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Good English

Hawthorne Heights puts on a Gem City Music Festival!

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Hawthorne Heights presents “Dayton Is For Lovers“, an all ages Gem City music festival tonight.12184009_10153715973573827_891302303246894601_o

Presale tickets available, and are $15: http://hawthorneheights.limitedrun.com/tickets/13123

The band states, “We very rarely get to play a true hometown show, and are super excited to be able to make this happen. Dayton has a lot of very special and talented musicians, so choosing the line up was a difficult process. We tried to choose old friends, new friends, and total strangers that are both talented and working hard within the scene. What we came up with was an eclectic group of acts from a variety of genres. It is important for us to have the show be all ages, and at a venue in the downtown area of the city we love and call home.The Yellow Cab building is a great location downtown with it’s own private parking lot. It’s located just a block behind the post office in downtown Dayton.”

ALL AGES. The venue also has a bar area with a great selection of local beer for those of age and with I.D.

Food trucks on site for the show:
The Wicked ‘Wich of Dayton
Hunger Paynes Food Truck

Schedule:

6pm Doors.
Music starts at 6:30pm.
Hawthorne Heights will be on around 10:15pm.
Come early. Stay late. Watch all the artists perform original Dayton music across two stages throughout the night!

Hawthorne Heights headlines this showcase of Dayton original bands

Hawthorne Heights headlines this showcase of Dayton original bands

Performing (not in this order):
Hawthorne Heights
Good English
Crosley Court
Second Story Anthem
ViFolly
You vs Yesterday
Jasper the Colossal
Bribing Senators
Goodnight Goodnight

Motel Beds ‘These are Days Gone By’ Vinyl Pre-Release show

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Motel Beds 'These are Days Gone By' Vinyl Pre-Release show

The fantastic Motel Beds are presenting a rare opportunity for Dayton and Miami Valley music fans on January 18th (doors open at 7pm and show starts at 8pm sharp — so get there early)!

In conjunction with We Care Arts and Misra Records, The Motel Beds invite you to join them as they review their musical career with friends and musical allies Smug Brothers and Good English at an All Ages show at the Yellow Cab building on Saturday, January 18!

The ‘Beds are doing what we call a soft, limited release of a retrospective that they are titling after one of their best songs, “These are the Days Gone By.”  500 hand-painted LP covers will be available at the show.  The artists at We Care Arts who will receive a portion of the proceeds — created the unique and distinctive covers (some of which you can see on the poster to the right).  This is a soft, pre-release — meaning you cannot get this anywhere else — for the first 500 LPs and only the first 5oo; they’ve all been hand-painted by the artists at We Care Arts (“changing disabilities into possibilities”) you can learn more about WCA at their website – http://www.wecarearts.org/.  The album will be released internationally later in 2014 on Misra Records.

According to the band, “These are the Days Gone By” is a collection of Motel Beds singles, outtakes, and live favorites that represent the history and development of the band. The songs have been remastered by Carl Saff (Dinosaur Jr, GBV, etc) and include added bass parts by local Dayton music legend, Tod Weidner.  This is a musical experience not to be missed!

BIO FOR MOTEL BEDS “THESE ARE THE DAYS GONE BY” (courtesy of The Motel Beds)

MOTEL BEDS are a rock & roll band from Dayton, Ohio – a delightfully detached underdog city nestled in the heart of The Heartland. Seasoned veterans, Beds have worked alongside local music advocates Kelley Deal (Deal duets on the lusciously hushed “Tropics of the Sand”) and Robert Pollard (guitarist Derl Robbins has recorded Guided By Voices). Allies aside, when it comes to rock & roll, The Motel Beds speak for themselves.

“These Are the Days Gone By” reveals the fruits of Beds’ labor these latter years. The album is an electrifying collection of “hits,” remastered by Carl Saff (GBV, Dinosaur Jr., etc.) and featuring added bass parts by new(est) member and local ace Tod Weidner. Over a 12-song cycle, the proficiency with which Tommy Cooper and P.J. Paslosky (Motel Beds’ core songwriting duo) augment a solid hook is clearly set on display.

