Dayton’s music scene is similar to Cincinnati’s in that they’ve both given rise to a great number of bands that represent the incredible musical diversity within the respective band communities.
The Werks are one of Dayton’s more recent success stories; the Jamadelic quartet officially formed five years ago and in that brief time the band has released three studio albums and a live set, become a fixture on the national festival circuit and even launched their own annual event, The Werk Out Music and Arts Festival.
Last year, jambase.com, Jam’s premiere online presence, reported that The Werks were the site’s No. 2 most-searched band, second only to the godfathers of Jam, Phish. Earlier this year, the Werks surpassed Phish to take the No. 1 slot.
Named after their first meal together, The Werks have endured a couple of personnel shifts along the way: The band’s current lineup consists of co-founders Chris Houser (guitar) and Chris Chafin (drums), joined in 2008 by keyboardist Norman Dimitroleas, followed by his bassist brother Dino in 2011 (both had been members of popular Dayton band, The Maji).
One of the keys to the Werks’ success has been their acceptance of concert taping from the outset; the Internet Music Archive (archive.org) currently has close to 60 Werks concerts available for free download. They’ve described their sound as “Psychedelic Dance Rock” and utilize Space Rock, Jamtronica, Funk and classic ’60s Psychedelia.
The Werks’ self-titled third album — released this past spring and easily their best work to date — was clearly the catalyst for their rise to jambase.com’s top position, so set your controls for the heart of Ohio and tell them to give you The Werks.
THE WERKS perform Saturday, Oct. 27 at Madison Theater in Covington. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.
