What is the musical sound Columbus, GA is producing?
This was a topic, and question, discussed among visionaries for the present and future of our town at a recent Uptown Columbus strategic planning meeting.
Wouldn’t we all love a noteworthy sound, or sounds we could claim as a community? We already have a formidable musical history claiming the Mother of Blues, Ma Rainey, as our native.
Furthermore, a local band, American Roommates, was recently named by a prominent, music magazine, Paste Magazine, as the number one band to see in Georgia. They are an indie-rock band, so is this one of the sounds we are currently exporting?
Well, American Roommates is moving to Nashville and there are other artists pleasing our local hipsters, like Common Rival.
Common Rival, like American Roommates, recently recorded music with Dean Castle at the beautiful, Old Zion Church producing their EP, “We Are Creatures”.
The group is throwing a huge EP release party tonight at The Loft, and if you are 21+, you’re invited.
Common Rival was formed from the influence of classic rock and modern soul music.
The line up has changed since their formation, but their sound continues to evolve.
Colin Manskar, Anna Leigh McKelvey, Kalan Collazo, Jeremy Cosper, and Matt Fairbanks (pictured below in order) are the current members of Common Rival:
Their ensemble creates a distinct sound by mixing their love of melodies, passion for songwriting, and impressive, live-performance chemistry.
So what are these guy’s sound? Americana? Indie-rock?
You need to see them live to decide, but here’s their first single:
Do you know how much work went into that song?
It’s hard to quantify, but if we want local musicians to supply exceptional songs then they need our love and support.
Support not one, but two local bands tonight! Dagger One, a local rock trio, will open the show at 9pm.
Dagger One, comprised of Luke Martz, Ian Crabb, and Eric Crabb, also have a newly released EP and are well worth supporting!
These are two promising groups whose sound could resonate with the world.
Pictures by Lindsey Sands/YellowBird Photography or taken from Common Rival and Dagger One’s Facebook pages.
