Chicago’s Braymores Make Incredible, Long-Awaited Debut at Lollapalooza
By: Shawna O’Hara, Editor – Photo by: Dennis M. Kelly
Thursday, July 30th marked an important day in the life of hometown indie-rock quartet The Braymores. When the band took the stage at Lollapalooza, the moment felt earned: their debut at the festival had been a long time coming for the Chicago natives.
“It’s the ultimate dream. It’s insane to be able to play (Lollapalooza),” Tilles said. “It’s a childhood dream of mine; this is the best day ever.”
After years of attending the festival as a fan, Tilles finally stepped onto the grounds at Grant Park as an artist. Along with bandmates Keegan Melaniphy on lead guitar, Connor Kohanzo on bass, and Russ Oren on drums, he experienced a familiar Chicago tradition from the opposite side of the barricade. The shift from spectator to performer was not lost on any of them. Now that they have crossed one major hometown milestone off their list, the band faces a new challenge: finding a way back.
“I don’t know how I’ll be able to come back not playing,” Kohanzo joked.
The Braymores formed in 2022 and have since self-produced two distinct albums, Who You’d Have Been and When The Lights Went Out. In just a few years, the band’s music has evolved sharply, growing darker, stranger and more assured. Their newest record does not simply revisit the sound of their debut; it stretches it, allowing the members to lean further into atmosphere, storytelling and emotional candor.
“The new album is more extreme,” Tilles noted, referring to the record’s darker, more honest sound. “The first album I was a little more reserved; I was scared. People I know were going to hear it. But this new album, we matured as songwriters; we’re able to be a little weird, write weird stories. It felt fun to have the reins loose.”
That looseness is audible throughout When The Lights Went Out. The album feels less concerned with introducing the band than with testing what The Braymores can become. There is a greater willingness to sit inside uncomfortable moods, experiment with texture, and allow individual songs to pull in different directions while still belonging to the same world.
Melaniphy pointed to the album’s themes and named “Puppy Eyes” as a stark sonic contrast from the band’s debut. This time around, the lead guitarist also stepped further into the writing process, crafting the chorus to the album’s opening track, “Thought Control.” His contribution reflects the increasingly collaborative identity of a group whose growth has come not only from playing together, but from giving each member more space to shape the songs.
When asked about Chicago and its music scene, all four members erupted into overlapping chatter. The city’s influence on The Braymores has been immeasurable. From their favorite local artists – Oren immediately mentioned local favorites, Twin Peaks – to the sounds and personalities surrounding them, Chicago is more than the band’s hometown. It is one of the pillars of their songwriting.
The city’s independent music community has encouraged them to keep experimenting, particularly with their guitar sounds. Rather than chasing a single clean-cut genre, The Braymores draw from the tones and techniques they hear around them and reshape those ideas into something of their own.
“A lot of Chicago bands have some great guitar tones,” Melaniphy said. “Modeling some of the sounds using vibrato, delay, reverb. We’re trying to get a really atmospheric tone.”
That attention to atmosphere helps explain the progression between the band’s two albums. Even as their songwriting has become more direct and personal, the music surrounding those stories has become broader and more immersive. The contrast—honest lyrics delivered through hazier, more adventurous arrangements—gives the newer material its tension.
The band also reflected on the women who first led them toward music. Oren cited his mother as the source of his “massive” Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Jim Croce influence, while Tilles recalled early musical memories with his own mother.
“My mom is the best,” Tilles said. “She showed me so many good bands. I remember listening to ‘Piano Man’ by Billy Joel with her when I was 12. We would sing it together in the car. It was super special.”
Kohanzo credited his sister with introducing him to bands that changed his life. He also praised fellow musician Mary Eliza, calling her writing and singing fantastic. Their answers revealed that, beneath the band’s increasingly dark and atmospheric sound, The Braymores’ relationship with music began in deeply personal places: car rides, family record collections, older siblings and the people who first showed them what a song could mean.
That history made their Lollapalooza debut feel even more significant. The Braymores arrived at Grant Park not only as a Chicago band, but as a product of the city’s venues, artists, families and musical obsessions. Playing the festival was a childhood dream fulfilled and a marker of how quickly the quartet has grown since 2022.
For Tilles, Melaniphy, Kohanzo and Oren, the day represented both an arrival and a beginning. They have made it onto a stage they once watched from the crowd. Now, with two albums behind them and a sound that continues to evolve, The Braymores are already thinking about how to return.
Check out more great interviews here!
Tour Dates:
Aug 7 Fri – Lost Lake Lounge @ 6:00 PM – Denver, CO, United States
Aug 8 Sat – Sound Bar – (Previously The Coast) @ 7:00 PM – Fort Collins, CO, United States
Aug 9 Sun – Kilby Court @ 7:00 PM – Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Aug 11 Tue – The Echo @ 7:00 PM – Los Angeles, CA, United States
Aug 13 Thu – Constellation Room @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Santa Ana, CA, United States
Aug 14 Fri – Club Congress @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Tucson, AZ, United States
Aug 16 Sun – Launchpad @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Albuquerque, NM, United States
Aug 18 Tue – recordBar @ 8:00 PM – WILLIS, The Flooks – Kansas City, MO, United States
Aug 20 Thu – Fine Line @ 7:00 PM – WILLIS – Minneapolis, MN, United States
Aug 21 Fri – House of Blues Chicago @ 7:00 PM – WILLIS – Chicago, IL, United States
Aug 23 Sun – El Club @ 7:00 PM – WILLIS – Detroit, MI, United States
Aug 25 Tue – Georgia Theatre @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Athens, GA, United States
Aug 26 Wed – WORKPLAY @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Birmingham, AL, United States
Aug 27 Thu – Handlebar @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Pensacola, FL, United States
Aug 28 Fri – Cafe Eleven @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – St. Augustine, FL, United States
Aug 29 Sat – Heartwood Soundstage @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Gainesville, FL, United States
Sep 1 Tue – Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Wilmington, NC, United States
Sep 2 Wed – The Annex @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Norfolk, VA, United States
Sep 4 Fri – The Southern Cafe and Music Hall @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Charlottesville, VA, United States
Sep 5 Sat – Revival Asheville @ 7:00 PM – Foxtide – Asheville, NC, United States
Nov 1 Sun – HI-FI @ 7:00 PM – The Bends – Indianapolis, IN, United States
Nov 5 Thu – High Noon Saloon @ 7:00 PM – The Bends – Madison, WI, United States
Links:
Official: https://www.thebraymores.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@braymores
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braymores/
