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
Indieville named Roar Best of 2001
#16: Woody Whatever’s “Roar EP” (Ionik Records) I’m going to get criticized for this. Many people would just dismiss this as “amateur” and “incomplete,” but to them I say PHOOIE. Also, they will claim that it’s an EP and thus it shouldn’t be included on this list. Well, this has quite a few songs on it for an EP, so I’m letting it go. I’ve listened to this a number of times, and it just keeps getting better. Very lo-fi recording style, very amateur, and very promising. For somebody’s early bedroom diddlings to be this good… look out Guided By Voices!
Delusions of Adequacy reviews Roar (2001)
Why do I get the feeling that Dayton Ohio’s Eric Schmall (aka Woody Whatever) was perhaps a student of Robert Pollard when the Guided By Voices pop-ditty god was spending more time as a teacher in a classroom than a rock star on stage? In my mind’s eye, I see a young and impressionable Schmall in Mr. Pollard’s classroom and, following a reading of Grimms’ fairy tales, the teacher pulling out an acoustic guitar and four-track recorder and saying, “Boys and girls, today we’re going to make small, catchy pop and rock songs.” Never mind that Schmall also serves time in another Ionik Records band with the very GBV-esque name Tobin’s Heroes, I think it is the fact that a Woody Whatever song could easily be slipped onto a release from the ongoing and sometimes bizarre The Fading Captain Series, and even the most ardent Postal Blowfish GBV fan might not even question it.
That aside, the Roar EP is a nine-song collection of lo-fi recordings that are sometimes and sometimes not entirely realized. “Computer USA” is the available single download that features the rather simple and straightforward song structure and what clearly sounds like a basic four-track recording technique. True to his or rather my perceived tutorage, the second song is a 35-second song snippet titled “Kiss My Big Black Ass.” Whether finalized or just an earmarked song page for future development, it’s something the artist wanted to share with the listener.If not recalling earlier GBV recordings, Woody Whatever is also similarly appealing to me in a way that the first Tom Daily release Happily Deceiving Culture did much of what Schmall is doing here, but with just a bit cleaner, fuller final product. However, fans of Daily will indeed have much to like here, including the songs “I Won’t Last,” “Navy Brats,” and “On Your Way to Titus.” When stepping out of the pop-hook trappings, be it a clarinet accompanied instrumental or the more dour song “Let a Saw In,” Woody Whatever approaches the lo-fi aesthetic preferred by Lou Barlow circa Sentridoh.
For those that may be also guided by beer, the Roar EP from Woody Whatever might be something to go ahead and throw in with the overflowing suitcase collection of lo-fi one-offs and pop gems from that other Dayton, Ohio band. – Thomas Prindle
Splendid reviews Roar (2001)
These nine tracks reveal Erik Schmall’s lo-fi bedroom aesthetic. Many of the tracks rely on the simple combination of Schmall’s acoustic guitar and indie-pop vocal melodies. This simple approach is reasonably appealing, although I find that the more processed tunes such as “Stale Males”, in which the proceedings are run through a modest flange effect, are a bit more interesting. The primary difficulty I had with Roar is that the songs feel short; while economy of notes is important, the brevity of Schmall’s compositions makes them feel either rushed or cast off. There are some good ideas here, and I hope that in the future Schmall takes the time to explore them more thoroughly. — rd
http://www.splendidezine.com/reviews/aug-20-01/aag.html#aag33
Indieville reviews Roar (2001)
http://www.indieville.com/old/revwoodywhatroar.htm
This ep, on the wonderful Ionik Records label, collects nine short songs by the very diy-influenced Erik Schmall (under the pseudonym Woody Whatever). The recording level is delightfully unprofessional, and many songs, such as “Salute to Classical Music” feature quite a bit of tape hiss. Fortunately, the production quality never seems to interfere with the music, instead making it sound more like a musical artifact. This is a very pop-based affair, as songs such as “Stale Males” are actually quite reminiscent of bands like Pavement (except much more amateurish and experimental). On the other hand, “On Your Way To” sounds like it belongs on an oldies collection, despite the poor recording quality. This ep represents a nice variety of pop songs, using a mixture of spacey, slow pieces, as well as excited, energetic ones. Rest assured, listen to this once and you’ll probably get some of these tunes stuck in your head immediately. As for influences, this ep seems to be quite similar to music by bands such as Smog, Pavement, Guided By Voices, and perhaps even some Modest Mouse. As well, the lo-fi, home-produced aspect of it does not detract from it’s beauty, but rather adds to it. But, I would still really like to see what Woody Whatever could do if he was given the chance to have his music professionally recorded and produced. DIY indie fans, you’ll eat this up.
