How much noise can two people make? How loud can it get? And most importantly, how well-crafted and catchy can the songs be? If you’re new to Dayton’s The Story Changes, you might be pleasantly surprised. Listening to the band’s music is already an enjoyable trip back to the energetic pop-punk anthems that ruled the mid-to-late ‘90s alternative scene, but the second you find out there’s only two people in the band … well, prepare to have your head explode.

Singer/guitarist Mark McMillon and drummer Christopher “Poppy” Lee have been making vigorous, melodic rock n’ roll for eight years now, and even with that length of time behind them it doesn’t look like they’ll be stopping any time soon. On Saturday, May 18 the band will celebrate the release of their third full-length album, Static and Trembling, with a show at Blind Bob’s, in the city that gave birth to the group.

“The two of us have a lot of love for Dayton, our friends here and the music scene that exists,” said McMillon. “We don’t play Dayton very often these days, so the release show is going to be a lot of fun. Hometown shows are always special.”

The band started with McMillon and Poppy knowing each other as friends first before bandmates, with the two playing shows together in different bands throughout the area. “We always got along really well,” said McMillon. “He was hard-working and shared a love for a lot of the same bands I did. Once I started an early version of The Story Changes, we went through some lineup changes as, most young bands do. Eventually, when Poppy came on board, things solidified rather quickly and we started touring and released our first album.”

As for carrying on as a duo, the two see it as a glass half-full kind of thing. For one, there’s less equipment and mouths to feed on the road, making touring that much more efficient. More importantly, it comes down to the right kind of chemistry, and these two seem to have the formula down pat.

“Being a two-piece makes the most sense for us,” explained McMillon. “We have a lot of fun performing with just the two of us. The dynamic between us works really well stripped down on stage, and it makes for a fun live show.”

The Story Changes made a name for themselves through relentless touring, and the results are evident by the strong following the band still retains after nearly a decade together. For Static and Trembling, the two slowed down a bit in order to focus more on writing and recording the new record. “It was really important for us to take our time on this album,” McMillon said. “We were in a position to spend a lot of time writing without any sort of real deadline. I think the entire album sounds different than anything else we’ve done before, yet still sounds like a Story Changes record.”

The album was recorded locally at Popside Studios in Troy with producer/engineer Micah Carli, who pushed the group to expand upon ideas outside of their normal comfort zone. The outcome is indeed an album that sounds oddly familiar and strangely different. Songs like “Song Inside Your Head” and the single “Hashtags and Therapists” (the latter of which got a recent write-up from the A.V. Club) have the same dynamic flair the band is known for, but songs like “We Were Numb” and “Nobody’s Poet” find the duo in slightly different territory, making use of new thoughts and ideas. At times, they succeed in incorporating outside instruments like cello, viola, mandolin and even a lap-steel guitar to achieve a bigger sound when it’s needed. Overall, it’s an album full of surprises that will leave fans both old and new hungry for another listen. Trust me, this thing rocks.

As for the release show, one thing the band can’t wait to do is see the people they don’t get to normally see between touring and recording. “We are extremely proud of Static and Trembling and we’re looking forward to celebrating the release with our friends and family,” said McMillon. As for what they have in store for the show, the band hinted that they may have something on reserve for their hometown allegiance. “We plan on playing a good mix of new songs as well as some favorites from our entire catalogue – there might even be a surprise or two thrown in!”

Needless to say, it’s a special show for a special band whose roots are firmly planted in Dayton music lore, and this is something that both men never take for granted. “Being from Dayton means you have to work hard in order to achieve your goals,” said McMillon. “Nothing is handed out freely here, but this city has always been full of very talented and hardworking musicians who have learned to make things happen on their own, and that’s what makes it so great.”

The Story Changes will celebrate the release of their new album Static and Trembling Saturday, May 18 at Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St. Also on the bill are Lovely, Kris N., and Good Sir Con Artist. Admission is $5 for 21 and up. Doors open at 9 p.m. For more information, visit thestorychanges.com. 

