“Nowadays, it seems every band meshes together and originality is farfetched. So stumbling past the Atticus: Drag The Lake Volume 3 in 2004 and finding the melodic masterpiece single Smile You’ve Won by Lydia was nothing short of a miracle. Lydia, is a six-piece indie band that started in Gilbert, Arizona in 2003 who creates a genius, harmonic blend with male and female vocals.”
“

Nowadays, it seems every band meshes together and originality is farfetched. So stumbling past the Atticus: Drag The Lake Volume 3 in 2004 and finding the melodic masterpiece single Smile You’ve Won by Lydia was nothing short of a miracle. Lydia, is a six-piece indie band that started in Gilbert, Arizona in 2003 who creates a genius, harmonic blend with male and female vocals. Lydia played at The Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights on March 2 with the Brooklyn-based band Black Gold.

This oh-so-talented band consists of Leighton Antelman (lead vocals), Steve McGraw (guitar), Jed Dunning (bass guitar), Mindy White (vocals, keyboard), Ethan Koozer (guitar) and Craig Taylor (drums). We had a show booked and we needed a name and Steve was like, ‘How about Lydia,’ says Antelman about the band’s name. The band originated with Antelman and McGraw who decided to form the band their senior year of high school. Changes occurred over time with members, but their current line-up is the official one.

It’s cool, the first record we came out with was a lot more underground and now that we have a bigger push for promotions for the new record a lot more people come out, and they know the first record too, Antelman said about their first headlining tour. Along with the tour, they also just produced and put out their first music video I woke up near the sea, which is an amazing single off their sophomore album Illuminate.

The set that Lydia played on March 2 included music from both of their records Illuminate and This December: It’s One More and I’m Free. Not only did they continually impress the crowd with perfect vocals and precise instrumentation, but they also played song after song and even came back at the crowd’s requests and played three additional songs.

Lydia is a band that is breathtaking with lyrics that keep you coming back for more, a unique sound that can get you lost inside the harmony and the capabilities to do just as marvelous live. They will continue to tour through this month and recently announced additional dates with band Owl City, including another appearance at The Grog Shop on May 11. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door.

To listen to Lydia’s music, go to: www.myspace.com/lydia or www.purevolume.com/lydia.

“