Akron/Family

All Music Guide:

Akron/Family are one of those exasperatingly unknowable bands. They've concocted an image, all right -- check out their MySpace page or the Young God Records one, and you will quickly be advised that they are "extremely nice, sincere and well-mannered young men from rural America who came to New York City in 2002 to make music." But other than that and the occasional unfounded rumor that they practice a made-up cultish religion called AK (pronounced "ack"), the only way to know these apparently affable twenty-something fellows -- the original lineup consisting of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Seth Olinsky, from Williamsport, PA; vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Miles Seaton, from Porterville, CA; vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Dana Janssen, from Williamsport, PA; and lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ryan Vanderhoof, from Union Springs, NY -- is through their music, which falls squarely into the freak folk category launched, in the minds of the popular culture anyway, single-handedly by Devendra Banhart.

Through several albums made in a Brooklyn home studio and through a collaboration with Young God labelmate Angels of Light, Akron/Family earned themselves a madcap reputation: songs that start in a Beatles-inspired place inevitably erupt into skronk before settling into country sweetness, and folk-raised spirituals dart through Led Zeppelin territory, with '60s rock and general psychedelia also major themes. In addition to the more obvious influences -- the Beatles, Brian Wilson, Dylan, the Band -- Radiohead, Captain Beefheart, and acts like Spiritualized also clearly infiltrated the Family iPods, and to impressive effect. Following their 2005 self-titled debut on Young God and a split with Angels of Light (also serving as the backing road and studio band for that Michael Gira project), Akron/Family released their follow-up album, Meek Warrior, in October 2006. In 2007, lead vocalist Ryan Vanderhoof left after recording the adventurous Love Is Simple. The group remained a trio for the 2009 release Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free. The album was released by the Dead Oceans label in America and Crammed Discs in Europe, and Akron/Family followed the set with two singles, "River" b/w "Morning on Michigan Avenue" and "Everyone Is Guilty" b/w "Total Destruction."

After a long tour and a brief rest, Akron/Family retreated to a cabin near an active volcano in Hokkaido, Japan, in order to write new material. Upon returning to the United States, the band teamed with producer Chris Koltay (Liars, Holy Fuck, Deerhunter) and commenced to record in Michigan Central Station, the abandoned (and infamous) ten-story train station in Detroit. The end result was The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT, issued in February of 2011 on Dead Oceans.

Wikipedia:

Akron/Family is a folk-influenced experimental rock band that formed in 2002, and its members currently live in Portland, Oregon , Tucson, Arizona and New York City, New York.

Music and history [edit]

Though each member of the band—Dana Janssen, Seth Olinsky, and Miles Seaton—can be relegated to loosely defined roles (vocalist/drummer, vocalist/guitarist, and vocalist/bassist, respectively), all members play several instruments and sing, as evidenced by their shows and recorded material: Live, the band uses improvisation and three-part harmonies in prominence. On their self-titled debut record, field recordings of a creaking chair, thunderclaps and the white noise of a television find their way alongside psychedelic and electronic elements, guitars and a glockenspiel.

Early years (2003-2006) [edit]

Between 2003 and 2007 the band was the hub of a social scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn which revolved around the 'Gimmie Coffee' coffee shop. Many of the events of this period served as material for songs.

In 2003, the band began sending demos to Young God Records label head Michael Gira, who announced the following year their signing to the label. Akron/Family, culled from several albums' worth of material recorded in the band's Brooklyn apartment, was released in March 2005. The Wire said, "Akron/Family's hushed left field pastoralism invite comparison with the loose US scene of folk-derived weirdness ... Immaculately interwoven electronics and the care with which each beautifully recorded track unfolds recall Chicago post-rock ..." (Davies 2005).

Released that same month was Angels of Light's Sing "Other People", on which Akron/Family served as the main backing band. Several extensive tours of the United States and Europe with Gira — playing as Angels of Light — followed immediately afterward, lasting much of the rest of the year. In the stretches supporting Gira, the band played dual roles as both the supporting and headlining act; in the stretches without Gira, their touring mates included Great Lake Swimmers and Sir Richard Bishop of Sun City Girls.

The next Akron/Family material released was Akron/Family & Angels of Light, a split album with Angels of Light in October 2005. Shortly after releasing Meek Warrior in October 2006, the band debuted seven demo songs on WNYC radio, suggesting another album was already in the works. The band has contributed vocals to Canadian post-rock band Do Make Say Think's album, You, You're a History in Rust and the more recent, Other Truths.

Love Is Simple (2007) [edit]

In September 2007, it was announced that original member Ryan Vanderhoof departed the group "amicably sometime between the completion of (2007 release) Love Is Simple and the start of the band's U.S. tour" according to Akron/Family's publicist. The reasoning behind his departure was that "he went to live in a Buddhist Dharma center (Tsogyelgar/Flaming Jewel) in the Midwest." The Akron/Family tour in September 2007 included supporting acts Megafaun and Greg Davis who joined the Akron/Family onstage to create a seven-piece band. Megafaun and Greg Davis also played in Akron/Family band for their October 2007 west coast tour. The Dodos played the opening sets on this tour. In the spring of 2008 the band toured with Megafaun as their supporting act. In addition to opening, all three members of Megafaun joined Akron/Family onstage to create a six-piece band. Akron/Family are primarily performing as a three-piece band now.

Set 'Em Wild, Set Em Free (2008-2011) [edit]

On October 5, 2008, the News section of Akron/Family's official website was updated to announce that the band had begun recording a new album. The album, entitled Set 'Em Wild, Set Em Free was released on May 5, 2009 by Dead Oceans Records. Crammed Discs will be putting it out in Europe on the same date. On February 15, 2009 Set 'Em Wild, Set Em Free leaked onto the internet. Throughout the late summer and into the fall of 2009, Akron/Family headlined a tour with Slaraffenland as the opening band and Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard serving as lead support. Slaraffenland also contributed in much of Akron/Family's set, playing percussion and horns.

S/T II:The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT (2011-2012) [edit]

Akron/Family sent out an email confirming the title of their following album, writing "This album is titled S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT. We have no idea what that means. After the jump you’ll find a photo of the note found in the brown box delivery with the song list, video, and an mp3 of the song fragments retrieved from the TDK CDR, relics of a new tomorrow and a brighter Akron/Family filled future. These are the beginnings, hell or high water you’ll find S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT in stores in the U.S. on February 8, and March 14 in the U.K."

A suspected version of the album was leaked to the internet on December 24, 2010, though there was a dispute on numerous message boards and filesharing communities whether or not it was the actual album or a remixed version leaked by the band due to the radically different nature of the material. A different, second version of the album was leaked on December 28, 2010, confirming suspicions that the band was leaking alternate mixes of the album. The actual album leaked on January 13. It is suspected there are 6 different mixes circulating as well as the official release. A compilation of the leaked, remixed & deconstructed, versions of the album was released as the <bmbz> 2LP on Record Store Day 2011. The member listing for this release is Phil Cook, Greg Davis, Dana Janssen, Fletcher Kaufman, Chris Koltay, Mark Lawson, Seth Olinsky, and Miles Seaton.

The band appears on Swans' 2012 album The Seer, on the track "A Piece of the Sky".

Sub Verses (2013-present) [edit]

The band's sixth studio album, Sub Verses, was released on April 30th, 2013 on Dead Oceans label. They will begin their tour for the new album January 29th.

Bibliography [edit]