Chicago's The Stand! formed three years ago under the name Racecar, hitting the midwest ska/punk scene hard including high profile shows at The Metro, House of Blues, and the legendary Fireside Bowl. Their pop boy/girl vocal harmonies made them quick favorites, and their appearance on Jump Up's "Everything Off-Beat 2" CD brought their music to nealry 5000 new fans worldwide. A few years later, a slight shift in line up leads to a mature new sound, one that combines reggae, ska, blue eyed soul, rock & roll and hammond-blues....already being hailed as a combination of early Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Specials, and hammond-garage rock gods The Prisoners. Their fan base is broad, ska and punk fans have taken to them for their energy, and the scooter/mod scene is quickly catching on to their keyboard-heavy dancefloor sound. Set to tour heavily spring throught summer 2000, look for this exciting troop to come your way real soon!

For Fans of: The Gadjits, Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Prisoners, James Taylor Quartet, Hippos, Hot Stove Jimmy, Pietasters

"This Chicago-based band has been featured on a number of regional compilations, and although you'll probably find this release in the ska section, the Stand actually spends as much time in a raggedly soulful pop mode as it does skanking to the offbeats, and it even delves into sloppy punk rock from time to time. The group's punk and soul excursions are fine but not exceptional; where it shines are on the churning rock steady of "Here Is My Number" and "Conscience" and the slightly punkier skank of "In Motion." But there's some great rock'n'roll here, too: "Beg, Borrow & Steal" lifts the "Wild Thing" riff in its entirety (get it?) and makes something fun out of it, and the program closes with a superb straight-up melodic rocker called "Irene"." - All Music Guide