While “Days” largely finds Ian Kaplan at work as one of the finest rock drummers around today (not an embellishment), Beds demonstrate their versatility with two never-before-released tracks: a poppier version of 2011’s “Sunfried Dreams” and a beautiful acoustic cover of Matthew Sweet’s “I’ve Been Waiting”; the latter proving Paslosky to be much more than a rock vocalist. In addition to recording Motel Beds in a visionary manner, guitarist Derl Robbins adds his own unmistakable style and sound.

True to Dayton (see GBV’s “Propeller”), the first 500 LPs are all one-of-a-kind. Each cover was individually hand-painted by the artists at We Care Arts: a non-profit dedicated to “changing disabilities into possibilities.” A portion of the proceeds from these first 500 will go to benefit WCA.

In his glowing review of “Dumb Gold” (2012), AllMusic Senior Editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted, “[This] is an album that deserves to break them out of the Rust Belt and onto the larger stage; it’s one of the best straight-ahead indie rock records of 2012.” “Days” takes all of “Dumb Gold’s” assets – song writing, hooks, musicianship, energy and ups them ad infinitum. It’s a remarkable rock record and one that finds Motel Beds carrying the torch for Dayton, Ohio’s independent music scene.

Track List:

1. These are the Days Gone By
2. Ocean Flows
3. Skymade Suit
4. Cactus Kiss
5. Surfjerk
6. Valentimes
7. Lights On
8. Western Son
9. Tropics Of The Sand
10. Sunfried Dreams (alternate version)
11. I’ve Been Waiting
12. Smoke Your Homework

Cross posted at Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative

Local Music Adds Hip Flair to Outdoor Recreation Festival

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moximage2By now, you probably already know that the Midwest Outdoor Experience presented by Subaru is the best weekend event to experience all things outdoors, from the intense (like the slackline skills area, practicing yoga on a stand-up paddleboard or trying out the mountain biking challenge course) to the more laid-back (fly fishing, orienteering and hiking are all great ways to relax with Mother Nature). But did you know that in addition to presenting a plethora of premier park pursuits, visitors to the annual Midwest Outdoor Experience also have access to fantastic local music, co-presented by public radio station WYSO and Dayton Music Fest?

The Midwest Outdoor Experience, set for Friday, October 4, through Saturday, October 5, will feature some of the best musicians Dayton has to offer. Celebrating nine years in the local music scene, the annual Dayton Music Fest “seeks to shine a spotlight on Dayton’s indie music scene” with performances taking place October 4-6 at several venues, including Eastwood MetroPark, home to the Midwest Outdoor Experience.

WYSO also contributes to the fun, presenting the musical lineup for Friday night, Oct. 4, featuring:

6:45-8:15 p.m.                   Jah Sol: With their combination of not only reggae, but soul, funk and disco, Jah Sol supplies the good times with their music. The eight member band gets the party going.

8:30-10 p.m.                      William the Accountant: Formed in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio, William The Accountant composes a musical playground of late ’70s new wave, Brazilian samba and New Orleans second line that defiantly incites activity and impulse.

Check out the Dayton Music Fest lineup at the Midwest Outdoor Experience, taking the stage moximage1Saturday, Oct. 5, featuring:

11 a.m.                                 Josh Eagle: This Cincinnati coffee-house regular shares personal, soft, longing, winged Folk. Eagle’s gripping voice, touching finger picking and bleeding harmonicas snatch you up like the raw, intimate music of Ray Lamontagne. Soothing and originally raspy, songs hurt and heal, gliding into calmness.

12 p.m.                                 Good English: Good English is a three-sister rock band from Dayton whose musical style is reflective of the indie, roots, blues, and folk rock that has influenced its members. Running counter to the usual young girl-band stereotypes, the band’s authentic instrumentation and rich vocals proves their budding talent as musicians, while their original songwriting and irresistible grace and beauty makes them a powerfully appealing package. They know how to rock, and they carry themselves with a sense of poise and style that is well beyond their years.

