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The Werks
L-R: Rob Chafin, Dino Dimitrouleas, Chris Houser and Norman Dimitrouleas Photo: Brian Hockensmith
L-R: Rob Chafin, Dino Dimitrouleas, Chris Houser and Norman Dimitrouleas
Photo: Brian Hockensmith
Background information
OriginDayton, Ohio, United States
GenresRock, jam band, funk, Psychedelic rock, roots rock, indie rock, Electronic dance music
Years active2005-Current
MembersRob Chafin
Chuckie Love
Chris Houser
Dan Shaw
Past membersAaron Armstrong
Dave Bartoletti
Norman Dimitrouleas
Jake Goldberg
Dino Dimitrouleas
Websitethewerksmusic.com

The Werks is an American rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio and noted for its musical improvisation and exploration of music across multiple genres. Founded in 2005 by Dave Bartoletti (keys), Rob Chafin (drummer), Chris Houser (guitar) and Chuck Love (bass), the band is best known for its quick rise into the jam band music scene and appearances at major festivals and events across the US and abroad. In early June 2011, the band rose to prominence when it hit the number 2 top searched artists on the leading online Jam Magazine, jambase.com, behind the band Phish and again in early 2012 when they hit number 1.[1][2] Current members of the band are as follows; Rob Chafin- Drums, Vocals, Samples / Chucky Love- Bass, Vocals / Chris Houser- Guitar, Vocals / Dan Shaw- Keyboards, Vocals.

History

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Formation

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In 2005 the foursome met while attending a local music contest in Dayton, Ohio. After agreeing to commit to a band project, they named the group after their first meal together; ordering a dish with "The Works" from a local restaurant. The naming convention would be changed to "The Werks" soon after. The band officially formed in 2007 and Dave Bartoletti would leave the band one year later; he was replaced by keyboardist, Norman Dimitrouleas who previously performed in another Dayton band, The Maji.[3] In the summer of 2011, bassist Dino Dimitrouleas, also from the Maji, replaced founding member Chuck Love and percussionist, Aaron Armstrong, from Toledo, Ohio, would join with the band from May through November of that same year. Dan Shaw, of Columbus, Ohio, replaced Norman Dimitrouleas, now deceased,[4] in 2014 as the band's keyboardist. Jake Goldberg then replaced Dino Dimitrouleas in 2016 on bass.

Musical style

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Techniques

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The band incorporates rock, vintage psychedelic, funk music, and livetronica into their own musical form, called "psychedelic dance rock".[5][6] It bridges a gap by incorporating high energy music and high production values with themes that embrace "exploratory jams",[7] a more accepted "shift occurring in the musical world", according to some critics.[8]

Other

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Festivals

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The Werks have played many notable festivals, including appearances at The Peach Music Festival, Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival, Summer Camp Music Festival, Electric Forest, High Sierra Music Festival, All Good Music Festival, Camp Bisco, including their own festival, the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival, held annually each August in Central Ohio.[3][5][6][9][10] In 2017, 2 more namesake events were debuted, the Winter Werk Out Music and Arts Festival in Columbus, OH in February and the Werk Out West Music and Arts Festival in Denver, CO in March. The 2nd annual Winter Werk Out in Columbus in February 2018 featured Papadosio as a headliner; the 3rd annual Winter Werk Out in 2019 featured Emancipator, EOTO, Tropidelic, and Zach Deputy. At the 10th annual Werk Out Festival in August 2019 in Thornville, OH, featured their biggest line up to date: STS9, Big Gigantic, Lennon Claypool Delirium, Twiddle, Dopapod, Cory Wong, and more.

Tapers

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The Werks have adopted the policy of allowing fans to tape, trade, and distribute their live shows.[3] Werkers (fans) have been taping and trading shows since their inception, which has helped them to gain their national following.[11] John Earl "Chubby" Howard was an original taper of the band. (September 5, 1960 - July 3, 2017)

Discography

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Artists on JamBase". JamBase. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  2. ^ "The Werks Are The 2nd Most Popular Artist On JamBase « The Crazy Sign Guy". Crazysignguy.wordpress.com. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  3. ^ a b c Baker, Brian (2012) "The Werks: Oct. 27, Madison Theater", Cincinnati CityBeat, October 22, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2013
  4. ^ "Norman Paraskevas Dimitrouleas (March 2, 1982 - January 9, 2016)". Routsong Funeral & Cremation Services, Centerville, Kettering, Ohio. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b Sachs, Justin (2012) "On the Verge: The Werks", Relix, July 13, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2013
  6. ^ a b Glass, Brian (2013) "Dayton band The Werks is taking the country by storm - one festival at a time", Springfield News-Sun, May 13, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013
  7. ^ "Feature: Jam band evolution". www.columbusalive.com. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  8. ^ "Papadosio & The Werks – NYE Shows". jambase.com. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  9. ^ "Need We Say More? > News > Michael Kang, The New Mastersounds and Future Rock Join The Werk Out". Jambands.com. 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  10. ^ "THE WERK OUT FESTIVAL ADDS TALENT TO 2ND ANNUAL EVENT Ohio's Own THE WERKS Host Dozens of Bands in Central Ohio September 8–11". Cleveland Groove Magazine. 2011-07-26. Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  11. ^ https://archive.org/details/thewerks The Werks collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive Retrieved 2011-08-04.
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