An indie folk-rock band that combines the country twang of bands like Crosby, Stills and Nash with the sound of Simon & Garfunkel is coming to Ball State for the first time Saturday.
The Sweet Remains will showcase their three-part harmonic blend of folk and rock music at 7:30 p.m. in Pruis Hall.
Their distinct sound is heavily influenced by the organic, lyrical and acoustic-driven music from the golden age of singer-songwriter bands in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
“They are influenced by so many types of genres and groups, and they play everything in the style of Simon & Garfunkel to The Eagles,” said Kristi Chambers, assistant director of marketing and communications for Emens. “Their musical style definitely stands out among the rest.”
This style propelled The Sweet Remains forward into continued musical success with older and newer generations alike since the debut of their first CD 10 years ago, “Laurel & Sunset.”
“Older audiences are seeing echoes of some of the music that they listened to in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and younger audiences are discovering our music on Spotify,” said Rich Price, a singer and songwriter for The Sweet Remains.
Since their debut, their music was featured on USA Today, a Subaru car ad campaign with Eddie Bauer and in 2011’s Putumayo Music Compilation “Acoustic Cafe”. Recently, the band reached 28 million listens on Spotify, a rare milestone for an indie band.
Before their eventual success as a band, the three-man team comprised of Price, Brian Chartrand and Greg Naughton first established their careers as independent artists.
Price and Naughton both graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont. Naughton graduated college before Price arrived, and achieved success in the world of entertainment after graduation.
Naughton moved to New York, where he worked as a songwriter, performer, and acted in Broadway and television productions.
“He sort of blazed a trail for those of us making a career in the arts,” said Price. “For those of us still in college he was sort of a role model.”
After Price graduated college and promptly moved to New York, he and Naughton would attend each other’s shows and their relationship would eventually evolve into a collaboration.
Naughton and Price began to collaborate writing songs for Price’s debut CD for Geffen Records in 2004. Their collaboration created Price’s single, “I’m on My Way,” which was featured on the “Shrek 2” soundtrack.
However, Price and Naughton would wistfully talk for years about finding the ‘Crosby’ to complement their ‘Stills and Nash’ until Price met Chartrand in 2006.
Price said he was a big fan of Chartrand’s music, and after reaching out to him over social media, the two toured together from Sacramento to the East Coast.
Price called Naughton halfway through the tour and said," Greg, I think this is the third vocal we’ve been looking for.”
The three met in a Rhode Island hotel before a show and instantly found the blend of their voices gratifying.
“For us, it’s certainly an experience of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts,” Price said. “As we’ve gone along, we’ve seen that people really respond to the blend of our voices.”
Attendees can expect a night of interactivity and discovery between the audience and the band.
“They’re going to talk to the audience, they’re going to involve the audience, it’s more a conversation, and more of an intimacy than you would get at a large-scale country concert,” said Chambers.
Chambers strongly encourages students to come out and experience The Sweet Remains in person.
“They’re folk-rock is much more of a modern style that I think will appeal to Ball State students more than a traditional folk band may,” Chambers said. “If the [student generation] would give it a chance, they would love the music we bring, especially The Sweet Remains.”
Contact Adam Pannel with comments at arpannel@bsu.edu.
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