The Kyle Sowashes

By John Ross


In the past two years, Andre the Giant, a Chinese finger trap from GameWorks, a moldy saxophone case, beer, Mountain Dew and the best-selling albums of Fleetwood Mac all have made their way into the songs of Kyle Sowash.

Some of these odd topics ring out in song titles, while others remain hidden between a rough strum of an electric guitar or a gutsy wail just slightly out of tune. Some represent greater, metaphorical meaning; others are simple testament to a crazy night on one of the local stages taken regularly by Sowash since moving to town from Lubbock, Texas, in 2001.

A collection of useless non sequiturs in the wrong hands, this simple, often outlandish fodder becomes, in Sowash's deft hands, some of the most peculiar and endearing indie rock in Columbus.

This weekend at Andyman's Treehouse, The Kyle Sowashes, the musician's eponymous band, will release Yeah Buddy!, a polished full-length disc that holds much of his best work to date. With a close listen to its 13 songs, you can get to know the local dental hygienist and longtime indie frontman like he's an old drinking buddy.

"I think the songs have more substance to them now than they did in the past," said Sowash, eating a plate of meatloaf and drinking beer last week in German Village. "In the past, they were goofy, or about something super-serious. Now they rest comfortably in the middle."

Amid a saccharine track borrowing from Screeching Weasel and Sebadoh, Sowash realizes the folly of his crush on Stevie Nicks when compared to the love he feels for his fiancee. "Oh the Shame," another winning combination of catchy lead guitar and stout rhythm, tackles a trip to Pizza Hut after an embarrassing night on stage.

Sowash is a person of pleasant quirks gradually revealed in a soft voice, a sly, subtle sense of humor and bizarre road stories compiled during a life observed passionately and with a kind heart. The comfortable middle he describes in his songwriting comes partly from a greater ability to pour this personality into his music without fear.

Buddy also benefits from a more solid band that provides a perfect backbone for Sowash's unique ideas. Cemented from a revolving door of locals, the core group — Dan Bandman (drums), Brian Freshour (bass), Sean Gardner (keys), Justin Hemminger (guitar) and Lonn Schubert (bass) — plans to continue playing around Ohio and touring throughout the Midwest and East Coast.

"A lot of it has to do with food," Sowash said with a laugh, noting that weekend tours aren't complete without cheese steaks in Philadelphia or hot dogs in Athens. "Everyone looks forward to those weekend trips. We're not out to take over the world, but we have fun with what we do."


What: The Kyle Sowashes CD Release Party

When: Friday, March 28

Where: Andyman's Treehouse, Grandview

Web: myspace.com/kylesowash - columbus alive

Fire Note Says: Yeah Buddy! will remind you of why you like indie rock in the first place!

Album Review:
Columbus Ohio�s Kyle Sowashes rekindle the jangle indie rock of the early 90�s when music was more straightforward and simple. The group relies on a full band sound supporting leader Sowash as he tackles each track with a bursting throttle vocal that guides them through the pop gems he has created. Yeah Buddy! shows off the fun and crazy side of Sowash as the subjects hit on Andre The Giant, Fleetwood Mac and making mix tapes for his brother in Korea. What I really liked about Yeah Buddy! was that it contains all of the elements of classic indie rock with Dinosaur Jr. like guitar, a frontman that waffles his sound between Mac from Superchunk or Chuck Cleaver in the Ass Ponys to the harder driving punk edge of an Archers Of Loaf, while still making their own niche with quality songs, catchy choruses and putting a 100% into the recording. The Kyle Sowashes are not going to change your life but I guarantee that this album will grow on you with every listen because it has a retro-cool vibe and energy to it that will play perfectly on a nice warm day with the windows down. Yeah Buddy! is a great statement that straight up indie rock is alive and well in the Midwest, so be sure to search out The Kyle Sowashes to get your fix.

