the kyle sowashes Archives - Aquabear Legion

The Western Reserve – Guest Host: J.R. Fisher – Episode 035

We have a special guest host for the new episode of The Western Reserve: Columbus musician and all around solid human being J.R. Fisher! J.R. hosts episode 35 and curates the playlist for this one too. A sampling of some fantastic music from Ohio including The Sundresses, Wussy, Dead Boys, and Raven. Enjoy!

New City Gypsy – “Tugboat”
Grandpa Egg – “Monsters By Sea”
The Kyle Sowashes – “A Faster Asshole”
The Griefs – “Whenever You’re Around”
Day Creeper – “And How”
Raven – “War With My Soul”
The Sundresses – “Murder Hymn”
The Electric Grandmother – “Leo Got Shot”
Lieutenant Dance – “When Fans Attack”
Them Wranch – “Campus Strangler”
Jenny Mae – “Downtown”
Country Death – “Wild Irish Rose”
Wussy – “Death By Misadventure”
Dead Boys – “All This And More”

The Western Reserve – Best of Ohio Music 2019 – Episode 033

Happy New Year! We join in on all the year-end, list-making fun here at The Western Reserve and set you up with just over an hour of some of our favorite music from Ohio this past year. Everything from The Kyle Sowashes to Matthew J. Rolin to no stars to Tiger Village. Enjoy!

Kneeling in Piss – “USA WIll Start Another War”
Cheap Clone – “Walk to Canada”
The Kyle Sowashes – “Bowling Ball”
Supernobody – “Trains Go By”
Speaking Suns – “From Nowhere”
no stars – “Potentiality”
Messrs – “Lizzard Boy”
Matthew J. Rolin – “For Henry”
Brian Harnetty – “John”
Herzog – “Winter 2014”
Mourning [A] Blkstar – “Harlem River Drive OG”
Brat Curse – “Psycho in the Furnace”
Slackluster – “Weeds”
Pleasure Leftists – “The Return”
Tiger VIllage – “Soft, Real”
Leggy – “Give In”

We Did It! Aquabear Legion Volume 5 Double LP Coming Summer 2015!

A sneak peak (about half way done) of Charlie Touvell's artwork for the inside of the upcoming Aquabear Volume 5 double LP!

Wow. The Aquabear Legion would like to thank all of you who supported our recent project, a massive 24 band/song double LP release of all Ohio bands. With a pre-order and donation page through Indiegogo we raised 110% of our goal (and still have 5 days to go), an amazing $5,491 from 135 contributors. We still have a few days left to raise some more money and for you to pre-order your copy, plus there are awesome extras like colored vinyl, hoodies, and unbelievable limited edition prints from Charlie Touvell of the Aquabear fighting a sea creature (see the halfway done version above). Here’s the link, get your copy.

The songs are being mastered with Bernie Nau at Peachfork Studios down in Meigs County and artwork and layout is being finalized in the next week or so, we are hoping to scheduling a pressing and have everything ready to go to be sent out by the end of the month if not sooner! The plan now is to have this album out and ready to go in June 2015, we of course will keep everyone up to date as the schedule progresses.

Aquabear Legion Volume 5Â will include music from 24 Ohio bands on 2 LPs:
The 1984 Draft, Black Owls, Connections, Dead Hand of Man, Dead Winds of Summer, The D-Rays, The Guitars, Herzog, Hookers Made Out of Cocaine, Hyrrokkin, Joseph Airport, Kid Tested, The Kyle Sowashes, The Motel Beds, Murderedman, Nick Tolford & Company, She Bears, Speaking Suns, Sport Fishing USA, Supernobody, Unmonumental, Weedghost, Weird Science, and WV White.

Putting this record out means an awful lot to Aquabear and we could not be more excited to share it with you all. Help us spread the work and share this link, just 5 days to go!

Aquabear 2LP Track List, Support and Pre-Order Now

To celebrate our 10th birthday the Aquabear decided to release a double LP featuring 24 Ohio bands and set up an Indiegogo page to collect pre-orders and support to help make it happen. The Aquabear is thrilled to be at 56% of our goal with 34 days remaining and a total of $2801 of $5000 raised! Thanks to all who have supported this project, so far 68 of you have directly contributed to making this thing happen. You are awesome.We need to keep spreading the word to reach our goal, there is still a lot more to go. If you can share this link, and tell anyone you think might like two records of Ohio music we would be thankful. Look for some sketches from Charlie of the liner note art (that will become the awesome limited edition prints that start at the $75 level w/ a record) coming soon.

Below is the track order for the compilation, it’s subject to change of course but it is a really good sequence so it probably won’t. Share the link and support an awesome project.

