Carry Me Ohio

If the band bios are to be believed, Boulder group Carry Me Ohio has some fantastic back stories.

Newest band member, bassist Neil Sorenson, apparently came in second place on Nickelodeon's "Global Guts." He and I met, and that's sort of believable. Then there's drummer Dan Nadler, dwarf-mountain expert and “Most Likely To Not Fail At Life,” and lead guitarist David Goodheim, gold medallist for outstanding facial hair who lost his phone 42 times in one day. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Evan Pugh defeated a mountain lion in a wrestling match and was accepted to Hogwarts. Congrats.

Whether or not you want to believe all that doesn't really matter (But why not? It's more fun.). Here are some definite facts, if you prefer that sort of thing. The band got together in March 2009, and settled on the name Carry Me Ohio because, out of a list of ideas, it was the only one they could all agree on. It's the name of a Sun Kil Moon song they all liked and identified with. They're based here in Boulder and they usually have a couple shows each month in the area.

What you should also believe, and even confirm for yourself, is that this indie/alt rock band sounds good.

Exhibit A: Carry Me Ohio's first album, Oak and Iron Bound, recorded in October 2010, is available for a listen and purchase on the band's website. The production is impressive, considering the crunch they were in to get it made and released.

“That first time we recorded up at Altitude Studios in

Sugarloaf and that was definitely money-limited,” Pugh said. “We only had money for 3 1/2 days and we used those 3 1/2 days to the best of our ability, which meant, like, 20-hour days, which was not fun. But it was productive.”

Their sound is most easily classified as indie rock, but there's an alternative country tinge to it. It comes from a barely noticeable twang peeking through the lead guitar and Pugh's laid-back vocals. In fact, the pace for much of Oak and Iron Bound is pretty laid back. It's not boring, it just takes everything nice and easy.

The next album, which they're hoping to finish in the next six months, is poised to take the sound up a notch with the addition of a lap steel guitar on a few tracks.

“We've got 15 or so new songs that we're trying to narrow down to ones we want to put on an album,” Pugh said. “We've recorded some of the tracks, but not all of them. There are maybe two songs that have a lap steel on them, so those feel a bit more alt-country.”

As for another round of self-production, Pugh said, “that's up in the air."

"What we've recorded so far has been self-produced, but we've been talking to some people who are interested in producing.” - Colorado Daily

It’s great to hear another band coming out of Colorado with as much potential as Carry Me Ohio. Even though they are very young as a group (founded in [2009]), one can definitely see the budding relationship of the various influences within the band growing together – hopefully to create something great.

Their debut album Oak and Iron Bound, which focused more on the song writing talents of the band, was self-released on October 22, 2010 after just four days of recording at Sugarloaf Mountain outside of Boulder, Colorado. While mellow pop and country-esque melodies set the stage for the folk like lyrical storytelling, there is a distant rock and roll feel the fills the rest of the sound quite nicely and provides glimpses of much more complex and well-rounded music to come from this young band in the future. As M, the well-versed music and musician’s magazine so aptly described the album, “the emphasis on Oak and Iron Bound remains on song craft rather than showy musical fireworks. That said, this is a real band.”

That’s exactly right, this is a real band, with real potential growth both musically and in terms of popularity – especially in Colorado. They have a very laid-back and natural sound that seems to emanate effortlessly from the band as the transition to different sections of the song – ultimately showcasing their various talents. Even though only one member of the band is native to Colorado, the whole band has a great Colorado feel to them which can be seen by all the cool shows they played this past summer, like the Boulder Creek Festival, the Longmont Opera House, the Eco Music Festival, and even a few Farmers Markets.

Though their summer tour came to an end in late August, definitely check this band out at their website, carrymeohio.com, where they have some free songs you can stream. Also keep an eye out for them at your local venues coming up in the next few months. Over the summer the played mostly in the Denver-Boulder area with a few shows in Ft Collins and Longmont mixed in, however we hope to see them expand their tour into the Mountains more this winter.
- Mousike Magazine

"The emphasis on Oak and Iron Bound remains on songcraft rather than showy musical fireworks. That said, this is a real band"

"Pugh's plainspoken vocals and often keenly observant lyrics remain at center stage, but the likeably warm, full sound of 'Oak and Iron Bound' demonstrates why four heads are sometimes better than one." - M Music & Musicians Magazine