Press Quotes
“Quite possibly one of the most underrated bands in existence today.” ~Goldmine Magazine
“incredibly well manifested written material... the band's compositions have, to most, always resonated as timeless and ageless, as they are just as sonically relevant today as they would have been in 1975. ” ~Goldmine Magazine
“A melting pot of rock, blues, and Americana, all punctuated with tight harmonies. Known for their infectious energy and original storytelling, the band is pioneering a new wave of roots rock...” ~Grateful Web
Dear Billionaires | Release Date: October 23 | Press Highlights
October 20, 2026: Cleveland Plain Dealer | Interview: “The Empty Pockets mark 20 years of touring with new album release"
"On this week’s episode, how does an indie band from Chicago afford to record at the legendary Abbey Road Studios?"
October 14, 2026: WGN Midday News | Performance: “Midday Fix: Live music from The Empty Pockets"
Watch The Empty Pockets perform "Serrated" from their new album, Dear Billionaires.
October 6, 2026: Southside Sox | Interview: “This is our cup of coffee in the big leagues"
South Side Sox published a substantial interview with Josh, Erika, and Adam ahead of The Empty Pockets’ performance at Rate Field before today’s White Sox ALDS Game 3.
October 6, 2026: Bobby Owsinski Podcast | Industry Feature: “How An Indie Band Affords Abbey Road Studios ft. Producer Dan McCormick"
Producer Dan McCormick gives a detailed, 34-minute account of recording The Empty Pockets’ Dear Billionaires at Abbey Road Studio 2.
October 5, 2026: A Journal of Musical Things | Industry Feature: “You can buy this band’s album for $20. But if you’re a billionaire, you’ll have to pay $285,000."
Canadian music broadcaster and commentator Alan Cross has picked up The Empty Pockets’ “Billionaire Pricing” campaign, introducing the band and the premise behind charging billionaires $285,000 for the same Dear Billionaires CD everyone else can buy for $20.
October 4, 2026: WGN Radio | Interview: “Steve and Johnnie: The White Sox streaking, The Skokie Theater re-opening, and The Empty Pockets touring"
"Friend of the show Josh Solomon of The Empty Pockets also had a chat with Steve and Johnnie to talk about the show they’ll be playing at Rate Field before Wednesday’s White Sox game and discuss some of the recording done at Abbey Road Studios for their upcoming album, Dear Billionaires."
October 2, 2026: Music Ally | Industry Feature: “Billionaires can buy The Empty Pockets’ new album for $285k"
"Music Ally’s weekly music-business podcast discusses The Empty Pockets’ $285,000 billionaire edition of Dear Billionaires as part of a broader conversation about the monetary and philosophical value of music."
September 23, 2026: Atwood Magazine | Premier: “Chicago’s The Empty Pockets Make a Love Song Out of the Daily Grind on 'I Never Get Sick of You'"
Chicago roots rock band The Empty Pockets celebrate the rare joy of never tiring of the people you love on “I Never Get Sick of You,” a jubilant, full-bodied love song whose playful theatricality and palpable chemistry make devotion sound as exhilarating as it is intimate.
September 23, 2026: Disc Makers + Hypebot | Guest Feature: “We Stopped Waiting to Be Chosen and Mailed 100,000 CDs Instead”
The Empty Pockets cofounder Josh Solomon shares how the band built an independent, direct-to-fan career — mailing more than 100,000 CDs, growing a community outside traditional industry gatekeepers, and turning those relationships into sold-out rooms, Billboard-charting albums, and a sustainable music business.
September 20, 2026: Grateful Web | Industry Feature: "The Empty Pockets Stretch Out on “Eat the Rich” in Glasgow"
Chicago roots-rock quartet The Empty Pockets showcase the improvisational side of their music in a live performance of “Eat the Rich,” recorded in Glasgow.