AQUABEAR LEGION 2015

SIDE A
Joseph Airport Â “If I Had An Airplane (I’d Be There)”*
Herzog Â “Oh No”
Sport Fishing USA Â “Feeling So Strange”*
Connections Â “Everybody High”*
Supernobody Â “Quicker Than the Eye”*
Weedghost Â “Excerpt from I”

SIDE B
WV White Â “Multiple Bathrooms”
Motel Beds Â “Stay Out of Riverdale”*
Unmonumental Â “Sword”*
The D-Rays Â “High Tide”*
The Guitars Â “She’s Got Your Heart”
Nick Tolford & Company Â “Cancel Your Plans”

SIDE C
Weird Science Â “Gimmie Some Time”*
Kid Tested Â “#1 Hit”
Hyrrokkin Â “Astrionics”
Murderedman Â “Love Under Ground”*
The Kyle Sowashes Â “A Faster Asshole”*
Dead Winds of Summer Â “He’s Gone Man”*

SIDE D
Dead Hand of Man Â “Dark Invader”*
Hookers Made Out of Cocaine Â “Milky Way”*
Speaking Suns Â “Sleeper”
She Bears Â “Beach Fires”
Black Owls Â “Whorehouse Joke”*
The 1984 Draft Â “Scarlet & Cream”

*currently unreleased and exclusive to the comp

Are You in the Aquabear 125? Support & Pre-Order a Double LP of 24 Ohio Bands

Aquabear 2015 will feature 24 Ohio bands on 2 LPs, donate now and spread the word! (cover art painting by Emily Beveridge)

To celebrate our 10th birthday Aquabear Legion wanted to release a double LP vinyl compilation of 24 Ohio bands, but we need your support. To fund the release of this compilation Aquabear has set up an Indiegogo page where you can pre-order your copy of the double LP release along with a lot of awesome extras. In less than 2 weeks we have raised 25% of our goal from 32 contributors, but there is still a long way to go. We think we need around 125 people to support this release and reach our goal, are you one of the Aquabear 125? You can directly support the release of this compilation buy pre-ordering your copy and donating now. In addition to the record you can get lots of great extras including limited edition prints by Charlie Touvell (based on the art for the liner notes), colored vinyl, hoodies, t-shirts, and even a new perk: a show from Dayton’s The 1984 Draft (at the appropriate level of $84). We must reach our $5,000 goal by February 13th and currently have $1,235 raised.

We are looking for everyone out there who loves Ohio music, records, and independent rock and roll. Please share this link and help us spread the word, give whatever you can, and tell friends, family, and music lovers in your life.

Aquabear 2015 will include music from 24 Ohio bands on 2 LPs:
The 1984 Draft, Black Owls, Connections, Dead Hand of Man, Dead Winds of Summer, The D-Rays, The Guitars, Herzog, Hookers Made Out of Cocaine, Hyrrokkin, Joseph Airport, Kid Tested, The Kyle Sowashes, The Motel Beds, Murderedman, Nick Tolford & Company, She Bears, Speaking Suns, Sport Fishing USA, Supernobody, Unmonumental, Weedghost, Weird Science, and WV White.

The Aquabear Legion would like to thank our 32 contributors so far for this project, you guys are the best:
Brian Wiebe, David Massimini, Leslie Jankowski, Dave Frush, Sherri Oliver, Carl Raponi, Bill L’Heureux, Chris Pyle, Scott Summerfield, J.R. Fisher, David Butler, Ben Penry, Matthew Cutter, Heath Seifert, Dan Majesky, Arielle Banaszak, Dustin Cell, Eli Alban, Sean Redefer, Mike White, Jessy Lancaster, Michael Bart, Anonymous, Randy Demidovich, Darren Fox, Suzanne Sloo, Blue Eagle Music, Bobby Rosenstock, Jadey Gilmore, Bryan Gibson, Ken & Pam Koscho, and Luke Edwards

Aquabear Will Release Double LP Compilation in 2015, Pre-order on Indiegogo Now

The Aquabear (painted here by Athens artist Emily Beveridge) will release a double LP, 24 song vinyl comp in Spring 2015.

Since 2004, Aquabear has worked with over 200 bands and dozens of visual artists and filmmakers. And in that time produced 10 releases including compilations of Ohio music both physical and for free on aquabearlegion.com.Â But we REALLY want to put out some vinyl. And since we just celebrated our 10th birthday it seemed like a double LP is the way to go. 24 songs from 24 of Ohio’s best bands on 2 LPs. Printed, pressed, designed, and played in Ohio. You can support this project and pre-order your copy at our IndiegogoÂ page here. Please help us spread the word folks!

