The Vindys on the rise with West Coast shows, Steelers song, Jackson Amphitheater return

Earlier this summer, The Vindys were excited to perform in Indianapolis for the first time at the WonderRoad music festival.

But their expectations were low.

Scheduled to play the same day as Vampire Weekend, the Northeast Ohio band was fully aware of the headlining group's significantly higher profile as an internationally touring act. The Vindys were listed in small print at the bottom of a festival poster, clustered among more than 20 other bands or musical artists.

So it was up to them to stand out. And it wouldn't be easy. The Vindys were playing at the same time as another act on separate stages.

But it didn't matter. The indie rockers from Youngstown played with their usual potency and rust belt moxie. A fiery mix of jazz-infused classic rock with moments of blues, soul and pop polish.

"We got off stage, and (a festival official) was just floored," Vindys guitarist John Anthony recalled. "He was like, 'You guys have played here before?,' and we were like, 'No.'''

"Eyes were glued on us," Anthony said of the few hundred fans who stuck around to watch the band. "We expected a couple people to check it out, but we didn't expect that many."

Added Vindys singer Jackie Popovec: "It was crazy."

Even photographers lingered at their show instead of moving on to another band. Fans reached out immediately after the concert.

"They were like, 'Oh, I came to see Vampire Weekend and was just totally blown away by your performance,' or people were like, 'You guys were my favorite undiscovered band of the day,' or 'You and Vampire Weekend were our favorites,'" Anthony said. "We heard all of these different things, which is amazing to hear."

Popovec said the experience was "very life affirming ... and makes us feel like we're doing something right."

Revelatory moments have been common this summer. Younger faces have been spotted more frequently in the audience. Loyal fans gifted the band with personalized coffee mugs after The Vindys recently performed at the Bridgestone Seniors Players Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

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The Vindys anthemic song, "Are You Ready" is also being featured in a television program this summer about the Pittsburgh Steelers and training camp.

"We've had the (Pittsburgh) Pirates and the (Pittsburgh) Penguins use our music ... but we will have the Steelers officially using our music ... during some of the montages and stuff during the program, which is very exciting," Anthony said.

"It's just to kind of get people hyped for the season."

Earlier this week, the Canton Symphony Orchestra announced The Vindys will perform on March 18 at Umstattd Hall as the featured band for a pops concert with the backing of a full-blown orchestra.

Tickets are $25. For more information, go to www.cantonsymphony.org/

And the biggest recent development is the band's West Coast trip later this month with shows in San Francisco, Hollywood and Oceanside, California, as well as a gig in Carson City, Nevada. Music industry types are expected to be present.

Even Saturday's concert at the Jackson Amphitheater is further proof of the band's musical maturation – it marks the first time a local or regional band has played the venue on a Saturday (those dates are typically reserved for nationally-touring tribute bands).

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. Stark County show can be purchased online at www.jacksonamphitheater.com/. General admission is $10; VIP patio or front stage is $20.

'We do have a lot of important people coming to see us.'

The band clearly feels momentum. And they are excited about heading West. But during a recent phone interview, it was the same old Vindys (and that's intended as a compliment).

Their Midwest modesty was fully intact, echoing a 2021 chat about the release of their sophomore album, "Bugs."

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Citing the expenses and logistics of traveling and performing on the West Coast as a nine-piece band, Anthony said the timing is right for playing the new territory.

"We're just excited because we do have a lot of important people coming to see us on the West Coast," he said.

"We have a lot of confirmed people in all varieties of the industry, some of which are part of musical companies that we work with now," Anthony said.

Added Popovec: "We have some momentum behind the LA show. We're really excited to see industry people at that show," including writers, publishers, licensers and those representing labels.

"We all wear a lot of different hats, and we constantly have to be on top of everything," Popovec said of the band, which has been self managed since 2014. "And I would like to see just more people helping us out with the things that we do on the day-to-day (basis), so I can focus more on new music, which is the most important thing."

Popovec and Anthony didn't speak of record deals and managers and world tours. Their foremost goal is to be successful enough to work full-time as musicians. Similar to the late Michael Stanley or The Clarks. Donnie Iris is another example.

