Leave it to the Crows, the debut album by Northern Michigan’s Dragonians leaves nothing for the birds! Fresh on northern Michigan’s hot music scene these guys are jammy and fun. With hip happening beats that make you want to tap your toes, they echo back to simpler time of melodious melodies. If you miss the wonderful stylings of band’s like Lou Reed’s Velvet Underground then the music stylings of the Dragonians is definitely for you. An Indie rock group who recently changed their name from Stereo Artifacts, the Dragonians seem ready to show Michigan’s music scene exactly what they are made of, and that is what they did with their new album Leave It to the Crows.
Fronted by the vocals, lyrics and musicianship of Dan Campbell and Lee Dyer (of Kellerville), the Dragonians offer the listener beautiful well crafted rock that will make you want to bop your night away. The ten year song writing relationship these two have built is beautifully illustrated in songs like White Lights and Nice Try which are well crafted and sure to bring this group a solid support base of listeners who love them. The guitar of Campbell and the bass of Dyer smoothly groove together like musical soulmates complimenting everything the other does.
Another layer is added to the sound of the Dragonians by the fun and catchy keyboard stylings of Joe Thompson, who seems like he was meant for the writing style of Dyer and Campbell. Echoing back to some of the best psychedelic Keyboardist of this century, Thompson never stops making it light and fun, adding a whole another dimension to songs like And the Sun Went Down, and Slippin’ Away. However, when Thompson steps back and takes a more supportive roll in songs like Sweet Blood and Above the Night, it shows that we can expect a lot from these guys in the future.
A good rock band is nothing without a steady beat and that is what percussionist and rock drummer Mohawk Binienda offers the listener as he leads this band with his constant and steady rhythm. Drumming is an art and where this group goes, Binienda is already there with his steady pulse. His ability to keep up and keep the rest on point is beautifully illustrated in the song Left Hands Down.
Songs like Walk with Me, illustrate the amazing musicianship Thompson, Dryer, and Campbell have together. Their hard hitting vocal melodies might be missed on some of the other rockier songs, but can not be missed on this number. I think that it shows the Dragonians are telling the Michigan music scene they are here to make waves, or blow fire, cuz they are hot! I personally am excited these guys found each other wavelengths so we all could tune in. I look forward to what they have in store for the listeners who find them. If you would like to catch the Dragonians live, they are playing the City Park Grill in Petoskey on January 8th and 9 with local northern Michigan favorite Biomassive. To learn more about the Dragonians and book them for your event, check out their facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StereoArtifacts and give them the like~!