While there is little doubt that local visual art is the backbone of the yearly Sideshow event presented by the Dayton Circus Creative Collective coinciding with Urban Nights’ weekend in downtown Dayton, gradually, over the past eight years of Sideshow’s existence, the DCCC has begun to put greater emphasis on giving local musicians a place to shine at their annual soiree. According to Sideshow organizer and current Dayton Circus Creative Collective Chairman Jeff Opt, the music element fits right in with the vision and mission of creativity that Sideshow is all about.

According to Sideshow’s original organizer Laurana Wong, The Sideshow hopes to expose the burgeoning underground art scene and interconnect it with the more established art community.” Opt continued. “Music is art, just like painting, just like photography, just like dance. Music is creativity, and as such, deserves to be celebrated with all art. Dayton is blessed to have such an amazing and diverse music scene. It was part of the first Sideshow (and) has been an important part of every Sideshow since.”

The incorporation of live, local-based music at Sideshow has been somewhat of a trial and error process in incorporating it optimally alongside the visual art over the near decade-long existence of the event. Part of those growing pains were finally alleviated by finding a large enough venue with a spacious layout that allowed for both the music and visual art element to intermingle, yet have its own breathing room. That venue turned out to be what is now known as the Yellow Cab Building on East Fourth Street in downtown Dayton, just a block away from the Oregon District, and has since become both the home for Sideshow and headquarters for the Dayton Circus Creative Collective. The first Sideshow event at the Yellow Cab Building took place in May 2011 and is also notable in the evolution of Sideshow as being the first Sideshow event to feature not one, but two stages, solely devoted to live local music. Even prior to this momentous achievement in Sideshow’s vibrant history, the DCCC had its eye on the Yellow Cab Building for some time.

“The DCCC first started looking at the Yellow Cab building almost five years ago,” said Opt. “It came to our attention as we were building Garden Station across the street. It was sitting empty at the time and eventually became overgrown. This prompted us to contact the realtor, and then owner, and we were able to agree on terms that allowed us to use the building and benefited the owner. It is an ideal location for us because it is a very adaptable and flexible space with plenty of room and able to accommodate multiple uses. It has a large parking lot, which is a great place to put the music stages along with food trucks and the beer trailer.”

With Sideshow 8 on the horizon, this year’s event will mark the third one to take place at the Dayton Circus Creative Collective’s home turf at the Yellow Cab Building. This coming weekend, Sideshow 8 will feature roughly two dozen musical artists performing live over the course of both Friday and Saturday, including a stirring array of musical styles from both local music veterans and other musicians in their debut performances live. Some of the better-known homegrown musical artists playing live at Sideshow 8 include Jasper the Colossal, Tombstone Tremblers, Todd the Fox and Smug Brothers.

“This year we are featuring more than 20 bands and performers over two nights, ranging from solo acoustic acts, DJ crews and rappers, roots rock bands, punk rock – really something for everyone,” said Opt. “The defining qualities are everyone is local and everyone is talented. Everyone gets an approximately 40 minute set to play, so if you don’t care for the band that is currently playing, walk inside and look at art and come back in a half an hour – the next band will be completely different.”

On a similar note, Sideshow events are no stranger to live performance art and dance, and this year’s event will be no different, featuring original pieces by Maggie Ottoson, Rebecca Rine-Stone and Jason Baldwin debuting new works exclusively for Sideshow 8 and Urban Nights. While this feature might play a smaller role in what Sideshow is all about, Opt chooses not to diminish how special the performance art element can be in their yearly event.

“We have had performance art in every Sideshow,” Vasconcelos said.  “It can incorporate music, dance, spoken word, comedy, tears, laughter, destruction … it really depends upon what the artist wants to express. It is something you must experience to understand.”

In the end, Opt believes the live performance brings an entertainment aspect to each Sideshow including this one, showing just how multifaceted Sideshow really is.

“All types of art are represented at the Sideshow,” concluded Vasconcelos. “Anything is possible. In previous years we have had painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, fire dancers, belly dancers, spoken word, fashion shows, interactive installation art, dance, digital, hip hop dance crews, plant-based living installation art, live sculpting, graffiti art, etc. – anything that you can imagine. We have also had every type of musical genre represented at the Sideshow. This year will have many unique pieces as well, including, but not limited to, chain mail, a surrealist game, interactive musical artwork, felt work, book reading; though many thing are still under wraps, so you will have to come experience it for yourself!”

