Though each member of the band — Miles Seaton, Seth Olinsky, Dana Janssen and formerly Ryan Vanderhoof — can be relegated to loosely defined roles (drummer, guitarist, bassist, vocalist), all of them play several instruments and sing, as evidenced by their shows and recorded material. When playing live, the band makes prominent use of improvisation and vocal harmonies. On their self-titled debut record, field recordings of a creaking chair, thunderclaps and the white noise of a television find their way alongside psychedelic and electronic elements, guitars and a glockenspiel.
In addition to their solo debut in 2005, the band played behind Michael Gira on his Angels of Light project as well as splitting a full length CD with Angels of Light.
In 2006, the band released an EP, “Meek Warrior,” a collaboration with master drummer/hero Hamid Drake which contained both more traditional folk music such as the lovely "Gone Beyond" and a pair of throbbing electric guitar monsters in “The Rider (Dolphin Song)” and the epic “Blessing Force,” which ends with an exploration into free jazz.
Sometime between the completion of [2007 release] Love Is Simple and Akron/Family’s 2007 U.S. tour, Vanderhoof left Akron/Family to live in a Buddhist Dharma center in the Midwest.
The band has also released several tour EPs featuring demos and other recordings. In May of 2009, the trio released Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free. This album serves as a blend of the previous albums with more acoustic-folk songs like "Set 'em Free," to fusion freak-outs like "Gravelly Mountains of the Moon."
In January of 2011 they released their album, "S/T II: The Cosmic Birth And Journey Of Shinju TNT ."
Akron/Family's sixth studio album, Sub Verses, was released on April 30, 2013 on Dead Oceans. The band toured for the album from January 29 to December 8, 2013. After the tour the band decided to focus on personal projects, leaving the door open for a possible reunion in the future.
Crickets
Akron/Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crickets sing songs to bury the sunshine
And all we see is made of moonlight
Drifting from dream to dream
In the day time
A millions stars reflecting in our eyes
Trees sweetly sway and swing while a breeze travels across the sky
Drifting from dream to dream in the day time
The above lyrics from the Akron/Family's song Crickets paint a vivid picture of a peaceful and serene summer night. The start of fall brings with it darker evenings, creating a space for the crickets' songs to be heard. The crickets sing to "bury the sunshine," indicating that the comfort and peace that comes with the darkness of the night is necessary for the songs to thrive. The singer seems to be outside, appreciating the beauty of the night, and absorbing everything that the environment has to offer. As they appear to be in a dream-like state, the description of the surroundings is poetic in nature. Everything around them is made of moonlight, trees sway in the wind, and the breeze is gentle. The singer's senses are heightened, with a million stars reflecting in their eyes, and their mind wanders from one dream to another.
The lyrics paint a picture of how much the singer is enjoying this moment, and perhaps how much they appreciate the peacefulness of it all. It's as though the serene environment and the darkness of the night offer some sort of refuge for the singer. It is a moment of respite from the hustle and bustle of life, describing the feeling of drifting from dream to dream during the day time. The song encapsulates the idea of introspection and seeking solace in nature.
Line by Line Meaning
September nights when the dusk calls us outside
During autumn evenings, when the sun begins to set, we are inclined to go out
Crickets sing songs to bury the sunshine
Crickets make music as the sun sets, signaling the end of the day's sunlight
And all we see is made of moonlight
What we perceive is only lit by the moon's rays
Drifting from dream to dream
Mentally floating from one fantasy to another
In the day time
Although it's bright outside, in our minds we're still lost in our dreams
A million stars reflecting in our eyes
We notice an endless number of bright stars in the sky, even though our vision is limited
Trees sweetly sway and swing while a breeze travels across the sky
A gentle wind sends the branches of trees moving back and forth in a relaxing manner
And all we see is made of moonlight
We only see the world as lit by the moon's gentle glow
Drifting from dream to dream in the day time
Even though it's daytime, we're still mentally floating from one imagined scenario to another
Contributed by Sophie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.