Pitchfork

[Posted Friday, October 17th, 2003 04:30:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Chicago power-poppers The Reputation are on the road with a bevy of bands, from Bettie Serveert to Q And Not U. The band released their self-titled debut last year on Initial Records, but surprisingly, the news about the new tour dates comes courtesy of the completists at Kill Rock Stars, who have a nice l'il fact sheet about The Reputation on their site just because one measly Reputation song appeared on a KRS compilation. Speaking of reputations: hey Initial, letting someone who put out one song by your band on their comp scoop you on their tour schedule ain't good for yours! If the grinning specter of complete global annihilation can be held at bay for another month, the Rep will be playing the following dates:

10-17 Chicago, IL - Double Door (w/ Bettie Serveert, Sukilove)
10-21 Columbus, OH - Little Brothers (w/ Q And Not U, French Toast, Black Eyes)
10-22 Bryn Mawr, PA - Bryn Mawr College (w/ Dear Nora)
10-23 New Haven, CT - Rudy's
10-24 New York, NY - CBGB's (CMJ Music Marathon)
10-25 Providence, RI - AS220 (w/ Cara from Vendetta Red, Orwell)
11-12 Beloit, WI - Beloit College
11-14 Madison, WI - UW (w/ Helicopter Helicopter)

Before she was in The Reputation, frontwoman Elizabeth Elmore cemented hers with the critically lauded band Sarge when she was only 22. Sarge, beloved for their straightforward power-pop style and Elmore's accomplished singing, disbanded in 1999 when Elmore decided to focus upon her law studies at Northwestern University. After a stint of solo touring, she formed The Reputation with members of Andiamo, Moreno, My Lai, and other bands with names seemingly cribbed from The Jabberwocky. 'Twas brillig, and the slithey toves did gyre and release their debut on Initial to similarly effusive critical éclat.

The Reputation are currently hard at work on new songs for their sophomore album. Since the release of their debut, they've contributed songs to various comps, including Kill Rock Stars' Fields and Streams comp, a Norwegian seven-incher (why does that sound so dirty?), a Thick Records comp called Thick Oil, and an Exotic Fever comp called Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again, in which bands including Enon and Death Cab for Cutie covered Vietnam War-era songs. The Reputation contributed a cover of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" (you know the song even if you think you don't: "Stop, hey, what's that sound, everybody look what's going down...").