82%
Top Tracks: “Let a Saw In,” “Calculated Confusion,” “I Won’t Last”
Article: `Whatever’ debuts CD on Internet, July 5, 2001
Thursday, July 5, 2001
By Helen Bebbington
Dayton Daily News
KETTERING–Life can be a song for musician Erik Schmall. Even whiling away the hours at his job inspired him to write a tune.
“Whatever is going on at the moment (is what inspires me),” Schmall said.
The recent Kettering Fairmont High School graduate now has an album available on the Internet through an independent record label.
Schmall’s album, Roar, is recorded under the name Woody Whatever. The CD costs $6 and is available at ionikrecords.com.
Schmall, 18, started playing guitar when he was 11, and was writing songs when he was 13. He also plays the drums and the piano. Although he has been playing and recording for years, it wasn’t until recently that he tried to sell his music.
Schmall’s brother, Jason, encouraged his brother to put his music out where others could hear it.
Jason Schmall, a 25-year-old advertising copywriter who lives in Columbus, has played with Erik in the past.
“Erik has a good sense of melody and harmony,” Jason said.
When Jason heard some of Erik’s songs recently, he told his younger brother to take it a step further.
“I said ‘Erik, this stuff is great,’” Jason said. “He was doing the music on his own for a while. People around my office thought it was good.
“I just think it’s great for him to pursue something he really likes,” Jason said.
Jason contacted Mike Winters, an old friend and musician who is the founder of Cincinnati-based ionikrecords.com.
The Web site allows musicians to market their music. Winters started Ionik Records label about five months ago to give developing artists, including his own band, Post-Haste, a chance to have their music known.
“Littler labels are starting to pop up everywhere,” Winters said. “For myself, I would love to spend more time and money on this.”
Winters, a biochemistry graduate student at the University of Cincinnati, said he liked Erik’s music and gave it a place on his Web site.
When someone orders a CD, Winters uses the master version to make copies and ship it off to customers.
Schmall said his music falls under the alternative category. His style has been inspired by Guided by Voices and the Beatles. Schmall said he writes the music first, then the lyrics.
“It’s sort of part of the style,” he said.
Schmall does not normally perform for audiences, although he played drums last year in older brother Jeremy’s band, Starchild, at Miami University gigs. Erik said his parents, George and Suzanne, have been supportive of his musical interests.
Erik plans to attend Ohio University this fall and major in music production.
“I’d really like to try to get a better and better sound,” he said.
After finishing college, Schmall hopes to work somewhere in the music scene, perhaps in New York City.
“I hope to still be making records,” Schmall said.
Ok, Folks
We’re looking at an early August release..
Old catalog back online
Find them on the new “downloads” page. I plan on putting together a few odd tracks that never found a proper release on there next.
Then the new album will be out in July!
Closing in on a new album
Stay tuned for track listing and title and art work and how you can get it and everything
In lieu of content
Making a nice transition into Philadelphia. I apologize for not having anything up to download yet. Still thinking over the best way to distribute it. However, I noticed that myspace recently upped their song limit to 10 so I went ahead and maxed it out. You can check it out here.
