The Ohio Riots are, or rather is, Erik Schmall – who also goes under the pseudonym Woody Whatever. This, his most recent musical release, is a very lo-fi affair. Not only is the packaging homemade, but the recording itself is rough and self-produced. However, those familiar with Schmall’s work to date (including his membership in Tobin’s Heroes) won’t be surprised by this – it’s his style, man. The first noticeable thing about this EP is that it is quite different from Woody Whatever’s Roar EP. The Guided By Voices influences aren’t as obvious, and Schmall appears to be experimenting with his songwriting a bit more. “The Famous Copywriter”, for example, is a spacey guitar-and-vocals piece with pop influences that aren’t as obvious as in Schmall’s previous works. Although it is catchy after the third or fourth listen, Schmall appears to be more interested in crafting an atmosphere, rather than just jumping into the standard pop hooks. This is very atypical of the Roar EP, which was, for the most part, a rough, bare-bones lesson in pop songwriting. “Theme From Tobin’s Heroes”, on the other hand, is a nod to Tobin Sprout, and the song is very similar to the Guided by Voices member’s solo work. The other four songs on this EP continue in the same vein – spacey, homemade pop recordings – and it’s all over in a bit more than ten minutes. But those who like lo-fi pop will enjoy these ten minutes – I sure did. 80% Matt Shimmer

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The Ohio Riots is another project from 19 year old Erik Schmall from Dayton, Ohio. Schmall, like another Dayton resident Robert Pollard, seems to be going at a very proficient rate in his recordings. He has made music under many different monikers as well, and most have been of the lo-fi variety. Schmall records mostly on a 4-track that diminishes the sound of his recordings, which is to be expected. “Cigarette Commercials” starts off with a spacey circling guitar part with Schmall crooning over the top. This song has a distinct psych feel to it with the converging vocals and repetitive guitar. “Her Potential” is marred by the recording conditions where it feels Schmall is five miles away from his equipment. He also shares a penchant, with Pollard, for putting out unfinished song snippets; unfortunately his are not very striking. “Asleep For Days” also carries a similar spacey pop sound like the first track, which is a bright spot on this recording. Schmall shows his talent in creating little ditties that, if followed, show a spark. “Theme From Tobin’s Heroes” is a nice little lo-fi anthem with repeating guitar rhythm creating a nice effect. Schmall voice carries a nice tune and holds the listeners interest. This EP is full of spacy psych elements that recall a little of Pollard’s solo acoustic songs. It is very hard not to make these types comparisions since Schmall certainly looks up to those recordings. This work is somewhat reminiscent of the very early songs we heard on the unreleased box set of GBV stuff, with Pollard alone. The songs show a spark, but it is a rather quick one, that would be nice if developed more. It will be interesting to see what Schmall can continue to do as he matures because there is a lot of promise in him. With some better songwriting, production values, and expanded variety he could come up with a very good record. – Kris Handel, 7/22/2002