YEAH BUDDY

TIME OUT NEW YORK…4.7.08 …….The Kyle Sowashes' Yeah Buddy! conjures an odd hybrid of Slint, Weezer and Jim Gaffigan……

 

THE FIRE NOTE…..4.2.08…..Columbus Ohio’s Kyle Sowashes rekindle the jangle indie rock of the early 90’s when music was more straightforward and simple. The group relies on a full band sound supporting leader Sowash as he tackles each track with a bursting throttle vocal that guides them through the pop gems he has created. Yeah Buddy! shows off the fun and crazy side of Sowash as the subjects hit on Andre The Giant, Fleetwood Mac and making mix tapes for his brother in Korea. What I really liked about Yeah Buddy! was that it contains all of the elements of classic indie rock with Dinosaur Jr. like guitar, a frontman that waffles his sound between Mac from Superchunk or Chuck Cleaver in the Ass Ponys to the harder driving punk edge of an Archers Of Loaf, while still making their own niche with quality songs, catchy choruses and putting a 100% into the recording. The Kyle Sowashes are not going to change your life but I guarantee that this album will grow on you with every listen because it has a retro-cool vibe and energy to it that will play perfectly on a nice warm day with the windows down. Yeah Buddy! is a great statement that straight up indie rock is alive and well in the Midwest, so be sure to search out The Kyle Sowashes to get your fix. = Sam Matatta

 

JERSEY BEAT…..4.2.08……Now here's a band that knows how to bring the angst! Tuneful, alternative, off-kilter music that reeks with irony ("Only Time Will Tell") and a history buff’s fascination about world issues ("Korea.") There's even one song ("Cutout Bin," one of the album’s best) about a band's opportunity to make or break; the band puts a constant, catchy beat over a simple narrative that tells a story just about every indie-rock band can relate too. In fact, this whole album is about the trials and tribulations of youth ("Rumors,") bands ("Yr Band Flaked Out On Me" – two versions,) and… the classifieds ("My Resume"). Now over the years I've heard of singers who could supposedly “sing the phone book and make it interesting” (Sinatra & Springsteen leap to mind,) but this is the first band I’ve heard where it feels like they could literally WRITE about the phone book and make it fun! The Kyle Sowashes (they're from Ohio, and are named after one of the band members) take an extremely fresh approach to everyday subjects, adding super-catchy melodies that really perk your interest! How many bands do you know that can write an interesting tune about having a crush of Stevie Nicks, the sexy, singing siren from Fleetwood Mac (haven't we all, at one time or another – c'mon admit it!) Like I said, The Kyle Sowashes take a fresh approach to music – a VERY fresh approach! – Phil Rainone

 

ALTERNATIVE PRESS (May2008)….3 stars. WHO? Ohio five-piece whose name we suspect is derived from singer Kyle Sowash. But don't quote us on that.
SOUNDS LIKE? Oddly enough, these dudes sound like THEY are from Chapel Hill-this is vintage mid-90's college rock with plenty of lyrical quirk.
HOW IS IT? Pretty fun. What Sowash lacks in vocal range he makes up for in endearing tracks like "My Resume" and "Yr Band FLaked Out on Me".

 

COLUMBUS ALIVE…..3.28.08……In the past two years, Andre the Giant, a Chinese finger trap from GameWorks, a moldy saxophone case, beer, Mountain Dew and the best-selling albums of Fleetwood Mac all have made their way into the songs of Kyle Sowash.
Some of these odd topics ring out in song titles, while others remain hidden between a rough strum of an electric guitar or a gutsy wail just slightly out of tune. Some represent greater, metaphorical meaning; others are simple testament to a crazy night on one of the local stages taken regularly by Sowash since moving to town from Lubbock, Texas, in 2001.
A collection of useless non sequiturs in the wrong hands, this simple, often outlandish fodder becomes, in Sowash's deft hands, some of the most peculiar and endearing indie rock in Columbus.
This weekend at Andyman's Treehouse, The Kyle Sowashes, the musician's eponymous band, will release Yeah Buddy!, a polished full-length disc that holds much of his best work to date. With a close listen to its 13 songs, you can get to know the local dental hygienist and longtime indie frontman like he's an old drinking buddy.
"I think the songs have more substance to them now than they did in the past," said Sowash, eating a plate of meatloaf and drinking beer last week in German Village. "In the past, they were goofy, or about something super-serious. Now they rest comfortably in the middle." Amid a saccharine track borrowing from Screeching Weasel and Sebadoh, Sowash realizes the folly of his crush on Stevie Nicks when compared to the love he feels for his fiancee. "Oh the Shame," another winning combination of catchy lead guitar and stout rhythm, tackles a trip to Pizza Hut after an embarrassing night on stage.
Sowash is a person of pleasant quirks gradually revealed in a soft voice, a sly, subtle sense of humor and bizarre road stories compiled during a life observed passionately and with a kind heart. The comfortable middle he describes in his songwriting comes partly from a greater ability to pour this personality into his music without fear.
Buddy also benefits from a more solid band that provides a perfect backbone for Sowash's unique ideas. Cemented from a revolving door of locals, the core group — Dan Bandman (drums), Brian Freshour (bass), Sean Gardner (keys), Justin Hemminger (guitar) and Lonn Schubert (bass) — plans to continue playing around Ohio and touring throughout the Midwest and East Coast.
"A lot of it has to do with food," Sowash said with a laugh, noting that weekend tours aren't complete without cheese steaks in Philadelphia or hot dogs in Athens. "Everyone looks forward to those weekend trips. We're not out to take over the world, but we have fun with what we do."