To help raise money and make some more things in the process we are partnering we a couple local artists for some really cool special items. Charlie Touvell will be making some limited edition prints based on his artwork for the record’s liner notes and even some custom drawings too. We will be making some brand new hoodies and of course have t-shirts, colored vinyl, and countless random Aquabear items we might send along. We sincerely appreciate your support of this project.

We have always wanted to make a record, and these are some really amazing songs to do it with. The plan is that if this works we will keep doing it with more and more bands in the future. Here’s a video!

Best of Ohio 2012: Part Four

Aquabear is kicking off a brand new year-end tradition by asking some of the state’s best musicians and music related folks to share their favorite Ohio music finds and experiences of the year. Look for a whole bunch of these before the start of 2013! Here’s the second batch featuring Kyle Sowash (Columbus – The Kyle Sowashes), Chris Lute (Athens – Weird Science, Dark Circles Records), Â Zach Long (Chicago – Time Out Chicago, ALARM Magazine), Todd Carman (Athens – Skumplast), Brian Ostrander (Columbus – Kobo Live). Look for more in the coming weeks and please share, if you would like to participate drop us a line at contact@aquabearlegion.com
_______

Kyle Sowash
Columbus Â (The Kyle Sowashes)

What were your favorite Ohio releases from 2012?
Connections – “Private Airplane”,Â GBV – “Class Clown Spots a UFO”,Â GBV – “Bears For Lunch”,Â The Whiles – “Somber Honey”,Â Washington Beach Bums – “Party!”

Best new Ohio band
Connections.

Favorite Ohio show you saw this year?
Tossup:
Afghan Whigs/Wussy @ Bogarts, Cincinnati, OH 10.25.12
orÂ Crooked FIngers/ John Vanderslice @ Tree Bar 11.6.12

What are you most excited about for 2013?
Summer.

If you are a musician what have you been working on lately?
Just working on songs for a new record and drinking soda pops with my buddies.

What are you listening to right now?
RIGHT now? Bob Mould – The Silver Age

_______

Chris Lute
Athens (Weird Science, Dark Circles Records)

What were your favorite Ohio releases from 2012?
Paleoweltschmerz by Jay Harmon and the Francis Bacon Band,Â Homemade Drugs LP by Homemade Drugs,Â Volume Consume by Tribe of The Mountain,Â Teen Age by Nathan Moore,Â Vodou – Fittness

Best new Ohio band
Frankie Teardrop

What are you most excited about for 2013?
Working on new projects. Recording more bands more often. Nelsonville Music Festival.

If you are a musician what have you been working on lately?
Just began working on a project called Elton Johnny with Maureen Neer and Chris Lee. This is a very open-ended project that is based on live improvisation interacting with prerecorded loops, combing elements of Dub, Ambient Electronic, and Garage Rock. I am very excited to work with these guys to refine our process and expand our sonic palette with the incorporation of organ, theremin, etc. Essentially, this project is all about fluidity and progression, creating structure without confinement. We get to play whatever we want, as long as we are in sync with our prerecorded loops (of us playing whatever we want).

Also, recording with Frankie Teardrop, Finishing up an album with Bonzai, and recording for a solo album.

What are you listening to right now?
The Gun Club right now. Lately – Velvet Underground, Elvis Costello, The oh sees, Die Antwerd, Squarepusher
_______

Zach Long
Chicago (Time Out Chicago, ALARM Magazine)

What were your favorite Ohio releases from 2012?
Black Swans -Â Occasion for Song

Jerry DeCicca returns for another round of tugging at your heartstrings, armed with a batch of tunes that manage to be morose without coming off as mopey. Centered around the tragic death of former bandmate Noel Sayre, DeCicca forms a fitting tribute to his fallen friend with a record that surrounds the singer’s tender baritone with delicate arrangements. The tuneful tragedy of tracks like “Where Are You Tonight?” and “Bad Dream” makes this an album fit for the good times as well as the bad.

Guided By Voices –Â Class Clown Spots A UFO
The second installment in Guided By Voices trifecta of 2012 releases is the most varied of the bunch, finding the newly reformed group embracing the same kind of sporadic eclecticism that birthedÂ Bee ThousandÂ andÂ Alien Lanes. There’s no arguing with the band’s pop rock earworms (“Keep It In Motion,” “Billy Wire”) or oddball interludes (“Worm w/ 7 Broken Hearts.”) As prolific as ever, the Dayton outfit seem to have picked up where the classic lineup left off in ’96. Keep it up, Uncle Bob.

