Well folks, if you play your cards right you will be able to say “I knew them when.”
Who?
Why?
Where?
What?
The who is a four man American band producing a classic rock and roll sound with a contemporary edge. Members include Kadin Rea, on base and backup vocals, lead singer Lucas Washington, Rylan Cox on lead guitar and drummer Teelin Atteberry.
To answer the where and why, the Strangers formed right here in southern Indiana and will headline at the Historic Astra Theatre in Jasper on Saturday, March 5, where they will debut their eight song album, as well as other new music mixed in with a few covers before setting off on a 12-stop tour across the Midwest.
Special guests, Keep on Trail, will kick things off at 6:30 p.m. CST/7:30 p.m. EST. Band merch (t-shirts, CDs, guitar picks and posters) and concessions will be available for purchase, including adult beverages for guests 21+. The event will be filmed and recorded live for use as an official Strangers music video. For tickets scan the QR code with this article or purchase online at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-strangers-album-release-show-w-special-guests-keep-on-trail-tickets-2 54631939987.
The Strangers’ premier single, Sweet Holly hits streaming platforms February 15 and can be heard now at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/thestrangers5/sweet-holly or by visiting spencercountyonline.com.
On February 22, their label, Evansville-based Wally@Opus Records will release the Strangers’ second single, Electric Love.
Their self-titled album is set for release on March 1, just in time for their show at the Astra.
While the band does play the occasional cover, most of their music is original. “We write collaboratively and pretty organically,” explains Cox. Often it all begins with a guitar riff or a drum beat, which inspires the theme and emotion of the piece. Sometimes the lyrics come first, at which point Washington flexes his verbal muscle and then the music is tied to the sound.
“If we start with the melody I think, what does this mean?” Washington explains. “From that the theme pops up.”
Every song is different. Together the foursome sits down with the lyrics and sometimes changes are suggested.
Luckily, there are no primadonnas in this group — their mutual goal is making incredible and iconic music.
The Strangers’ manager/music producer, Wesley Luttrell, founder of Wally@Opus Records, agrees, saying all four share in the creative process. “That’s what makes them good, they wing it and adjust from there,” which may be why they were able to score a record deal in the first place.
It has not all been sweetness and light, however. The group began jamming together in 2018 and had really gotten into their groove when their original drummer, Noah Loper, died suddenly on April 17, 2021, following an accidental overdose.
“It was a big shock,” Cox adds.
In tribute to their friend, the Strangers played the progression of an acoustic song Noah was primarily responsible for, Do the Eyes Sparkle?, at his funeral.
The band had already started casually recording demos in Cox’s grandmother’s house, where they were staying at the time.
They had to step back and reassess, taking a couple of months off. When they were ready they began looking for a drummer who would mesh well with the remaining three. They tried a couple guys who weren’t quite the right fit before landing on Atteberry, who is from Evansville (original band members are from Santa Claus and attended Heritage Hills where Kadin is completing his senior year). Recognition struck — they had found their drummer.
In creating the Strangers first album, where many of the tunes will debut at the Astra March 5, they used some of Loper’s drum tracks from their demos, a few of the original guitar tracks and then meshed together a unique blend of the demo and re-recorded tracks, which Washington claims was a very raw and emotional experience.
“It was really important to us that Noah remain on the album.”
Cox adds the first song to be released this week, Sweet Holly, captured such good energy with Loper’s prerecorded drumming it needed to be included.
Still, with the addition of Atteberry, the music is really evolving, according to their manager.
As to any covers they play, the guys explain they steer clear of anything cliched or typical. “You’ll never see us play Pour Some Sugar On Me. We go with stuff that has kind of been lost. We love playing our own songs most with a little bit of grunge from the 90s, or rock from the 60s and 70s.”
With influences ranging from blues and Folk Rock — everything from Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Yardbirds and Black Sabbath to Crosby Stills and Nash and Neal Young — the band pushes out a powerful sound and an exhilarating live experience.
His fellow band members give Rea props for his deep understanding of music theory but all say they have loved music since the cradle.
When they returned to the studio following Loper’s death they spent the next five or six months perfecting their music and laying down tracks, primarily in Cox’s grandma’s basement. “Sometimes little [neighboring] kids come and knock on the basement door and run away or tell us we sounded good. Maybe we’ll inspire some of them to take up the guitar,” Cox says with a smile.
By the way, Cox’s grandma is where their name came from. Strange was Cox’s mother’s maiden name and grandma’s married name and they temporarily called themselves the Strangers, eventually realizing it fit.
In the end, Cox summed things up. “Being able to do what I love and make a living at it — the majority of my life it’s been music and art — so being able to create for a living” … that’s living the dream.
Following the show at the Astra the band will be available for a meet and greet. Then it’s off on their two, with two shows in Nashville, then on to Cincinnati, Dayton, Indianapolis, Evansville and Ft. Wayne with a possible 13th show in St. Louis. The schedule will be posted on social media.
