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Sophomore disc 'Dance' by Akron country rocker has radio-friendly sound and sing-along choruses
By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal music writer
POSTED: 03:14 p.m. EDT, May 20, 2009
During my time working in Macon, Ga., a bar/nightclub opened up called Rock-a-Billy's (''The Place Where Country Rocks!''). It was a huge, warehouse-size, country-politan club with neon lights lining the walls, a bar in every corner, a big, fancy-lit stage and scores of television screens (including in the bathrooms)showing looped country music videos.
It was the kind of slick, citified country bar that would be a perfect setting for whenever they get around to remaking Urban Cowboy (starring Zac Efron?).
I also saw Dickey Betts play there and Cheap Trick, where Rick Nielsen pointed at me and repeatedly tried to throw guitar picks directly to me. (Yep, I was Soul Brother No. 1).
Ahh, good times.
But I digress.
I thought of the ghost of Rock-a-Billy's Night Club (did I mention it was ''The Place Where Country Rocks!'') while listening to Akron country rocker Tony Rio's new album Dance. Not because Rio is cheesy, but because the songs on the slickly produced, catchy sophomore album and his handsome light-eyed urban cowboy look would surely have given the young cowgirls at Rock-a-Billy's the screaming thigh sweats.
Rio, who will be celebrating the CD release tonight at a private party at the Boneyard in Mayfield Heights, has been playing in the area for several years. Dance finds the former drummer/saxophonist offering up a taut 10-track collection of originals written by Rio and a couple of members of Relentless, his longtime backing band, and a few choice covers.
The disc was recorded at the Tracking Room in Nashville. Following the standard country music industry blueprint, Rio enlisted professional studio musicians (Tim McGraw is still one of the few country artists who records with his live band). The money was well spent, as the disc has a big radio-friendly country pop sound.
Obviously, Rio's twangy tenor is the initial draw, as he imbues ballads such as Never Had You Walk Away with the necessary tear-in-my-beer vulnerability and up-tempo tunes such as the Jeffrey Steele/Al Anderson-written title track with boot-scoot-inducing energy.
But the disc's and the band's secret weapon is the songwriting of Bob Andrews. The Relentless lead guitarist, who wrote or co-wrote half of the disc's songs, sure knows how to structure a good country tune. I'd wager that his tunes are among the band's most popular with fans in the bars and clubs.
Besides the aforementioned tender ballad, Andrews' offers the blue-collar country, boy-in-the-city bar anthem Waterhole. Its catchy chorus of ''yippie-ky-ya, it's time to play, we're gonna fill our country soul, down at the waterhole'' should get folks hoisting their beers in the air and singing along.
Likewise, the bouncy Southern Fried Saturday Night, co-written with Rio, is another solid bar anthem, while the humorous honky-tonker She Looks Like an Angel is the kind of toe-tapping novelty that could follow Honky Tonk Badonkadonk in any bar's line-dancing medley.
I haven't seen the band live, but from the few clips I've seen, I'm assuming the live versions will subtract some of the Music City slickness and add some good old Ohio dirt.
While Rio is not expected to perform at the release party at the Boneyard, Rio and Relentless will play on May 29 at Kenmore Community Days. And on May 30, Rio and Relentless will be at Loby's Bar & Grill in Jackson Township.
Concert at Firestone
Firestone High School, which already counts among its famous alumni both members of the Black Keys, Chrissie Hynde, Joseph Arthur and umm . . . Angie Everhart, will be giving the alumni of tomorrow a chance to strut their stuff at Stone Stock '09. The show at 7:30 p.m. Friday is a benefit for the school's Visual & Performing Arts program and will feature student bands Assassin Broadcast, Kareem Browne Unplugged, Polymerization, the Granite Union, I'm Wide Awake and It's Morning, with special guest singer/songwriter Zach.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $7 in the school commons from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. If you have no good reason for hanging around a high school commons area, tickets will also be available at the door for $10. For information, contact George Bozeka at 330-867-1950.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
Details
• What: Stone Stock '09
• When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
• Where: Firestone High School, 333 Rampart Ave., Akron
• Tickets: $7 in advance, $10 at door
• Information: George Bozeka at 330-867-1950
• What: Tony Rio & Relentless
• When: 7:30 p.m. May 29
• Where: Kenmore Community Days, Prentiss Park at East and Battles avenues, Akron
• Tickets: Free
• What: Tony Rio & Relentless
• When: 9 p.m. May 30
• Where: Loby's Bar & Grill, 4736 Hills and Dales Road NW, Jackson Township
• Tickets: Free
• Information: 330-479-9860
During my time working in Macon, Ga., a bar/nightclub opened up called Rock-a-Billy's (''The Place Where Country Rocks!''). It was a huge, warehouse-size, country-politan club with neon lights lining the walls, a bar in every corner, a big, fancy-lit stage and scores of television screens (including in the bathrooms)showing looped country music videos.