Herzog –Â Cartoon Violence
Dialing up the distortion and singing about the mundane, the guys in Herzog sound like they’ve spent a bit of time with the music of Built to Spill and Pavement. Clocking in at just under half an hour, the Cleveland-based group don’t mince words, delivering a frantic, tightly constructed rock record that bounces from punk to shoegaze. Featuring members of the stoner rock group Megachurch, Herzog is at its best amid the pounding refrains of closing track “Alexander the Great.”

Hex Net -Â Future Holds
Providing the soundtrack to many a drunken night at Athens haunts like the Union or Casa Cantina, it should come as no surprise that the songs on Hex Net’s first full length release hold up under more sober scrutiny. In their recorded forms, there’s a newfound clarity to be found in Seth Riddleberger’s growling delivery and the group’s twisting surges of guitar and organ. True to form, the riffs still stick like glue and there’s no shortage of sonic weirdnessâ€”all part of a sound that you can’t help but become ensnared in.

Southeast Engine -Â Canannville EP
A concise companion to 2011’sÂ Canary, the latest batch of songs from these Athens mainstays provides a tidy encapsulation of the group’s greatest strengths. Beginning with the jovial strains of “Old Oak Tree” and continuing with the jaunty bounce of the record’s title track, the band’s historical folk has never sounded more exuberant. The stirring finale of “C&O Railroad” finds singer Adam Remnant yearning for the days of old while, reaching for the track’s choruses with an earnest lilt that conveys the true importance of the past.

What are you most excited about for 2013?
I recently learned that Brainbow (one of my favorite Ohio bands back when I was in high school/college) will be releasing their second LP this January after years of inactivity. After that makes its debut, I’ll be looking forward to new records from Foxygen, Yo La Tengo, Low, (more) Guided By Voices and whatever Ty Segall puts out in the coming year.
_______

Todd Carman
Athens Â (Skumplast)

Best new Ohio band(s)
1.sega genocide
2.delay
3.nervosas
4.weird science
5.snarlas

Favorite Ohio show you saw this year?
county pharaohs, d-rays, nick tolford and co. @ bowling alley!
_______

Brian Ostrander
Columbus Â (Kobo Live)

What were your favorite Ohio releases from 2012?
The Kyle Sowashes – Somebody,Â Delay – Rushing Ceremony,Â Dolfish – I’d Rather Disappear Than Stay The Same,Â The Washington Beach Bums – Party!

Best new Ohio band
Whirl

Favorite Ohio show you saw this year?
Anyway Records Weekend – Ace Of Cups 12/21 + 12/22
St. Lenox,Â Winter Makes Sailors,Â Obnox,Â New Bomb Turks,Â Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments,Â NECROPOLIS – covering Gaunt,Â Belreve,Â Jenny Mae,Â Kyle Sowashes,Â Moviola,Â County Pharaohs,Â Connections,Â Greenhorn

What are you most excited about for 2013?
Winter Makes Sailors full length release, Forward Ohio in Columbus, 18th Annual Blackoutfest in Athens, Nelsonville Music Festival

What are you listening to right now?
The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth
Water Liars – Phantom Limb
Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes

The Union’s Fall Lineup Includes Rocket From the Tombs, Mike Watt, R.Ring, and More

rftt1 — Legendary Cleveland band Rocket From the Tombs plays The Union on 10/13.

The Union Bar and Grill is putting together a great slate of Fall shows with many more to come I am sure. Head on over to their Facebook pageÂ for all the details and updates but make sure to mark your calendars for some great shows.

Some of Ohio’s finest will grace The Union’s upstairs stage: legendary Cleveland act Rocket from the Tombs (10/13), Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery’s R.Ring (9/1), and Athens’ own Skeletonwitch (9/14)all have dates lined up. And Athens even gets a visit from Mike Watt himself on October 22. And even appearances from some more great Ohio bands like Eye, Wheels On Fire, The Kyle Sowashes, Hex Net, The D-Rays, Weird Science, and many more round out the next few months. More shows to be added I’m sure and advance tickets for some shows are available atÂ Haffa’s Records.

The Moose Is Loose: Episode Three: Aquabear County Fair Preview Day 2

The Moose Is Loose podcast rolls on with its third episode and the second part of our preview of THIS WEEKEND’s 6th annual Aquabear County Fair! Brian previews all the bands playing on Saturday, March 10th at O’Betty’s and The Union including: Bonzai, Octopus & Owl, State Park, Sport Fishing USA, The Kyle Sowashes, Freshkills, Dropdead Sons, and Wheels On Fire.

Hope you enjoy all the great music on this episode, and if you wanna see it in person come on out this weekend!

The Moose Is Loose: Episode Three