Bands With Similar Fire:
Ass Ponys
Dinosaur Jr.
Superchunk

by Sam Damatta - firenote.blogspot.com

With the exception of the forthcoming debut by Lydia Loveless, there isn’t another local release that I’ve been anticipating more than The Kyle Sowashes‘ Yeah Buddy. I was tempted to call Kyle the “everyman of Columbus indie rock� - he plays the part perfectly, from the look (scruffy beard, glasses) to the sounds he creates (think 1991 Chapel Hill, North Carolina). But Kyle is anything but the everyman. Guys like Kyle aren’t truly appreciated until after they’ve left a scene, either by finally throwing in the towel or picking up stakes and moving on to the next opportunity in another city. Kyle is a die-hard supporter of the Columbus music scene, you’ll find him out and about taking in the sights and sounds of what this city has to offer musically. And if you hear about a great show coming to town, your first thought should be “I wonder if Kyle helped book this?� as he’s brought some of indie rock’s elite to town over the past few years (Eric Bachmann, Adam Franklin, Karl Hendrix Trio, etc.).

That enthusiasm and passion is carried over to the music, his latest efforts under his own name showing a maturity that his earlier efforts as leader of Tom Foolery and the Mistakes may have been missing. What you see is what you get lyrically. While so many pretentious songwriters say, “The lyrics are open to your interpretation. It’s up to you to decide what the song is about,� Kyle doesn’t beat around the bush with vague lyrics. You want to know what’s going on in his life? Just give Yeah Buddy a spin. Kyle will tell you about how he’s in search of a new job in “My Resume� (�I think it’s time I got a new job / Or started looking around at least�), his failure to follow through on making a mix tape for a friend in “Korea� (�A week or two that’s what I promised you / Thought it was something I could do / But I was wrong�), or about a touring band he was trying to trade shows with in “Yr Band Flaked Out On Me� (�I totally got you guys on this awesome show up here back in December / That you apparently don’t remember�).

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how much Kyle’s (relatively) new band mates have brought to the music. Joined by Justin Hemminger (guitars), Brian Freshour (bass), Sean Gardner (keys) and Dan Bandman (drums), Kyle has created a release that could (and should) proudly sit amongst the finest by Guided By Voices, Pavement, Archers of Loaf, Built to Spill and Superchunk. Yeah Buddy indeed!

-Chip Midnight - donewaiting.com

The Kyle Sowashes - Yeah Buddy! (We Want Action Records)

Now here's a band that knows how to bring the angst! Tuneful, alternative, off-kilter music that reeks with irony ("Only Time Will Tell") and a history buff’s fascination about world issues ("Korea.")

There's even one song ("Cutout Bin," one of the album’s best) about a band's opportunity to make or break; the band puts a constant, catchy beat over a simple narrative that tells a story just about every indie-rock band can relate too. In fact, this whole album is about the trials and tribulations of youth ("Rumors,") bands ("Yr Band Flaked Out On Me" - two versions,) and... the classifieds ("My Resume"). Now over the years I've heard of singers who could supposedly “sing the phone book and make it interesting� (Sinatra & Springsteen leap to mind,) but this is the first band I’ve heard where it feels like they could literally WRITE about the phone book and make it fun! The Kyle Sowashes (they're from Ohio, and are named after one of the band members) take an extremely fresh approach to everyday subjects, adding super-catchy melodies that really perk your interest! How many bands do you know that can write an interesting tune about having a crush of Stevie Nicks, the sexy, singing siren from Fleetwood Mac (haven't we all, at one time or another - c'mon admit it!) Like I said, The Kyle Sowashes take a fresh approach to music - a VERY fresh approach! - Phil Rainone - jerseybeat.com

In early 2005, Indie Pop singer/songwriter Kyle Sowash wrapped up a nearly 10-year run as the singer/guitarist for Tom Foolery and The Mistakes, a Columbus band whose straight-faced goofiness seemed to confound music critics. Most reviewers were put off by the band's credo of not taking itself too seriously -- covering Lionel Ritchie's "Hello," blissfully recalling the Indie Rock hey-days of the early '90s (particularly Archers of Loaf, a band only a music critic would ever even remember), being too "lo-fi" and playing with a ramshackle abandon were just some of the Mistakes' cardinal Indie hipster sins. You'd think the band name would be a tip off. Anyway, Sowash has now gone "solo" as The Kyle Sowashes (a real "band" live; recording is all Sowash) and the past critiques haven't affected his approach at all. In fact, on his entertaining solo debut, the soon-to-be-released What's Important (And What's Not), he embraces his past "transgressions" wholeheartedly. Due on the Kettering, Ohio-based Bettawreckonize imprint (from the creators of the Indie-friendly online 'zine of the same name), What's Important is in the vein of Adam Green and The Hold Steady, artists whose wry and dry wit is just as important as the melodies and performances. Largely taking the laid-back, under-tuned and under-polished approach of "vintage" Indie (Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, etc.), Sowash's songs aren't groundbreaking and the playing is far from virtuoso-worthy. But, coupled with a sublime sense of humor, his shaggy, untidy Pop tunes (which do feature some great, classic hooks) are irresistible. If the sprightly "Pitchforks" isn't the first song to go after the Indie snob blowhards at online 'zine, Pitchforkmedia.com, then it's certainly the most cleverly acerbic, with lines like "Nothing has (impressed you) since 1999/When you saw The Make Up for the very first time" and "It turns out you don't have much to say/But you say it anyway." "The 8 Track Recorder" implores a bitter Rock Star wannabe to take their recording machine back to the store ("Tell them you want your money back/Cause track 6 doesn't work anymore") and Sowash gets into the mind of an earnest cover-band maestro (and extols the genius of Richard Marx and Tevin Campbell) on "Shadows of My Stevens." It's not rocket science (Yngwie Malmsteen is still making records if you're aching for overly technical drivel), but it's a heck of a lot of fun.

