Don’t get it twisted.
Edging, a local post-punk five-piece band, has been grinding on the fringes of the city’s DIY music scene for years. And while they’re finally gaining recognition on a national scale, all of their recent success is the result of doing it themselves: self-funded, label-free and deeply rooted in their Chicago community.
Now, they’re experiencing a moment in the sun.
After opening for the Australian punk band Amyl and the Sniffers during a Chicago tour stop, they reached out to the group, who in turn invited them to join an upcoming amphitheater tour.
“We sent a loose email, but we didn’t think anything would come back,” recalls songwriter and lead singer Faith Callaway. “And then we were playing Mario Party, (checked) the email, and we were just like, ‘Holy (expletive).’ We are very grateful.”
While the group is very much now rooted in the city, their origins began in California, where band members Callaway and William Sallee met. After moving to Chicago, the two began songwriting as Edging in 2019. Their current lineup, which includes Arb Sklansky on bass, Adam Hatcher on drums and Curt Oren on saxophone, solidified in 2023.
“Edging only really exists because of the city of Chicago,” Sallee said. “It wouldn’t have been cooked up anywhere else.”
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Sklansky agreed. “The Chicago community is very non-competitive,” said Sklansky. “That’s how I would describe it. I’ve never been to a show where I felt like someone was trying to measure themselves against you.”
The city’s open-door music culture — where one could start a band tomorrow, not know anyone and quickly get booked just to see what would happen — has allowed artists like Edging to experiment, grow and ultimately thrive outside of the traditional music industry. They’ve fueled deep connections to others in the Chicago arts and creative world, too, like puppet artists from the area who were eager to donate their time and skills.
“I’ve lived in Philadelphia, I’ve lived in Miami, I’ve lived in Oakland,” said Sallee. “I feel like Chicago is the most open community.”
Will’s eclectic guitar riffs often fuel Faith’s songwriting, drawing from deeply personal experiences. “I’m a survivor of rape, and I do write about that. That’s a big part of who I am and where my writing comes from,” Callaway noted. And while the subject matter may be sensitive, the band believes in leaning into vulnerability and openness through their work.
“Good art is honest,” Sklansky said. “It will always be honest. If you can’t be honest with yourself and express that to people, you’re not really making good art.”
A video for “Heet” is structured around what it means to exact revenge and reclaim power. “Like, ‘Hey, if I could get back at you, this might be how I’d do it.’ That’s what translates into the ghost that’s haunting the guy in the video, showing up every time he tries to get any sense of pleasure.”
Their latest album, “Unload Your Shame,” drops June 5. Consider it something of a personal ethos for Callaway. “I am a complete open book,” Callaway adds. “Everyone who knows me personally, let alone in a musical context, knows there’s nothing too sensitive, nothing I’m holding back.”
After announcing its release on April 10, the group will perform at a DIY venue in Chicago before setting out on an East Coast headlining tour through the latter half of April. A West Coast tour is scheduled for July, followed by a few European stops. Then, in October, comes the big moment: their U.S. amphitheater tour with Amyl and the Sniffers.
“We talk about this all the time, but we feel like six kids in a trench coat,” Will joked. “We don’t have a label. We’ve been backing ourselves. The reason Edging has gotten here is because we’ve taken our earnings from shows and put it all back into the band to produce our next record. Labels haven’t wanted us, but here we are, (expletive) a label.”
Now they are getting the opportunity to fulfill their dreams, and on their own terms. Without label intervention or expectations, they can make the type of music they want to make, how they want to make it and when they want to make it. It’s no surprise, then, that audiences around the country have responded enthusiastically to their efforts.
Staying true to who they are — whether lyrically or creatively — is the best idea for a group like Edging. “We’re about to be in World War III. Where am I going to live next year? Are we going to be alive next year?” Callaway said. “Why not do the thing that drives all of us and brings us a lot of joy and hopefully sends a message to other people: You’re not alone, and we have to do it together.”
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
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