Tom Schraeder

Any up-and-coming Chicago artist would kill for the attention singer-songwriter Tom Schraeder and his band (known collectively as His Ego) have received this year. With only a few well-crafted, booze-soaked songs available for free on MySpace and a handful of gigs under their belt, the 23-year-old Old Irving-born performer and his seven-piece band played Lollapalooza this summer, showcased at CMJ, and sold out gigs at the House Of Blues and Schubas—all without releasing a single song. All of that changes on Nov. 16, when Tom Schraeder And His Ego releases the debut EP The Door, The Gutter, The Grave at Schubas. Before the big day, The A.V. Club spoke to Schraeder.

The A.V. Club: You only played a handful of shows before landing the Lollapalooza gig. How did that happen?
Tom Schraeder: I didn’t have a phone at the time, so I got an IM from my manager asking if I was free August 4. I was like, “I’m sure I am, it’s three months away.” At 3 a.m. I got word saying I got Lollapalooza. I went nuts and started calling everyone on my roommate’s phone. We were competing with Ghostland Observatory, a great band, and I was thinking, “Who’s going to come see this Chicago Mickey DeMoke that no one knows about?” All of a sudden, we started getting a good crowd, and it seemed like people were really, really enjoying it. I don’t know how much booze was being served, but something was on our side.
AVC: Because you hadn’t played that many shows, when did you notice that people were starting to pay attention?
TS: We opened for Sam Roberts and [Broken Social Scene’s] Jason Collett back in December. There were a lot of people cheering really loud for us, and I didn’t recognize a lot of faces, which was pretty cool. When we went to L.A. for a Hotel Café show in July, there was just something about it that people were really into.
AVC: You haven’t played a ton of shows with this band, but you already have management, a publicist, and a legal consultant. Are these friends of yours, or do you just have your shit together?
TS: A lot of bands I know are more comfortable trying to be that rock star who gets drunk and plays music, and they think that there’s this romantic vision of having an A&R rep at the show and signing them. I would rather still be that drunk but also have something mature about it and be really responsible, I guess.
AVC: Who’s releasing your EP later this month?
TS: Actually, we are. We’re part of this songwriting kind-of crew called Viator. It’s basically a group of songwriters who don’t want to compete with each other and just share songs.
AVC: But at the same time you’re pretty ambitious. Is it challenging to have a collective mentality and build your career at the same time?
TS: A lot of times I feel I have to be business-oriented, and I have to give this my all. If I have to go out schmoozing, just making connections, I’m fine with doing that. A lot of the other artists are fine with just sitting at home and working on the actual art, because that will get them signed. I wish I could be like that, but I’m just too business-oriented, when it comes down to it.
AVC: Given your band’s name, do you think labels would want to groom you as a solo artist and give the boot to your band?
TS: I wouldn’t sign. We’ve done all of this on our own. Getting signed would be nice, but [a label] has to come with the full package or they can go elsewhere. My band means too much to me to let them see me go and get signed.
AVC: How supportive have your parents been of your music career?
TS: When I dropped out of college they were a little hesitant, but after Lollapalooza they both said, “If nothing else happens, we’re proud of you. You’ve gotten much further than I think anyone expected.” [Laughs.] They’ve always been on my side.
AVC: Why did you drop out of college?
TS: I was going into my senior year at DePaul and I couldn’t really afford it anymore. Also, I would be sitting there and kids would come in with their laptops and their writings, and I’d be hungover and not caring. “Why am I doing this? I want to be at home right now, playing and recovering.” I just didn’t feel that was the place for me. It was almost like a panic attack. I just needed to get out, and when I did, I was really relieved and that’s when I started the record.
AVC: Are you pleased with how the EP turned out?
TS: I was actually talking to my dad about that the other day. I am a little nervous, but when I made that record it was me, solo. I’m very happy with the record, but I was 21 when I started it. It was mainly the producer [Tim Sandusky at Studio Ballistico] who I owe everything to. If you see us live compared to the record, it’s completely different. It’s much bigger. The record’s actually pretty big as it is, but it’s an even bigger sound live.
AVC: After this record-release show, what’s your next move? Or does that depend on how well this goes?
TS: What I really want to do is start recording immediately. Like I said, with the record being so different than what the band is, and now that we’ve found our own sound. We haven’t planned any shows; I’m really shooting for South By Southwest. That’s a huge goal of mine.