Sideshow 8 takes place on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11 from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. each night at the Yellow Cab Building, 700 E. Fourth St. Admission is free. For more information, visit daytoncircus.org.

Marnie Stern, frequently referred to as “the lady who shreds,” will play Canal Street Tavern Wednesday, May 8, with local favorites The Motel Beds and Dear Fawn. Centerville native Nithin Kalvakota joins Stern on bass and will be embark upon a Gem City homecoming for the show.

An extremely unique and adept player, Stern deviates a bit from her normal brand of guitar-centric “art-metal, math-rock, bubblegum pop” on new album The Chronicles of Marnia, and delivers a more stripped-down, vocal-heavy song set. Chronicles has received grand love from NPR, Pitchfork, Village Voice, The Guardian and more.

Marnie and Nithin both granted interviews to the Dayton City Paper in anticipation of their forthcoming Dayton show:

You’ve been hailed by many notable publications as one of the finest female guitarists. When did you begin playing guitar? When starting out, was there ever a period of frustration where you felt like you weren’t progressing with the instrument? Conversely, did guitar come natural to you, thereby allowing you to progress rapidly in learning the instrument? 

I really started focusing on it when I was around 21. It didn’t come naturally and I felt like every day was a struggle not to throw the guitar across the room. This went on for about three years. Then one day, I realized I had finally gotten to the next level. It took about another three years until I got over that hurdle to the next level. Two more years and I was at the top of my game. I don’t practice nearly as much as I used to, so I’m not nearly as good as I was about five years ago. But most of it sticks. – Marnie Stern

Who are some of your less obvious influences – artists that one wouldn’t gauge by listening to your music? 

Bruce Springsteen, Melt Banana, The Flying Luttenbachers – MS

A “less is more” approach was taken with your new album The Chronicles of Marnia. In turn, your voice is showcased evermore. Have you been working more on your vocals and less on guitar during this period in life? It sounds very nice, by the way. 

Thanks! We stripped down for a change. It’s hard to hear my voice out in the open like that, so I don’t listen to the record. But I don’t listen to any of my records because it’s hard for me to hear myself. I get embarrassed. – MS

Have you been influenced by any notable Ohio musicians? Dayton musicians? 

Yeah, the Deal sisters, in a big way! Both the Pixies and the Breeders have been huge influences. Nithin Kalvakota, our bass player, also influences me because he’s so versatile and such a great musician. He’s from Dayton. – MS

Do you have any advice for young female musicians in the Gem City? 

Keep on plugging away. – MS

What are you plans for the future?

Lots of touring for the next year or so – MS

How long have you been playing with Marnie? Where did you two meet? How did this working relationship begin?  

I’ve been playing with Marnie for four years. We met in Los Angeles six days before I played my first show with her. I started as her touring drummer for a bunch of dates in the U.S. and Europe. A good friend of mine and former Daytonian, Chris Common, recommended me. The drummer before me apparently quit three hours before an “important” showcase at SXSW in 2009.  – Nithin Kalvakota

You grew up in Centerville here in the Gem City. Who were your favorite Dayton bands growing up? 

I didn’t know anything about “local” music until I went to see Fugazi in the field next to Brookwood Hall when I was 14 years old. Local band Cage opened and I remember thinking that it was insane that people from my town could be a part of something so raw and cool. That experience marked a fundamental shift in my life and awareness of music. I’ve sort of been chasing that feeling ever since, ha ha! Favorite Dayton bands growing up were Ten O’clock Scholar, Larry Byrds, Spitcurl, Bondagebox, Keynote Speaker and Cigarhead. – NK

Did growing up in Dayton affect your approach to playing music? If so, in what way? 

Well, I pretty much learned everything about how to be in a band from other bands in Dayton. Growing up there had a massive impact on what I thought was cool and what/who I aspired to be like. This is before the Internet, so the local music scene cultivated a distinct identity and the bands I looked up to in Dayton were like gods to me. As a drummer, I always thought Jason Baker was totally unhinged and amazing. I’d never seen anyone hit so hard and be kind of mathy and jazzy at the same time. I really wanted to be like that. – NK

Who are your top five favorite Dayton acts of all time? 

