Akron/Family
Genre: Folk, Psychedelic, Experimental
Synopsis: These guys could be given the term “hippy” a little too easily with their notoriously long jam sessions and “All you need is love” type backup vocals. Yet, even with their purple haze of peculiar sounds and electronics, at the heart of their music is some great porch swing folk. This band is not for the impatient, nor for the immediate downloader who has to be "sold" in the first 15 seconds. Their music takes its time uncurling, revealing it's individual life span moment by moment. They began creating in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn (but then again, who doesn't) and tenaciously sent demos to Young God's Michael Gira who wasn't convinced until he saw them perform live. And it's this live show that has earned Akron a deathly loyal fan base and an arsenal of superhero tall tales. Survivors of Austin's SXSW recall seeing Akron/Family leading the rioting audience into the streets clapping, singing, and forming circles that spiraled into Buddhist like chants. Fellow PopMatters writer Justin Cober-Lake reviewed an Akron show and describes his similar experience.
"Then Akron/Family -- comprised of a lumberjack, a woodsman, a Banhart-stylealike, and a rosy-cheeked kid -- put on a show like nothing I've ever seen. Their performance opened with a recorder/pennywhistle/melodica/bowed-glockenspiel noise that turned into a song that then turned it into an experience. When a guitarist begins playing the rim of a glass, you know you're in for oddity; when he plays two kazoos at once while doing other stuff with his hands, it passes beyond that level and becomes something beautiful"
Akron/Family - Ed Is A Portal
Akron/Family - Running, Returning
Akron/Family - Don't Be Afraid, You're Already Dead
Akron/Family - I'll Be On The Water
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