“To make it to the future, we must first get through to the past,” sings Sam Hunt on Eddie Doldrum’s debut EP “World’s Best Dad.” It’s a lyrical sentiment that could sum up the plight of any northeast Ohio musician who has tried to defend the region through song. Rust Belt artists know the area’s scattered pockets of forward-thinking and optimistic people, who despite economic decline and population loss, are the ones building a future of exciting and important culture. And it’s those residents who wear their optimism like a badge of honor even when cynical politicians and...
Kevin Braun and Gina Kanter are The Modulated Tones, a fuzzy, psychedelic duo who sound a lot like what The Velvet Underground would be doing today if its members stuck around to experience '80s shoegaze. The twosome released its debut EP, “Turning On,” this month, and it is a collection of seven mind-bending, feedback-laden jams they call “the musical equivalent of a hash joint; or several.” With screeching guitars, Braun's droning, Lou Reed-esque vocals and some noisy, spacey sounds in between, the release feels like a dark and magical ride through sonic space. “Day Tripper...
BY NATE BROWN Who are The Ghost Wolves? The Ghost Wolves are a female/male drum & guitar duo from Texas. What was it like playing at SXSW? It was a dream — such an amazing mashup of styles, and bands coming in from around the globe. Some local Austinites like to complain about the traffic, noise, etc., but we just feel like, hey, it could be a paper convention instead right? This is music taking over our town — it’s a good thing! How often have you been asked about the possibility that you’re actually The White Stripes from an alternate universe? We get that occasionally, and...
February 25 - Canton - The Auricle Join First and Thorne, the only band we know of named after a Massillon intersection, for their EP release Party. The first 200 in the door recieve a free copy of their debut EP "Thanks To Our ExGirlfriends." Joining them onstage will be Sicadia, Brain & The Lucille Ball. This indie rock trio is making noise, and the energy is going to be high. Sure to be a good time! Find more information at the event's Facebook page....
Music critics, while notoriously fussy, are charged with a daunting task: Objectively describing a purely nonobjective subject. Of course this also opens the floodgates for nearly anyone to pass themselves off as serious press. This is something that Johnny Bell, frontman for psych-punk band Crystal Antlers, is all too familiar with — though he doesn’t believe in what he reads, or more precisely, what he doesn’t read. “Everyone has their right to pontificate, but why listen to anyone else when now you have access to any music anywhere, anytime,” Bell said. “You think some 19-...
10/26 Wooster, OH, College of Wooster # UK band Gross Magic has signed to Fat Possum for North America. The band's debut EP, Teen Jamz is available on iTunes now and will see a proper physical release on Oct. 11. The band is also set to make its US live debut in October, dates listed below. More about Gross Magic: Brighton based artist Gross Magic (aka Sam McGarrigle) began life floating through purple clouds and serenading moonlit lakes in the homemade video for 'Waiting For You', an unashamedly lo-fi but surprisingly brilliant attempt to recreate the music of Prince, Bowie an...
At first listen, Hawk and Wolves debut EP seems like the work of a group of musicians well in their prime. A concept album silmiar to the work of artists like Coheed & Cambria and The Dear Hunter, Delta Waves - The Alread EP is a masterful piece of music to say the least. One would not be surprised to hear that the release was produced none other by Michael Birnbaum & Chris Bittner responsible for record such artists as Coheed & Cambria, The Sleeping and Codeseven. Hawk and Wolves debut Introduces a fictitious Army vet named Phillip David Alread, who has been left paraplegic from war, not...
Rather than sleeping in on a rainy April morning, the four guys huddled in a living room were meticulously planning their set for that night's concert. For the Canton-based indie rock band A Minor Bird, it was just another show. And if the band's professionalism and talent are any indication, there will be many more shows to follow—shows that will undoubtedly take them to even bigger stages. Hailing from Malone University, A Minor Bird has played at a variety of area venues and opened for bands such as Switchfoot and mewithoutYou since forming in June 2008. Last year, they released the...
On Wednesday night Miniature Tigers, a four piece band hailing from Phoenix, hit the stage at Musica for a mellow show. The band took the stage just past ten o’clock after three opening bands got the crowd rocking. By the time Miniature Tigers began their set, there had already been almost three hours of great music before them. Even though Miniature Tigers aren’t from the area, they still made a real effort to relate to their crowd, talking about LeBron James and other issues that relate specifically to Akron area residents. It makes a big difference when a band tries to relate w...
By: Julia Kazan Local country/rock artists The Carter Twins, who come from the Hudson area, took the stage on Thursday night at Musica. The show was a combination of the twin's original songs and cover songs. It’s impressive to think that these two guys who haven’t yet lived through two full decades have been able to accomplish so much and become so successful. But they still have a long way to go. The Carter Twins just released their debut EP, Carter Twins, at the end of last year. The album includes their smash hit, “Heart Like Memphis”, a song that has gained them nati...
By: Julia Kazar On Thursday, July 22nd, The Carter Twins, Joshua and Zachary, will be headlining at Musica in Akron. The twins are originally from Akron but moved to North Carolina during their teen years. It was there that they first truly discovered their love of performing music. Even though they only recently discovered their passion for performing music live, music has been a huge part of their life since they were young children. Their mother on country radio, and constantly encouraged her sons to pursue their love of music. In 2009, The Carter Twins released their self...
By Bri Arnwine Lynn Dials had a vision for rock music and it didn’t just end in his mind. When he decided to pursue life as a rocker he formed his very own band, The Splits, and soon began working on writing music for the group. While sexy bassist/vocalist Nikki Cave has been with The Splints from the beginning, the group has had more drummers than groupies, with more than 13 skin beaters used and abused. Originally from the Washington, DC area, Lynn and Nikki (along with their drummer du jour) relocated for a short while in 2005 to Memphis where they eventually signed to Lightening Ro...
