The city of Youngstown has been working for years to shake its “Rust Belt” image. And amid its economic revitalization has been a rebirth of its music scene.

The Vindys are a band that's putting the city on the map.

In spring of 2020, The Vindys recorded they're sophomore album, which was slated to be released three years since its debut “Keep Going.”

The Levitt AMP Carson City Music Series presented by The Change Companies announced its lineup on Monday for the coming summer concerts.

The free concerts will take place each Saturday from June 25 to Aug. 27.

After a two-year delay, there was no doubt The Summit.FM 330 Day Concert would be held at Stambaugh Auditorium.

“It was just assumed or understood among the team that we made a commitment to Stambaugh two years ago and we should do it there just as we planned,” Summit Program Director Brad Savage said.

The waiting will be the hardest part. An all-star group of Ohio musicians will pay tribute to Tom Petty at 8 p.m. May 21 at the Goodyear Theater in Akron.

Ryan Humbert, lead singer of The Shootouts, will produce and host the concert, which will include a performance of Petty's 1994 album “Wildflowers” in its entirety followed by a greatest-hits set.

Sixteen local musicians will team up for Won’t Back Down: N.E.O. Celebrates the Music of Tom Petty, a special tribute concert that takes place on Saturday, May 21, at the Goodyear Theater in Akron.

Locals such as Shanna Delaney (By Light We Loom), Corey King (Ohio Weather Band), Jackie Popovec and Rick Deak (the Vindys), Jeff Klemm, Brian Lisik, Cody J. Martin, Marc Lee Shannon (Michael Stanley & the Resonators) and Tracey Thomas (Unit 5) will perform. Singer-songwriter Ryan Humbert (the Shootouts) will produce and host the show. An all-star house band for the evening will consist of John Anthony (the Vindys) and Erin Vaughn on guitars, Paul Lewis on bass, Ed Davis (the Vindys) on drums, Ben Evans on keyboards and Emily Bates (the Shootouts) on harmony vocals. Humbert will take lead vocals on several songs and join the house band on guitars and harmony vocals.

WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – March 5 will be the one-year anniversary of Michael Stanley’s death. His music resonated throughout Northeast Ohio and a tribute concert will remember him later this year in Warren. One of the area’s rising musical rock stars will be a part of it.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to say no to this one,” said Jackie Popovec, lead singer of the Youngstown-based rock band The Vindys.

On Sunday, May 29, Popovec will be on stage at the Robins Theatre in Warren as part of a tribute concert for Stanley. She’ll sing two songs, “All I Ever Wanted” and “I’ll Never Need Anyone More.”

Area artists made the most of a year without live gigs by focusing on writing and recording new music.

Several acts released new music in 2021, and that trend will continue this year, especially as those performers hope it will be easier to play live shows and promote that music in 2022.

Album of the year

After The Vindys impressed with their inaugural album "Keep Going" in 2017, fans waited patiently as the band navigated the obstacles of the pandemic to complete its second full-length effort.

The Vindys brilliantly fulfill their promise on "Bugs," a record showcasing a maturing, versatile band whose musical palette encompasses everything from gritty classic rock to vintage jazz to refined pop.

Part of me wants to start this year-end column with a Grateful Dead quote — “What a long, strange trip it’s been.”

But that’s not really accurate, because it implies the trip is at its end. And anyone paying any attention to the headlines in recent days and weeks knows a desired destination is nowhere in sight.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It’s been another busy year in Cleveland’s music scene, with plenty of new releases in every genre, despite the pandemic continuing to put a damper on concerts and touring for much of the year.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — It’s been a great year for Youngtown’s rock-n-roll band The Vindys. They celebrated it with a Christmas concert Thursday night at the Westside Bowl on Mahoning Avenue.

Elevation Festivals, the creators and producers of WonderStruck in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio's WonderBus Music & Arts Festival, are bringing a new multi-day festival to Indianapolis called WonderRoad. The inaugural event will take place the weekend of June 11-12 at Garfield Park, and will see a lineup topped by Vampire Weekend and Lord Huron.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) — The Vindys are one of Northeast Ohio’s most sought-after bands and we always love when they visit Fox 8 News in the Morning. The Youngstown-based band recently released a new album of original songs called ‘Bugs’. Music critics rave about the alt-rock band’s original music and Jackie Popovec’s powerful vocals. Click here to learn more about The Vindys and see the band’s upcoming show schedule.

On October 16, Women Who Rock held their fourth annual benefit concert for Magee-Womens Research Institute featuring big rock industry names such as Rita Wilson, Sheila E., Orianthi and Lauren Monroe with special guest Rick Allen of Def Leppard. Among this lineup of powerhouse females was Jackie Popovec, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Northeast Ohio band The Vindys.

A popular Ohio band will be hitting the stage Tuesday, Aug. 17 at the Highmark Amphitheater in Liberty Park.

And that is good news this morning.

Fontaine Glenn was live at Liberty Park Tuesday morning, joined by lead singer Jackie Popovec and Rick Deak to talk about their performance at the amphitheater.

Well, here’s the sad news—we were totally late in covering The Vindys’s latest release ‘Bugs’ but nonetheless, the beauty of great music is that it never expires. Released just a couple of weeks back, and the songwriting is brilliantly written, easy to digest, and incredibly fun.

Right now we’re enjoying pretty much everything The Vindys has to offer (check their Spotify down below), from their music to their branding, and even the art direction behind the entire project. Give it a spin for yourself to see what all the hype is about and discover your new favorite song. Enjoy!

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Ed: I think the album is unique because it’s stylistically diverse yet still sounds like the same group of people made the record. We all have a lot of different influences and I feel like the album is a great confluence of us all coming together.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

John: Growing up, my parents always had music on in the house and when we would drive in the car. My dad is a guitarist, so I was very aware of many of the “guitar heroes” from a young age along with a lot of different styles of music. The first live show I attended was Van Halen in 2004. I was just really getting into playing rock guitar when I went to that show. I think the instant that Eddie Van Halen ran on stage turned a switch that immediately made me realize I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.

Ed: I’m not sure how, but I was obsessed with the Beatles at an early age. Combine that with a drumming father and all I’ve wanted to do since was make music.

Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?

We have been on cloud nine these last two weeks! We released our single “Bugs” on July 30th and released our new studio album titled Bugs on July 31st. We had a hometown show in Youngstown, Ohio and had over a thousand people attend the album release! Also, we just confirmed some national opening slots and a wonderful music festival in Winnetka, Illinois so we are just having the time of our lives.

Ohio-based band The Vindys have just shared their brand new single Bugs, the title track of their latest album, out now.

I am really enjoying Jackie Popovec's powerful, confident vocal delivery which flow effortlessly over the edgy alt-rock production. Jackie's vocals are nicely backed by a memorable production packed with lush, soaring guitar riffs, killer bass and punchy percussion which create a high energy atmosphere that I find quite captivating. This is one of those songs perfect to rock out and to get you in a good mood in no time. Check it out below!

Their unique blend of alt-rock has made The Vindys one of the most sought-after bands in the Northeast Ohio area. Bugs opens with a stunning bassline that will have you grooving along to the rhythm. Instrumentation adds a dynamic quality to the mix that will be appreciated. Vocals express so many aspects of the lyrics.