Narrow/Arrow / Oiun / Oddepoxy / Middling

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June 11, 2026 at Brasshouse Boardroom Skateshop in Mansfield, OH

What a fantastic and unique lineup of local Mansfield talent, holy shit. Don’t you love going to a show for one band and leaving a fan of all of the bands? And even better, realizing how cool and friendly these incredibly smart musicians are? This is the kind of show that looks small but has a lifelong impact. Like, Oiun!? I’m a fan for life, guaranteed. More on them in a second, read on!

The room was small, hot, and wide open, with two garage doors and skate ramps in the little venue. Apparently all available electricity was dedicated to amps and the PA because there wasn't a fan in sight. I wish there was, it was very hot and very still but little venues are where the coolest bands get their start so places like Brasshouse Skateshop absolutely need to exist.

Middling kicked things off with absolute chaos and fantastic energy. A three-piece with no bass player, they filled the room with screaming noise, a 7-string Strandberg through an Orange amp, and riffs that were both tappy and chuggy. Songs came in quick, violent bursts. I thought mid-set “if I was down the street and heard this in the background, I would think someone was hurt.” The screams were screechy yet controlled and intentional. Angst and tension filled the air. Between songs they made their stance clear: "Happy Pride Month, no one should be anything but themselves," followed by "Fuck ICE. My friends shouldn't be scared," and, naturally, "Fuck Donald Trump." I love me a band that stands for something and is exclusively themselves. The vocalist and guitarist faced away from the crowd the entire set, but it didn’t take away from the crazy energy that filled the room when they started. People were huge fans of them and I was unfamiliar, so before they even started, I was excited to see them. I’m super interested to see where they go from here. Worth going to see for sure.

Oddepoxy, another three-piece, followed with a completely different approach. Everything felt clean and controlled, from the gritty-but-smooth vocals to the tasteful bluesy time changes scattered throughout the set. Their third song had a section that felt straight out of the '70s, except somehow better and modernized. The final song was especially fun: funky grooves, a driving Rickenbacker bass line, loose 16th note hi-hat work, and long sustained tones that sounded like they were pulled from a forgotten classic rock record. Bassist, Heath, was also a genuinely great dude, and we ended up talking watches after bonding over the Bulova Lunar Pilot on his wrist. The guitarist played a Fender Strat and through a Neural DSP and Boss RC-300 Loop Station. After listening to their recorded music, I felt it was pretty different than the set I just saw. There was a lot of electronic influence and tones in their music. It was a great and unique blend of tones and genres and they had family there watching the set and cheering them on, which is always fantastic.

Then came Oiun (pronounced wEn).

You know a band is about to be good when they spend an extra half hour getting the mix right. Full respect for that. Mesa cabs, an 8-string Schecter, a fanned-fret 8-string Ibanez, and a drummer who was surgically precise and clearly in charge of sound as he ran a Behringer X32 rack through his iPad. The result was worth every extra minute. Their music felt like if early Contortionist started today in the world of 8 strings and tight gates with modern gear and recordings. They were complex, clean, heavy, and packed with time changes and breakdowns that always landed exactly where they needed to. Plus, the bassist, Adam, played a fuckin’ 7-string headless Kiesel. If that’s not a sign that a band is about to be heavy and technical, I don’t know what is. Aaron, the drummer was incredible when it came to his playing. It’s rare that a drummer stands out that much with such uniqueness and incredible tightness. His ghost notes were so present with his cracking’-ass-snare that they were practically alive and no longer ghosts in the afterlife. The vocalist, Tom, provided the main and screaming vocals, which fit perfectly with the guitar tones. The guitarist with the Ibanez, Zach, provided clean vocals which were also incredibly fitting. They said the guitarist with the Schecter, Cory, was playing only his first show with them. The band currently has only one song out on streaming services but they informed me there is more to come soon. The song that’s out is fantastic and recorded professionally. I can’t wait to hear more and see them again. I'll absolutely be following them from here on out. They will be big. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of OIUN.

