*an additional $3 will be charged at the door for patrons under 21*
SOUNDS LIKE: GILLIAN WELCH, INGRID MICHAELSON, JOHN PRINE, RYAN ADAMS, TOM WAITS
Called “Perhaps the best folk duo our region has to offer” (The Historic Southgate House), Shiny and the Spoon portray the intimacy of Johnny Cash and June Carter, with head-turning vocals and a vibrant acoustic core, complimented by sprinklings of ukulele, guitar, harmonica, and good old-fashioned boot-stompin’. Their debut and home-recorded EP earned nods from Cincinnati publications such as CityBeat and the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, as well as the renowned UK webzine “Americana UK” who called it “an accomplished debut that does exactly what an EP should, makes you want more of the same.”
Original members Amber Nash and Jordan Neff first met in late 2008, and felt an immediate and easy chemistry. Partially a blind date, the elementary school teacher first laid eyes on a lanky Jordan Neff while he was entertaining guests with an impromptu accordian concert at a party. Within a month, they had formed a duo, “quickly turning every head in the region." (The Historic Southgate House)
Joined in 2011 by music veterans Pete Brown on upright bass, and Matt Frazer on drums, the group has quickly moved from house concerts to bandstands, offering new audiences the same unadorned simplicity as before, as though the couches had only been pushed far enough away from the stage to allow a better view. Shiny and the Spoon offers a sound that blends the heart of American folk music with catchy-pop melody lines and lyrics that portray “a deep current of romantic skepticism that runs just beneath the calm surface” (Ric Hickey, Adventures of a Loose Wreck). It is this quality, unusual to such young songwriters, that has quickly made Shiny and the Spoon one of the region’s most acclaimed folk acts. Their surge in popularity is marked by the creation of a “Shiny and the Spoon” sandwich by local lunch hot spot, Tom + Chee.
After launching their first full-length album, “Ferris Wheel,” to a packed house, the group, fronted by Nash and Neff, continue to garner attention and fans with their genuine demeanor and honest and simple sound. The album recently earned the 6th position in CityBeat's list, Top 100 Local Music Releases of 2011. Produced by John Curley of Ultrasuede Studio, the release promises to “raise them to the big leagues.” (AltOhio)