An opera singer, a jazz musician and a hippie walk into a bar… No seriously. The paths that these musicians took to get to each other has been vast. However, the after hearing Evening Redness, it will make you wonder what took them so damn long.

Vocalist Brent Billock confronts these darker tones with a defiant yell, as dramatic as the third act of any opera. That comes naturally, as he spent 12 years tackling lead tenor roles on operatic stages throughout the U.S. before finally deciding to pick up a guitar and tell his own story.

Drummer Aaron Williams’ Texas home housed a big musical family, with a stockpile of instruments that were as likely to be used for marching band as for classic rock. His musical journey included jazz, funk and classical studies at TCU, a multicultural stint in Germany, then on to Cincinnati, where he has performed with various bands including prog-metal rockers Kill the Messenger.

A founding member of CincyPunk Fest favorites Shotgun on Blonde, Larry Geiger has given his lead guitar a more lyrical voice, full of bluesy angst to duet melodically with the operatic vocals.

Holding down the lower notes is veteran bassist Greg Greene. After 15 years with local jam band Fairbanks 142, Greg joined the group with a commitment to a driving groove and a solemn vow to never again play “Sympathy for the Devil”.

This blend of backgrounds gives Evening Redness genre-crossing muscle. Yet the band flexes it sparingly, bringing sonic interest to what remain completely accessible rock songs. There’s nothing here that anyone would call “experimental,” but each piece has just enough invention in it to sound like something new.

Come on out to support this new band on Thursday at Mayday in Northside!

Evening Redness

w/Jumpship Astronaut and Tim Moon

Mayday

Thursday May 15th

9p Doors / 10p Show