1 p.m.                                   Meghna & the Majority: Singer/songwriter Meghna Mahambrey first stepped on stage for a solo performance in her elementary school musical. She went on to cover the hits of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Etta James in her middle and high school talent shows. In college, she recorded an R&B/pop album; in graduate school, she recorded an acoustic/folk album. In December 2012, alongside her career in education, she released a jazzy, singer-songwriter album and formed her new band, Meghna & the Majority. With her soulful, seasoned voice, she sings – not for the fame, not for the fortune. She sings because she has a song.

2 p.m.                                   Kris N: With his second release and first full-length, “Lo-Fi Movement,” Dayton-based Kris N. has made a great pop record. Marked by strong melodies and lyrics that explore the place he is in and his life as a husband and father.

3 p.m.                                   Jah Sol: This group brings back the bass and keys, returning to the stage to bring the funk to attendees at the Midwest Outdoor Experience for a second time.

4 p.m.                                   Starving in the Belly of the Whale: Starving in the Belly of the Whale is the music of Ricky Terrell. Terrell is accompanied by a changing cast of musicians on each album to capture a unique, desired sound.

5 p.m.                                   The Repeating Arms: Max Nunery plays banjo, guitar, lap steel and sings back-up. Harold Hensley plays acoustic guitar and sings. Chip Pritchard plays upright bass and sings back-up vocals. Brian Spirk plays mandolin and fiddle.

6 p.m.                                   New Vega: The Southern Ohio four piece New Vega brims with vibrant hooks and aching melodies. Their debut album Tempo has captured the attention of major festivals and media outlets.

7 p.m.                                   PUBLIC: Formerly known as “crown” – PUBLIC is comprised of three friends who wish to always be allowed to dance, yell, and have fun with their music as long as inhumanly possible.

Other awesome activities that pair nicely with a fun-filled afternoon of outdoor adventure include:

That’s just a small slice of everything there is to do at the annual Midwest Outdoor Experience. Stop by (perhaps for a little overnight in the Eddie Bauer Campground camping) and discover why Dayton has rightfully earned the title “Outdoor Adventure Capital of the Midwest”!

Good English: Trio Riding The ‘Wire’ With New LP

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(Photo Courtesy-Brian Glass)

You know the expression-blood is thicker than water.  It’s a statement that is no truer when it comes to family.  Family is unbreakable.  Sure, you can get annoyed with them when they do something stupid.  Its family-you can’t be annoyed for long.  They are always going to be there for you.  Part of being in a band, you are in a family.  You have each and every one of the members of the group’s best interest far more than most.  You can have a disagreement, and minutes later hug it out.  The band Good English is no exception.  Good English comprises of sisters Elizabeth, Celia, and Leslie Rasmussen.  Elizabeth is the lead vocalist, and plays guitar, Celia is on bass and Leslie on drums.  The band is set to drop their first full-length album Radio Wires on Tuesday, August 27.  This Saturday, Good English will be throwing a CD release party at Blind Bob’s fifth anniversary weekend.

Good English got their start when the ladies were still children.  Elizabeth began to start getting interested in learning how to play the guitar and singing while she was in the eighth grade.  Celia had to choose between being in choir and being in the orchestra in elementary school.  She decided that she would be in the orchestra and started playing the cello.  The other sibling, Leslie, was banging away on the snare drum.  Their parents would soon after give them newer instruments.  Leslie replaced her snare with a drum kit, while Celia obtained the bass.  “The cello and the bass are pretty similar as most people know”, Celia explained.  “So my folks said give the bass a try.  If I didn’t like it-no biggie.”  The ladies began work on learning their new instruments and started playing.  “Our first song we wanted to learn was ‘Warning’ from Green Day”, added Elizabeth.  “We were big fans of Green Day and we wanted to learn their songs.”

To help gain a little more knowledge on playing their guitars and drums, the girls signed themselves up for Hauer’s Music Band Camp around 2008.  At the camp, they learned how to polish up their play and also had the experience to perform live at the legendary local music venue Canal Street Tavern.  The chance to play at Canal Street would be beneficial to the group as they started embarking on playing more and more live after the camp.  Good English added another member to their group and would start to perform at other local venues, with doing shows that were for all ages.  Still very young, the adolescents played as if they have been playing for many, many years.

