Dayton-based Smug Brothers release first album
By: Katie Christoff – Asst. A&E Editor
Smug Brothers, a Dayton-based indie rock band, released its first full-length album Tuesday, Feb. 25. The band has been working on the album “On the Way to the Punchline” since early 2012.
In celebration of Smug Brothers’ first album, the band hosted a release party called “Cabin Break” last weekend. They chose the theme as a way to break up winter for everyone, and performed alongside other local bands including The 1984 Draft, Human Cannonball and the Turkish Delights.
“We’re influenced by a lot of British Invasion, New Wave, Post-punk, 90s indie sort of bands. It’s hook-heavy, guitar driven rock n’ roll,” Smug Brothers guitarist and vocalist Kyle Melton said to describe the sound. He said “On the Way to the Punchline” is an eclectic album with a variety of sounds, but it still ties together nicely.
Smug Brothers are managed by local label Gas Daddy Go!, which is run by Melton and the band’s drummer Don Thrasher. They revived the label, originally created by Thrasher, in 2011 after it was dormant for over a decade.
Thrasher and Melton are both music journalists in Dayton and recognized the need for a label like Gas Daddy Go! to work with the local bands they covered, according to Melton.
“There were a lot of bands here in Dayton that we wanted to work with to put out releases,” Melton said. “You can hear a lot of great, diverse talent right here in Dayton.”
Since reforming the label, Thrasher and Melton’s own band released “Treasure Virgins” EP in 2011 and “Strictly Triggers” EP in 2013 through Gas Daddy Go! The label also just released “On the Way to the Punchline,” which was the band’s first physical full-length album. They self-released a full-length album, “Fortune Rumors,” digitally in 2011.
Smug Brothers began working on “On the Way to the Punchline” shortly after “Fortune Rumors,” and it was originally slated for release in summer 2012. The band ground to a halt around that time and reconvened in spring 2013 with a new bassist. Smug Brothers now consists of Thrasher, Melton, bassist Larry Evans and guitarist Brian Baker.
When they began work on the album, they used a patchwork of songs they had recorded over the past few years. The final product was mixed and mastered by Motel Bates’ Darryl Robbins.
To download “On the Way to the Punchline,” visit sendspace.com/file/usk3eb. To hear more of Smug Brother’s music, visit smugbrothers.bandcamp.com. You can also check out the rest of the bands managed by Melton and Thrasher’s Gas Daddy Go! label at gasdaddygo.bandcamp.com.