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Electronic folk

When flipping through an artist station on Pandora, it can sometimes seem like all [insert genre] artists sound alike. Finding a band that is strange, unique and original enough to be appealing can be a struggle. Well, look no further than local electronic folk duo Quietrise.

The band consists of Joshua Garner and Lena Yeagle, who have been playing together since early 2012. They have come up with a distinctive sound that combines their love of synthesizers, folk music and string instruments.

“I always liked video game music and the electronic end of things,” said Garner. “Lena was always soulful with a bluegrass style. Fusing the two sounds was a trial-and-error and we found that it was a really neat mix.”

“It’s different than any other music project I’ve ever done,” Yeagle said. “It’s got that electronic edge, which I’ve never really done before.”

Their music consists of different “beeps and bloops” mixed with strings and vocals.

“It’s folk music, I write folk songs but play them with electronic beats,” Garner said.

Yeagle explained that their lyrics consist of topics that folk artists typically write about: humanity, traditional broken hearts and disappointments.

Garner explained that he does most of the work with the keyboards, synthesizers and making sure that everything is programmed before a show. While he tips his hat off to Yeagle who sings and plays the cello, violin and mandolin live.

“She does the performance and puts her heart into it,” Garner said.

Recently, the band has been playing gigs at the Bullfrog Brewery, Alabaster Coffee Roaster and Tea Co. and Avenue 209 in Lock Haven.

Their most recent large amount of exposure was during the July First Friday event at Converge Gallery. They got the chance to play for the opening of the gallery’s latest show “The Letters” by artist Matthew Rose.

“It’s sometimes hard to book a show because we don’t have that sound that everybody has, but at the same time, we’ve had an explosion in private shows because we’re unique,” said Garner.

With Quietrise getting to perform at some of Williamsport’s most popular places, they are certainly getting the recognition that they are looking for.

To accommodate for their increase in popularity, they plan on recording an album this coming fall.

“I put out a CD last year called “Infinaught” before Lena [Yeagle] joined the band,” said Garner.

“Infinaught” was recorded by local electronic artist and producer, Dave Nearhoof at his own Cat Box Studio in Liberty.

Instead of making the trek up Route 15 North, they are hoping to be in an official studio in order to produce a high quality CD.

As Garner calls it, a “behind the glass deal.”

They have been building a repertoire together since Yeagle has become a part of the band and are ready to get their music out to the public.

“Whatever we pull out of our hats will be brand spanking new,” Yeagle said. “Expect it to be familiar, but different than our other music.”

Nothing is set in stone for the album other than the expected time of the release to be later on in the year.

When talking about the future of the band, they predict it will be bright and filled with more gigs and fans.

Since they have been getting booked more frequently as of late, he hopes that even more will be to come and that people will continue to enjoy the music that they create.

“We can play bars, clubs and in the art scene because we’re soulful, catchy and danceable at the same time,” he said.

“I have a lot of fun with the project and I want to take it as far as it wants to go,” Yeagle said.

With a positive outlook on what is to come, Garner and Yeagle are hoping to accomplish a lot in the next few months.

“Ultimately, I want people to hear us and enjoy the music,” Garner said. “We want to transform ourselves, make more money and get out there musically to more people.” To listen to Quietrise and get more information check out their pages at bandcamp.quietrise.com and face book.com/quietrise.

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