Shiny and the Spoon is an American folk/Americana band based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Members include Jordan Neff on vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Amber Nash on vocals, guitar, and ukulele; Pete Brown on upright Bass; and Matt Frazer on Drums.
History
Amber Nash, an Indiana school teacher, performed in jazz bands and musical theater from a young age. She met Jordan Neff, from Ontario, Ohio, at the MidPoint Music Festival in 2008. They soon began performing and writing together, choosing the name "Shiny and the Spoon", and attracted attention through Cincinnati. Nash played ukulele and kazoo, while Neff played guitar, trumpet, and harmonica, and both sang. In 2009, the band was nominated as "Best Local Band of 2009" by CityBeat, and as "New Artist of the Year" in the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Their acoustic ukulele cover of "Take On Me" by A-ha earned them wide recognition and became a viral hit. Their debut EP was self-titled and released January 22, 2010. It was played regularly on local radio stations in Ohio and Kentucky. They toured around Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Pete Brown and Matt Frazer joined the band in 2011, adding an upright bass and drums to the band's sound. Their first full-length album, Ferris Wheel, was released that year. It earned the number 6 spot on CityBeat's list of the Top 100 Music Releases of 2011, and was nominated for "album of the year" at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Later Shiny and the Spoon performed at the MidPoint Music Festival for the third time, and went on to release their second album, Sing the Season, in December. They were nominated for "Best Folk/Americana Act" at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, and their song "Coriander Blues" was nominated as "Americana Song of the Year" at the Independent Music Awards. The group has moved on to record a second full-length album, Box of Bullets. The recording was done at Ultrasuede Studios with the help of Brian Niesz. The band is currently touring the Cincinnati region as well as surrounding states.
Musical style
Steeped in the Americana tradition folk music, Shiny and the Spoon perform lyrical songs that have been described as whimsical, old-timey, charming and intimate. Musicians in the band sometimes play such diverse instruments as kazoo, ukulele, Spanish coronet, electric guitar, fiddle, piano, along with traditional guitar, drums, and bass. When singing, their harmonies have been called "smooth" and "mesmerizing".
