Say hello to the Earbug, a regular column about what you need to listen to that you won’t hear on the radio. If you have suggestions for bands, send them to and we may feature it here.
First and foremost, Archie Powell and the Exports would like you to know that they are not a Credence Clearwater Revival cover band. Not yet, anyway. While their music may bear a little resemblance to the ‘60s band, and their beards even more so, Archie Powell and the Exports present their own unique brand of what they dub noisy pop. Powell’s lyrics and the organized chaos presented by the soaring melodies of the Exports blend to make something reminiscent of an Elvis Costello and Cheap Trick love child with a distinct Chicago feel to it. It reaches back to pop in the days where music was made with guitars and drum sets, rather than ProTools and autotune. It’s refreshing and rocks hard without being pretentious or obscure.
AP&E have been together for the last three years and while they joke about how productive they are together, something must be working considering they have put out two albums and gone on several tours. The most memorable thus far was a venture into Canada where Powell said they made many friends, as well as many enemies. It was upon investigating this point that I learned one such enemy was the entire city of Buffalo, NY where they were robbed.
“They took all of our personal bags and laptops, and all of Alex’s clothes and one of Alex’s guitars,” Export founder and keyboardist Ryan Lynch said. “On top of that, three of us lost our passports the day before we were supposed to go to Canada.”
Luckily, the group made it across the border and played a successful tour, although guitarist Alex Ward now carries his clothes in a plastic bag during travel.
After that experience, one would expect the rockers to be wary of traveling, but they still tour often and when asked what they thought of Bradley, it was positive feedback all around.
“Our official statement is: He’s a nice guy,” Drummer RJ Schiller said.
If their noisy pop and party attitude sound like your scene, be sure to check out the Chicago natives albums ‘Great Ideas in Action’ and ‘Skip Work’ before catching them at a Midwestern show near you. The albums are also both perfect soundtracks for anything from dancing around your room in your underwear to an all night study session and are available on Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.
Overall, Archie Powell and the Exports is a fun loving ball of pop punk energy that will keep you, as they put it, Chooglin’ all day long.
Must Listen: Metronome
