John Patrick Halling CD Release

On Saturday, March 28th, the Stone Tavern in Kent, OH was filled with the people of Akron. Why you may ask? Well, we gathered together to celebrate the release of singer/songwriter, John Patrick Halling’s debut album, “Boy in the Water.”

And what’s a CD release without music?I’m quite certain that many of you loyal readers know this face by now. Cody J. Martin has been on the blog so many times that I’ve lost count and he never fails to impress. I could hear multiple people in the crowd ask who was this fine gent and complimented his stellar vocals. I’m sure he made a ton of new fans that night.

For those of you that don’t know, Cody is a singer/songwriter who taps into multiple genres. His lyrics create vivid imagery and leads listeners through some tough emotions. You would do yourself a disservice if you don’t check him out. You can find his album here.

Jeff Klemm has become quite the regular on the blog as well. He is the lead of the popular touring band, Maid Myriad. His work with them is dark, lyrically emotive, and drifts along the progressive rock genre.

But with his newest project (that couples with his solo work) Jeff Klemm & The Letters, he touches a bit more on the pop side of rock. Each of the songs they played that night were different enough from his previous work to keep things interesting and had enough commonality between them for them to flow. The crowd became quite lively.

My favorite song from the night happened to be about whiskey, obviously. But unfortunately, you will not get a chance to hear Jeff Klemm & The Letters play any time soon. Their next show won’t be until June. But, you are in luck. Jeff’s main band, Maid Myriad, will be going on a 6-week long tour across the U.S. beginning April 9th. You can find out more here.

Hive Robbers are the only band on this line-up that I hadn’t heard prior to this night. They are a folk-rock/blues band out of Kent, OH. I liked their sound. I’ve become such a huge fan of this local areas blending of blues, country and rock and they have definitely tapped into that love.

You can check out their work here.

Last, but not least is John Patrick Halling, the reason why we all gathered together that fine evening. JP Halling is a singer/songwriter from Akron, OH who plays more folksy rock. He has an interesting voice that I have such a hard time pinpointing, but it isn’t bad.

I’ve listened to his album a couple of times since its release and there’s a few that stand out to me. “Downtown Blues” hits rock a lot more often than many of his other songs and I really liked that. “If I Would’ve Known” also stands out to me because of how depressing it is. It’s a lot slower than the rest of the songs on the album which pairs well with his voice.