In 2011, Good English felt they had enough good material and wanted to record their first songs.  The band packed their instruments and drove down to Nashville.  There, they recorded at Reel Love Recording Company.  The owner of the recording company is Dayton’s own Patrick Himes.  Himes produced an outstanding six track EP titled Take Control.  The opening track ‘Hollow Sound’ starts off with twang piano play and then takes a backseat while the guitar riffs.  The title song of the album ‘Take Control’ features a slick indie sound, with Celia’s bass line popping out.  Himes clearly saw what the band’s individuals bring to the table, and highlighted them all in each song.  The music leaps round from all different sounds.  You can hear the indie rock in one song, followed by some blues in another.  The band takes pride in the fact that they don’t have a specific style.  They love exploring all the different styles, and putting their own spins to it.  The result is a stylish rocking opus.

With Take Control released for the masses, Good English proceeded to play local gigs at the local taverns, and festivals.   One of the big breaks that the band has received to date was being part of the local acts that were able to play at last year’s Downtown Dayton Revival Festival.

Earlier this year, Good English went back to Nashville to work Himes again to work on the follow-up of Take Control.  They went down on back to back weekends, with the first weekend setting down the drums and the next weekend laying the vocals and guitar.  “I was really great to get away and work with Patrick again”, Elizabeth said.  “We know that wouldn’t have too many distractions and we could keep our focus on the music.”  The band would work throughout the weekend, bunkering down in the studio for 12 hour days.  Still, the experience of working with Himes, and laying down new music helped the band continue to march on.

Radio Wires promises to show Good English’s growth since the first EP was released.  The instrumental play is powerful and gritty, and is the main focal point in the trio’s mind.  The lyrics are open to interpretation for the listener, which always gives each song freshness.  “We want to have our songs to be like a story that involves characters”, Elizabeth says.  One thing is for sure-audiences and their fans will not be putting down their story anytime in the near future.

Radio Wires will be released on Tuesday, August 27th.  This Saturday, come celebrate the band’s album with their CD release party at Blind Bob’s.  Showtime is around 9pm.  For more info, click on the band’s website goodenglishband.com.

For those who want a taste of the band, click out the video below.  The song is off their EP, Take Control.

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Downtown Dayton Revival Festival Spotlight Volume 6

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With the Downtown Dayton Revival Festival just days away, these three bands will be giving the crowd that will be attending the event.

Good English

With music being able to be accessed in so many different ways, with iTunes, Spotify, and Pandora among others, the younger generation is able to be influenced by such
great music.  This also gives people the ability to form bands, and play incredible music.  Good English is a great example of this trend.

The group from Dayton got their start into music by joining together and playing the Green Day song ‘Warning’.  Good English took to road in 2011 and went to Nashville to record their first EP, Take Control.  Take Control is an impeccable blend of indie-rock and punk that is mature and polished.  Its truly amazing to think that this band hasn’t even scratched the surface on the potential they have.  At the Downtown Revival festival, people will see for themselves this up and coming band.

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The Right Now

Chicago offers a lot to people.  From the fierce rivalry of the Cubs and White Sox, to their fantastic beer Old Style, Chicago is without question one of the best cities in the United States.  This town also brings us the band The Right Now.  The band recently released the album, Gets Over You, an album that deals with regrets, but overcoming them and becoming stronger.

Fans of Amy Winehouse will without question latch onto The Right Now.  The band’s soulful, club-like sound brings a fresh feel to the festival.  Stefanie Berecz, the lead singer of the band, has a gritty voice that is powerful and untouchable.  The band delivers during their live shows.  With horns and saxophones arrangements being put into play during their sets, The Right Now are emerging as band not to be missed live.

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Green Light Morning

Cincinnati, Ohio band Green Light Morning is poised and ready to tell the audience at the festival their stories from their life on the road.  The band formed when lead singer Aaron Bright and guitarist Aaron Patrick met while they were touring in other bands.  When their bands split, they thought it would be a great idea to form their own band.  Thus Green Light Morning was formed.

With their self-titled EP out, the band are poised to take the show on the road in the near future.  With their smooth rock that could be easily be dropped in the mainstream radio, the band also brings soul and melodic hooks.

