YEARS IN THE MAKING, LISA GAIN & THE RUSTY SILOS’ LP EPITOMIZES HARD WORK PAYING OFF

Artist: Lisa Gain & The Rusty Silos

Title: (self-titled)

Format: LP

Release Year: 2020

Members: Lisa Gain (lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboard), James “J.B.” Boza (bass), and Bryan Rupejko (drums/percussion).

Guest artists: Jonathan Kampfe (cello on select tracks), Chris Brooks (cello on select tracks), Joey Rauckis (lead guitar on select tracks), Ryan Larzelere (lead guitar on select tracks), Chris Shaw (violin), and Pete Vogel (piano)

Engineer: Keith Hanlon

 

The self-titled record by Central Ohio outfit Lisa Gain & The Rusty Silos serves new music lovers a baker’s dozen of fresh tunes crossing the Americana, pop, and indie rock genres. Industry veteran Gain is the talented mastermind who wrote all songs, handled all vocals, and played all the rhythm guitar parts on the album. Per an advanced copy of the LP, she is joined on the record by Rusty Silos members James “J.B” Boza (bass) and Bryan Rupejko (drums). As of late last year, Boza left the band and Efrum Imler has joined in his place.

The smooth opening track “Obsession” was written 22 years ago and Gain channels legend Grace Slick with spot on bellowing accompanied with impressive cello play by Kampfe. The tune is an excellent way to start the 13-track ride that provides 55 minutes of escapism of the outside world. A single released before the album’s debut, “Natural High”, is natural evidence of the expertise Gain exudes with terrific main and backing vocals with terrific acoustic guitar play throughout. Highly regarded local musician Joey Rauckis provides lead guitar work here and has a hand in three other songs spread throughout the album.

“Honesty” is where the band slows it down and the arrangement and execution are straight out of Louisville singer-songwriter Peter Searcy’s terrific arsenal. Gain and company pick the tempo up again on the record’s fourth tune “Time 4 You” that oozes a Lisa Loeb-vibe sure to get listener’s toes tapping and heads bopping. The 1990s sounding song is a strong contender for being spun by independent radio stations and would help the album gain much-deserved attention.

An even bigger indiepop bop is “The Surface” that gives off even more Searcy influence. The lead and backing vocals are amazingly blended here with the rest of the band on point with their parts. The good sounds continue with a slightly slower paced wonder titled “The Way You Said Goodbye”. Guest lead guitarist Ryan Larzelere is a major contributor here to this brilliantly crafted and performed track. Gain and The Rusty Silos slow it down even more with the ballad “Best in Me” which is about admiration in response to motivation. It is an excellent tune people can dedicate to those who inspire them, whether it be partners, mentors, parents, friends, and the like.

Ohio Music Award winner Gain demonstrates Americana roots with the song that won her said award, “2 Packs of Cigarettes”. The fact that this tune is recognized by a prestigious governing body is sure to turn up the curiosity factor in what Gain has to offer the music scene. The easygoing times roll on with the album’s ninth song “What if You Leave” which reiterates the genius the band has been demonstrating for years and will continued to do either in studio or on stage. The tune for which the band is named after “Rusty Silo” contains more folk delight courtesy of Gain’s top of the line bellowing and guest artist Chris Shaw’s violin play.

“Haunted Hotel” has a psychedelic aura about it that will transport listeners back to the original Woodstock days. If time travel were real, Lisa Gain and The Rusty Silos would fit right in at a festival with the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, to name a few. “Pretty Horses” is sheer Americana with Gain’s haunting vocals on display and perfectly placed piano work from guest Pete Vogel. The lead and backing vocals are synced to precision making for a song sure to give goosebumps. The final song is the chilling “Oh My Heart” and is the most recently penned by Gain with Rauckis, Vogel and Kampfe back as guest contributors in their respective roles.

Sponsored by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, this self-titled album from Lisa Gain & The Rusty Silos was money well spent providing listeners a bevy of poppy folk rock greatness. With a little help from some friends, the band provides nearly an hour of strategically placed original songs spanning decades. The LP was created at the studio known as Musicol Recordings in Columbus with mixing and mastering by Scioto Records. The record is well worth the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making it and listeners are sure to find a new overall favorite song among one of 13 tunes of substance with enough style to entertain.

HELLO LUNA SINGER FACES PAINFUL PAST; BAND LOOKS TO BRIGHTER FUTURE WITH NEW EP

Artist: Hello Luna

Album: Dear Demons

Release Year: 2019

Members: Kenzie Coyne (guitar/vocals), Michael Neumaier (drums), and Eric Morgan (guitar)

Personally and professionally, 2019 has been very important to Columbus, OH alternative rock outfit Hello Luna. In excellent news, the group performed as part of the highly regarded SteadFast Festival which led to higher profile gigs and touring afterward. In sad news, however, their much beloved bassist left and lead singer/guitarist Kenzie Coyne became somewhat transparent about her traumatic childhood. Fast forward to now, where the trio has recently released the therapeutic EP Dear Demons in preparation for their November 2 concert at PromoWest venue The Basement.

