Album Notes

RECENT REVIEWS

"A lot of demos and CDs come through the Indelicious offices, and opinions
vary, as everyone here has different tastes. So it's rare that something
grabs everyone's attention. Ohioan Viola has that ability.

It's hard to pigeon-hole Viola's debut disc "Far From the Maddening Crowd,"
as it spans many genres and tiptoes beautifully from one to the next,
maintaining surprising cohesion. Honestly, I can say that if you're a true
fan of music and prefer the classic focus on songwriting rather than flash,
you should give Viola a listen. You can yearn for the Beatles or Stones,
you can mourn the deaths of Elliott Smith and Nick Drake, or you can
celebrate the music of Viola. Yes, it's that good."

- Lance Haile - Indelicious.com


BIO

This singer-songwriter's voice has been called a "silent scream" by some. He delivers powerful feelings softly, letting his lyrics and guitar work convey the emotion while steering clear of any vocal "acting" or flashiness. To hear him play is more like listening in on a private moment than being performed to.

Sonically, viola's style is a mix of singer-songwriter (think Elliott Smith, Nick Drake and even 70s love-songsters Bread - who he cannot deny admiring) and '60s British Invasion, with a healthy dose of indie-rock on top. Not strictly a folkie, he's happy to throw in some garage rock drumming or Stones-inspired electric guitar here and there. It's indie-folk. Or maybe folk n' roll. Or maybe just honest music.

He's the former singer and songwriter for the Brit-rock inspired The Viola Contingent, who spent a few years in the Cleveland/Akron rock clubs before landing a song on CD Baby's "Best of 2001" compilation. This led to viola playing a series of solo shows in the Pacific Northwest to promote the band's CD, which hooked him on the idea of playing solo, acoustic shows when he got back to Cleveland.

Solo shows were put on hold though, while he played with Vanity Crash, nominated for "Best Pop/Rock Act" in the 2004 Cleveland Scene Magazine Music Awards (they didn't win). The band was named one of "Ten Local Bands to Watch in 2004" by the Cleveland Free Times.

Viola left VanityCrash in summer 2004 to spend more time on his singer/songwriter work. Retreating into his tiny home studio, he handled all the instruments and production duties on his debut "Far From the Maddening Crowd."

He's currently playing anywhere and everywhere acoustic and indie music are appreciated.