As a concept band, their music follows a story written by lead singer Frankie Hill which speaks of love, retribution, betrayal and deception. The group originally broke onto the Cincinnati music scene in 2010 with their debut album “Act 1: Stereo Ground”. The Last Troubadour quickly gained notoriety by combining the silky sounds of the saxophone with the raw energy of a rock band. Continuing into “Act 2: A Thousand Wars” their songs are composed of clever lyrics and catchy hooks that keeps the audience immersed and eager for the release of “Act 3”.
“We don’t have to buy what they sell.” It’s a lyric from Sound&Shape’s new EP but it could also be seen as an ethos the band has clung to for the length of its career. Starting off in a time where Rock And Roll was seen as almost passé and practically unmarketable, the band saw a point on the horizon and has worked tirelessly to reach it. An artistic vision based on both brutal honesty are theatric artifice, Sound&Shape’s body of work speaks as a testament to the belief in the transformative power of music, Rock and Roll specifically.
A mostly straight line can be drawn from the band’s ambitious debut record, “Where Machines End Their Lives,” through the “Love Electric” EP, to the more straightforward “Now Comes The Mystery” EP and the second proper album, “Hourglass.” With their third full length, 2014’s “Bad Actors” they went further afield in all directions and reached new personal songwriting heights. Now they’ve come to “Peasants,” a 5 song EP that takes the band’s sound and again elevates it to new levels. Tightly packed musically, with lyrics relatable on both a personal and socio-political level, this EP is the next natural step in their evolution.
After having been a 3 piece since their first album, Ryan Caudle (guitar, vocals), Gaines Cooper (bass, vocals) and Grant Bramlett (drums) brought in Chris Hurst on second guitar to fill out the sound both live and in the studio. With “Peasants” ready for release, the horizon looks bright and the road ahead looks long and exciting.
The Grove is a Cincinnati based rock band that draws from an impressive range of influences to forge their hard-hitting, yet emotive, signature sound.
Built around the songs of lead vocalist/guitarist Adam Forsthoefel, the band has been described as, "The Black Crowes meets The Red Hot Chili Peppers"; careful listeners will also hear shades of everything from Stevie Ray Vaughan to the Killers.
The Grove’s origins were in the band SomeDaze, started by Forsthoefel and drummer Jeff Voegele, who attended high school together in Anderson, Ohio. SomeDaze quickly became one of the hot upcoming bands in Cincinnati, with performances at local clubs and festivals as well as several appearances on Cincinnati’s local news channel Fox 19. While the band’s reputation grew, Forsthoefel became known in his own rite as a local guitar phenomenon. He was regularly invited to open Cincinnati Reds games at the Great American Ball Park with his rendition of the national anthem, and made the rounds doing interviews for local radio stations and NPR.
After High School, Forsthoefel and Voegele moved to Athens, OH to attend Ohio University, where they started playing with local Athens players at venues such as Jackie O’s and The Union. Eventually they joined with members of the band Standing on Friday, and rehearsals began at their house on Grosvenor Street. These rehearsals at “The Grove” started becoming informal shows; it wasn’t long before the band that was born there became a mainstay of the Athens music scene, releasing their debut CD “Procuriosity” in December of 2012. In addition to playing in Athens, The Grove made frequent trips back to Cincinnati, playing local music festivals and at the famed Fountain Square.
When Forsthoefel and Voegele returned to Cincinnati after graduation, they decided to keep The Grove alive and added new members to replace those it had left in Athens-Adam’s brother Matthew Forsthoefel on keyboards, and bassist Matt Holt (Bolt) holding down the low end. They then quickly got to work re-introducing themselves to the Cincinnati scene, playing local buzz rooms like The Northside Tavern, Bogarts, Madison Theater, Stanley's Pub, and The Backstage Café. The band continues to write and record new music while winning new fans with their energetic live show and solid musicianship.
