Photo courtesy of Cusano Photography
Describing a band’s sound is difficult and sometimes a delicate task… At least for me. Say too much and you sound like you’re trying too hard, say too little and you risk sounding like you’ve never listened to music a day in your life.
What sets groups apart from the pack is the ability to embrace influences and blend them together to produce their own unique sound and style.
For the Youngstown-based group, The Vindys and its lead singer Jackie Popovec, sound is something that can get complicated at times; but that’s not something she’s too concerned with.
“I’ve struggled to figure that out for a long time and I’ve kind of let other people make of it what they think,” Popovec says. “As far as the writing goes on my end, I follow what the song is going to be. I’m not trying to write specifically a Vindys song. I don’t fight it.”
Many have described The Vindy’s sound as Amy Winehouse singing for a Led Zeppelin, with hints of Norah Jones and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Popovec acknowledges those are all correct, stating those acts as some of her main influences.
“I’m trying to make it a little more cohesive as I go,” Popovec says. “But I do enjoy having the different styles and tastes.”
The current lineup for The Vindys consists of Popovec on guitar and vocals, John Anthony on guitar, Rick Deak on guitar, Ed Davis on drums and Scott Boyer on bass.
The band is a little rock and roll, some pop, sprinkled with gritty soul and jazz and even at times offers a little country twang.
The Vindys often feature a full horn section in their live shows and its something Popovec loves. It’s a “big” sound to say the least.
Photo courtesy of Cusano Photography
“If there is a show in town and they are available, I want the horns with me,” Popovec says. “Sometimes we can’t pay for everyone but we have friends in other cities so they’ll always find a place to stay so they can come and play.”
The featured horns include Kyle O'Donnell on trumpet, Brian Mayle on trombone and Faheem Najieb on tenor saxophone.
Let me help you
Before Popovec took over as the lead singer of The Vindys, the band was a frequent around downtown Youngstown as a cover band consisting of original drummer Nicholas Sainato and current guitarist, Anthony and a singer.
After spending time in Florida studying music production at the same time Sainato and Anthony were studying music at the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, Popovec came back home to open a small business with her family.
“When I got back, I was looking to get back in the scene and went downtown and saw them doing some cover band stuff,” Popovec says. “I’ve known Nick since I was 10, him and I go way back. I remember they had another singer at the time and I just told them, ‘man, let me help you out, if you ever want to do something. Let me know.”
The group welcomed Popovec and the original lineup of The Vindys got to work playing sets of covers at a number of Youngstown bars and venues.
Though the group was mainly playing covers, Popovec continued writing music of her own.
“I would have never imagined showing the guys some of the stuff I had written,” Popovec says. “At the time, I probably only had three or four tunes and never thought I’d be performing them.”
The group encouraged Popovec’s writing and instilled inspiration in the singer and The Red Wine EP was born.
“Nick had a bunch of recording gear and we recorded the EP at his house in pieces. It was messy,” Popovec laughs. “But he did an amazing job of putting everyone together, giving us something so we could start making a little bit of money. I could suddenly see where this would all go, putting drums and a cool riff to the tunes I had been writing.”
Gaining some traction
The Vindys started building a following shortly after the release of the EP and were gaining some airplay on radio stations, most notably, 91.3 FM The Summit, out of Akron. They remained a constant performing act throughout the area and were a regular at YSU’s annual Federal Frenzy.
In 2017, the band shifted to its current lineup after Sainato moved and began to solely focus on original material. In April that year, their full-length album Keep Going released. The release of this project was a turning point for the band.
“Something clicked after that, we started seeing audiences sing our songs at shows,” Popovec says. “It’s crazy, definitely a goosebumps type of feeling. We felt that we were really getting a hold of all this.”
The Vindys keep busy, playing shows in Chicago, Nashville, New York and all over Ohio. They’ve shared the stage with national acts such as Hunter Hayes, Marty Stuart, The Drive-By Truckers, Reeve Carney, The Clarks, Welshly Arms, and Judah & the Lion.
The Vindys- Classic (Official Music Video)
Being from Youngstown though is something the band fully embraces (The Vindy’s name is an ode to the city’s newspaper “The Vindicator”).
Youngstown is close to some major markets for music, making it an ideal city for a band trying to reach the masses. Despite the recent economic shortcomings in Youngstown, within the city, there is an abundance of talent both in the music and arts scene and it’s something that continues to grow.
“In the midst of all this, for better or for worse, the art scene is continuing to thrive and I really hope something good comes out of it,” Popovec says. “I’m hoping The Vindys and other groups from the area can be the next sort of champions for Youngstown.”
Clear your calendars
This Saturday, The Vindys will take The Rumba Café stage with and Columbus is one of their favorite stops. Though they didn’t have a fanbase in Columbus, last year’s show helped get their name out tremendously.
“Columbus has really been good to us. To this day, I have people that were at that show saying, ‘I never heard of you guys, but saw you with Patrick Sweany and I became a fan,’” Popovec says. “To open up for acts like Patrick in Columbus have been super helpful with getting our footing in this city.”
With Popovec’s powerhouse vocals backed by a high energy, dynamic and talented band, The Vindys are a can’t miss show.
For tickets and more information about Saturday's show with Jesse Michael Barr, click here
Check out The Vindys on social media!
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Bandcamp
Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcomed at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com
