Two legendary Dayton indie-rock bands, Guided by Voices and Brainiac, will be taking the stage as headliners, while Heather Redman & The Reputation, a local on-the-rise supergroup formed in 2020, is featured on the poster with a slightly smaller font size — though the band has a paralleled virtuosity.
Heather Redman & The Reputation blends the bite of late-60s garage with 70s soul to concoct a nostalgic yet current sound. This energetic ensemble, fronted by Redman and featuring some of the scene’s finest players, puts on an explosive stage show while maintaining the singularity and grit of raw, bare-bones rock.
Having the Reputation on this ACAMF bill is a win for Dayton music and further proof the band is on the right path.
In 2022, before releasing an official full-length album, the Reputation opened for indie folk’s Amythyst Kiah at the Levitt Pavilion. The next year, the Reputation filled in for slated Levitt headliners La Santa Cecilia when the Los Angeles band’s flight was delayed.
Later in 2023, Heather Redman & The Reputation opened Nelsonville Music Festival on the main stage — a stage where Lucinda Williams, Margo Price and Kurt Vile would perform the same weekend.
“I don’t realize until after I do something, when I’m trying to make a connection with someone, that I’m a little naive sometimes,” Redman said, referring to cold-messaging promoters, venues and bands, online and in-person.
But that so-called naivete and the grass-roots relationship-building — paired with an initial why-did-I-send-that-email, post-go-getting regret — is what landed the Reputation a slot at Nelsonville, the Athens fest and a slew of other great opportunities.
These may be modest stages but the Reputation’s quick promotion from opener to local headliner, and moving up pegs on regional rosters in just four years as a band, is duly deserved.
“It’s always been my goal to slowly take our time and widen our circle and build up to eventually being able to go on tour,” Redman said. “It’s harder for us to do that now, with jobs and kids … but I would like to think that I am doing all the right things because these opportunities are coming. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m trying to get where I want to be while also being authentic.”
And she says the rest of the Reputation is behind her all the way, too.
Redman has performed in several projects over the past twenty years, including Power to the Peephole and Neo American Pioneers, cutting her teeth as a supporting character before taking the helm as lead. It’s only natural that bigger stages are the next stop on Redman’s musical voyage.
The band’s self-titled debut from winter 2022 spotlights Redman’s robust vocals alongside unforgettable brass refrains, cozy vintage keys and raucous psychedelic guitar licks. The late-comer album landed at number ten on WYSO’s Kaleidoscope host Juliet Fromholt’s Top Ten Albums of 2022, a list otherwise occupied by national talent.
The Reputation is an eight-piece band, complete with supplementary percussion and a horn section, which isn’t typically conducive to simplified travel. Yet, as the Reputation accrues more lucrative shows on its resume, one thing is for certain: if there is a stage big enough, they will travel.
“It’s cool to feel like I’ve been accepted into the awesome music community in Athens,” Redman said. “This is the most true to myself I’ve ever felt, music-wise. It’s not really imposter syndrome because I like what I’m doing and I truly believe in it.”
She’s humble, maybe a little naive (again, her words), but Heather Redman takes chances and has shaped a solid reputation as an exceptional songwriter and performer.
“I’m always feeling like there’s something I need to be doing ... trying to figure out what the next move is,” Redman said. “Then there’s the amazing feeling side where I’m excited all the time and wonder what’s going to be next.”
The band has new music in the pipeline, and is representing Dayton in Athens alongside Midwest greats, Guided by Voices and Brainiac, to name a few.
A noteworthy place to be just four years in.
How to go
What: Athens Community Arts and Music Festival
When: 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Union Street in Athens
Cost: The event is free and open to the public
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