Rod Tuffcurls & the Bench Press Tickets

Rod Tuffcurls & the Bench Press In Concert

From their name, you might think you'd encounter Rod Tuffcurls & the Bench Press at the gym. But this powerful quartet of musicians is far from an exercise move, and they're certainly no joke. 

Starting in Chicago in 2008, the group has mostly ripped up the classics as a traveling cover band, but they also have a few hits of their own. The electric lineup includes Rod Tuffcurls, Happy Masterson, and C.C. Ryder on guitars, with Dick Celebrity pounding on the drums. 

With an arsenal of music by groups like Hall & Oates, Taylor Swift, Queen, The Beatles, Wilson Phillips, and Elton John, as well as bangers from Disney movies and musicals like Les Miserables, the Bench Press can please just about any crowd... and they have. They've played more than 100 weddings, jamming at well-known Chicago locations like Salvage One, Soldier Field, The Art Institute, City Winery, Museum of Contemporary Art, the Shedd Aquarium, and more. 

But they don't just play — they're also willing to DJ and MC the party. That's right, just give them the right cues, and they're off to the races. They've also played their fair share of corporate gigs, entertaining companies like GrubHub, Anheuser-Busch, Microsoft, the Chicago Cubs, and Jim Beam. 

In 2018, they released their first EP, Alright S'go, an album of smart dance pop that showed off the band's tight grooves, affecting harmonies, and generally funky vibe. Smooth guitars can be heard on "I Can't Feel," while "Right of Way" is reminiscent of great indie rock groups Phoenix, The Strokes, and MGMT. "Seagulls" is right for the radio, the gym, or the dancefloor — unsurprising from a group of guys who cut their teeth playing gigs for people who showed up to do one thing: dance.