Culture
Virtual Nelsonville Music Festival Interviews: Snarls
By: Weiler Harmon
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Early on in the COVID-19 crisis, the 2020 Nelsonville Music Festival announced its cancellation due to the infectious disease outbreak. In its place, Ohio University School of Media Arts & Studies Director Josh Antonuccio and Nelsonville Music Festival Executive Director Tim Peacock created the Virtual Nelsonville Music Festival, an online presentation of the popular festival, which is being produced by Stuart’s Opera House, WOUB Public Media, the Scripps College of Communication and the Ohio University School of Media Arts and Studies, in partnership with OU Performing Arts, the Ohio University Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Haden DeRoberts Foundation. Under the direction of Antonuccio, Ohio University students and recent graduates are on location around the region with school faculty Andie Walla and Brian Plow filming performances for the virtual fundraiser supporting Stuart’s Opera House. WOUB producers Adam Rich and Evan Shaw are providing post-production on the project, which will go live on Stuart’s official YouTube page August 21-22.
In addition to gaining critical audio and video production experience, students and recent graduates are also learning the ins and outs of music journalism, promotions, and publicity: interviewing performers and creating a myriad of content related to their unique experience. This interview was conducted by VNMF Publicity/Promotion team Lauren McCain, Weiler Harmon, and Madyson Lewellyn and was produced by WOUB’s Arts and Culture producer Emily Votaw.
Since releasing their first EP in 2018, Columbus based self-proclaimed “glitter emo alt-rock” band Snarls have garnered local and national attention thanks to their fuzzy and melodic tone.
The quartet formed when singer/guitarist Chlo White met singer/bassist Riley Hall on their first day at Columbus Arts & College Preparatory high school. White then met guitarist Mick Martinez, who had recently graduated from the school, at a songwriting workshop. It just so happened that Martinez and Hall already knew each other, and after going through a few different drummers, the band added Martinez’s younger brother Max to provide the consistent yet creative rhythms heard throughout their discography.
Drawing inspiration from the music of their adolescence including their favorite U.K. indie group Wolf Alice, Snarls released their debut album Burst in March. The album comes a little more than two years after their self-titled EP release and includes their breakout songs “Walk in the Woods,” “Marbles,” and “Twenty” which happen to be the first three tracks on the project respectively. It is also worth noting that “Twenty” is the only track from their EP included on Burst.
Although their summer tour with Citizen and Glitterer was put on hold due to the pandemic, the band was able to host their album release party just days before COVID-19 restrictions began shutting down businesses and gatherings across the country. For now, the band members are working their respective day jobs and focusing on their music. Check out our interview with Snarls to hear more about how they are adjusting to life as musicians during these unprecedented times.