- Mike Breen, Cincinnati City Beat - Mike Breen

For years, Columbus resident Kyle Sowash spent his spare time regaling audiences with funny songs including "Rick Moranis," "Being Awesome" and Captain & Tennille's "Love Will Keep Us Together." His band had one of the worst, but most appropriate names ever -- Tom Foolery and the Mistakes -- and made at least a couple of stops in Pittsburgh.

But now Sowash is concentrating on the serious endeavor of making catchy, anthemic indie rock -- the Midwestern kind, lost to history since the days of his fellow Buckeyed statesmen Guided By Voices, Scrawl and Great Plains.

Sowash still has quite a witty way with songcraft. Local pop-music maven Ed Masley and his band Breakup Society would surely be among those envying a turn of phrase like this one on "All Those Beers Ago": "So shocked that I'm so fed up / With that stupid glam-rock getup / You said I should try to keep my head up."

That song and others of equal aplomb are featured on What's Important (and What's Not), the debut by The Kyle Sowashes, a revolving-door cast of characters from the Columbus indie scene. Who will show up with Kyle is anyone's guess, but for maximum indie hipness, request "Pitchforks" and grin out loud to the best lyric of the week: "Select a record from the pile of those to review / But it just don't impress you / And nothing has since 1999 / When you saw the Make Up for the very first time."

charming album of indie rock so old-fashioned I don't even remember the bands this sounds like - Archers of Loaf? Haywood? Pavement? Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Sogwash and his rotating-door orchestra excel at the classic sugar-sweet indie rock sound from way back in the early 90's - oh! it feels like another lifetime for those of us who came of age back in those days.

Song-wise, Sogwash has a knack for pop hooks, though at times - one time at least - the songs verge on the spoken word and make me think of the Anticon sound. In places the songwriting suffers from a cloying humor and awkward phrasing - take for example the first song where worn Velcro stands as a metaphor for failed love, or the telling song title of track eight, "A Faster Asshole".

Sogwash has that typically nerdy, reaching voice and he mixes it up with the occasional falsetto ooh-ooh chorus. The guitars too are right in the rag-tag indie-rock mould crafted by early Pavement and others like them.

The production values seem to vary from song to song, which isn't such a bad thing - back in the days when this type of music was current we were all recording on 4-tracks anyway, and What's Important (And What's Not) has that 4-track quality. It's refreshing to hear in this day and age of digital precision and auto-tuned vocals.

Highlights include "Pitchforks" and the album's arguably finest moment, "The 8 Track Recorder" - a song so historically accurate as to make those of us old enough to remember feel like we're right back there in 1993.

- Manny Theiner, Pittsburgh City Paper - Manny Theiner

For years Kyle was a member of the Ohio based band Tom Foolery and the Mistakes. Now he strikes out on his own with a firebrand of an indie pop album. Armed with deconstructive guitars and lo-fi abandon, Kyle and company set off on a beautiful journey rediscovering the Beach Boys and old dusty cassettes filled with rock bands that even the hippest college radio DJs wouldn’t touch. “What’s Important…� might be fit for a 12� LP but this isn’t as retro as you might imagine. Good rock-n-roll with a heart for a change.

