Aeolian

Aeolian‘s guitarists Bill Heinen and Mike Faltas originally bonded (after meeting in a KU literature class) over their mutual love of the Pixies, but the band they co-founded doesn’t always resemble the grunge-punk godfathers. Heinen’s clear, confident vocals recall classic-rock acts such as Boston, whose singers always aimed for an arena’s cheap seats. Aeolian further fleshes out its power-pop melodies with metal-ready soloing chops. The band has shuffled through three drummers within the past year, and to hear the songs, you’d think Heinen and Faltas make drummers pound themselves to exhaustion, then mercilessly wheel in an able-bodied replacement. The flagship band of the Emporia-based label Felt Cat, Aeolian recently recorded its second album at Black Lodge. Its giddy live shows reveal that this is a group formed for fun. Even if Aeolian never makes it out of the Midwest, this is a college-town band in the best way, composed of guys who took the time to master their instruments and who absolutely live for their nights onstage.