Archie Powell and the Exports Debut New Video

The members of local pop-rock quartet Archie Powell and the Exports may all have day jobs, but according to front man Powell, that doesn't keep them from putting a full-time effort into their music.

"We all have got to do something to pay the bills, but [the band] is definitely a full-time project," said Powell, who works as a bartender at Silver Cloud, 1700 N. Damen Ave. "We spend about as much time doing it per week as we probably would at a job—especially when you're on the road. I mean, that's a 24-hour-a-day job."

The band recently spent some time in Wisconsin filming its latest music video for "Job Fair," a tune off of the band's latest album, "Great Ideas In Action." The video shoot took the group to a goat farm and a barn where they got to don costumes and clown makeup.

"It was all kinds of weird," Powell said. "Proper, good weird, though."

He said the shoot took two days, allowing them to spend a full day in each location. "Job Fair" is the fifth video the quartet has shot, and Powell said band members have gotten the knack of filming quickly and economically.

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"We've kind of figured out how to do it in a pretty efficient, sort of cost effective way," he said. "It's something to be proud of at the end of the day. I'm happy we're making them."

The band formed in 2009 after Powell got together with some other musicians following the breakup of previous projects.

"It was all pretty unofficial at first," Powell said. "We recorded a little EP before we played any shows and kind of filled in the roster after that. As time went by, we decided we wanted to keep doing it and it ended up being a lot of fun."

Eventually the band settled on its current roster, consisting of Powell on vocals and guitar, Ryan Export on keyboards, Adam Export on Bass and RJ Export on drums and percussion. They've toured all over the United States and Canada, most recently playing a Halloween show at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave. Their next show is Nov. 21 at Metro, 3730 N. Clark St.

"We're playing with JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, so that should be a lot of fun," Powell said. "If people are interested in going to that, I suggest they buy tickets immediately, because it's probably going to sell out."

For more information on the band, upcoming shows, or to hear more songs, visit ArchiePowellAndTheExports.com.

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