Playing cramped, sweaty clubs and performing for college students at Ohio University and Kent State were formative years for indie rock stalwarts Red Wanting Blue.
Reflecting on those days, lead singer Scott Terry, 50, perked up, voice brightening as he dusted off memories.
“There was a placed called the 7 Martini Lounge,” Terry said of old Stark County shows. “And I remember thinking it’s swanky, and why are we playing here? And we played places like Panini’s, and there were some other spots down there.
“We played the first Auricle a number of times, and it was very cool … and then they moved it,” he said before unloading a big laugh. “Someone introduced me to Ben Heggy’s nuts and chocolates.”
Red Wanting Blue is circling back to downtown Canton, headlining an outdoor show at Centennial Plaza June 27. The venue was but a vacant lot when the band was clawing its way to Billboard chart success while appearing on “Late Night with David Letterman” in 2012.
The band also will perform July 11 at Firestone Country Club in Akron during the Kaulig Companies Championship.
Opening act features Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe
Brian Vander Ark, lead singer of multi-platinum band The Verve Pipe, is opening the Canton concert, Terry said. The alternative rock, post-grunge band is best known for the mainstream hit song, “The Freshmen.”
“Brian Vander Ark has opened for us solo,” Terry said. “And we played with their full band in other events. We told him we’d love for you to come out but not as a solo artist. You can bring other players, and he said, ‘Absolutely.'”
“It’s Verve Pipe doing a broken down set,” he added. “I don’t believe it’s going to be the full band, but him with a couple other players.”
‘That was a big milestone for us.’
Logging countless miles on a six-bunk, 45-foot tour bus in the 2000s, Red Wanting Blue has earned a loyal following of fans in Northeast Ohio and the Midwest while also performing across the country.
“We’re really lucky,” Terry said. “This is is Red Wanting Blue turning 30 years old this year. We’ve been treated very graciously by the state of Ohio by getting to do a lot of outdoor stuff this summer. It will be a fun Ohio summer.”
“We were fortunate as a college band to get a little traction in Columbus and a lot of university towns around 2005 when we started playing in Akron and Canton and Kent a lot more,” he said. “It started to feel like something is happening. … We were getting a little bit of a reputation of being able to draw fans − that was a big milestone for us in those earlier years.”
Breaking through
Blending Americana, pop rock, indie and other influences, Red Wanting Blue’s proficient musicianship is anchored by the warmth and heartfelt grit of Terry’s vocals.
Formed at Ohio University in Athens in the mid-90s, the band also includes members Mark McCullough, bass; Greg Rahm, guitar and keyboards; Eric Hall, guitar; and Dean Anshutz, drums and percussion.
Relentless live gigs yielded record deals and then a slew of studio albums, highlighted by “Pride: The Cold Lover” in 2004, “These Magnificent Miles” in 2008, “From the Vanishing Point” in 2012, and “Little America” in 2014. Their most recent effort was “Light It Up” in 2024.
Songs were placed in television shows and the film, “Unraveled,” raising the band’s profile. “These Magnificent Miles,” featuring the songs, “Where You Wanna Go,” “You Are My Las Vegas” and “Finger in the Air,” was reissued in 2010 by Fanatic Records, an imprint of Caroline/EMI, which boosted the band’s marketing and distribution.
Red Wanting Blue subsequently broke through on Adult Album Alternative Radio, and “From the Vanishing Point” reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, which spotlighted emerging artists. Momentum continued when “Little America” reached No. 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart in 2014.
Twenty One Pilots, The Black Keys, Walk the Moon
Ties to Ohio remain strong for the band.
“I definitely think while there have been other bands from the same state who have shot … into the stars, whether that be Twenty One Pilots or The Black Keys or Walk the Moon, we’re proud of those bands, too, but there’s something about our band,” said Terry, a New Jersey native. “We really are an Ohio band, we’re Ohio’s band, and we’re very proud of that and just have gratitude at this point.”
Fans have become multi-generational. Some of them even wear tattoos declaring their fandom for Red Wanting Blue.