Brainiac, Breeders, Dirty Walk, Ten O’clock Scholar, Zapp and Roger – NK

Marnie Stern will perform Wednesday, May 8 at Canal Street Tavern, 308 E. First St. Also on the bill are Motel Beds and Dear Fawn. Admission is $5 for 18 & up. Doors at 8 p.m. For more information, visit marniestern.net.

Mention the term “glam rock” and the mind immediately races to images of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust or T Rex’s Marc Bolan slinking across the stage. I doubt a place like Granville, Ohio comes to mind.

But maybe it should.

The small college town is home to the Black Owls, a band that sounds and seems like it has been around for ages. That sound, and even the group’s name, evokes a familiarity within the listener that creates a weird kind of déjà vu.

“That was by design,” said front man David Butler. “We came up with what I consider to be almost a generic kind of name, but it almost has like a preordained sense of history to it.”

The band formed in 2006 as little more than a group of guys getting together to jam. The individual members had all been in and out of bands and came together as almost a lark.

Butler and guitarist Ed Shuttleworth have been the driving force behind the band since its inception. The early days featured Mike Brewer, whose subsequent band Nancy would later morph into The National.

The current lineup boasts Brian Kitzmiller on drums, Brandon Losacker on guitar and Sammy Fulfeck on bass. While the membership has grown over the years, Butler and Shuttleworth serve as the Mick-and-Keith-like creative force behind the band. They also benefit from the rural nature of their hometown, which allows the musicians to focus on their constant flow of new musical ideas.

“It can be a very pure art when you’re holed up in the country,” Butler said. “It’s a really nice thing to remove yourself from a lot of distraction. If you live in Brooklyn and you’re friends with 10 other bands, you’re going to all feed off each other – and I think that’s a really good thing, but it’s not really our style.”

That constant need to create resulted in the band’s 2012 eponymous double album.

That’s right – double album.

In a current music business that values singles over everything, taking on such a massive project might seem a bit counterintuitive. When the group looked at the body of work as a whole, however, there seemed to be a cohesion and flow. There was really nothing to do but release it as a double disc.

“We have this mad impetus to create new songs all the time,” Butler said. “We write a ton of material. Because we have our own recording studio, we can do it on the fly. We can get together every night if we want.”

There also exists an undeniable overall aesthetic. Butler grew up in the world of visual art and that mindset pops up in the band’s cool, dark and quasi-mysterious presentation. It harkens back to a time when an album cover was the only connection fans had to the musicians. The Black Owls want to preserve that sense of musical wonder. That’s not to say the visuals are more important than the songs, but the presentation supplements the artistic intent.

“Rock and roll is a show,” Butler said. “We’re there to entertain people. It’s a package. You’re selling not just the music, but an identity. Our music is almost a little bright and optimistic, but with very dark lyrics. There’s a certain amount of that kind of weird, modern heritage to the look of everything we try to do.”

Still, the band exists in the brave new world of music as business. While technological advances have made it easier for musicians to record and market their music, that has become problematic. Breaking through the white noise of millions of bands trying to get noticed can be taxing. While many original rock bands might struggle to grab their slice of the listening audience in the world of bit torrent and YouTube, the Black Owls feel that the cream always rises to the top.

“You can reach that audience if you work at it,” Butler said. “If you’re doing something that stands above, eventually you will get noticed. You can build equity in what you do. It just depends on the level of effort that you want to put into it and if you have a sound that people really want to listen to.”

Yet, it’s hard to imagine classic bands dealing with these modern vices.

“You wouldn’t imagine Kiss ever tweeting and you wouldn’t imagine Led Zeppelin ever putting up a Facebook post,” Butler said. “We like to maintain a little bit of mystique to what we do. That’s part of the fun – to make up your own story for the band.”

And a big part of the Black Owl’s story has unfolded in Dayton. The band is often compared to Guided by Voices and lists Pollard and The Boys as a main influence. Other than their hometown club, Peach’s Grill in Yellow Springs has been the band’s most often played venue and Butler loves the all-inclusive vibe of the town and club.

