The Enquirer

When it came time to assemble a rhythm section, Curt Kiser snagged two of the biggest names in town.

Kiser is the principal in Carriers, the Cincinnati rock band readying its debut album, “Now Is The Time For Loving Me, Yourself & Everyone Else.”

The nine-song set has an official release date on Aug. 23 via Good Eye Records, a Brooklyn-based label.

Playing drums on the album is Bryan Devendorf of the band The National. John Curley of the Afghan Whigs plays bass and recorded the album at his studio, Ultrasuede.

“The thing just kind of evolved naturally and it just got out of hand,” Curley laughs, explaining the origins of the local super-group session. “We started getting into it and he mentioned he knew Bryan from The National and it just kind of grew. I didn’t think it would be a whole album but it grew into that.”

Curley recorded one of Kiser’s previous bands, Enlou. (Kiser was also a member of the Cincinnati indie band Pomegranates.) Kiser traces his relationship with Devendorf back to the Cincinnati Zoo. Devendorf invited Kiser over to his house for a barbeque after Kiser spotted him.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

“I was working at the LaRosa’s at the zoo,” Kiser recalls. “I was like, ‘You’re the drummer from The National, right?’ And he was like, ‘You’ve heard of us?’ ”

The friendships with Curley and Devendorf got Kiser halfway there; the quality of Kiser’s demos was a convincing factor.

Michael Wilson/Provided

“There’ve been a lot of artists that I appreciate that have been appreciative of Carriers. Having John and Bryan was the beginning, where I was like, ‘Maybe these songs are cool or my voice is cool or people could dig this.’ I never sang songs up until Carriers. In Pomegranates, I would sing a few parts, but I never thought my songs would be heard,” says Kiser, who has also developed a network with musicians outside the city limits who are now members of the Carriers appreciation society. “Dave Hartley from the War on Drugs has been really encouraging, and he may play with me on my next album. Sharon Van Etten is someone I really look up to, and she put Carriers in her recommended-listening list inside of her vinyl on this record that just came out (‘Remind Me Tomorrow’).”

It took over two years to make “Now Is The Time For Loving Me, Yourself & Everyone Else” as sessions were scheduled around the touring schedules of The National and the Afghan Whigs. Yet the songs seemed to be bound together by a unified message, recognizable in titles like “Patience,” “Piece of Mind” and “Now is the Time.”

“I think a constant theme running through my songs is dealing with what life throws as me and my situations, difficulties and struggles that I kind of have, but then there’s this hope that holds it all together,” Kiser explains. “These songs are like my thoughts and prayers and questions. Some things feel like things that God is saying or has said to me, or something in my spirit or soul that gives me this encouragement or healing to get through the day. It’s just my faith or my outlook on, for me, believing that I’m loved and being able to love myself well.

“The whole idea of Carriers is being able to carry people into a place or atmosphere where they can receive healing or feel hope or know they’re just not alone, or just have some music that can be calming,” he says. “It’s more so dealing with life struggles as a man and a human and just trying to hold on hope. Like ‘Patience,’ for instance – it’s not always better on the other side, just contentment and appreciating where I’m at.”

Carriers summer tour dates

7/24: Schuba's Tavern; Chicago

7/26: PJ's Lager House; Detroit

7/27: 20 Front Street; Lake Orion, Mich

7/28: Ace of Cups; Columbus

7/29: Do317 Lounge & Gallery; Indianapolis