Welshly Arms

"Meant to Be"
After a string of hits and national attention, electrifying blues-rock band Welshly Arms releases its self-titled debut album.
-Nikki Delamotte-

From a corner booth in Jukebox bar, Sam Getz taps his fingers to the retro-soul cut "Use Me" by Bill Withers. A favorite cover tune for his band Welshly Arms, it wails from a jukebox that also holds his blues-rock songs.

"Sometimes I lock myself away with records by the greats, like Lightnin' Hopkins," says the lead singer and guitarist, still keeping the rhythm.

Like a TV junkie on Netflix, it's what he calls blues binging. And by mixing classic influences with good ol' Black Keys-style rock 'n' roll, Welshly Arms has emerged as a near overnight success. Their first single, "Two Seconds Too Late," blew up with more than 25,000 YouTube views in its first day online. Then came electrifying gigs at Austin's South by Southwest and Los Angeles' Hotel Cafe — a rare feat to accomplish in only two years.

Their throwback rock has even reverberated from screens both small — on the CW's The Vampire Diaries and The Originals — and large — for movies The D Train, in theaters May 8, and The Boy Next Door.

But the biggest rush came when the Cleveland Indians used their song "Dirty Work" in an ad and invited them to perform at Progressive Field.

"It's just surreal," says Getz.

And now, Welshly Arms will release their long-awaited self-titled album May 5 and follow it with a May 9 House of Blues show featuring local acts the Modern Electric and Teddy Boys.

While Getz's soft voice barely eclipses the jukebox tunes, he howls, growls and slinks onstage with the swagger that echoes the icons he locks himself away with. His ease is a result of performing since age 14 with the Sam Getz Band that his drummer father helped him start.

"My dad and I have always communicated through music," reminisces Getz, who has performed with Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor and Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green. He was a part of the poppier Cactus 12 band and toured with singer-songwriters Stephen Kellogg and Kate Voegele before forming Arms in 2013 with high school pals.

One spin of the new album and it's apparent why they have such an explosive fan base. They bend genres and take sonic risks that keep the ear occupied and the fingers tapping. While songs like "Leave It All Behind" invoke a haunted, moody gospel effect familiar to their EP Welcome, the sentimental closing track "Who Knew" Getz penned for his father draws on a softer sound.

"Our relationship meant so much more after I had a son," Getz says. "There's a line about how I've been saving all the stories he's told me. Playing for the Indians, that's a story I'm going to tell my own son one day." - Cleveland Magazine

Welshly Arms singer-guitarist Sam Getz grew up listening to British Invasion rock and that eventually turned him onto the blues. He put together the Sam Getz Band when he was only 14 and opened for acts such as Mick Taylor and Peter Greene. Getz then became a session guy before joining singer-songwriter Kate Voegele for her 2006 tour. He spent four years on the road with her and then hooked up with indie rockers Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers and toured with them for three years. In the fall of 2012, Getz put together Welshly Arms and the band played its first show last year. Anticipation was so high, it even managed to sell out the Beachland Tavern. Released earlier last year, their debut EP Welcome is informed equally by blues and classic rock. Album opener "Two Seconds Too Late" is every bit as raw and rocking as anything by the Black Keys. The guys are currently at work on a full-length due out this year. - Cleveland SCENE Magazine

With a new Jimi Hendrix song just being released it only seems appropriate to follow through with a song from an up and coming band that seemingly has taken a little influence from the master guitarist himself. I'm talking about Welshly Arms, a blues/rock band out of Cleveland, Ohio and their debut single "Two Seconds Too Late". Combining a little bit of the old (ala Hendrix and The James Gang) with a little of the new (Black Keys and The White Stripes), the new song brings forth a renewed sound that could only come out of a town where rock legends go to be immortalized. New album will be out sometime later this year, but for now check out the new video below... - MusicThatsNu2Me Blog

Welshly Arms is a new blues/rock band hailing from the great state of Ohio. The band released the single “Two Seconds Too Late” recently and it has been getting some good reviews. Clearly, they resemble the Black Keys but bands are allowed to have inspiration aren’t they?. I personally love the fact that heavy blues/rock music is making a comeback and cannot wait to see where this band goes. Click the video below for the video for “Two Seconds Too Late” and I am definitely catching these guys when they come to my neck of the woods. - soundsliketomorrow Blog

Welshly Arms, "Welcome": Classic Midwestern blues rock a la the Keys and Stripes, this time dipped in soul and Hendrix reverb. The group recently sold out its Beachland Tavern debut as a headliner, and for good reason. "Welcome," the debut EP from Cleveland scene veterans Sam Getz, Brett Lindemann, Jimmy Weaver and Mike Gould, pulses and preens with an earnest, classic rock energy sure to please anyone who might still be sore that Mumford & Sons took the Album of the Year Grammy over "El Camino" and - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

I’ve been hanging around this city’s music scene for many years, the good parts and the bad parts. From awful “battle of the bands” scams, open mics, and selling tickets, to breaking into larger venues, touring regionally, and eventually being the guy booking the shows.

