The Ridges
Encyclopedia
The Ridges are an orchestral folk rock
band
from Athens, Ohio
. The band is made up of vocalist and guitarist
Victor Rasgaitis, percussionist and vocalist Johnny Barton, and cellist and vocalist Talor Smith, who are frequently joined by up to six auxiliary musicians.
, vocals) and Johnny Barton (percussion, glockenspiel
, vocals) with the symphonic stylings of Talor Smith (cello
, vocals), the trio met at Ohio University
in Athens, Ohio
. Regularly featuring a rotating cast of auxiliary musicians adding instruments ranging from additional cello
s to viola
, violin
, trumpet
, dulcimer
, mandolin
, washtub bass
, vocals, additional percussion and accordion
to compliment layered, introspective songwriting and passionate, high-energy performances, the ensamble brings to life a theme of dark romanticism
emphasized by their name. The band name, taken from the allegedly haunted
local Victorian
landmark that was formerly the Athens Asylum
, speaks to the group's fascination with folklore
and classical
influences as well as their deep rooted connection to the city of Athens.
In the winter of 2010, The Ridges took to the mostly abandoned Athens Lunatic Asylum
that bears their same name to record a 5-track, self-titled, "studio" release among the ancient halls, deteriorating wards and eerie operating rooms. The 5-track short-play album coping with themes of haunted pasts, death, love and awakenings, and backgrounded by the unique natural acoustics and legends of the building, is the band's first formal presentation of their richly layered sound.
The Ridges have notably opened for Good Old War
, Jessica Lea Mayfield
, Horse Feathers
, These United States
, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
, Those Darlins, Robert Francis
, Revolver
, American War and The Happy Maladies. The Ridges have also performed at the MidPoint Music Festival
and the MidPoint Indie Summer Series as well as at The Clifton Heights Music Festival.
On October 21, 2011, The Ridges recorded their first Daytrotter
session, which is scheduled for release in December, 2011.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Athens, Ohio
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
. The band is made up of vocalist and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Victor Rasgaitis, percussionist and vocalist Johnny Barton, and cellist and vocalist Talor Smith, who are frequently joined by up to six auxiliary musicians.
History
Formed out of the collaboration of longtime musical duo Victor Rasgaitis (guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals) and Johnny Barton (percussion, glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, vocals) with the symphonic stylings of Talor Smith (cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, vocals), the trio met at Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
in Athens, Ohio
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
. Regularly featuring a rotating cast of auxiliary musicians adding instruments ranging from additional cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s to viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, dulcimer
Dulcimer
Dulcimer may refer to two types of musical instruments:* Appalachian dulcimer, a fretted, plucked musical instrument which is also referred to as a "mountain dulcimer", "lap dulcimer", "hog fiddle", "fretted dulcimer" or simply "dulcimer"...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, washtub bass
Washtub bass
The washtub bass, or "gutbucket", is a stringed instrument used in American folk music that uses a metal washtub as a resonator. Although it is possible for a washtub bass to have four or more strings and tuning pegs, traditional washtub basses have a single string whose pitch is adjusted by...
, vocals, additional percussion and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
to compliment layered, introspective songwriting and passionate, high-energy performances, the ensamble brings to life a theme of dark romanticism
Dark romanticism
Dark Romanticism is a literary subgenre. It has been suggested that Dark Romantics present individuals as prone to sin and self-destruction, not as inherently possessing divinity and wisdom. G. R...
emphasized by their name. The band name, taken from the allegedly haunted
Haunted
-Film:* Haunted , a TV film starring Ari Meyers* Haunted , an American children’s comedy-horror film directed by John Magyar* Haunted , a UK film starring Aidan Quinn and Kate Beckinsale...
local Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
landmark that was formerly the Athens Asylum
Athens Lunatic Asylum
The Athens Lunatic Asylum was a mental hospital operated in Athens, Ohio from 1874 until 1993. During its operation, the hospital provided services to a variety of patients including Civil War veterans, children, and violent criminals suffering from various mental disabilities...
, speaks to the group's fascination with folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
influences as well as their deep rooted connection to the city of Athens.
In the winter of 2010, The Ridges took to the mostly abandoned Athens Lunatic Asylum
Athens Lunatic Asylum
The Athens Lunatic Asylum was a mental hospital operated in Athens, Ohio from 1874 until 1993. During its operation, the hospital provided services to a variety of patients including Civil War veterans, children, and violent criminals suffering from various mental disabilities...
that bears their same name to record a 5-track, self-titled, "studio" release among the ancient halls, deteriorating wards and eerie operating rooms. The 5-track short-play album coping with themes of haunted pasts, death, love and awakenings, and backgrounded by the unique natural acoustics and legends of the building, is the band's first formal presentation of their richly layered sound.
The Ridges have notably opened for Good Old War
Good Old War
Good Old War is an indie band from Philadelphia, PA featuring former members of Days Away.-Biography:Good Old War is made up of Keith Goodwin, Daniel Schwartz, and Tim Arnold. The band's name comes from the last names of the three members; Goodwin for Good, Arnold for Old, and Schwartz for War...
, Jessica Lea Mayfield
Jessica Lea Mayfield
Jessica Lea Mayfield is an American singer-songwriter, actor, from Kent, Ohio. She is known for writing dark, sad songs, with a plaintive minimalist style that draws on both country and rock music.-Early years:...