“Peach’s is a great place because they get jazz music, world music, Afrobeat music, DJs, heavy metal, punk,” Butler said. “They get everything there and there’s always going to be an audience for it.”

Black Owls will play on Saturday, April 27 at Peach’s Grill, 104 Xenia Ave. in Yellow Springs. Admission is free, ages 18 and up. Doors open at 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.blackowls.com. 

Editor’s note: Although the Dayton City Paper requested an interview with members of Wheels, we were only granted an interview with their manager, Philip Bottelier, due to scheduling conflicts. 

Americana music has finally hit the big time. This year’s Grammy awards featured a show-stopping performance from the genre’s current darlings, The Lumineers, and a best album win for Mumford and Sons’ Babel. The genre relies on solid songwriting and a focus on an old-time aesthetic – not exactly average pop music fare – but the general public seems to have finally embraced the roots-oriented style that has simmered below the surface of the music industry for years.

I imagine local band Wheels wonders what took everyone so long.

The group began in earnest when the members’ ages had barely hit double digits. Sam Salazar and Jamie Scott started playing on street corners in Yellow Springs, both at the ripe old age of 12. Despite their youth and lack of experience working a crowd, there just seemed to be something special happening right from the start.

“Jamie picked up a harmonica, not knowing how to play it, and Sam sitting there with the ukulele he had gotten three months before,” said the group’s manager Philip Bottelier. “It was clear – friends, strangers, adults, people walking by – it was like ‘holy cow.’”

Bottelier is also Salazar’s stepfather. The band employs a very family-oriented vibe; with members’ parents helping the group navigate the often treacherous travails of the music industry. Wheels decided early on that record contracts and booking agents would never be a focus.

On one hand, the changing face of the record industry makes it an easy choice. Gone are the days of industry bigwigs controlling radio airwaves and recording equipment. Musicians are no longer at the mercy of executives and radio programmers to get their music to the masses. Wheels recorded their first album for around $500 and have been able to market themselves through Youtube and with the help of friends and supporters.

On the other hand, the goal has never been fame and fortune.

“You create your own industry,” Bottelier said. “You create your own environment through which you get to share your music. You can do it the old fashioned way and sign a record deal and do all that, but this is much more fun.”

That approach allows the group to buck trends and simply make the music they want to make. While Americana’s recent mainstream success certainly doesn’t hurt, the band arrived at this music naturally rather than trying to chase the flavor-of-the-month mentality that musicians can fall into.

That mindset allows the songwriting to truly be the star, with each member contributing in the creative process. They have become a prolific and constantly evolving force, bringing new tunes to the table at a rate of about four a month.

“We finished recording the newest album right before New Year’s,” Bottelier said. “All of a sudden, they’ve got a gig at a church and they’re playing new songs that I’ve never heard. It pours out of these kids.”

That level of output means another recording session is already booked for August of this year.

Still, the group seems most at home performing live. They played the Downtown Dayton Revival last year and once even opened for local jam band Ekoostik Hookah for a New Year’s show several years ago. Bottelier said it was a strange scene, mixing prepubescent kids with the neo-hippie crowd.

“Things were happening that 13-year-olds shouldn’t actually really be around or know about,” Bottelier said. “It was a little crazy. The response from the crowd was filtering in, like ‘Wow, who are these kids?’”

The group will hit the road this summer for a mini-tour of sorts, but not until school is out and only if they keep their noses clean. Bottelier said the band has been shut down before for disciplinary reasons.

In a business where kids often are thrust into adulthood too soon by stage parents hell bent on living vicariously through their children, Wheels and their extended family’s more wholesome approach might be shocking to some.

Bottelier and the other parents see it as the only approach possible.

“We’ve managed these kids as kids,” Bottelier said. “They need to grow up. We want them to be good people. Every parent, to a man and to a woman, is all about ‘let’s raise good kids and let music be our incentive for them to be good kids.’”

Wheels will play at Gilly’s on Saturday, April 6 at 9 p.m. The show will serve as the release party for their new album. For more information, visit gillysjazz.com. Tickets are available at Omega Music (937.275.9949), Half Price Books (937.431.1820) and Huber Music and Video (937.233.3630).

