Lo-Watt Radio

I try to check out local and independent acts at coffee shops whenever I can. I have seen some fun acts recently, but I feel compelled to write about these guys out of Ohio. This is by far the best band I have seen at a small venue. They rocked.

Lo-Watt Radio has a great sound from a talented four piece band. They reminded me of the polished recent line-up of Fairport Convention, if you have seen them recently. Fairport is one of my favorite live acts, but pound for pound, Lo-Watt Radio might be able to blow the more senior act off the stage. Lo-Watt radio has been together for less than a year, but they sound like they have been doing this for at least a decade.

I love a solid sounding bass and drum combo. I have seen a lot of acts (stadium acts even) that sound flat in this area. Ron Cerosky's bass and Joel Eric Geiser on drums are flawless. They sound slow and smooth when needed, and they rock it up when appropriate. I could see this duo fitting in well with a mellow retro country act, or in a hard rock band. I can think of many major label acts that would upgrade with either of these guys in their lineup.

Doc Blankenhorn (banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, lap steel, and backing vocals, according to their EP) and Michael Harvan (lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica, and keyboards) could each lead about any genre of band, and I bet they could do a heck of a solo show each.

Doc switched his instrument often. Watching him play his very unique steel guitar (Ron told me it was custom made for him) was worth the price of admission alone. Michael's joyful and energetic style of singing, playing guitar, and blowing on the harmonica reminded me of John Fogerty or Bob Weir.

These guys play a great set of mostly original tunes. They did throw in an amazing cover of Zevon's "Werewolves of London." I know, some songs have been played to death, and Werewolves might be considered one of those songs. This was no karaoke reading of the song though. It was true to the original but lost some of the bar room sing along feel other readings have. It was done with more passion and more heart. Lo-Watt did to Zevon's Werewolves what Hendrix did to Dylan's Watchtower.

I caught these guys at a small but packed coffee shop in the Akron Ohio area recently. They are developing a following, and if I lived in the area, I would be a part of it. They have a great live sound and obviously enjoy what they are doing.

I talked to some of the guys after their 2 hours or so on stage. Ron and Joel said that they might try to get some Kentucky dates in, and maybe some southern Ohio shows. I sure hope to catch Lo-Watt Radio again soon. Check out their Myspace site:

http://www.myspace.com/lowattradio

Also, check out Sonnet's Coffee if you are near the Akron area. That's where I caught this act, and had some great coffee. The acoustics are perfect here too. This is the perfect coffee shop to catch a great indy act.

http://www.sonnetscoffee.com/