“I feel like our band earned fans the old school way of meeting them in their town and time and time again, and with repetition and time over the years, just building a base,” Terry said.
“We’ve met fans who say, ‘I met my wife at one of your concerts and listened to you through college, and took your music on summer trips and the whole family listens to you, and my parents liked it, and we had kids and our kids listen to your music.'”
Retiring the tour bus
Red Wanting Blue never strays far from their club show roots.
Despite playing for crowds of around 1,000 or more in Akron, Cleveland, Columbus and other cities, the band still schedules throwback gigs at venues like Howard’s Club H in Bowling Green and Westside Bowl in Youngstown.
The Westside Bowl is also the final resting place for the group’s beloved 25-year-old tour bus.
“We have a lot of love for Northeast Ohio, and with our drummer living in Youngstown, it just made sense,” Terry said.
The 2000 American Coach American Heritage bus has six bunks, a full kitchen, refrigerator, shower and bathroom. Westside Bowl will use the 45-foot-long bus as an auxiliary green room for musical artists, Terry said.
“It’s a way for us to know that it’s still going to get used and it’s going to be enjoyed.”
30th anniversary
Red Wanting Blue is marking its 30th anniversary in the fall.
Later this summer, the band plans to unveil and stream a Red Wanting Blue radio show featuring its concerts spanning the decades. Terry expects it to be accessed through the band’s website.
“It’s a way to give our fans something,” Terry said, noting the group has “tons of live recordings.”
Scott Terry releasing solo album in the fall
Terry will be stepping away from Red Wanting Blue in a sense for the first time when he releases a solo album early next year.
“I’m having fun with that; it’s folk,” he said of the album, produced by acclaimed indie singer-songwriter Will Hoge. “I get all my itches scratched in the rock world by Red Wanting Blue. I’m so proud of us (as a band) and how progressive we are … always trying to push the envelope on whatever we’re able to do.”
“For me, this (solo) record was more of a different shipping lane,” Terry explained. “It’s more folky, more storyteller … and a different lane altogether, so it’s something that represents what I can do when I don’t have the band.”
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If you go
Who − Red Wanting Blue headlining with Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe opening
Where − Centennial Plaza, 330 Court Ave. NW along Market Avenue N in downtown Canton
When − 7 p.m. June 27
Admission − Tickets can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com/. General admission tickets cost $37.50. VIP pit tickets cost $82.40.
More with Scott Terry of Red Wanting Blue
First concert − “The first concert that I went to alone with friends was probably … the Alternative Nation Tour with MTV with Soul Asylum, Spin Doctors and Screaming Trees. It was at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia. That was the one I think was transformative. I thought this is so great. Whatever this is, I want to be part of it.”
First album − “My first tape cassette oddly was Herbie Hancock’s ‘Future Shock’ (in 1983). I think we were all trying to breakdance. And I remember really loving that (1987) Belinda Carlisle record, ‘Heaven On Earth.'”
Favorite album − “Favorite albums are such a hard thing. …. R.E.M., ‘Automatic For The People,’ that is literally in my top five always. And Tom Waits − it’s probably a toss-up between ‘Closing Time’ and ‘Small Change.’ … And I encourage anyone to go and listen and get Bruce Springteen’s ‘Tunnel of Love’ right now. The sounds he had in the late ’80s, they’re so great.”
8-tracks − “I’m a huge nut for 8-tracks. It’s one of those things I’ve been collecting for years. It’s something I grew up on as a kid. … Red Wanting Blue has actually printed two of our records on 8-track because I’m a geek for that. Ours were printed at Kate’s Track Shack in Texas. It sounds warm and washy. A few people bought them but more often than not, we’ve found them to be really great radio station gifts.”
Musical artist who deserves more attention − “I would say currently who is freshest and comes to mind is my good buddy Will Hoge. He has produced Red Wanting Blue’s album (‘The Wanting.’) … We have toured the country with him multiple times. … He’s the Springsteen of my generation. He’s written some great songs for some great artists.”
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Red Wanting Blue excited for Canton gig with Verve Pipe singer opening
Reporting by Ed Balint, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ed Balint, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
