South of Eden Returns to Central Ohio

South of Eden returned home to Columbus, Ohio from months of touring out of state and performed at The King of Clubs on August 7th.   Being the first home show in a quite a while, one could feel the excitement in the air.  From the powerful vocals to the guitar solos, it was an amazing show of high energy.  Their set contained new album tracks like “Dancing with Fire”, as well as old favorites such as “Monica” and ending with “I Barley Know Her”.  It was a long awaited musical thrill for all of those in attendance.   

South of Eden (formerly Black Coffee) consists of Ehab Omran (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Justin Young (lead guitar, vocals), Tom McCullough (drums), and Nick Fratianne (bass).  They are a band with its own sound and identity, that writes, records, and plays like the pioneers of rock before them.  They are looking to remind people what rock n roll means – no rules and real raw music.  The quartet possess an original “vintage with a sprinkle of today” sound, a slightly retro rock style, tremendous talent, and a work ethic that not only makes them a rising band but can take them to the top.  The influence of classic rock and many different genres and eras shows in the sound and feel of their music.   The video “Dancing With Fire” showcases their personalities, both in the music and the visual.  “We want to open up the doors for rock in the modern era.”   South of Eden attempts to give listeners the feeling of discovering the genre for the first time and invite them to join their journey of looking at rock ‘n’ roll through a modern lens. 

The band originally formed in 2017 by combining their passions and uniting over their love of music.   This began after Tom introduced Ehab, to Justin, who was attending Berklee College of Music at the time.  Justin and Tom had been working on their own band while Ehab and Nick performed together in various bands.  From the first jam the immediate chemistry was apparent and within a few days, the artists began songwriting.  This led to a fast-paced evolution.  After being a band for about a week they were booking shows for two weeks out.   South of Eden has since shared bills with numerous nationally recognized artists and graced the main stage of Sonic Temple and Epicenter.  Jason Flom caught wind of the band and signed them to Lava Records in 2019, just two years after their formation. 

During the pandemic South of Eden used the time to write new music and put a lot of good work into their live show, which was definitely noticeable during their performance.  Once able in the spring, they went back on the road to touring the states from Indiana to Florida in April through July.  They’ve also been continuing to write new music as well as getting the rest of their new album ready to be released.

South of Eden is looking forward to performing at the upcoming large festivals Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky September 23rd-26^th  and Aftershock in CA on October 7^th-10th.  There will also be some upcoming shows in between, including a stop in Missouri, so keep an eye out on their social media for dates to be announced. 

 

Other Ohio bands also performed including Liberty Deep Down, Rumspringa, and Trauma Illinois. 

 

MORE PHOTOS:

By Dragonhawk Photography