- J-Sin (Link to this music review) - J-Sin

The Kyle Sowashes - What's Important (and What's Not) Review

Remember my Fine Dining Review? If you want, you can read that right now by clicking on 'Fine Dining Review". Did you read it? Great.

Kyle Sowash, aka Tom Foolery of Tom Foolery and the Mistakes, has ditched the pseudonym and is going out on his own in this big, scary world. It's ok though, because he's bringing some stalwart musical influences to keep him company: Pavement, Guided by Voices, Yo La Tengo, Superchunk, etc. Expect all the 'woo-woos', little guitar hooks, some not-really harmonies, catchy melodies, analog tape, 'quirky' humor, et cetera, that comes with the territory.

Let it be known: this record is a testament to what happens to college-rock musicians that hold on too long. Fine Dining, take note. Sowash has written “Being an Underemployed, Underappreciated Musician for Dummies�.

But c'est la vie, these gripes come with the territory. What's Important and What's Not is a no-holds-barred, barbed-wire old indie-rock nostalgia cagematch, and Kyle Sowash unashamedly has the chair.

The lyrics are built on a foundation of self-effacement and dry humor. In "Shadow of my Stephens" Sowash promises that "if I could put into a song the way I feel about you, (baby, yo) that would be so awesome" but "I just can't write the hits". In "In the Mail", a member of the Kyle Sowash's fan club wins "the remnants of [his] life's destruction" on Ebay.

Sure, writing songs about being an unknown loser drinking beers in parking lots isn't really glamorous, but it rings true. Between taking swipes at himself, Sowash targets white-belted hipster music critics, the scene, and life in general. More than once he comes across as being more than a little bitter, but he presents his empty plate with a smile.

The ‘he hate me’ aesthetic is artfully presented. This record, 28 minutes of enjoyable pop songs, is itself a tribute to enjoyable little pop songs of yesteryear. I can't imagine Kyle Sowash was trying to write the album of the year, nor would he think himself capable of doing so.

From upon his pedestal of obscurity, Kyle Sowash is directing his nihilistic/nostalgic message to the American people, whether they care or not. - Radio Free Tobias

The Kyle Sowashes
What's Important (And What's Not)
Bettawreckonize, 2006

A charming album of indie rock so old-fashioned I don’t even remember the bands this sounds like – Archers of Loaf? Haywood? Pavement? Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Sogwash and his rotating-door orchestra excel at the classic sugar-sweet indie rock sound from way back in the early 90’s – oh! it feels like another lifetime for those of us who came of age back in those days.

Song-wise, Sogwash has a knack for pop hooks, though at times – one time at least – the songs verge on the spoken word and make me think of the Anticon sound. In places the songwriting suffers from a cloying humor and awkward phrasing – take for example the first song where worn Velcro stands as a metaphor for failed love, or the telling song title of track eight, “A Faster Asshole�.

Sogwash has that typically nerdy, reaching voice and he mixes it up with the occasional falsetto ooh-ooh chorus. The guitars too are right in the rag-tag indie-rock mould crafted by early Pavement and others like them.

The production values seem to vary from song to song, which isn’t such a bad thing – back in the days when this type of music was current we were all recording on 4-tracks anyway, and What’s Important (And What’s Not) has that 4-track quality. It’s refreshing to hear in this day and age of digital precision and auto-tuned vocals.

Highlights include “Pitchforks� and the album’s arguably finest moment, “The 8 Track Recorder� – a song so historically accurate as to make those of us old enough to remember feel like we’re right back there in 1993.

Gordon B. Isnor - Gordon B. Isnor

If you've attended a show in Columbus in the last decade, you've probably seen Kyle Sowash. As leader of the twee indie rock trio Tom Foolery and the Mistakes, he's played on nearly every stage that will have him. And more than likely you've come to take his humorous tales of the mundane as truths to which you were always too jaded to admit.

Even when he performs alone, accompanied only by his trusty acoustic guitar, he exudes the spirit of a full band. So it was only a matter of time before he trudged out on his own with What's Important (And What's Not) (Betta Wreckonize Media), the first disc from the Kyle Sowashes.

There's nothing stylish or self-important about the record, only 10 strong-willed songs mocking everything from rock critics to collegiate life, which shows Sowash has grown into his goofy skin without one iota of regret.

- Kevin Elliott, Columbus Alive - Kevin Elliott, Columbus Alive