Sad Planets

Two talented and idiosyncratic musicians celebrate their Ohio heritage in the group Sad Planets. Featuring Patrick Carney, best known for his work with <a href="spotify:artist:7mnBLXK823vNxN3UWB7Gfz">the Black Keys</a>, and John Petkovic, whose résumé includes stints with <a href="spotify:artist:1ZnsCchGq6Mszndnk2Rkeq">Death of Samantha</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3v3i8GOHk1j5UyR7THspuh">Cobra Verde</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4oV5EVJ0XFWsJKoOvdRPvl">Guided by Voices</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3Pbv5YFbn9ZGh1QcPL4isS">Sweet Apple</a>, Sad Planets presents a smart and adventurous take on rock music, incorporating elements of psychedelia, glam, prog rock, and garage rock as the broad, scenic melodies of their songs meld with arrangements that pit crashing drums and tough guitars against banks of keyboards, some tuneful and some dissonant. Over it all rides Petkovic's vocals, arena-sized in their focus and phrasing but with the soulful, passionate intimacy of a garage rocker.

Patrick Carney and John Petkovic both originally hail from Akron, Ohio, and they first met there in 1999. While Carney was just 19 at the time, the two musicians had a mutual friend, <a href="spotify:artist:0pa2mkOjPCweXAyOK38OIl">Ralph Carney</a>, the multi-instrumentalist who collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:3v3i8GOHk1j5UyR7THspuh">Cobra Verde</a> and was also Patrick's uncle. Fast forward to the 2010s, when <a href="spotify:artist:7mnBLXK823vNxN3UWB7Gfz">the Black Keys</a> were on hiatus as Carney and <a href="spotify:artist:6YWdHD3R863Apw1hkx3BwC">Dan Auerbach</a> temporarily pursued other projects. Carney approached Petkovic about writing some fresh material, and while neither lived in Akron anymore (Petkovic settled in Cleveland and Carney in Nashville), they chose to meet up in their old hometown to record their new songs. With Petkovic on lead vocals, guitars, and synthesizers, and Carney on bass, drums, and keyboards, the duo completed 11 new songs with the help of multi-instrumentalist Steve Clements, while <a href="spotify:artist:1PokjXeIq2zVosXbTEaNlx">J Mascis</a> (Petkovic's collaborator in <a href="spotify:artist:3Pbv5YFbn9ZGh1QcPL4isS">Sweet Apple</a>) played guitar on one tune, "Just Landed." The finished product, fittingly titled Akron, Ohio, was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tee+Pee+Records%22">Tee Pee Records</a> in April 2019. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi