Akron/Family

Akron/Family is a US experimental folk rock group from Williamsburg, United States. The band forms in 2002 and is active from 2002 to the present, though its live and recording activity becomes intermittent after 2013 as members focus on separate projects. Its core membership includes Seth Olinsky, Dana Janssen, Miles Seaton and Best of Seth, with Ryan Vanderhoof listed as a former member.

Style and performance

The group sits within folk rock, freak folk and psychedelic folk, and it also works in an experimental rock setting. Its songs combine acoustic and electric playing with improvisation, vocal harmonies and a multi-instrument approach. Although members are often assigned rough roles such as drummer, guitarist, bassist and vocalist, each plays several instruments and sings.

Recordings and collaborators

Akron/Family’s self-titled debut includes field recordings such as a creaking chair, thunderclaps and television noise alongside psychedelic and electronic elements, guitars and glockenspiel. The band releases its solo debut in 2005 and also plays with Michael Gira’s Angels of Light project, including a split full-length release with that group.

In 2006, the band issues Meek Warrior, an EP made with drummer Hamid Drake. That release ranges from more traditional folk material such as “Gone Beyond” to heavier electric pieces including “The Rider (Dolphin Song)” and “Blessing Force,” which ends in free jazz exploration.

Ryan Vanderhoof leaves sometime between the completion of Love Is Simple and the group’s 2007 US tour. The band also puts out several tour EPs containing demos and other recordings.

Later albums

In 2009, the trio releases Set ’em Wild, Set ’em Free, which mixes acoustic folk songs such as “Set ’em Free” with more intense, improvisational material like “Gravelly Mountains of the Moon.” In 2011, the band releases S/T II: The Cosmic Birth And Journey Of Shinju TNT. Its sixth studio album, Sub Verses, appears on Dead Oceans in 2013, followed by a tour through that year.

Related projects

After the 2013 tour, the members turn to individual work. Seth Olinsky begins Cy Dune, Dana Janssen starts Dana Buoy, and Miles Seaton pursues a solo career under his own name.