Most local musicians go unsung in the rest of the nation, destined to play area venues not far from their home base. That’s not the case for local boys Annabel. Formed shortly after high school, the DIY indie band is the product of brothers Ben and Andy Hendricks. After a demo or two and a few short-lived members, the boys met up with bassist Scotty Moses. Two years later the band hooked up with keyboardist Corey Willis and the legendary lineup was set. As singer/guitarist Ben puts it, “It’s been paradise ever since.” Following their first official EP, “Now That We’re Alive,” the band was hankering to record a full-length record. Once they had rallied some songs together, Annabel headed into the same recording studio responsible for creating some of their favorite records from Kent artists such as Party of Helicopters and The Man I Fell in Love With. The good luck kept on coming after the group helped fellow DIY band Empire! Empire! book a local show in the area. “After the show, Keith Latinen [singer of Empire! Empire! and head of Count Your Lucky Stars Records] asked if we had new stuff coming out and said he would love to put it out on his record label,” Ben said. Initially, Annabel was reluctant, but Latinen didn’t give up. “He kept on bugging us for a month or so. All the bands that are on [the label] now that are great weren’t on it back then, so we didn’t know if it wasn’t going to turn into anything,” said Ben. “But we decided to say ‘Fuck it’ and it ended up turning out to be pretty awesome.” Count Your Lucky Stars later released Annabel’s first full-length album. Will Miller of the public-relations company Beartrap was also an early Annabel admirer — even prior to his work with Beartrap. “Will was one of the key people to help our presence as a band,” said Ben. “He said that he was joining this PR company called Beartrap and he wanted us to be a part of it.” Within the past year Miller also started his own record label, Tiny Engines, which released Annabel’s seven-inch EP “Here We Are Tomorrow,” in December. While the stellar Kent indie movement of the last two decades has quite possibly had the most significant impact on the band, the influences of bands like Party of Helicopters, Man I Fell In Love With, Harriet the Spy and Six Part Seven are subtle. “It’s not super transparent. You’re not going to hear them. They are different musically but they are all bring the same vibe,” Moses said. “We are definitely influenced by the scene we are around. It doesn’t take a direct effect but the attitude of the way you write is coming from a lot of different directions.” New music is hard to predict, but the band still hopes for the one song to open up the creative floodgates. “There are always these spells where we end up writing songs and they just keep coming, but then it could be another year before it happens again. At least for the summer we’re just trying to jam and keep writing songs,” Moses said. “Sometime it takes one idea for it to be a catalyst for many things to come.” Taking things slowly is important for Ben, who recorded December’s EP and feels that the other records, while solid, suffered from being a tad rushed. “There are certain things I want to accomplish if I end up recording the album,” he said. “The focus right now is just getting good songs.” All the members agree that the DIY scene from coast to coast is something really special. “To get into anything in the DIY scene is great for anybody who wants to be a part of something. You build friendships and experiences you will never get any way else,” Willis saod. “I feel really fortunate that this band is a part of it.” “We could go down the street and not a lot of people may know who we are. But at the same time we can go across the country and meet people that know us,” added Moses. “It’s really about this big community we are a part of with the DIY scene.” Annabel will be performing with Monument, The Ground is Lava and White Mage at the DIY haven It’s A Kling Thing! House (403 Kling St.) in Akron on July 24. Show starts at 8:30.