Sat 7/31 @ 7:30PM
Youngstown rockers The Vindys have had a big splash in the area since they debuted in 2013. Named after the city’s legacy daily newspaper The Youngstown Vindicator, which ceased publication in April 2019 after 150 years before being purchased by an out-of-state company and restarted, the band shows no signs of such speedbumps on their path.
After the first couple of years of sweating it out in obscurity, the band’s snowballing buzz became deafening. They released a seven-track EP Red Wine in 2014, which served to announce their presence, and the nine-track Keep Going in 2016, which gave them some serious momentum. The band got a big push from Cleveland’s late (and much lamented) internet radio station oWow, and played festivals such as Brite Winter and recently the Wonderstruck Festival (formerly LaureLive) in Lake County.
When the quintet’s frontwoman, singer/guitarist/lyricist Jackie Popovec saunters up to the mic and unleashes her wild yet controlled howl, audiences sit up and take notice. Her bluesy, soul-inflected vocals evoke classic R&B vocalists such as Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner in the way she can be hard-hitting while stretching and bending her vocals like molten taffy. And somehow they jibe perfectly with the hard-rocking band. She’s been compared to Amy Winehouse a lot (and oddly, Adele, to whom she bears no resemblance on any level) but her vocals (and her stage presence) have more confidence, strength and poise and less about-to-lose-it desperation. The band blends classic & contemporary influences so deftly that they attract fans of all ages.
The Vindys are rounded out by a strong quartet of players: guitarist John Anthony; drummer Ed Davis; bassist Matt Jackson; and guitarist Rick Deak; all also contribute harmony vocals that thicken and enrich the band’s sound and cradle Popovec’s voice sympathetically.
During the pandemic they completed their new album Bugs, but held it back until they could play to support it, releasing several singles — “Want Your Heart,” “Morning Light, “Are You Ready” — to whet fans’ appetites. It’s out now, and the band will be doing a release concert at the 5,000 capacity Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre Saturday July 31. Get tickets here.