This singer-songwriter's voice has been called a "silent scream" by some. He delivers powerful feelings softly, letting his lyrics and guitar work convey the emotion while steering clear of any vocal acting or flashiness. To hear him play is more like listening in on a private moment than being performed to.Sonically, viola's style is a mix of singer-songwriter (think Elliott Smith, Nick Drake and even 70s love-songsters Bread who he cannot deny admiring) and '60s British Invasion, with a healthy dose of indie-rock on top.Not strictly a folkie, he's happy to throw in some garage rock drumming or Stones-inspired electric guitar here and there. It's indie-folk. Or maybe folk n roll. Or maybe just honest music.He's the former singer and songwriter for the Brit-rock inspired The Viola Contingent, who spent a few years in the Cleveland/Akron rock clubs and landed on Portland Oregon-based CD Baby's Best of 2001 compilation. This led to viola playing a series of solo shows in the Pacific Northwest to promote the band's CD, which hooked him on the idea of playing solo, acoustic shows when he got back to Cleveland.Solo shows were put on hold though, while he played guitar for Vanity Crash, nominated for Best Pop/Rock Act in the 2004 Scene Music Awards (they didn't win). The band was also named one of "Ten Local Bands to Watch in 2004" by the Cleveland Free Times.Viola left VanityCrash in summer 2004 to spend more time on his singer/songwriter work. Retreating into his tiny home studio, he handled all the instruments and production duties on his debut, "Far From the Maddening Crowd," which he recorded on a simple 8-track recorder.He's currently playing anywhere and everywhere acoustic and indie music are appreciated.**
VIDEO FOR "STRANGE & SANE."
Had a good time making this. We filmed around my town (Cleveland) and in my little home studio/spare bedroom and basement. We met a nice house cat who wanted to be in it. We had a few drinks, and here it is. Let me know what you think.
VIDEO MAY LOAD FASTER HERE. MORE FUN TO NAVIGATE TOO: viola on the Autumn Haze Pictures website
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___________________________________________________*VIDEO FOR "CINNAMON" (unreleased song)
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