, Horse Feathers
Horse Feathers (band)
Horse Feathers is a folk/indie band from Portland, Oregon.- Conception :After fronting several rock bands in his native Idaho, singer/songwriter Justin Ringle moved to Portland, OR in 2004 and began focusing on acoustic music, playing open mics regularly under the moniker Horse Feathers...
, These United States
These United States
These United States is a musical group from Lexington, KY, Brooklyn, NY, and Carrboro, NC made up of songwriter and bandleader Jesse Elliott, pedal steel and electric guitarist J. Tom Hnatow, drummer and vocalist Robby Cosenza, guitarist and keyboardist Justin Craig, and bassist and vocalist Dave...
, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s are a band from Indianapolis, Indiana. Their style has been described as "cinematic chamber pop" that "both the casual music fan and music perfectionist will enjoy"...
, Those Darlins, Robert Francis
Robert Francis (musician)
Robert Francis is a multi-instrumentalist, Americana singer-songwriter. His debut full-length album One By One was released in August 2007 by Aeronaut Records...
, Revolver
Revolver (French band)
Revolver is a pop rock band, formed in Paris, in September 2006.-Band:The group consists of:* Ambroise Willaume - Vocals, guitar, piano* Christophe Musset - Vocals, guitar* Jérémie Arcache - Cello, vocals*...
, American War and The Happy Maladies. The Ridges have also performed at the MidPoint Music Festival
MidPoint Music Festival
MidPoint Music Festival launched in 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio, as an independent music festival and industry conference. The annual three-day event occurs each Septemberin the city's downtown and historic Over-the-Rhine entertainment district...
and the MidPoint Indie Summer Series as well as at The Clifton Heights Music Festival.
On October 21, 2011, The Ridges recorded their first Daytrotter
Daytrotter
Daytrotter is a website for the recording studio Horseshack, which hosts recording sessions with many popular and typically upcoming indie music acts, although it works with local bands in the Illinois area as well. The sessions can be compared to that of a radio station's lounge recordings, where...
session, which is scheduled for release in December, 2011.
Discography
- 2011 The Ridges
- Album Credits
- Victor Rasgaitis (Vocals / GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Talor Smith (Vocals / CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
), Johnny Barton (Vocals / Percussion / GlockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
), Shelby Knapke (Vocals), Nathan Zangmeister (Vocals / BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
/ MandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
), Colin Lambert (CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
), Sarah Edgerton (ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
/ ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
), Katie McGonagle (TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
), Anna Wagner (AccordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
), Erin Raby (Vocals), Jocelyn Young (Vocals), Produced by The Ridges & Matt Vollet, Engineered and Mixed by Matt Vollet, Mastered by Chris Graham, Art by John Burt Sanders, ©℗ 2011 The Ridges (ASCAP)
Press Highlights
- "Brooding folk music [that] is both mature and fresh" - Delusions of Adequacy
- "Fuller than most artists' 14-song long-players" - Cincinnati CityBeatCincinnati CityBeatCincinnati CityBeat is an independent local arts and issues publication covering the Cincinnati, Ohio area. It has the second largest readership in the Cincinnati area behind the daily Cincinnati Enquirer.-History:...
- "A chilling and intriguing journey into the realm of the unknown" - AltOhio
- "Darkly romantic and entrancing" - ACRN
- "What Arcade Fire would sound like if Phil SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
were a member" - The Other PaperThe Other PaperThe Other Paper is an alternative weekly news publication servicing the Greater Columbus, Ohio area. It is distributed on Thursdays and contains primarily local news and other features such as concert and movie reviews, classified ads, and personals, all with a distinctly irreverent, humorous style...
- "Spoon's indie pop for smart grownups and BeirutBeirut (band)Beirut is an American band which was originally the solo musical project of Santa Fe native Zachary Francis Condon, and later expanded into a band. The band's first performances were in Wollaston, United Kingdom, in May 2006, to support the release of their debut album, Gulag Orkestar...
's Old World instrumentation" - The Other PaperThe Other PaperThe Other Paper is an alternative weekly news publication servicing the Greater Columbus, Ohio area. It is distributed on Thursdays and contains primarily local news and other features such as concert and movie reviews, classified ads, and personals, all with a distinctly irreverent, humorous style...
- "A rootsier, catchier Arcade Fire." - Cincinnati CityBeatCincinnati CityBeatCincinnati CityBeat is an independent local arts and issues publication covering the Cincinnati, Ohio area. It has the second largest readership in the Cincinnati area behind the daily Cincinnati Enquirer.-History:...
- "If Fleet FoxesFleet FoxesFleet Foxes are a folk rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington. They are signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes...
had a shady underbelly" - Red Said
- "Complex and intriguing" - ACRN
- "Moody strings and beautiful but fraught vocals" - No DepressionNo DepressionNo Depression may refer to:* No Depression , a bi-monthly roots and Americana music magazine and now a music website.* "No Depression in Heaven", a 1936 song popularized by the Carter Family...
- "A unique sound, unmatched by many other folk bands" - The LanternThe LanternThe Lantern is the name of the official, daily student-published university newspaper at The Ohio State University. It is one of the largest campus newspapers in the United States, reaching a circulation of 15,000....
- "Diverse instrumentation, solid songwriting and great vocal arrangements" - The Athens News
External links
- http://TheRidges.bandcamp.com
- http://facebook.com/TheRidges
- http://twitter.com/The_Ridges
- http://youtube.com/RidgesBand
- http://myspace.com/TheRidgesOfAthensCounty
- http://last.fm/music/The+Ridges