To Infinity And Beyond!

The Band Apollo. Hailing from Portland, ME this band of strapping men have become somewhat locally famous. They’ve been nominated by The New England Music Awards for Best Maine Artist for 2014. Snaps for them!

Let us meet the strapping men: There’s Jonathan Johnston on lead vocals, Jonathan Truman (JTru) on drums, keyboard and Ben Packard on lead guitar. Johnston and JTru have been together since 2008, and in 2012, when Packard joined, The Band Apollo was born. They were formerly the Johnathan Johnston Band, but the name change was meant to “embody their fresh approach to collaborative song-writing.”

On December 8th, 2014, they released their CD Soldier or Spy. A six song EP recorded at the Heartstudios  in Camden, ME. The album was produced by Grant Norsworthy (Sonic Flood, Paul Colman Trio), and was mastered by Darrell Lehman (Mute Math, The Band Perry). This album marked an important moment for the band, as it was what launched them forward and into the stratosphere of local music.

A point of interest, and befuddlement about the album. While it is called Soldier or Spy, the album has a picture of an astronaut on the cover. So don’t be confused when you go to buy it! I assume it’s a reference to their band name…which was cooler in my mind when I thought their name was a reference to the Greek or Roman God Apollo. But maybe it still is. Who knows! I certainly don’t. Only they do. Maybe I should ask them. And now I’m just rambling.

Anyways, their genre is defined as pop/rock/alternative. And they’ve said that similar artists would include: Muse, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Audioslave and Switchfoot. Not all of these you’ll hear on their album, though. In watching their videos, you get a chance to see that they play a lot of covers. They look like they’re a lot of fun to see live. Poppy, bouncy, dance music, you know? But not the kind you just walk away from and forget. The catchy kind with lyrics that mean something.

Now their album. The first song on the albums is “Summer Song (Stay)” and I have to admit that I have been listening to it on REPEAT all morning. I can’t stop. It’s so fun. The electric guitar and the drums make me want to dance all around my kitchen like a crazy person. The vocals sound like they’re being fed through an old radio, and I totally dig it.

The rest of the album has it’s ups and downs. The lead guitar work is pretty flawless, and some of the drum leads are very solid. To me, Johnston’s voice is very Gavin DeGraw-esque. Which isn’t a bad thing, but when I hear it I think of someone else. And Gavin DeGraw was cool for that hot second when I was 16 when One Tree Hill was a thing. With that said, he redeems himself completely in the final track of the EP. “Como el Agua” is a much smoother track which really showcases his vocals better than any other song on the album. He nails the Spanish and the falsetto. It’s perfect. It’s sexy. Redemption! Ohmyme I can’t stop listening to “Summer Song (Stay)”

Overall I think they’re good, great even. The album is strong. Their very specifically basic, and they hit every standard step perfectly. I wouldn’t’ be surprised in the least if we were to see these guys performing on a national stage in the next couple of years. Because they are really great at what they do, and there is a huge niche for that in the popular market.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to rock the freak out with them tonight, but ALL OF YOU should go to the Season’s Downunder Club on Main St. in Bangor tonight at 8:00pm (21+ only) to see the The Band Apollo take the stage. It’s guaranteed to be a phenomenally fun show. Be there!

Hannah Barry

About Hannah Barry

I am an avid music listener and seeker. Some might say snob. Music is my life, my passion. I value it, respect it, and love it beyond words. I'm an aspiring musician/songwriter/singer. An aspiring writer. A professional weirdo. I'm awkward, I love writing, I love listening.