Then Narrow/Arrow took the stage for their first night of their tour. Fittingly, it starts in the town they’re from. Midwest Math Rock is a perfect, simple description of their sound. Their drummer, Jonathan, is super tame, super tight and perfect for the band. No crazy improv, no busy fills, just great drumming and timekeeping. Speaking of that, they didn’t play with in-ear monitors, Jonathan had a metronome app on his phone with headphones plugged in. Their bassist, Donovan, was playing a Fender bass that perfectly tucks into the layered tones created by Cody, the multi-guitarist and vocalist.

I first saw Narrow/Arrow in 2016 at Big Room Bar in Columbus. They opened for a band I’ve always loved (and wish was still making music), Polyenso. Cody came out and used a clamp to hold a guitar parallel with the floor and then strapped an 8-string LTD to himself. When they started and I saw Cody’s immense talent, I needed to know more. After their set, I went to the restroom and Cody came in to the urinal next to me. I said “dude, holy shit. That was so impressive. If we weren’t currently peeing, I’d shake your hand.” Cody then reached his hand over the partition and shook my hand anyway mid-piss. I was a fan before that moment, but that moment made me realize I wanted to be their friend. That night I found the album Middle Children and have never stopped listening to it since.

I asked Cody about how he decided to play multiple guitars at once. He said “My freshman year I saw the song “air tap” by a dude named Erik Mongrain. He opened tunes an acoustic guitar and plays it on his lap. So before I c clamped it to a piano stand, I started initially writing with just a guitar in DADGAD on my lap. Once I had a song that I wanted to play with my band, I didn’t wanna play sitting down so I found a piano stand and that clamp in my dad’s workshop. So fast forward a couple years and my bands playing some shows with Jonathan Hape (who then later became the drummer for N/A). I got a guitar around my shoulder and one in front of me on the piano stand. I would pull out my cable from my shoulder guitar and put it into the piano stand guitar when we were ready to do that song. Then Jonathan comes to me and says “you know if you buy a $40 XY switcher pedal you won’t have to pull your cable out and put it in the other one you can just switch to it… or you could play both at the same time!” I truthfully thought it was kind of a really corny idea when I first heard it. I imagine myself seeing some guy trying to play two guitars on stage and feeling nauseated. Then one day not too long after that I bought that pedal, and I wrote my first double guitar song in summer of 2009.”

He started double guitars and vocals for a band called The La De Les, which has a rad 40-plus minute Audiotree session on their YouTube that’s definitely worth checking out. Back to the set.

Narrow/Arrow played a great range and spread of songs from their albums and played at least one newer song, which was fantastic. I can’t wait to hear new music from them and see what exactly they’ve been up to. Cody switched to a 6-string Guild arch top for the last few songs of the set, which had beautiful, glassy tone that cut through the live mix in a way that was incredibly present. He used a JC120 amp as well as a little Fender amp at the same time. I could keep writing about them but I’m just going to let you dig into their discography to find out what album is your favorite. Keep your eyes peeled to ensure you go see them, they are a sight to see.

The night wrapped up with Cody performing “Daryl Licked” solo while the rest of the band packed up. He expressed gratitude for those who came out and was obviously excited to start the tour. I stayed after the set to do an interview with Cody, which will be up soon! It was my first interview with a band. The venue wanted to close up, so we did the interview lit by the front sign and it looks dark and like garbage, but that’s not what matters. What we talked about was worth checking out and listening to. Stay tuned on the @elseconcerts instagram page to learn where and when you can watch the interview.

Catch Narrow/Arrow at one of these upcoming dates:

June 13, 2026: Newport, KY at The Southgate House Revival (MidWest Friends Fest / The Last Safe Place Reunion Show)
June 14, 2026: Chicago, IL at The Burlington Bar
June 15, 2026: Minneapolis, MN at Memory Lanes
June 16, 2026: Milwaukee, WI at MKE Ultra
June 17, 2026: Indianapolis, IN at Healer DIY
June 18, 2026: Grand Rapids, MI at Mulligan's Pub
June 19, 2026: Lansing, MI at The Pleasant Underground (PUG Fest)
June 20, 2026: Kalamazoo, MI at Old Dog Tavern
August 1, 2026: Philadelphia, PA at MilkBoy Philly