Tropidelic

Friday, May 2

Robin Hood, 7 p.m.

$5 under 21

$3 for 21+

After spending $5,000 and recording for 300 hours in the studio, Tropidelic has finished its first studio-recorded album. The Kent-based band will release Tree City Exodus Friday at the Robin Hood.

The members of Tropidelic met at Kent State and have been playing together since 2005. The band released its first raw album, Funk Love, in 2006.

Matt “Roads” Andrle, the band’s vocalist, said recording the album was a long process. He began focusing on the album after he graduated from Kent State with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in December. Roads said he felt a lot of pressure to be successful after he graduated and is happy with the way the album turned out.

“It feels good,” Roads said. “Music is what makes me happy, and I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

The band members paid for the entire recording process themselves. Tropidelic used all the money it had made from past shows, which gets placed in a “band account,” to cover expenses. The band recorded the album at Amber Wolf Studios in Akron. Roads said the recording process went smoothly, and the band enjoyed working with Amber Wolf.

“He gave us a great rate and was really supportive in general,” Roads said.

One thing that makes this album different from the band’s previous recording, Funk Love, is the quality of the recording. The style of music on this album is also more rock-oriented than the previous one.

“It has a lot more reggae and rock and is more serious,” Roads said. “We tried to spread out and touch a bunch of different audiences.”

The name Tree City Exodus comes from Kent’s nickname as the “Tree City.” Roads said he hopes Tropidelic’s music will take the audience away.

One track on the album Roads is especially proud of is “Aquafire,” which he described as a “dancy” song.

“It is a solid standout track,” he said.

Tropidelic has a number of shows lined up in the coming months. It will be playing shows at the Agora in June and at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Akron in July.

The band also just got some big news. Right after the release, Tropidelic is heading down to Florida to play at the Florida Music Festival in Orlando on May 15. This festival features 250 performers from across the country. Artists such as Everclear and Third Eye Blind have played at this festival in the past.

“We applied and found out not too long ago we were accepted,” Roads said.

Contact all reporter Kristen Kotz at [email protected].