The Empty Pockets “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone”
Americana Highways presents this premiere of The Empty Pockets’ song “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” from their forthcoming album Dear Billionaires, which is set for release this fall. The album was recorded in London at Abbey Road Studio 2 (without instrumental overdubs). It was produced by Daniel McCormick and The Empty Pockets; engineered by Tom Ashpital; mixed by Daniel McCormick; and mastered by Greg Obis with Chicago Mastering Service.
“Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone”is Josh Solomon on guitar and vocals; Erika Brett on Challen piano and vocals; Nate Bellon on bass guitar and vocals; and Adam Balasco on drums.
This video was shot, directed and edited by Joey Skoch, with Grace Bloom as production coordinator and photography by Kennedy Cottrell.
As Josh Solomon tells us, “I was fascinated in real time by the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone that formed in Seattle in 2020, and while I was writing this batch of songs, the memory of it kept calling me back. Both the event and the song have a hazy, fever-dream quality—a kind of beautiful disorganization. The band reflects that in the recording as the whole thing literally begins to fall apart at the end, and the video extends it with one handheld shot in a dirty Chicago lot. I love how it came out. It feels like a perfect representation of The Empty Pockets: bluesy, rocking, a little unruly and difficult to categorize.”
This has a touch of the Beatles’ concert on the rooftop vibe, but the characters and the times have changed. Instead of in London atop the Apple building, The Empty Pockets are playing in a crumbling Chicago parking lot. But the sentiment has redounded through history and the powerful impact is the same: it’s raw, it’s defiant, and it’s endearingly disordered. Much like the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone protests, and much like this song itself.
You can find the music here: https://lnk.to/capitolhill
