Ten Local Picks from the 2010s
Impressive albums from area musicians you might have missed
There's a lot of Erie music out there. Over the years, the Reader has been happy to feature a small portion of it. Here's a sliver, in chronological order, of some of the proper full-length albums that weren't on our year-end lists (find those below too). Special thanks to the Erie County Public Library's Local Music Project for their catalog of releases. Many of these can be found on the second floor of the Blasco Memorial Library. They are always accepting submissions, and each artist's page is always accepting purchases.
Zack Orr – Fransisco the Man (2010) — Orr's definitive release sounds like it could have come out today. A finely crafted concept album with a track for every month of the year, it's an epic 72-minute indie masterpiece. Listen on Spotify, iTunes, and at zackorr.bandcamp.com
Jargonauts – Cut the Music (2011) — A spacey sonic excursion from the twisted minds that brought you Pegasus Unicorn. The unfortunately defunct group was responsible for some of the most delightfully weird, exquisitely inspired local music ever. Listen on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, and more
Tiger Maple String Band – Coming Home (2012) — The Edinboro-based quintet are probably Erie County's most-loved purveyors of old-time folk goodness. With cheerful melodies, upbeat plucking and bowing of guitars, fiddles, and banjos, Coming Home perfectly captures the essence of the group. Listen on Spotify, iTunes, and more
Matt "Broke" Boland – Infinite Chaos (2012) — After his time with the Dirty Pickles, and before his work with Potwhole, Matt Boland went "Broke." One of Erie's hardest-working musicians put together a politically-charged album after spending time in New York's Occupy Wall Street movement, filled with lively storytelling. Listen on Spotify, iTunes, and at brokeboland.bandcamp.com
This American Song – The Gray is Darker (2013) — Later going on to release two fantastic EPs and a collaborative series of 7" records, This American Song have a full, fantastic sound. Though The Gray is Darker was recorded prior to adding their horn section, it's still worth several spins on the turntable. Listen at thisamericansong.bandcamp.com
Brooke Surgener – Brooke Surgener (2013) — Before she started putting out exquisite – and often hilarious – cosplay videos, Brooke Surgener had a much more traditional folk sound. It's showcased perfectly here on these 11 tracks as the multi-instrumentalist songwriter pours her heart out with catchy ease. Listen at brookesurgenermusic.bandcamp.com
Jack Stauber – Viator (2015) — In case you're not aware, Jack Stauber is one of the most successful artists to ever come out of Erie (his Spotify numbers are at over 4 million monthly listeners). Stauber started out in Edinboro fronting bands like Joose, and releasing sparse bedroom-folk albums like the 35-track Viator, paving the way for the Pittsburgh-based songwriter's future neo-psychedelic forays and video projects. Listen on Spotify and at jackstauber.bandcamp.com
Tony Kellogg – Don't Give Up on Love (2015) — This year, Tony Kellogg embarked on a 365-day journey of original songs. For day #365 Kellogg was joined by his family for a special version of this album's title track. It makes sense, as these inspired acoustic folk anthems truly stay with you. Listen on Spotify, iTunes, and at tonykellogg.bandcamp.com
Human Animal – The First Four Winters (2016) — One of the local powerhouses carrying the torch for Erie hardcore, Human Animal have the pedigree and dedication to be trusted on the subject. A collection of the band's early vinyl splits and first EP, The First Four Winters, stands together on its own to show listeners why they're one of the most important parts of the scene. Listen at humananimal.bandcamp.com
onewayness – Vigil (2019) — In addition to providing keyboard to The LEC, Adam Holquist is a fairly prolific ambient drone artist known as onewayness. Holquist has put out 24 full-length recordings since 2012. Vigil: Live on Star's End is his latest work, a sometimes-soothing, enveloping textural experience in five sections. Listen on Spotify, iTunes, and at onewayness.bandcamp.com
While we're on the subject, here's what we highlighted as the best local albums of years past.
2013: Eric Brewer and Friends – Seeing Sideways, Falling Hollywood – Heavy Weather, Tony Grey – Elevation
2014: C. Brown – The Charles Brown Project, NatasK – I Keep It Moving, Tyler Smilo – Blood Into Sound
2015: Barlow – Barlow, Sean-Patrick and the Newgrass Revolution – About Time, Tyler Smilo – Dust in a Grave
2016: Maddock – It's Drowning Out, One If By Land – Nobody Wants to Leave, Bigg Wash – Infinity Gems
2017: The Sex Blossoms – Pomegranate Treehouses, Optimistic Apocalypse – The Art of Love, Deadhorse – Crescendo
2018: Smilo & the Ghost – Ghost Writers, Teddy Rankin – Omitting the Middle, goo – parentheses
2019: Fred Oakman – My Gasoline Heart, The LEC – Reset, Human Delusion – Depravity
Nick Warren can be reached at nick@eriereader.com
