Death metal band Observer closed out 2022 by releasing an EP for your listening pleasure that can be found on all streaming platforms and on CD. 

Demo EP was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dan Kinnaley of Chipped Tooth Audio. 

In a statement, the band said, “Much love and appreciation to everyone who has supported us and hated us to this point. We are very excited to finally give you all a taste of the Observer sound in these five tracks we’ve been playing for the past few years. It has been such a beautifully disastrous journey for all of us.” 

Since 2019, the band’s goal has been to seamlessly incorporate a dark and cavernous sludgy doom energy into the classic death metal sound while applying whatever genres/moods feel necessary in their writing process. 

Observer began as a three-piece with Jon Fett on bass/vocals, Denton Frazier on guitar, and Jerrad Gorsuch on drums and backing vocals, but they have added Emma Lytle to take over on bass. 

They are in the process of working on their next EP with hopes of releasing it this year. 

You can catch Observer live on April 15 at The Ruin alongside Vazum, Bellhead, and Night Ritual.

Man of the Flood hitting road

Purdue Fort Wayne alternative rockers Man of the Flood are about to embark on a Midwest tour kicking off Thursday, April 20, at The Brass Rail with friends Overlook and The Be Colony. 

After the local show, they will travel to Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Bloomington, and wrap things up in Muncie on Saturday, April 29. 

In addition, Man of the Flood will drop a deluxe edition of debut album Crystal Bawl the first night of the tour at midnight. If the album isn’t already stellar enough, the deluxe edition will feature three new tracks: “Premonitions III,” “Five of Pentacles,” and “Waste.”

Country act boot scoots onto scene

Formed in 2021, The Antones are an area country cover act that takes on several decades of country hits from late ’70s to today with a few surprise, off-the-wall tunes to dance and sing along to, pretty much everything from David Allan Coe to Darius Rucker to Hank Williams Jr. to Chris Stapleton. 

“We’re building an exciting show for our followers of all ages through covering some of the greatest country artists of our time,” vocalist/guitarist Adam Vasquez said. “Who knows, you may just find yourself singing along to one or two of our originals along the way as well.”

The quintet is based just across the Ohio border but are becoming regulars to our scene, having performed at Knockin’ Boots Saloon and The Club Room. 

You can catch The Antones back at The Club Room for Nashville Thursdays on April 27.

Private Education release single

Local alternative act Private Education have released the single, “Enlightenment is the Ego’s Final Disappointment.” 

The band opted to record it in a few different locations: Sweetwater Studios for some of the live instrumentation (drums, bass, guitars) and various home studios for the electronic elements and vocals. The track will be on their upcoming EP that will be out this year. 

“ ‘Enlightenment’ is a soul-stirring alternative rock song that uses raw, emotive vocals to explore the universal theme of the human condition,” frontman Lee Cook said. “Shrouded under the soaring guitars and hard-hitting groove is a story that delves into the cycles we find ourselves trapped in and the plodding progress we make towards something better.” 

The band was to have a release party for the single earlier this month, but the gig got cut short with tornado warnings throughout the area. The show has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 22, at The Brass Rail alongside The Namby Pamby and Thinning. 

Until then, check out the new number on your go-to streaming platform. In addition, the band were lucky enough to be approached by members of the film department at Purdue University Fort Wayne to shoot a music video for the song that will be coming out shortly. 

Dark Horse rides again

Since their formation in 2020, the country act Dark Horse have been putting together high-energy live music. 

However, not everything has been smooth sailing for the crew as they have lost some members due to health, career changes, and family emergencies. In fact, the beginning 2023 looked pretty bleak for the band. That’s when Chuck Easterday and Jerry Reneau began their search for new members to keep the train rolling. 

Shorty thereafter, they added Becky Hull on vocals/keyboard, Jesse Toombs on guitar, and John “Grizz” Edwards on drums. Together, this new blood is an energetic, variety dance band, still leaning in the direction of country music. 

You can catch new lineup when they perform at Wacky Jac’s in Angola on Saturday, April 15, at 9:30 p.m.