Music

Actor Slash Model is the Chicago-based acoustic duet of Simon Strikeback (tenor ukulele and vocals) and Madsen Minax (upright bass, guitar, vocals). These two together draw on a healthy dose of Midwestern ache, along with their boyish good looks to create a succinct blend of witty lyrics, alluring harmonies and crafted musicianship.

Their stage performance alone has been said to be “completely entrancing,” as their connective energy is somewhere between stand up comedy and sibling rivalry. The music ranges from epic ballads to randy two-steps, sweeping waltzes to racing bluegrass, exploring life on the road, sex on the edge, and love on the run. Such themes as  homoerotic cowboys and pseudo metal hair ballads permeate the duo’s repertoire. With their wildly original stage antics and performance, no two shows are the same.

While their most recent influences draw from bluegrass and folk, both Minax and Strikeback are skillful musicians who spent their teenage years steeped in indie rock.  Drawing smartly from this mix, dubbing their genre “indie-grass,” Actor Slash Model smashes all conventional definitions to deliver unforgettable shows.