TONY XENOS - info
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In Athens, Ohio, 30 is over the hill. Packed to the brim with fresh-faced college students, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there is another world, another community co-habitating on the very same brick streets. To Tony Xenos, those streets read like a yearbook—a journey through bands, albums, introspection, and personal growth. After playing and recording in a bevy of bands (most notably the Cactus Pears and Rubberband Racecer Go), Xenos began to weary of musically relying on others. On the even of his 30th birthday, he released “Birthday,” a retrospective album spanning 15 years, and even more notably, performed entirely by Xenos. “Until two months before, I didn’t know how to play the drums at all,” laughed Tony. “I was beginning to think in order to complete the entire album solo, I’d have to track the bass drum separately from the snare separate from the—ugh, it would have been a slow process!”

Fortunately for all, Tony managed to learn the new skills he needed to pull off the much-acclaimed album. After “Birthday,” Tony began to itch for the musical collaboration he had once enjoyed, and began to re-unite with some of his favorite onstage partners. Now, another retrospective album is being released, this time filled with all the pieces and members of Tony’s past and present musical steps. The B-sides and rarities collection is something Xenos compares to REM’s “Eponymous,” an apt comparison given his vocal and structural stylings which owe a debt to Michael Stipe and REM. Athough his voice is unconventional, it is sure, and it has a lot to say. Utilizing looping in his live shows, and delving ahead into a variety of subject matter from the introspective to the societal, Xenos proves that pop music isn’t always predictable, folk isn’t without its energy, and songwriting isn’t just for college students. “The best compliment someone could give my music is to ask a question about it, just get into a discussion. That’s what it’s all about—making that connection, and getting people talking.”

Tony has Athens talking alright…and listening to his every word.

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Find more of Tony at:
www.tonyxenos.com