"They live comfortably off what they do," Anthony said respectfully. "And that's success in its own right."

However, "it's not like we are saying we are comfortable with that as a ceiling," he added.

New album finds new fans

The new album has both pleased old fans and created new ones.

"There are some newer fans and even some younger fans who really like some of the new poppier songs we have on that album," Popovec said. "I'm really proud of the reach that this latest album has had as far as a new audience.

"And we keep doing what we do ... as far as playing different shows in the area and getting in front of more people," she said. "And that has always been where we win the most is getting in front of new people and bringing them to our Spotify playlist, bringing them to the music."

Anthony agreed.

"This summer, especially, we've really been trying to push ourselves to go to new places and open up or even getting new opportunities in the same market to see new faces," he said. "And what's been the best part of all of it is seeing a lot of these new faces become regular attendees of these shows."

'I have been feeling like Taylor Swift.'

Fans as young as 11 or 12 have fallen under the sonic spell of The Vindys.

"I swear I have been feeling like Taylor Swift when they come up to me and they want a picture with me and John," Popovec said of a couple of girls, laughing at the notion while also deeply appreciating it. "... They are traveling from Pittsburgh out to Columbus and Cleveland and stuff, and it's really cool.

"I feel like a rock star with the little ones wanting to come out to see me and see the band," she added. "It's really cool to have that demographic wanting to come out and support us."

August should give the band a break and time for studio work. Some of its members, including Anthony, also will return to their school teaching jobs.

"Me and John are just dying to get into the studio and start jamming out on the stuff we have," Popovec said of new material.

Performing live is 'our zone ... like our family room.'

Playing under the watchful eyes of industry bigwigs doesn't intimidate the band.

"I feel way less pressure going out West in front of brand new people," Popovec said. "Especially after Indianapolis, than compared to our hometown base, where people come to every show, and I'm like, 'Dang, how am I going to top the last one?'"

But regardless of the setting, live shows are a sanctuary for The Vindys.

"I would say everything leading up to and after a show is work; it's everything that we have to do to get up there," Popovec said. "And as soon as we hit that first song until we hit that last song, that is our zone, that is like our family room, if you will.

"It's the place where we feel the most comfortable, that I can have fun with John and (guitarist Rick Deak) and the horn section," she said. "And that is our happy place for sure."

The Vindys snippet of 'Sweet Child O' Mine' is a showstopper

Based on the Firestone Country Club concert, The Vindys are primed for the California dates.

Original music has always fueled the band's live shows, whether playing in a cramped, sweaty club or in a large theater.

Cover tunes are sparse; the band's arsenal includes "War Pigs," "Gimme Shelter," "Crazy on You" and "Whipping Post."

Standout moments at the Akron performance included a snippet of "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses. Featuring a similar chord progression, Anthony's guitar solo from The Vindys standard, "Wrong With Me" urgently morphed into the Axl Rose classic.

Popovec wowed the crowd, singing the chorus and closing lyrics with passion, bullhorn force and sheer exuberance.

That energy never relented across the band. Popovec mesmerized as she danced, grooved, bounced and strutted. And she even kept singing as she walked into the crowd, mingling with fans, lounging in the grass for a moment, clowning around.

Anthony lost himself in guitar playing, closing his eyes or gazing distantly. Fully capable of showing off for the sake of it, he instead let his nimble fingers work to the strengths of the songs while sprinkling in enough guitar god flourishes to evoke six-string greatness — Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Nuno Bettencourt.

After such displays, Popovec leaves the stage exhausted, the moments immediately afterward becoming a dreamy fog.

"If you're not tired," she said, "you didn't do it right."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com. On Twitter: @ebalintREP.

If you go

Where: Jackson Amphitheater, 7454 Community Parkway. The venue is part of North Park at 7660 Fulton Road NW, across from Jackson High School.

What: The Vindys, a Northeast Ohio-based rock band known for jazz-infused pop and classic rock.

When: 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday

Tickets: $10 general admission and $20 for VIP patio or VIP stage; available at www.jacksonamphitheater.com/

This article originally appeared on The Repository: The Vindys ascend with Steelers song, Guns N' Roses cover, West Coast