The Downtown Dayton Revival Festival will be highlighting over 30 bands that are from all over the United States, including some from the great city of Dayton. On September 8th and 9th, most of the festival goers will be given the first chance to see and hear a lot of the bands for the first time. One band in particular is ready to make an imprint here in town.
Bronze Radio Return
The band’s name is Bronze Radio Return. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Chris Henderson, Bob Tanen on bass, Rob Griffith on drums, guitarist Patrick Fetkowitz, Matt Warner on keys, and guitarist Craig Struble. The band helms from the city of Hartford, Connecticut. The band got their name from Henderson. When he was growing up in the picturesque state of Maine, Henderson would spend time in his father’s art studio, and music could be heard blaring through an old bronze radio. The music played through the radio inspired Henderson to dig more into music. During a recent phone conversation, Henderson explained more in detail. “I love listening to an album all the way through, over and over again. I love finding all the different things that you discover with each listen.”
The band’s beginnings trace back to when Henderson, along with Griffith, Tanen, and Warner all attended the Hartt School of Music, which is located in Hartford. “We studied all kinds of music, including the backgrounds of jazz, and blues players”, Henderson mentioned to me. With the knowledge of the greats before them, the band wanted to incorporate those styles and influences it into their own music. So, the three guys recruited Fetkowitz and Struble, and headed to the studio.
The band released their first EP in 2008, followed by their full-length debut album ‘Old Time Speaker’, which they recorded in Nashville. In 2011, the band released their sophomore album, ‘SHAKE!SHAKE!SHAKE!’. The album, recorded in Oklahoma, shows the band’s evolving sound with the continue fusion of rock and soul. Currently, the band is working on their third album. The band recently spent 5 weeks on a farm in Virginia to record most of the album. “It’s good to go to different places to work on an album,” Henderson explained. “It keeps you focused on the music.” The album is slated to be released sometime between January and February.
Listening to the band’s albums, you are instantly conscious of the band’s different elements. Each member of the group brings their own flare to the band. Whatever it’s the banjo being strummed passionately to the sweet sounds of the harmonica, Bronze Radio Return bring a sound that makes them stand apart from the rest. And their live shows are no different. The band makes it a point to make sure that their audience is having as much as fun as they are. Henderson added, “We will make sure that people are moving in the audience. We want to see people swinging around.”
Bronze Radio Return will be embarking on a tour starting on September 5th. “We are ready to get our stage legs going again”, Henderson says. “We are excited about the atmosphere we are about to witness.” The tour will take the band throughout most of the eastern seaboard, along with a few stops in the Midwest, including Cleveland. The tour will end on October 27th at the Mercury Lounge in New York.
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See all of our Downtown Dayton Revival Music Festival Band Spotlights
- Downtown Dayton Revival Music Festival Band Spotlight – Volume I
- Downtown Dayton Revival Music Festival Band Spotlight – Volume 2: Werking Hard On The Duck Farm
- Downtown Dayton Revival Music Festival Spotlight – Volume 3: Shake! Shake! Shake! with Bronze Radio Return
- Downtown Dayton Revival Festival Band Spotlight Volume 4
- … more to come…
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