The Lawrence Arms

by Mike DaRoncoThe Lawrence Arms got together in 1999 after the departure of Chicago pop-punkers the Broadways, Slapstick, Baxter, and Tricky Dick. The collaboration of Brendan Kelly (vocals/bass), Neil Hennessy (drums), and Chris McCaughan (guitar/vocals) produced music in the same vein of their previous bands: clever -- often politically inspired -- pop-punk with an aggressive, gritty edge. Asian Man Records released the Lawrence Arms' first album, A Guided Tour of Chicago, in November of 1999, while their second album, Ghost Stories, followed six months later. Present Day Memories, a split release with Asian Man peers the Chinkees, appeared in summer 2001. After 13 straight months of touring and drunken debauchery, the Lawrence Arms joined forces with Fat Wreck for 2002's Apathy and Exhaustion. The Greatest Story Ever Told was issued in September 2003; two years later Cocktails & Dreams, a compilation of B-sides, live recordings, and stray tracks, surfaced. Their next full-length, Oh! Calcutta!, came in March 2006, followed by a statewide tour with NOFX.