The Falcon

THE FALCON

Even without considering themselves such, the Falcon are still something of a Chicago punk rock supergroup, resulting from the union of vocalist/guitarist Brendan Kelly (the Lawrence Arms, Slapstick, the Broadways), bassist Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio, Slapstick, Tuesday), drummer Neil Hennessy (the Lawrence Arms, Colossal), and guitarist Todd Mohney (Rise Against). Friends from over the years, the members of the Falcon initially came together after Kellyhad written some songs that he didn’t feel quite fit his current band, the Lawrence Arms. He got to talking with Mohney about starting a band together, but aside from coming up with their name, not much happened until about a year later. Needing a bassist, Kelly showed Andriano the songs while hanging out one day and he immediately signed on. A phone call to Hennessy later cemented the group. Haphazardly recording their rowdy debut EP themselves with no budget, the resulting God Don’t Make No Trash or Up Your Ass with Broken Glass was finally issued in December 2004 on Red Scare (the label’s first release); the guys also donated a track to Fat Wreck’s 2005 compilation Protect: A Benefit for the National Association to Protect Children. Members all continued work with their separate bands before getting back together to record their follow-up release, the rawkin’ full-length Unicornography, which appeared in late September 2006. By that point, the Falcon was down to a trio with Mohney gone from the lineup. For the next eight years, the group remained largely inactive, reuniting in 2014 to celebrate Red Scare’s tenth anniversary. The re-formation eventually inspired the Falcon to return to the studio, where they produced their sophomore LP, 2016’s Gather Up the Chaps. ~ Corey Apar, Rovi