Lori
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Lori

Band Alternative Rock

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Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Lori: Heard Ohio Was Nice"

At the outset of this review, I think it is necessary to mention that I am a Buckeye.  I am a partisan of the great state of Ohio, and there is no way around that.  Lori also happens to be from Ohio, from a barn outside of Columbus to be exact.  Fortunately, Lori is a good band, as well as being from Ohio, and I do not have to boost them up.  Lori’s new EP, Heard Ohio Was Nice is as excellent as it is short; and though original in many ways, it does not suffer from self-conscious novelty. 


With an easy, cool vocal delivery reminiscent of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Lori is able to motor through five, simple pop songs on this disc that still, despite their apparent simplicity, will entice listeners.  What makes them so interesting is their combination of the pop sensibilities of a Jesus and Mary Chain or even a Big Star with the raucous power of a Frank Black.  Lori’s songs are deceptively sweet until you begin to listen to the lyrics and to pay close attention to the dynamics of the songs.  Some of the songs lumber along, building on their momentum, and some start strong and will suddenly become silent for effect.  Either way, the songwriters in Lori are willing and able to rock your socks off.  They will rock for you, but it will also be poppy and melodically interesting.  The guitar will roll out Johnny Marr-esque lines that float effortlessly over the songs, creating a lyrical power of their own.


Ultimately, there is not much to say about this EP.  My only criticism is that it is too short and when you finish listening to it, you will feel that you have been cheated because you want two or three more songs to round it out.   Fortunately, this can be fixed in the future, but until then, this album is good and reminds one of the heady days of 90’s indie pop when angst and volume were not yet a substitute for songwriting skills and enthusiasm. 

-John Thrasher
9/13/04 - Left Off The Dial


"4 out of 5 Skopes"

"Lori blends the sound of The Cure with exciting upbeat Midwest rock and bright lyrics in a combination that is original and exciting." - Skope Magizine, Boston, MA


"Making Ohio Nice"

Local rock act Lori will be making a weekend of it at Skully’s Music Diner. The band will be there Friday night, July 16, for a show with Blue Ruby, Earwig and Jon Chinn, and Saturday afternoon, July 17, to play a benefit for Camp Sunrise, a camp for children impacted by AIDS, with Camora and Tiara.

The band is relatively new to Columbus stages, only having begun to play out in the past year. With three out of four members newcomers to the Buckeye State, the title of its recently released EP, Heard Ohio Was Nice (Wife), is certainly apropos. The disc, recorded at Workbook Studio with Jon Chinn, is a particularly strong debut; even at only six songs, it’s far and away one of the better local releases to come out this year.

The band utilizes a three-guitar attack—from Lori Cantu (the group’s namesake?), Mike Szumlinski and vocalist Michael Brewer—that crosses jangled chords with rung notes and recalls a sound more prevalent in college rock’s ’80s heyday; elements of the Go-Betweens, Pixies and Television have all seeped into their invigorated romp.

“Came Through” (the cut from whence the EP’s title is derived) and “B.M.L.S. (Black Mona Lisa Smile)” are the best of this bunch, blending those capitulating guitar lines with Brewer’s heated vocals. Lori clearly has a firm grasp on the music it crafts, and the EP is obviously the product of skilled hands. —Stephen Slaybaugh - Columbus Alive


Discography

HEARD OHIO WAS NICE (EP). Released MARCH 2004.
Tracks:
ACCELERATOR MAGIC
DAREDEVIL LOVER
CAME THROUGH
B.M.L.S. (Black Mona Lisa Smile)
DURATIONS OF GRANDEUR
- No. 18 on CMJ Radio 200 Adds chart, Issue 868
- charted multiple weeks on 21 College Radio Top 30 playlists in June/July of 2004
-Played on over 100 college radio stations.

HALLELUJAH (Full Length). Released JUNE 2005.
Tracks:
ONE ZERO ZERO
CONVERSATION RIDES
GRANDSTAND
FAR OUT GUNSMOKE
AIN'T GOT TIME
DAREDEVIL LOVER
DANGEROUS ROCKET
SPECTACULAR DIE-CAST TRIBUTES
5th ROUND
Mrs. SOMEDAY
DURATIONS OF GRANDEUR
CHAUTAUQUA
Press and Promo to follow.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Columbus OHIO. We all moved here for jobs and met each other at work. We practice in a barn that Mike Szumlinski bought from a guy who used to record people singing karaoke versions of white trash favorites.

The band LORI writes and plays music the only way it knows how; LOUDLY and with RETARD ABANDON.
Each musician brings something special and interesting to the table, be it talent, skill, lack of skill, mystery, or plain idiocy... And what cooks out is a rock-solid collection of hooky original pop songs full of sexy guitar-on-guitar action.

"The songwriters in Lori are willing and able to rock your socks off. The guitar will roll out Johnny Marr-esque lines that float effortlessly over the songs, creating a lyrical power of their own." -Left Off the Dial

"Lori blends the sound of The Cure with exciting upbeat Midwest rock and bright lyrics in a combination that is original
and exciting." -Scope Magazine

"Solid and well-produced, these five songs feature searing guitar solos and memorable melodies. The band resists a singular sound,
moving between Byrdsian pop and driving post-punk..." -Sponic Zine

MICHAEL BREWER grew up in Germantown, Ohio. He sings and plays the guitar.
LORI CANTU is from Dallas, Texas. She plays the guitar and the bass.
JOHN DORCAS grew up on a farm in Waverly, Kansas. He plays drums, the clave, and the cuica.
MIKE SZUMLINSKI is from Detroit. He plays the guitar and the bass.