Reach DCP freelance writer W.C. Ruffnel at WCRuffnel@DaytonCityPaper.com.

Hailing from northwest Indiana, Native is comprised of four friends who came together after realizing they were each the most serious about music in their respective former high school bands. The guys decided to retire their childhood groups and instead come together to form Native in the summer of 2007.

Word of mouth about their live shows and their EP caught the attention of U.S. label and management company Sargent House who went on to sign the band and who has since re-issued their debut EP. Native have continued to tour non-stop, building quite a following in a short time through their unforgettable live shows and well-executed musicianship. Native recently finished recording their second full-length album, Orthodox, with Greg Norman (Russian Circles, Pelican) in Chicago. Sargent House will release the album in summer 2013.

Dayton City Paper caught up with guitarist Ed O’Neil before the band launches a tour with Caspian to discuss the band’s roots and new direction.

Are you guys still living in Indiana?

Three of us do. I’m actually living in Chicago. Our hometown was essentially a suburb of Chicago, so we all still live around the same area.      –Ed O’Neil

Do you think that coming from a Midwestern background has lent itself to how you developed your work ethic?

We really just try to push forward no matter what. We’ve been doing this for a really long time; coming up on six years now. I think we have a spirit of perseverance and the mindset that if you stumble, you pick yourself up and keep going. -EO

Has Native ever been challenged with the question of whether to continue or call it a day?

Without a doubt. Last year and the year before we were really struggling. We had so much of our identities wrapped up in the band and the people in the band were changing, but the band wasn’t. We had a lot of serious conversations about this. We believe that the band should represent what you feel and want to achieve and if it isn’t doing that, then there’s no point to continue. We realized that it wasn’t doing what it was supposed to, had a lot of really awful long talks and breakdowns. Fortunately, we were able to cleanse it, detox and get back to it. -EO

Is there a commonality in terms of where your passion for creating music comes from?

I think that’s the main component of Native. We have a lot of passion when it comes to creating songs. There is no primary songwriter. Each of us has a 25 percent stake in this and we grind out the songs together. That is one of the reasons it takes us so long to write. -EO

What was working with Greg Norman on your forthcoming release like?

We wanted an album that was more simple sounding, but also captured the rawness of the new songs – the little, subtle things. He was awesome to work with and he bent over backwards for us. -EO

How did you decide that Sargent House was the right label for Native?

They are really fair to their artists, a lot more fair than a lot of other industry people. They also totally love the bands that they sign and back them. They’ve created a culture that is sympathetic to the artist. Some people have the wrong idea about touring musicians – this isn’t a vacation, it’s another job. When people realize that and approach it with that mindset, it makes it a lot easier.   -EO

Will you be playing a lot of material from the new record when you are on tour with Caspian?

We are going to pretty much stick to new material and play one or two old songs a night. We wouldn’t play any old songs if it was up to us, but that isn’t fair to people who haven’t seen us. We made the mistake of not relearning any old songs prior to our first trip to Europe and a lot of people were disappointed. We didn’t intend to slap people in the face with it, but playing our old songs is really just paying lip-service to them. It isn’t really where we are at now. -EO

You are probably more emotionally attached to what you’ve done recently, too …

That is a great way to put it. We are extremely emotionally attached to the new stuff and not so much anymore to the old stuff. -EO

Does that lend itself to a stronger performance too?

Absolutely. That was a huge problem with the older stuff. We just couldn’t get into it. It was obvious to us when we played. This is way more real and we have a lot more fun with it. It is more unhinged than the last stuff. -EO

So it is like that LL Cool J song, “Don’t call it a comeback,” but it really is sort of a comeback?

(Laughter) I love that. I’ve been waiting for an LL Cool J reference with regards to Native for years and you just nailed it. -EO

Native perform on Wednesday, March 20 at The Southgate House Revival, 111 E. 6th Street, Newport, Ky. Caspian and Dessa Sons are also on the bill. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 DOS. Doors at 7 p.m. For more information, visit nativeband.tumblr.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Tim Anderl at TimAnderl@daytoncitypaper.com