Dear ATVians,

Hoping that the thaw will hold through the week, this time I’m gonna endorse a trip down Akron-way this Saturday (1/30) to see the incredible Brooklyn-based indie rock troupe, The Antlers . Fronted by frontman Peter Silberman, who originally started The Antlers as a solo project, the band now features Silberman’s guitars and vocals complemented with powerful drumming courtesy Michael Lerner and an all-around instrumental assist from Darby Cicci.  The trio are currently touring in support of the band’s most recent (and astoundingly awesome) release, Hospice, which is somewhat of a concept record that deals with caring for a terminally ill person who is also emotionally abusive to the caregiver. Parts of this narrative are rooted in Silberman’s personal experiences, which makes sense given the clarity and conviction present when the confused and hurt emotions of such a tale come through.

Although the central conceptualization is clearly a dark and depressing one, the record itself is beautiful and challenging. There are several stand-out tracks (“Kettering,” “Sylvia,” “Bear”) that will be absolutely wonderful live, and I encourage each of you to make the trek to Akron’s Musica club. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance here.