September 15, 2026: Drum Dog | Interview: "Adam Balasco (The Empty Pockets) Interview"
We got into joining a band that already had years of history and a married couple at its core, why he stripped his kit down to a three-piece setup and never looked back, and what it was like tracking the new record live in one room at Abbey Road Studio 2.
September 3, 2026: Bass Gear Magazine | Interview: "Nate Bellon's Dead Simple Bass Rig (And Why It Works)"
The Empty Pockets bassist Nate Bellon reveals what it really takes to track "Dear Billionaires" inside Abbey Road Studio 2, ditch amplifiers and pedals entirely for a fly-ready Neve DI rig, and survive 120 shows a year with zero road crew.
September 2, 2026: The Real News Network | Interview: "We ask five musicians: Can anyone ‘make it’ in today’s music industry?"
“It’s like becoming an astronaut to say, ‘Oh, I’m going to go have Taylor Swift’s career.’ It’s absurd… What I want more than anything else, which we have a lot of, is freedom. We make enough money to get by, but we can do whatever we want.”
August 20, 2026: Americana Highways | Premier: "The Empty Pockets 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone'"
Premiere of the second single from Dear Billionaires, recorded live at Abbey Road Studio Two.
August 12, 2026: WGN Radio | Interview: Live on The Steve & Johnnie Show
Erika and Josh preview three Dear Billionaires songs live in WGN Radio’s Studio A.
August 8, 2026: The Strange Brew | Interview: "The Empty Pockets on Al Stewart’s Farewell and Recording at Abbey Road"
"The Empty Pockets arrive at Dear Billionaires after years of split duty, making their own records as a Chicago four piece while working as Al Stewart‘s backing band on the road. Their new album was recorded in two days at Abbey Road’s Studio 2 with the title comes from three songs that turned up on the record without anyone planning it that way. “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” “Eat the Rich” and “Dearest Billionaires,” and the anger at the very top of the wealth ladder that runs through the record. Josh Solomon (guitar), Erika Brett (keys), Nate Bellon (bass) and Adam Balasco (drums) talk through the record, and their relationship with Al Stewart, who has said farewell to touring the UK not to playing with them altogether..."
July 19, 2026: WGN Radio | Interview: "A smoky Saturday night with pierogies, ‘Empty Pockets,’ and forgotten car brands"
"Erika Brett & Josh Solomon of ‘The Empty Pockets’ sit in with S&J to discuss their new song ‘Serrated,’ inspiration during car troubles, and much more..."
February 4, 2026: WXAV 88.3 FM | Interview
A 27-minute full-band interview about songwriting, the "Live in Buffalo" album, and recording at Abbey Road.
The Empty Pockets | Press Archive
December 10, 2025: WEXT Radio | Live Session
Interview and performance covering; the band’s chemistry, Al Stewart and original holiday release, "Party at the North Pole."
December 2, 2025: Goldmine Magazine | Industry Feature: "The Top 15 Live Albums from 2025"
"As a band that has backed some of the most notable musical legends, The Empty Pockets have created for themselves their own modern-day legacy that is warranted and deserved in every way, shape, and form..."
August 24, 2025: Goldmine Magazine | Industry Feature: "Get a ticket to some of the best live albums of 2025 so far"
"Quite possibly one of the most underrated bands in existence today, The Empty Pockets hold ownership to a modern-day legacy that encompasses what many bands could only hope to achieve in a moderately short career span..."
June 3, 2025: Goldmine Magazine | Industry Feature: "Indie Spotlight on Born Ruffians, The Empty Pockets, St. Catherine’s Child, more"
"Their studio albums provide the proof, but with this, their first concert collection (featuring guest saxophonist Elliot Scozzaro), they demonstrate a certain dexterity and drive that leaves no doubt as to their own abilities..."
May 27, 2025: WGN Radio | Interview: "Johnnie, Steve and some Empty Pockets!"
"The big stars of the show were Josh Solomon and Erika Brett, the front half of The Empty Pockets! We always get more tales from their shows, early inspirations and we share some new music, both recorded and live in the studio!"
