Sat 12/5 @ 8PM
It’s been a good year for northeast Ohio’s Speedbumps, with a new album, Soil to the Seed, released in the spring to favorable notices, and a busy summer full of high-profile dates. The band, hailing from the Kent/Akron area, make music that doesn’t slam you in a face but grows on you steadily and sticks with you. That’s similar to the band’s career trajectory: slow, steady growth, and continually surprising people with their depth and power.
Soil to the Seed, the group’s fourth album, introduces singer/banjo player/guitarist Abby Luri as a full-fledged member, providing contrasting vocals to lead singer/guitarist/chief songwriter Eric Urycki. Rounded out by cellist Sam Kristoff, bassist Kevin Martinez, and percussionists Pat Hawkins and Danny Jenkins, the group is capable of producing a lot of musical firepower when needed, but Soil to the Seed is sparser and more nuanced than the band’s 2013 album The Harbors We Seek.
In concert, the Speedbumps run the full gamut of highs and lows, raising the roof one minute and enveloping the audience in whispered intimacy the next. Come check them out when they cap their very good year with a show at the Kent Stage. Tickets are $12 in advance, $16 at the door.
Kent, OH 44240