A trio of Canton area rock bands and artists recently released new music.
Formed in Alliance, The Ohio Weather Band is back with its third album, "High Noon Glow."
Known for a soulful blend of roots rock and Americana, the band held an album release concert recently at Musica in Akron.
Notable gigs have included opening for Bon Jovi in 2017 and Sammy Hagar last year.
More:Ohio Weather Band to open for Sammy Hagar and The Circle at Akron Children's concert
More:Canton band Urban Honey plays raw, bluesy rock jams while searching for lead singer
Also unveiling music is Urban Honey, a band that started in 2021 with instrumental jams on the sidewalk in front of Gator's Joint in downtown Canton before adding vocalist Christine Reichard.
Reichard has a big voice, at times evoking Brandi Carlile or Janis Joplin. Mixed with the gritty, muscular and tuneful guitar work of Hunter Schwenk, Urban Honey combines old-school blues, unvarnished garage rock and fierce instrumentation for an original sound.
Scott Paris, meanwhile, has released his latest EP, "Nowhere to Go but Nowhere" under the name of The Paris Accord.
Paris is a one-man band. In the tradition of the first Foo Fighters album and last year's Mammoth WVH release by Wolfgang Van Halen, the Stark County native produces an inviting mix of alternative pop rock.
All three releases can be streamed through Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify.
Here's a closer look at each of the recordings based on interviews with band members.
The Ohio Weather Band had stopped recording its new album during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without the ability to perform live, the band couldn't fund the effort, said lead vocalist and guitarist Corey King.
As the pandemic eased, restrictions lifted and live shows resumed, and The Ohio Weather Band completed the album this year.
"We heard about a lot of bands just kind of calling it quits during COVID," said King, of Akron. "... That was really not like a conversation for us."
Drummer Ray Lumpp said the pause helped "us develop the songs a little bit; we usually develop them live. This was a good time to just practice them and have them ready."
King is unconcerned with fitting into a musical genre. "The White Stripes mixed with Creedence Clearwater Revival" is how he described the band's sound.
King and drummer Ray Lumpp credited studio engineer Jim Stewart of Cleveland for the new album's pristine sound quality.
More:Tom Petty tribute in Akron to showcase 'Wildflowers'; St. Paul flies with 'Peter Pan Jr.'
King said the band has come a long way since its earlier recordings.
"I would definitely say it's like an evolution," he said. "We just kind of matured more as musicians and songwriters and just got better over time, individually, but also, I think, sonically — it's the best quality that we've put out so far."
"Our first album was recorded in a loft above our garage," King recalled. "We mixed it ourselves and recorded it ourselves."
New songs "are about real life that is happening now," Lumpp said. 'Whether it's a song about getting an Uber (ride) home or a song worrying about death."
Musicianship and vocals shine, capturing an intimacy without being overproduced.
"We've always kind of approached the songs that less is more a kind of thing," King said.
King is at his most earnest on the acoustically lush "Found Her Hangin,'" strumming poignantly while reflecting on a relationship gone bad. Strings and keyboards add refinement.
"Well, I gave her the rope, I said speak with your actions, and just so you know, she said this would never happen. And I'm sad to say it was such a beautiful day that I ... found her hanging.
"It's like spoiled fruit, I guess, what was sweet now never is..."
"See Ya on Stage" is a fun, catchy tune about life on the road. Name drops are aplenty, from West Virginia to Ohio to the Carolinas and cities along the way.
At just over two minutes, the song also takes you on a lyrical ride, the percussion and bass upbeat and infectiously steady. Relaxed picking on electric guitar and King's bar room holler complete the piece.
"There's a greyhound station, got a ticket with your name, cause I read in your email you're going to see us up on stage," King sings with Nashville flair.
Musing about the song's message, Lumpp said: "Maybe you're playing for one devoted fan, and that kind of makes it. ... We're doing it because we love it, and people love it ... and it's not this giant thing."
Fuller tracks include "Red Eyes," which at times recalls vintage Tom Petty before confidently becoming its own song amid the backdrop of quick-paced, celebratory keyboards and organ.
Varied sounds are sprinkled throughout the record – pedal steel guitar, violin and cello.
"Even with those," King explained, "we were conscious of ... not overdoing it and making sure what they were doing served the song rather than stepped on the song or trampled on the song."
The Ohio Weather Band is planning live shows for August, said King, the band's songwriter.
Overall, the goal "is just to make a living off of it," the website developer said of music. "And I would love to be on the road more traveling and playing."
During an interview last fall, Urban's Honey's Hunter Schwenk said the band was in search of a singer, but there was no rush.
Finding the right fit was paramount. The guitarist said he would know the voice when he heard it.