May 2, 2025: Goldmine Magazine | Interview: "Josh Solomon Discusses Five Songs from Live in Buffalo"
"Between touring dates with Stewart, The Empty Pockets recorded their new album Gotta Find The Moon at the iconic Abbey Road studios. Solomon and Brett discuss a classic Al Stewart flip side that they perform in concert, a majority of their new album, and remember Gary Wright, who passed away earlier this month, as The Empty Pockets were Wright’s band before they became Stewart’s band..."
January 16, 2025: Goldmine Magazine | Industry Feature: "In case you missed them — must-have music releases from 2024"
"The album is a conglomerate of incredibly well manifested written material, with the lost art of story telling in songs extremely prevalent. The band's compositions have, to most, always resonated as timeless and ageless, as they are just as sonically relevant today as they would have been in 1975..."
November 15, 2024: Goldmine Magazine | Industry Feature: "The Empty Pockets release solid Al Stewart and Beatles covers as singles"
"Al Stewart’s band, The Empty Pockets, have released a pair of singles, covering Stewart and The Beatles, both recorded at Abbey Road Studios."
June 17, 2024: It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine | Exclusive Premiere: "Oh! Darling"
"For their latest release, The Empty Pockets pay tribute to the transatlantic musical exchange with a passionate rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Oh! Darling,’ recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studio 3."
January 3, 2024: PBS WVIA | TV Performance: Homegrown Music Concerts
"The Empty Pockets are an outstanding Americana-style group who are known for their melodic, sometimes witty original songs."
December 12, 2023: WYSO Studio Session | Interview: "Kenny Loggins, Abbey Road and the Best Pizza in America"
"This week, Chicago roots rock band The Empty Pockets joined Midday Music host Evan Miller for an interview and studio session."
September 11, 2023: Goldmine Magazine | Interview: "Al Stewart’s band The Empty Pockets discuss flip side, new LP and Gary Wright"
"Josh Solomon and Erika Brett of Al Stewart’s band The Empty Pockets discuss their new album ‘Gotta Find The Moon’ after an Al Stewart flip side they perform with him in concert. Also, remembering Gary Wright."
July 29, 2023: Grateful Web | Premier: "Catch The Current: The Empty Pockets Drops Electrifying New Single"
"This track, which fuses a Chicago blues groove with blistering female lead vocals, is the latest from their forthcoming album, Gotta Find The Moon, scheduled to drop on September 8, 2023... Chicago-based roots rock quartet, The Empty Pockets, continues to refine their signature sound – a melting pot of rock, blues, and Americana, all punctuated with tight harmonies. Known for their infectious energy and original storytelling, the band is pioneering a new wave of roots rock..."
August 9, 2022: The Big Takeover | Premier: "Youth Vaping"
"Fronted by married couple Erika Brett and Josh Solomon, Chicago-based indie outfit The Empty Pockets come prepared to hook your ears. Their wily tunes ooze industrious spirit, imagination and heart with tight and gritty Americana rhythms..."
FOR FANS OF...
The Empty Pockets' audience overlaps with fans of Lake Street Dive, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Wilco, Little Feat, and other harmony-driven contemporary Americana and roots rock artists.
BASEBALL BAND
Find the band at MLB & MiLB ballparks all over the country.
Sometimes we even get on the field to perform the national anthem...
MEDIA ASSETS
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PROUD PARTNERS OF
WILL'S PLACE
Providing meaningful employment to adults with disabilities
Will is our biggest fan (and also Josh's younger brother). But this world isn't always designed for people like Will who have a disability.
That's why The Empty Pockets partner with Will's Place; a Skokie, Illinois-based café offering a chef-driven, ingredient-focused sandwich menu while providing employment opportunities to adults with developmental disabilities.
Will's Place is a nonprofit dedicated to creating a positive, safe, and inclusive workspace for a portion of our population that too often gets overlooked in the job market.
