Thirty Spokes
Louisville, Kentucky, United States | SELF
Music
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“Tuneful Storytelling”
72 Hours (Independent)
Thirty Spokes
By Ronke Oyekunle
Louisville group Thirty Spokes' debut album, 72 Hours, not only displays this band's artistic range but also demonstrates the level of professionalism needed to create a great album. While each song's words contain a meaningful and thought-provoking message, one can't help but to focus on the clean and flawless nature of the instrumentation.
The album begins with the title song, which tells a story about the weekend of a romantic couple, a man in love with his woman. The sound is a continually cheerful, moderately paced blend of guitar and steady rock drums. Released back during the summer, 72 Hours does not limit the storytelling to relationships, but includes a wide spectrum of everyday life experiences from love to a soldier's duty.
For instance, a "Miner's Song" tells about the everyday life of a miner who is just working hard to make ends meet. This heart-wrenching song renders one speechless when we learn that the hard-working group of miners becomes trapped beneath the earth in the coal mine. I invite you to listen to the song to find out the fate of those miners.
On a lighter note, the album moves to "Mountain Top," a song that grooves with the catchy refrain, "Lady on the Mountain Top." Then 72 Hours moves back to a more serious topic in "A Soldier's Lament" where the soldier, now an angel, watches his loved one's sorrow and wishes to comfort them and shows his sorrow for their pain, saying, "I know angels aren't suppose to cry." The drums play softly in the background as the singer tells the story of the fallen soldier.
72 Hours ends like it begins with the acoustic guitar, steady drums, and lyrics about love. This album makes it easy to see why the band has such a following; Thirty Spokes' musical depth and thoughtful composition simply tells tuneful stories about life.
- Louisville Music News
Fusing rock, blues and country jam is Thirty Spokes, an outfit featuring Chad Graham. Having gigged locally and regionally for months, the foursome, which also includes Gabe Deknatel on rhythm and lead guitar, U of L big band product Kyle Shea on drums and bassist Tom Anderson, is releasing its debut, self-titled album. The eight songs boast a wide range of influences and feature a guest appearance by Andrea Davidson on backup vocals. A post-Peak Summit trip back to St. Matthews wouldn't be a bad idea anyway.
- Mat Herron, Music Editor
LEO Weekly - The Louisville Eccentric Observer
Discography
The band has three releases to their credit; 72 Hours (2009), Muses and Excuses (2010), and Roll The Dice (2012). All were recorded, engineered, and co-produced by Kevin Ratterman at “The Funeral Home” recording studio. Each release has been well received with generous airplay on the radio as well as the internet.
Photos
Bio
Thirty Spokes is a roots rock band based in Louisville, KY. Formed in 2008, they are a hard working outfit that isn’t afraid of a long drive or late nights. Fans have enjoyed the energetic, live atmosphere of the band in regional venues throughout the midwest and southeast. The stage seems to be where they flourish by combining different sounds and genres to create their original musical experience. They capture the soul of the audience and create an energetic atmosphere. The band gigs constantly and when they aren’t on stage, chances are you will find them in the studio. Thirty Spokes truly digs what they do, are in it for the right reasons, and have a bright future ahead.
Following is a brief background of the musicians of Thirty Spokes.
CHAD GRAHAM - lead vocals and guitar
Growing up in West Virginia, Chad fed his love for music by singing in church and eventually pursuing the skills of songwriting and guitar playing. Throughout high school and college he performed many gigs in his hometown of Huntington before moving to Kentucky. His sound has since matured into a potent mixture of southern rock, blues, and mountain music.
GABE DEKNATEL-rhythm and lead electric guitar
Gabe is a long-time resident of Louisville, KY. He grew up listening to The Beatles and played the violin. In early high school Gabe was caught by the sounds of electric guitar geniuses such as Hendrix and Vaughan. He has been playing the guitar ever since. Gabe has played around the Louisville area for more than a decade.
TOM ANDERSON-bass and supporting vocals
Tom picked up a bass for the first time as a 13 year old in Indianapolis, IN and was immediately hooked on the sounds he created with his two pointer fingers. He played with a few different bands through high school and college before moving to the Louisville, KY area. Tom’s musical influences include Matt Wong, Martin Sexton, and Victor Wooten.
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