‘Dear Demons’ is Hello Luna’s most emotional and deepest record to date with Coyne writing about her upbringing and its current impact on her life. The recently recorded songs with Eric Morgan and Michael Neumaier serve as a way for Coyne to deal with the mental scars and eventually heal. In an interview and review with Andy Downing for respected local publication Columbus Alive, Coyne revealed the physical abuse conducted by her father and that outside of some recent cryptic social media posts, even band members were not in the loop on what transpired. Also in the piece, it was made clear that Dear Demons is only the beginning of healing and that the EP alone is insufficient in dealing with such wounds. Coyne has mentioned that she attends therapy sessions to help cope.

Two tunes from the new album, “Lifeboat” and “Sympathize”, were released earlier this year to much fanfare. “Lifeboat” is similar in tempo and tone to the band’s first ever single “Stitching Holes” and is pure power pop awesomeness. The song is reminiscent of tunes local bands of yesteryear Manda & The Marbles, Saving Jane, and Miranda Sound cranked out. 

The band released a video for their latest single “Sympathize”, the song on the EP with the most potential to break the band to the next echelon. The guitar and drum intro is absolutely eerie, yet simultaneously beautiful. The song’s chorus is superb with Coyne’s spot-on vocals and the entire group’s musical contributions making it memorable.

On “False Alarm”, which for a time was exclusively spun on CD 102.5 FM, the band combines the styles of the EP’s first two songs and comes up with something harmonious that also has a lot of punch behind it. Coyne and Morgan’s guitar work and Neumaier’s drumming is timed perfectly. The track is excellently crafted, making it understood why this is getting airplay on a respected rock station. It and the album’s other tunes are worthy of being aired on stations worldwide.

The fourth tune is “Tongue Tied” and it is one that also is a hybrid of softer and harder aspects. This pattern is the album’s common theme that can be perceived as representative of anguish that turns to anger. Hello Luna wrote and performed this album’s songs of a serious subject matter with passion and precision. This approach makes the listener think about what they are hearing by providing just the right amount of catchiness.  

Dear Demons last and shortest track “Great Escape” brings everything full circle as it has its mellow and up-tempo moments, which is the EP’s common musical denominator. This is the record’s signature tune that sums up the main theme of confronting an uncomfortable past and vowing to overcome it. Credit goes to Coyne for opening up about a traumatic part of her life and to band members Morgan and Neumaier for handling the issue with care. There is no doubt that although Hello Luna’s latest offerings will serve as a form of therapy for not only survivor Coyne, but for those who have gone through similar situations.

When November 2 hits, bet that Hello Luna will give all they have at their PromoWest Live show. The first time they performed there, they sold the place out. The band, joined by strong support by Fashion Week and The Candescents, plan to have the upcoming gig do the same. Alternative rock aficionados will believe in this group as the band is absolutely betting on themselves with this hard-hitting, yet extremely reflective record.

HELLO LUNA RELEASES TWO SINGLES TO HYPE UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE

From left: Michael Neumaier, Kenzie Coyne, and Eric Morgan.

Artist: Hello Luna

Singles: “Lifeboat” and “Sympathize”

Release Year: 2019

Members: Kenzie Coyne (guitar/vocals), Eric Morgan (guitar), and Michael Neumaier (drums)

Former members: Diego Villasmil (bass)

In 2017, Columbus, Ohio alternative rock outfit Hello Luna released the EP ‘The Ghost of You’ to much local fanfare. This included a heavily promoted sold-out concert at PromoWest Productions-owned venue The Basement. Fast forward to two years after that achievement and the band is back with two newly released songs to build anticipation for their new album ‘Dear Demons’, due to drop this fall. The EP will coincide with an official release show at The Basement on November 2. If the group can maintain this trajectory, this might be the year they achieve what very few hometown bands have obtained.

Released in April, ‘Lifeboat’ starts off with the strong guitars the band is known for, assuring listeners they are in for a wild ride. Soon after, Kenzie Coyne’s powerful yet angelic voice comes into play and perfectly matches her guitar work along with Morgan’s skills, Villasmil’s slick bass lines, and Neumaier’s on point drumming. Those who love late 1990s and early 2000s alternative rock will fall in love with this track from start to finish. The tune is reminiscent of the group’s first ever released song “Stitching Holes”, which put them on the local music radar.

In late July, the three-year old trio dropped “Sympathize”, a track that they have been performing live for a time, most notably at this year’s Tuned Up Music’s Steadfast Festival. An instrumental version of this in the background of a Freeform drama would be golden, but Coyne’s solid vocals on this song make it platinum. A good as their signature song “Sound and Sorrow” from their first EP is, “Sympathize” is the one that should get Hello Luna a record deal to take them to astronomical heights. Decades ago, local acts Howlin’ Maggie and O.A.R. had songs make the Billboard charts and those bands were the benchmarks in terms of success. They have since been surpassed by the newest central Ohio sensation Twenty-one Pilots as the bar.

It is safe to say that if Hello Luna reaches a fraction of the attention and adulation that TOP has, they have done something right and something great. It could not happen to such talented, bright, intelligent, and hard-working individuals like Coyne, Morgan, and Neumaier. Other highly talented local artists with slickly produced and well-executed material should have a brush with fame and may reach those heights one day, but for Hello Luna their time is here and now.