After reading a Canton Repository article about Urban Honey, Christine Reichard connected with the band. She also was a fan of The Intangibles, a band featuring bassist Blake Oaks of Urban Honey.
Playing classical piano since childhood, Reichard attended the Aurora School of Music. Admitting nervousness, she decided to audition for Urban Honey after working on her vocal range.
"It’s been an amazing fit," the Akron resident said. "We not only jive as musicians; we have all become close friends as well."
Reichard first performed live with Urban Honey in December.
Musically, Schwenk said, "Christine adds a little bit of gracefulness to the chaos."
The EP "Nectar" is a "hard rock album that has the blues influences," Schwenk said. "You can feel the jazz influences at times."
Schwenk admits his own guitar work is loose, raw and intuitive.
"A lot of people are going to tell you it sounds sloppy," he said. "I don't really care; it just sounds like me. ... There's going to be guys who play more complicated and more refined stuff, and that's fine."
Schwenk said "there's a sag" to his own work.
Thick, snarling guitar riffs anchor each song. Think Jimmy Page meets Dan Auerbach.
Reichard sings both with finesse and brawn. Her range, sass and command meshing with the instrumental interplay of Schwenk, Oaks and drummer Josh Campian.
Recorded by Ron Flack at Realgrey Records in Canton, winning tracks include JayBird. Menacing guitar play opens the song before Schwenk bites hard into a riff. Thunderous percussion joins in as the band settles into a jazzy groove. Reichard keeps pace, her attitude and fire equal to the heft.
"We had so much fun recording with him," Reichard said of Flack. "The entire experience has really been amazing. He captured our sound so perfectly..."
More:Ron Flack is all about keeping it real at Realgrey Records
Brightening the EP is "On My Mind," a head-bobbing, galloping tune. A chant punctuates the chorus: "Hey! Hey! Hey!"
Schwenk said he thrives on the organic nature of the band. "I think the next batch of songs is going to take a lot of people off guard," he said, noting the EP was produced by Joel Maze.
"Especially tonally, I'm going to be doing a lot of different things on guitar," he said. "I'm listening to a lot of different stuff and interpreting that into my playing, and you grow.
"But Urban Honey ... musically, there's going to be some cool stuff going on."
"Christina is a phenomenal pianist, so there's different avenues we can take there," he added.
As for the band's goal, Schwenk doesn't look too far ahead.
"I think everybody wants to just keep moving; you just keep going," he said. "I don't think there's an option to stop. If you love doing it, you would go broke for it."
The band is still developing its sound, Reichard said. "We look forward to showcasing our compositional flexibilities."
Scott Paris knows the music business.
A full-time, working musician for 15 years, the Stark County native toured nationally with Broken Transmitter before the group disbanded. He's currently the bassist for popular area band Hey Monea.
But Paris seems most comfortable in the simplicity of his home studio.
With more than 200 songs published, Paris first released music as The Paris Accord last November. "I'm just a dude who loves to write music," he said. "And I'm doing it in my room."
Paris created the EP using CoolEdit Pro.
"It's on a computer that's 20 years old," he said, laughing and noting that a newer version of the software has been updated and rebranded as Adobe Audition.
Working solo has both its advantages and drawbacks, Paris said.
"Honestly, it's two edges of the same sword," he said of playing all instruments on the EP while handling production. "The freedom to do any idea that comes to mind (is the pro), and not having someone to kind of keep you accountable or tell you when you are going overboard is the con."
Paris has scaled back the instrumentation on this effort so it can be performed live with three other musicians – Sean Paris, guitar and vocals; Andy Bors, bass and vocals; and Kevin Six, drums. Outside opinions also were sought during the recording.
Paris got hooked on alternative rock at age 10. Discovering Nirvana's landmark album, "Nevermind" did the trick. Radiohead became a favorite band, too.
"My musical appreciation started in the late '80s and early '90s," Paris said. "So that sensibility is kind of ingrained in the way I like to write, and I love modern alternative rock as well."
Standout tracks include "Wishing Well," which pleasantly coasts along with a Dave Matthews Band vibe before taking flight vocally with a hooky radio-friendly chorus. Breezy electric guitar riffing complements a piece retroactively destined for a late '90s alt-pop greatest hits collection.
"Bring the Car Around" is another example of alt-pop songcraft — this time with echoes of Duncan Sheik.
On a bed of clean electric guitar, Paris sings in a subdued yet impassioned manner. At just over three minutes, the song never veers far from its melodic tempo and pleasantly lingers in your head long after it's over.
Recreating its sound live with four members, The Paris Accord is scheduled to perform on Nov. 19 at The Auricle in downtown Canton. Also on the bill are Twin Atomic and BORS. The show starts at 7 p.m.
Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com. On Twitter: @ebalintREP.