Recently, some old musical comrades and I were reminiscing about the good old (or not so good) days of the Highschool Rock Off at the Odeon, and the old Cleveland.com HS Music message boards before MySpace and Facebook existed.

I can recall very few bands from that era, but one of the few that stuck out in my mind was a band called Cactus 12. Awful band name aside (and that’s not me being judgmental, trust me, two of the bands I played in were called Blender and The Pitted Moonshine Cherries, two of the worst band names of all time), these guys were awesome. I was so impressed with their stage presence at such a young age.

I knew they had gone on to do some pretty impressive things post Cactus 12, but I had lost track. So I googled the members to see if they were doing anything these days. And I just so happened to stumble across Sam Getz’ and other Cactus 12 alums, new band Welshly Arms, the day they released the video for “Two Seconds Too Late.”

I was blown away. On a number of levels. Everything about this video is so good, the production value of the video itself, the mix of the song, and most importantly, the song itself. “Two Seconds Too Late” is a blues rock scorcher that avoids being too self indulgently jamming and ends up being just plain awesome.

From the rhythm section tastefully holding it down without being over the top, the blistering guitar work and the swagger and charisma of lead guitarist/singer Sam Getz (it’s not going to hurt their popularity with the ladies that he looks like Bradley Cooper), to the almost haunting soul music they create- this band definitely has a spark. I caught them at the Beachland Tavern a couple of weeks back, and the show sold out, fast. These guys are clearly onto bigger and better things, very quickly. - Cellar Door Cleveland Blog

After a string of hits and national attention, electrifying blues-rock band Welshly Arms releases its self-titled debut album.
-Nikki Delamotte-

From a corner booth in Jukebox bar, Sam Getz taps his fingers to the retro-soul cut "Use Me" by Bill Withers. A favorite cover tune for his band Welshly Arms, it wails from a jukebox that also holds his blues-rock songs.

"Sometimes I lock myself away with records by the greats, like Lightnin' Hopkins," says the lead singer and guitarist, still keeping the rhythm.

Like a TV junkie on Netflix, it's what he calls blues binging. And by mixing classic influences with good ol' Black Keys-style rock 'n' roll, Welshly Arms has emerged as a near overnight success. Their first single, "Two Seconds Too Late," blew up with more than 25,000 YouTube views in its first day online. Then came electrifying gigs at Austin's South by Southwest and Los Angeles' Hotel Cafe — a rare feat to accomplish in only two years.

Their throwback rock has even reverberated from screens both small — on the CW's The Vampire Diaries and The Originals — and large — for movies The D Train, in theaters May 8, and The Boy Next Door.

But the biggest rush came when the Cleveland Indians used their song "Dirty Work" in an ad and invited them to perform at Progressive Field.

"It's just surreal," says Getz.

And now, Welshly Arms will release their long-awaited self-titled album May 5 and follow it with a May 9 House of Blues show featuring local acts the Modern Electric and Teddy Boys.

While Getz's soft voice barely eclipses the jukebox tunes, he howls, growls and slinks onstage with the swagger that echoes the icons he locks himself away with. His ease is a result of performing since age 14 with the Sam Getz Band that his drummer father helped him start.

"My dad and I have always communicated through music," reminisces Getz, who has performed with Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor and Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green. He was a part of the poppier Cactus 12 band and toured with singer-songwriters Stephen Kellogg and Kate Voegele before forming Arms in 2013 with high school pals.

One spin of the new album and it's apparent why they have such an explosive fan base. They bend genres and take sonic risks that keep the ear occupied and the fingers tapping. While songs like "Leave It All Behind" invoke a haunted, moody gospel effect familiar to their EP Welcome, the sentimental closing track "Who Knew" Getz penned for his father draws on a softer sound.

"Our relationship meant so much more after I had a son," Getz says. "There's a line about how I've been saving all the stories he's told me. Playing for the Indians, that's a story I'm going to tell my own son one day." - Cleveland Magazine