They combine classic and contemporary favorites in that space with very few of their songs and a lot of great, local midWest Ohio bands. If you go to their artist page, they have this playlist they’ve been making since 2016 of songs they dig. “They even lift other bands up in their space. They’re very positive and uplifting,” said Tarquinio. They’re also really lovely humans, and that comes across, as well. “The songs are great – the melodies, the lyrics, the guitar/banjo/keys combo they do. Such live performance growth is, more than anything, clearly traced to their music. Now, they’re going to be playing Brooklyn Steel.” I’ve seen them play a packed Bowery Ballroom show where everyone is singing along to every word and dancing with their neighbor they just met to a crowd amassing outside an impromptu set at Newport Folk. Meg Tarquinio, Senior Lead of Spotify’s Curation Strategy, commented on the band’s slow, but calculated, rise: “The interesting thing with them is it has been years. “So Cool” and “Books” have notched 14.3 million and 6.9 million streams, respectively. A set of EPs dropped in 2018, Boys (Side A) and Boys (Side B), pieced together as a complete album, and each release resulted in more streaming success. One-off single “Misty,” out late 2016, is currently approaching 20 million streams. Meanwhile, CAAMP’s streaming numbers continued to climb. “I told them they just needed to be out on the road,” said Sensenbrenner. Despite not being a perfect stylistic fit, the road experience was necessary. The band opened for alternative rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise on both fall 2016 and spring 2017 tours. “I wanted to foster that spirit and find appropriate partners I felt could further their ambition and audience but not do that in a way that would take control away from them.” Such free, independent spirit continued to be a driving force behind Sensenbrenner’s approach. They weren’t big-headed, and they didn’t want to sign a record deal or publishing deal.” I really believed in the music and the ability for it to find an audience if we could give it the time. “I landed, and they called me up to say, ‘We’d love to work with you.’ I think they just appreciated that I had enough respect for them to get on a plane and take a risk and meet them.”Ī deal was signed soon after, but there was no rush to move on to the next thing. Once back in New York, things were already in motion. It was important to meet them and spend time with them and get to know their home.” They have such a strong sense of home in their music, and a lot of their writing deals with that. “I very much want to meet artists where they are. From their perspective, I think it was pretty cool that someone from New York was going to fly to see them,” he said. Sensenbrenner hopped on a last minute flight and met the talent in their hometown “They were just a couple of guys in Columbus, Ohio and didn’t really know much of anything about the proper music industry, so to speak. I called them back the next day and was like, ‘If this isn’t too forward for you guys, I’d love to get on a plane and come see you and hang out for a couple of days.’” I had a Skype conversation with Taylor and Evan. “He had already been talking to them a little bit. I feel like if I go to Europe, I’m going to miss it and someone else will have scooped them up.’ I asked him if he could intro me to the band,” he remembered. “Jeff Koenig, who is now their attorney, sent me their music. In between touring legs, Sensenbrenner was taking a breather when an opportunity presented itself to strike while the iron was hot. Taylor’s voice is very much a one-of-a-kind and immediately recognizable.” I have a background in music, and I grew up in church choirs and majored in vocal performance myself, so I’m a voice guy. I felt like they had a knack for these sweeping melodies and catchy phrases. I found Taylor’s lyrics, in particular, to be very poetic and thoughtful and creative. “Their core songwriting really spoke to me. Coming from North Carolina, I grew up with a lot of folk music, classic rock ‘n roll, bluegrass and Americana,” he explained. “I’d been looking to work with another artist. Band manager Adam Sensenbrener (of Mick Management) soon caught wind of their music on a Spotify playlist and instantly connected to their work. Other songs like “All the Debts I Owe,” a road-weary tale of life’s heavy price, seemed to also connect in a big way – the song currently boasts 14 million streams. With the release of 2016’s self-titled debut record, they flexed not only a tenacious handling of traditional folk and bluegrass music but married their tight-knit playing with Meier’s incredibly powerful, vivid and visceral songwriting. “Ohio” had been added to a batch of other Spotify playlists, too, and the crashing streaming numbers sent the song into the Viral 50 chart.
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