemon Familiar is a power-pop trio from Chicago dedicated to reviving the lost art of the catchy pop/rock song. A tight meld of their musical roots Cheap Trick, Husker Du, and Sloan creates their raw riff-driven compositions. Infectious hooks, vocal harmonies, and crunchy guitar melodies are their stock in trade. Not since Cheap Trick has a band from Illinois set out to deliver songs so unforgettable they'll be tattooed on your cerebral cortex.
Cheap Trick, The Police, Unibrow, Sloan, The Pixies, Guided by Voices, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The White Stripes, Weezer, Crowded House, Neil Finn, Split Enz, Husker Du, Bob Mould, Sugar, The Posies, Matthew Sweet, Jeff Buckley, Big Star, The dBs, XTC, Pavement, Teenage Fanclub, Nuggets compilations, Squeeze, The Cars, Fugazi, Fountains of Wayne, Elvis Costello, The New Pornographers, ELO, The Dandy Warhols, The Breeders
Formed in 2006, Daemon Familiar has quickly built a following both locally and online, playing shows throughout Chicago at venues such as the Beat Kitchen, Elbo Room, Reggie's Live, The Empty Bottle, and the Underground Lounge, as well as other locations in the Midwest. Their sound has drawn comparisons to bands as varied as Cheap Trick, Sloan, Husker Du and Barenaked Ladies. The band released its debut album, Dawn of the Albatross, to strong reviews in 2009, with the Illinois Entertainer proclaiming, "...there's no denying the crunchy sweetness of Daemon Familiar's Dawn Of The Albatross." Daemon Familiar has also appeared on two compilation CDs, including Fabsound Records Fights Autism.
Frontman and guitarist/vocalist Pablo Mena has much experience in the power-pop genre as the bass player for Unibrow. He formed Daemon Familiar with a desire to step into the spotlight as both performer and songwriter, and has been churning out a wide range of power-pop inspired riffage ever since. Pablo's influences include Cheap Trick, The Police, Sloan, and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.
Drummer/vocalist Wendi Freeman comes to Daemon Familiar from a number of years in the Philadelphia punk scene. She slaved as a recording engineer for Chicago Trax, where she escaped her brush with R. Kelly without getting peed on. And, no, her drum kit's not set up wrong, she's just left-handed. Wendi's power-pop ambition is to become the 4th ex-Mrs. Matthew Sweet.
Bass player Brian Ruhe earned his chops as part of the successful Chicago cover band Colonel Angus, where he learned the important lesson that anyone will dance to "Livin' on a Prayer". Brian prefers sitting onstage, not because he frowns upon your existence, but because he's working with a few replacement parts. You'll have to see it to believe it.
Bassist/vocalist Brent Willems popped his cherry with the alt-country outfit The Pralines, worships at the altar of the Stax/Volt sound, and, yes, is undressing you with his eyes.