Neon Rain
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Neon Rain

Band Alternative Acoustic

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This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


""The Magic Box""

"Neon Rain uses the perfect blend of mellow drama and experimental madness to create the perfect blended frappucino of artistic ingenuity. Their well worded and beautifully crafted album, The Magic Box is a spectacular definition of spontaneously combustible calmness. This is an album worthy of a long night by the fireplace or campfire. Or simply around the fire burning in the hearts of the in tune and nourished artist...The stories on The Magic Box are those of an elegant and disconcerting stature. They are words for the lost, as well as hope for the desperate. - Ron Trembath at comfortcomes.com


Discography

One Full-Length Album:
The Magic Box
Various tracks have had radio airplay on different college radio stations around the country.

Photos

Bio

"Every once in a while, a band will come along, and the first thing they let you hear makes it obvious that they were born to do nothing else. Such is the case with the debut album from Nashville-based Neon Rain. “The Magic Box” is a record that invokes the ambient sensibilities of Pink Floyd and Radiohead, the evocative and lyrical density of Bob Dylan, all stripped down to the rawest, most organic elements. All of these comparisons are surface-level of course. Neon Rain has, in a very, very short time, transcended the sounds of their more obvious influences and found a place in the stratosphere all their own.

Lush without being muddy, accessible without being predictable, this first record shows a maturity and mastery well beyond the years of the duo. Trevor Willmott’s guitar work shows skill and taste, always impressive but never showy. His lyrics come from a well deeper than most have the nerve to draw from: brutally honest, at once cerebral and visceral. Vinay Shroff’s percussion lays down what sounds like an ocean on which the songs float, at times tumultuous and threatening, at times gentle and lilting. And all of this to say nothing of the pair’s vocal sensibilities, that echo the pristine harmonies of the likes of CSNY and the emotional depth of Thom Yorke and a younger, more urgent Bob Dylan.

A promising first note from two extraordinarily gifted musicians, “The Magic Box” is a musical journey that begs not just to be heart, but to be experienced. Keep an eye on Neon Rain, and give this record a listen. You will thank me."

Joel Mooneyhan, Wyeuca

"Dude, so should we get a bassist?"
"I don't know, man. Just pick up the djembe."

Neon Rain, comprised of Trevor Willmott and Vinay Shroff, started out by total chance. Having played together in a relatively successful rock band in high school, Trevor and Vinay went off to college without their other group member, Jonathan Beam. Unsure as to how to continue the music hours away from the rock project, Neon Rain began when Trevor and Vinay randomly began jamming in their dorm room with only acoustic instruments and percussion. After a while, one song led to another, and another, and another, and one open mic night led to a show, and another, and another, and within four months of forming the group, "The Magic Box," a ten-song full length album, was created. The fan support was nothing like ever before; everyone was falling in love with Neon Rain, and fast.
Neon Rain is a band that is not acoustic because they have to be. This band is acoustic because that is what has worked so well since the start, and there has been no need for a "full band" instrumentation due to the full sound of two people playing multiple instruments simultaneously.
Trevor sets himself apart from many musicians of today, because he cannot write a song without very meaningful and introspective lyrics. His subtle use of his intense classical and jazz training on the guitar is the perfect compliment for his extensive lyrical prowess. Vinay takes his Indian roots to the next level, bringing his percussion influence from all the drum set greats, to orchestral percussion, to ethnic percussion, including the tabla drums from India, which are not commonly used in "Western" acoustic music at all. Although it may not have seemed this combination would work too well, the musical spectrum of these college music majors has greatly helped keep the sound ever-changing and ever-interesting.
From playing in coffeeshops to opening for larger acts on big stages such as The Flaming Lips at the Vanderbilt Rites of Spring Festival, this group has been through a lot of endeavors in almost no time. Neon Rain, with their unique sound, spread like wildfire around the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and in Kentucky within a short period of time, and the support, as well as the music, has been growing exponentially ever since.