Colour Rise

What do you get when you mix passion, creativity, and coffee? An emotional indie rock band named Colour Rise.

Based in Port Clinton, this four piece band consists of members Dalton Harp on drums, Samuel Cromer on rhythm guitar and vocals, Nathan Foote on lead guitar, and Cody Hrynciw on bass. Despite the fact that Harp and Cromer have been jamming together for several years, Colour Rise is a relatively new band, having only been fully formed since February of 2014. Once the line-up was set, they set out with a goal of bringing raw emotions to life.

"We write our music because we want people to feel it," described Harp with excitement. "There are so many bands out there that just do the same thing and we wanted to do something different."

The band takes musical influence from their own ever changing personal tastes, including genres such as metal, blues, alternative, electronica, and rock. Together they create a unique sound, that is simple, yet has the power to both exhilarate and calm listeners. Lyrically speaking, Colour Rise finds inspiration from their own life experiences, which adds a empathetic factor and with the subtle use of metaphors, the meaning behind the words are open to interpretation.

Currently, Colour Rise is working on recording new music at Yeti Studio in Toledo, and hopes to release it, within the next couple months.

"I've been in bands that failed, but the music we make is so different," said Hrynciw. "We want to take our time and put passion into it."

While Colour Rise does not currently have any upcoming shows booked, they are in the process of planning their first tour, projected for Spring of 2015. They intend to perform at many Ohio venues in the surrounding area, and a few in Michigan as well.

"Although it is fun, we plan on trying to take this (Colour Rise) as far as it'll go," said Cromer, commenting on what he sees in the future for the band.

Colour Rise's single, "Parallel Lines and Perpendicular Sides" is available online at YouTube.com. You can follow the band on Facebook under the name Colour Rise, or on Twitter and Instagram using the handle @ColourRiseBand for constant updates and news.

"I don't see the point in living if you're not doing something you love," said Harp with certainty. "This music we make is what I love." - Sandusky Register

n an age of precision, technology and rigid structure, lo-fi music still caters to a mass market, and the rough edges of less processed sounds appeals to musical audiences to a surprisingly high degree. Colour Rise blends this technique with modern, high quality sounds in Oh The Places You’ll Go, the band’s first EP that was released earlier this year.

With the opening track, aptly named “The Introduction,” Colour Rise sets the tone for the rest of the album and presents to the listener the situation and emotions preceding the whole of the album. Melodic yet minor, the song is an instrumental anthem that speaks volumes to the attitude and atmosphere of the band’s music.

The theme continues in “Parallel Lines and Perpendicular Sides” as Samuel Cromer provides strong, yet emotive vocals that occasionally waver slightly with overwhelming feeling. The song chorus breaks into a full-fledged blast of raging guitars, pounding drums and a choir of vocals singing in unison. The copious amounts of energy make a slight transition to a brighter aura in the next track, “Torn Pages.” Dynamically, the song is similar to the previous tracks, but this song is played in a major key, giving the album’s tone a complete and well-timed revamp.

“Bridges” is the unequivocally best track on the EP, as it fully portrays the youth and vigor of the band members, while using catchy riffs, stylistic beats and optimistic vocals to create a pleasant, harmonious song. The song repeats the chorus more than a few times, but this liberty can and should be taken with a chorus as catchy as the one Colour Rise concocted.

Melancholy and reflective in style, “The Passing” is an instrumental piano piece that leads directly into the final track of the album, “Her Orion Dreams.” This track differs from the rest of the vocal songs on the record in that it is formed around acoustic instrumentation, including guitars and piano. Cromer’s voice carries the weight of the song as he spills his doubts and fears in a wholly genuine manner, and the lyrics are truly thought provoking.

This final song caps an album that displays a miscellany of emotions, sounds and styles in a coherent, accessible way. The EP is a true testament to the collective talent of the band and their ability to write and perform original music in a way that provides enjoyment to listeners of many musical tastes. - Andrew Westberry