For Akron Rockers Indré, Federal Frenzy is the Starting Line
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – When it comes to making a career as a rock band, the members of Indré are all in.
The Akron-based pop-rock band has already established itself on its home turf and is now looking beyond the horizon.
Its upcoming summer tour will see the act make its first foray into the West, with 20 shows in 30 days in college towns and big cities from Ohio to California.
“We never did anything like this before,” said Maddie Indré, the band’s namesake, singer, songwriter and frontwoman. “It’s the first big tour for us, and the first of many we will do, because we want to do this full time.”
The whole band is prepared to do whatever it takes. Lead guitarist Christopher Brown is even quitting his job as a teacher.
The other band members are Sam Merendino (drums), Matt Zimmerman (bass) and Angelo Indré (keys), who is Maddie’s brother. Merendino and Zimmerman teach music remotely, while Maddie is a yoga instructor who offers online classes.
The band still has some unfinished business to take care of before the tour, including its Youngstown debut at the Federal Frenzy music festival on Saturday, April 22. Indré will perform a 40-minute set on the main stage at 5:20 p.m.
The festival will take place on the east end of downtown. There will be two stages indoors at Penguin City Brewing. The main stage will be on East Federal Street, while a secondary outdoor stage will be near The Youngstown Flea building. Admission is free. Music starts at 2 p.m. and continues until 11 p.m.
Maddie launched her career about five years ago as a solo artist with a folky flavor. Lately, she has been drawing praise for her punchy songs and a voice that can reach the upper octaves.
Indré – the band – has also caught a lot of eyes with its videos, which employ tactics ranging from musical theater-worthy choreography (“Nostalgic Candy”) to stop-motion animation (“Tomorrow”) to just clever camera work (“Golden Hour,” “Shadow Shadow”).
Like everything with the band, the videos are made with a minimum of outside help.
“I come up with the concepts and spend a lot of time putting it all together,” Maddie said. She’ll devise the art concept and storyline for the video and then works with Claymore Pictures of Akron to get it on camera.
Angelo Indré has also shot some of the band’s videos, including “Tomorrow” and “Shadow Shadow.” For the latter video, Angelo and Maddie built a zoetrope – an old-fashioned toy used to animate shadows on a wall – from a discarded beach umbrella they bought on Craig’s List and some cardboard.
Maddie released her second album, “Misfits in the Sun,” in 2021, while still a solo artist. It was a follow-up to her debut, “Serenity.”
She and the band are working on a new batch of songs. “The new ones have more of an edge, more energetic, more pop-rock,” she said. They will be rolled out once a month beginning in May.
With the cross-country tour looming, the next project for the band is finding a vehicle. Toward that end, Indré has set up a Gofundme.com account and has booked a show in Barberton on May 26, at which the band will give fans a sneak peak of its new material.
Indre has two other regional shows before the summer tour: a May 13 date opening for The Vindys at The Goodyear Theater in Akron, and a May 27 date in support of Cream Camino at Westside Bowl in Youngstown.
Pictured at top: Indré is Maddie Indré, Angelo Indré, Chris Brown, Sam Merendino and Matt Zimmerman. (Photo by Faith Peplowski)
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