It was the kind of slick, citified country bar that would be a perfect setting for whenever they get around to remaking Urban Cowboy (starring Zac Efron?).
I also saw Dickey Betts play there and Cheap Trick, where Rick Nielsen pointed at me and repeatedly tried to throw guitar picks directly to me. (Yep, I was Soul Brother No. 1).
Ahh, good times.
But I digress.
I thought of the ghost of Rock-a-Billy's Night Club (did I mention it was ''The Place Where Country Rocks!'') while listening to Akron country rocker Tony Rio's new album Dance. Not because Rio is cheesy, but because the songs on the slickly produced, catchy sophomore album and his handsome light-eyed urban cowboy look would surely have given the young cowgirls at Rock-a-Billy's the screaming thigh sweats.
Rio, who will be celebrating the CD release tonight at a private party at the Boneyard in Mayfield Heights, has been playing in the area for several years. Dance finds the former drummer/saxophonist offering up a taut 10-track collection of originals written by Rio and a couple of members of Relentless, his longtime backing band, and a few choice covers.
The disc was recorded at the Tracking Room in Nashville. Following the standard country music industry blueprint, Rio enlisted professional studio musicians (Tim McGraw is still one of the few country artists who records with his live band). The money was well spent, as the disc has a big radio-friendly country pop sound.
Obviously, Rio's twangy tenor is the initial draw, as he imbues ballads such as Never Had You Walk Away with the necessary tear-in-my-beer vulnerability and up-tempo tunes such as the Jeffrey Steele/Al Anderson-written title track with boot-scoot-inducing energy.
But the disc's and the band's secret weapon is the songwriting of Bob Andrews. The Relentless lead guitarist, who wrote or co-wrote half of the disc's songs, sure knows how to structure a good country tune. I'd wager that his tunes are among the band's most popular with fans in the bars and clubs.
Besides the aforementioned tender ballad, Andrews' offers the blue-collar country, boy-in-the-city bar anthem Waterhole. Its catchy chorus of ''yippie-ky-ya, it's time to play, we're gonna fill our country soul, down at the waterhole'' should get folks hoisting their beers in the air and singing along.
Likewise, the bouncy Southern Fried Saturday Night, co-written with Rio, is another solid bar anthem, while the humorous honky-tonker She Looks Like an Angel is the kind of toe-tapping novelty that could follow Honky Tonk Badonkadonk in any bar's line-dancing medley.
I haven't seen the band live, but from the few clips I've seen, I'm assuming the live versions will subtract some of the Music City slickness and add some good old Ohio dirt.
While Rio is not expected to perform at the release party at the Boneyard, Rio and Relentless will play on May 29 at Kenmore Community Days. And on May 30, Rio and Relentless will be at Loby's Bar & Grill in Jackson Township.
Concert at Firestone
Firestone High School, which already counts among its famous alumni both members of the Black Keys, Chrissie Hynde, Joseph Arthur and umm . . . Angie Everhart, will be giving the alumni of tomorrow a chance to strut their stuff at Stone Stock '09. The show at 7:30 p.m. Friday is a benefit for the school's Visual & Performing Arts program and will feature student bands Assassin Broadcast, Kareem Browne Unplugged, Polymerization, the Granite Union, I'm Wide Awake and It's Morning, with special guest singer/songwriter Zach.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $7 in the school commons from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. If you have no good reason for hanging around a high school commons area, tickets will also be available at the door for $10. For information, contact George Bozeka at 330-867-1950.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
Details
• What: Stone Stock '09
• When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
• Where: Firestone High School, 333 Rampart Ave., Akron
• Tickets: $7 in advance, $10 at door
• Information: George Bozeka at 330-867-1950
• What: Tony Rio & Relentless
• When: 7:30 p.m. May 29
• Where: Kenmore Community Days, Prentiss Park at East and Battles avenues, Akron
• Tickets: Free
• What: Tony Rio & Relentless
• When: 9 p.m. May 30
• Where: Loby's Bar & Grill, 4736 Hills and Dales Road NW, Jackson Township
• Tickets: Free
• Information: 330-479-9860
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