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See all of our Downtown Dayton Revival Music Festival Band Spotlights

A Quick Taste of Dayton Does Dayton

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Canal Street Tavern is well known in the Dayton music scene for its great sound, up-close atmosphere, and excellent shows. Nearly every night, one can find all kinds of local acts putting on a show on the Tavern’s stage. Outside of regular shows, Canal Street also enjoys putting on different kinds of specialty shows, such as the well-known Dayton Band Playoffs. One of these shows took to the stage this past weekend, stretching over two evenings: Dayton Does Dayton.

Wheels performing at Dayton Does Dayton (photo by Jay Madewell)

Only in its second year, Dayton Does Dayton invites a number of local bands from many different genres to take to the stage and, alongside their own songs, cover tracks from other local bands. None of the bands that play the show are “cover bands” per se, they’re just there to put their own spin on other local acts that they enjoy, that have influenced them, or any other reason at all.

The sheer number of bands interested in the show this year caused the event to be spread out across a full weekend…or rather, the important part of the weekend (Friday and Saturday). The great thing is that this much time allows more bands to come out and play. The difficult thing is that it causes busy people (such as myself) to only be able to catch a part of the entire show. As excited as I was for the show, it landed on a terrible weekend for me, so I was only able to see the first few bands on Saturday night. So, rather than a whole review, here is just a taste of what you may have missed this past weekend.

I arrived much too early for the show on Saturday night, so I was one of the first ones in the door. This gave me a chance to chat quickly with one of the staff at Canal Street, who told me that nearly 280 people came in for the show the night before. Considering the size of the venue, this is a rather fantastic number, and soon enough, people began flooding through the door and filling the floor.  By the time the first band went on, Canal Street was nearly standing room only.

The first to play this evening, out of Yellow Springs, was the band Wheels. A five-piece mostly-acoustic act, Wheels decided to focus on covering one specific band this evening alongside their own songs. Their band of choice, also out of Yellow Springs, was Sport Fishing USA, whose tracks they stripped down to fit the style they were playing: acoustic guitars, light percussion, mandolin, and upright bass. The instruments, though, played as more of background noise to the vocals, the focus of the band. The four-part harmonies were the star of the show, filling out the sound left behind by the sparse instrumentation.

Good English performing at Dayton Does Dayton (photo by Jay Madewell)

The second band of the evening, straight out of Dayton itself, was Charge Scenic. This band’s sound was a complete turn-around from Wheels’ acoustic style: alternative rock with some electronic and synth elements. That, though, can only describe their original songs. The covers that Charge Scenic chose ran through a number of other genres, touching on pop rock and a bit of funk. They chose to cover a number of different bands: Guided by Voices, Zapp and Roger, and The Pure Plastic Tree.  Throughout their set, Charge Scenic seemed to have a strong focus on the rhythm section, with the bass holding much of the band together, and the drummer getting a few solos between songs.

Up next, and unfortunately the last band I got to see, was Good English. This all-female, mostly-siblings band out of Oakwood has a chord- and riff-driven rock sound, with a feel similar to Foo Fighters.  Good English chose to cover tracks close to their own sound by two bands: The Breeders and Southeast Engine. Almost every member of the band played multiple instruments, which each song prompting a stage switch. All around, these girls pulled together a number of basic melodies into some supremely catchy tracks.

The rest of the evening, and the night before, had sets from both well-known and less-well-known acts, including Gathering Mercury, Red Hot Rebellion, Dark Backward, and My Latex Brain. This is one of those times where I’m kicking myself for missing out on so many acts, but sometimes there’s not much that can be done! To those that went out to the show for one or both nights, I’m sure you could fill in some blanks for us! Feel free to leave opinions of the show and/or bands in the comments section.  To those that didn’t make it out, hopefully this shows you what you missed and you’ll be able to catch Dayton Does Dayton the next time it comes to town!

Music Video Monday: January 9th, 2012

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Traditionally the beginning of a new year is slow for album releases, but not here in Dayton.  Several great local albums are set to be released in the next few weeks including the highly anticipated debut EP by Good English.  The band will celebrate the release of Take Control on January 20th at Canal Street Tavern.  In the meantime, enjoy the band’s debut music video for the title track.

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