Crossing the lines of contemporary, and keeping the soothing appeal of classic enthusiasm, State Radio is a band that jumps through stereotypes and creates its own genre. This Boston-based band has most recently been popping up seemingly everywhere.State Radio is making big waves and great moves, such as opening for Dave Matthews Band on a few different occasions throughout their tour last year. It is moves like that which solidify these guys in a repertoire all of their own.
Having had no biases, I pressed my ear to a new sound entirely and my world was broadened in a matter of seconds by the sounds these guys dish out. Band members Chad Stokes Urmston, Chuck Fay, and Mike “Mad Dog” Najarian have found a way to take the influences of rock, punk, and reggae and twist them together in a sort of disruptive pattern, squeezing out nothing less than musically sublime frequencies. Aggressive and often times political in nature, State Radio has been compared to the sounds of Rage Against the Machine, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and The Clash. They are very much like Bob Marley and Rage Against the Machine in the sense that their power is most undoubtedly based in their lyrics and actions to inform and make an impact on the world and their listeners.
The live acoustic EP State Of Georgia, which was released on iTunes August 25 features songs from Chad Stokes' two sold-out solo acoustic nights at the Brattle Theatre last December.
The first track off of this live EP is one of my favorite tracks, the title track "State of Georgia." This song starts off temporally slow, giving it that solid acoustic edge we all love, but right as Chad Stokes breaks into the first chorus line he mashes it out with heavy guitar strokes and passion screaming from his vocals. Every one of these songs speaks of politics, politics demanding attention just as State Radio seems to do with every track on this EP.
![Rage Against The Machine [Explicit]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/612lk6ISYhL._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - Chris Hicksingway
I love this girl's writing, Ms. Heart writes like some one who actually enjoys music, and she does so without sounding snob. I especially enjoyed her Brett Dennon review as it included pictures she took from the RI folk fest. Keep up the great writing.