Akron/Family is a folk-influenced experimental rock band that formed in 2002, and is currently based in New York on the Dead Oceans label.
Though each member of the band — Miles Seaton, Seth Olinsky, Dana Janssen and formerly Ryan Vanderhoof can be relegated to loosely defined roles (drummer, guitarist, bassist, vocalist), all of them in fact play several instruments and sing, as evidenced by their shows and recorded material. When playing live, the band makes prominent use of improvisation and vocal harmonies. On their self-titled debut record, field recordings of a creaking chair, thunderclaps and the white noise of a television find their way alongside psychedelic and electronic elements, guitars and a glockenspiel.
In addition to their solo debut in 2005, the band played behind Michael Gira on his Angels of Light project as well as splitting a full length CD with Angels of Light.
In 2006, the band released an EP, “Meek Warrior,” a collaboration with master drummer/hero Hamid Drake which contained both more traditional folk music such as the lovely “Gone Beyond” and a pair of throbbing electric guitar monsters in “The Rider (Dolphin Song)” and the epic “Blessing Force,” which ends with an exploration into free jazz.
Sometime between the completion of [2007 release] Love Is Simple and Akron/Family’s 2007 U.S. tour, Vanderhoof left Akron/Family to live in a Buddhist Dharma center in the Midwest.
Though each member of the band — Miles Seaton, Seth Olinsky, Dana Janssen and formerly Ryan Vanderhoof can be relegated to loosely defined roles (drummer, guitarist, bassist, vocalist), all of them in fact play several instruments and sing, as evidenced by their shows and recorded material. When playing live, the band makes prominent use of improvisation and vocal harmonies. On their self-titled debut record, field recordings of a creaking chair, thunderclaps and the white noise of a television find their way alongside psychedelic and electronic elements, guitars and a glockenspiel.
In addition to their solo debut in 2005, the band played behind Michael Gira on his Angels of Light project as well as splitting a full length CD with Angels of Light.
In 2006, the band released an EP, “Meek Warrior,” a collaboration with master drummer/hero Hamid Drake which contained both more traditional folk music such as the lovely “Gone Beyond” and a pair of throbbing electric guitar monsters in “The Rider (Dolphin Song)” and the epic “Blessing Force,” which ends with an exploration into free jazz.
Sometime between the completion of [2007 release] Love Is Simple and Akron/Family’s 2007 U.S. tour, Vanderhoof left Akron/Family to live in a Buddhist Dharma center in the Midwest.
Euphonics
March 10, 2022Akron/Family was one of the most original and alluring groups to come from this period. Williamsburg was the center of the universe and for a brief but vivid moment, Akron/Family became a nucleus around which a fervent subculture revolved. Their music was immersive, rustic, and cosmic... Traditional yet alien. Completely boundless, zonked and somehow casually relaxed. They pulled from everywhere but what they created was purely American. And though they produced a good amount of recorded material, much of the excitement was due to the fact that the band was a tactile, experiential phenomenon. Seeing them live was unlike most any concert experience on the market, then or since. They didn’t fit into anyone else’s box and classifications were useless to describe what they were doing.
I’m thankful I got to discover this band and see them in the flesh during their heyday. Their records, though amazing, will live on as archival film negatives often do: abstractions, truth degraded by technological limitations. Part of the story; gesturing towards reality but not quite getting there. Hopefully you’ll enjoy them. Given the death of one of the founding members in 2021, they're going to have to do. Luckily they're quite good. If you listen closely, you'll find that it’s the best kind of art, because it was made by people compelled by the fire within their own hearts. Not because they wanted to, because they had to.