Tall Grass Captains

Tall Grass Captains is an indie-pop force rooted in DeKalb, Illinois, where its members have been shaping the local music scene for decades. Blending soaring melodies, high-energy interwoven guitars, and expansive songwriting, the band delivers a sound that feels both immediate and cinematic.

The project is the creative vision of singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Mattson, whose work balances infectious musical hooks with uncommon lyrical depth. Known for poetic, sophisticated writing, Tall Grass Captains has long inspired a familiar debate among listeners and critics alike: what leaves the deeper impression—the melodies or the words? As one early critic put it, “You’ve got to love a band that actually improves your vocabulary.”

Since their debut in 2005, Tall Grass Captains have built a steady, evocative discography:

She Moved Through (2005)

In the Resistance (2010)

Spells of Broken Worlds (2015)

Out Behind the Void (2020)

In recent years the band has returned to the stage, performing regularly across Chicago and DeKalb. Currently, they are back in the studio at Reel Sounds in Skokie, Illinois, honing a new batch of material. Fans can expect their fifth studio release to arrive in Fall 2026 

Background image: Dan Belz. Chicago, Illinois.