Veteran members of Dayton, Ohio’s stellar Indie music scene made some music news headlines in 2013, and the news ranged from sad (Kim Deal quitting Pixies) to glorious (The Breeders’ successful tour for Last Splash’s 20th anniversary) to kinda weird (Guided By Voices’ drummer getting the boot for trying to use the GBV name to sell his kit on eBay at an inflated price).
But dig a little beneath the moves of the more widely known Dayton artists and you’ll find an assortment of less-known but still great bands doing great things in (and outside of) the Gem City.
One of the leading lights is the hyper-melodic Pop Rock outfit Motel Beds, which has been kicking around since the early ’00s, gradually building up a stack of fawning press notices and a loyal fan base. By 2007, the quintet stabilized its lineup and began a prolific period that produced a trio of releases during 2009-2010, including the band’s first full-length album, Feelings. A year later, Motel Beds followed their debut LP up with their second album, Sunfried Dreams and, also in 2011, their third full-length, Tango Boys, for which Motel Beds hooked up with North Carolina-based imprint No More Fake Labels.
Perhaps due to the large amount of material put out in a short span, coupled with the band adding more fans with each successive release, Motel Beds partnered with Dayton-based Misra Records for These Are the Days Gone By, which collects some re-mastered highlights from the group’s past few recordings. The retrospective is an excellent representation of Motel Beds’ incredibly catchy Pop style, which shows influence from the best highly melodic Rock artists of the past 50 years (from the British Invasion to the Indie/Garage Pop of the ’90s and beyond).
The release of These Are the Days Gone By is being celebrated this weekend with shows in Cincinnati and Dayton. The first 500 copies each feature different covers designed by artists from the Kettering, Ohio nonprofit We Care Arts, which provides art therapy workshops for the physically and mentally handicapped. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the album will be donated to the organization.
MOTEL BEDS plays a free show at MOTR Pub on Friday, Jan. 17. Click here for more info .
