By John Ostapowicz
In the Mahoning Valley, an indie-rock and pop band is making waves on a local and national level.
Sedona, a four-person band from Youngstown, is gearing up for a busy remainder of 2023 with a local benefit concert called Hits For Hearing on Sept. 29, a new album Nov. 3 and a scheduled tour from November through December.
The band is led by frontman and rhythm guitarist Harrison Rhinehart with the help of his brother, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist, Ben Rhinehart. Together, the two have garnered national attention and helped rejuvenate the local music scene.
The Rhineharts jumped into the Youngstown spotlight in 2017 and started networking with local musicians, which led to multi-instrumentalist Grant Shultz joining the brothers.
“Sedona” comes from a song of the same name from Indiana band, Houndmouth.
“I just liked that song and I thought that would be a cool band name, turns out there’s a lot of bands with that name,” Harrion said. “You just have to be unique to where it’s not a big deal.”
The band’s musical inspiration stems from other indie-rock bands such as Her’s, Vacations and Hippo Campus.
The mastermind behind Sedona’s unique tone is credited to Shultz. His combination of lead guitar, keyboard and trumpet puts its own twist on the indie-rock genre.
Shultz’s inclusion of a Roland Jazz Chorus solid-state guitar amplifier gave the band its raw reverb and high treble range.
“[Sedona] has been described as a trip to indie-rock heaven,” Harrison said.
With the addition of drummer Justin Barnett, the band has kept a consistent rhythm section for over a year and has released several tracks such as “Yat Club,” “Back Around (Rob’s Song),” an EP titled “Yat Rock” and its most recent release, “Remind Me,” which came out Sept. 1.
“Yat Club,” one of the band’s most successful songs, was inspired by Harrison’s red Fiat 500, but it quickly evolved into the fan base’s nickname.
“I didn’t think it would grow into something that big,” Harrison said. “I thought it was going to be this little song, but it really grew.”
The band itself has had some out-of-town experience as it has traveled to the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, The Outpost in Kent and The Rialto Theater in Akron.
For Harrison, nothing compares to playing at home.
“Westside Bowl is the place in Youngstown. They take care of everybody and you never have to go there and worry about anything,” Harrison said.
Shultz recalled the Wickyards performance, in which several people came out to see them.
“I’d say the past year has been pretty good [in Youngstown], seeing friends, family, new fans and old fans,” Shultz said.
As several musicians release music in the Youngstown area, Barnett said the local music scene is starting to generate new faces.
“The Youngstown music scene is starting to get alive again, it seems like people are starting to come around and see local music,” Barnett said.
A new album is scheduled for Nov. 3, titled “Slappers Only,” which will include five to seven songs. The album will be followed by a midwest tour November through December that will hit several major cities such as Cincinnati, New York City, Dayton and Nashville.
The group will be back in the Mahoning Valley alongside The Broken Relics and Matt Carson at 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Penguin City Brewing Company, in support of the Starkey Hearing Foundation and centers for hearing care hosted by Youngstown State University Delta Zeta sorority.
There will be a $5 cover charge upon entry, which will benefit a local hearing center.
To listen to Sedona’s new album and music releases, check Spotify and Apple Music and to keep up with the band, visit its website at sedona.band. To follow its midwestern tour, check out its Instagram and Facebook.
