Parkersburg-based band Cassius At Best has recently made waves in the West Virginia music scene with the release of their first full length album, Nothing of the Sort, on March 16. The band – originally based out of Marietta, Ohio – has been around since 2014. Comprised of Josh Adams on guitar and vocals, Derrick Taylor on drums and Cody Engnes on bass, Cassius At Best features a “heartfelt and aggressive approach to songwriting,” featuring, “colorful progressions and impassioned vocals strikingly complemented by Taylor’s hard-hitting rhythms.”

“Derrick and I started writing songs for our first EP in 2014,” explained Adams, when asked about the band’s inception. “Our first release, The Dead Weight EP, came out in late 2015.” The band spent the following years promoting their EP and gaining a loyal fanbase. “We released our first full length, Nothing of the Sort, in March. It can be found on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Bandcamp, Soundcloud and just about any other streaming service.” Nothing of the Sort is the culmination of years of hard work for the band, offering an exciting glimpse of a band at the start of a long and promising career.

When asked to describe their musical style and influences Adams replied that, “Self-categorizing your own music is tricky.” He was understandably hesitant to pigeonhole the band into any specific genre, but eventually relented and explained the band’s sound as “mostly alternative rock with some early emo influences: Coheed & Cambria, Manchester Orchestra, Say Anything, Basement, Foxing, Sunny Day Real Estate.” The folk-rock foundation the band adheres to is currently very popular, with many of their influences regularly selling out large shows across the US.

For updates on the band, look no further than their social media accounts which Adams and company try to consistently update, although each media platforms tends to be used for different purposes. “We do a lot of shitposting on our Twitter page (@cassiusatbestwv) but we also regularly post upcoming shows. Facebook (www.facebook.com/cassiusatbest) is where we post a lot of raw news, updates and gigs. We also keep our Instagram (@cassiusatbestwv) up to date as much as we can.”

Readers hoping to catch the band live will have to wait a few months, “We’re working on getting back to The Adelphia Music Hall (in Marietta) and The Blue Parrot (Charleston) sometime this fall,” said Adams. “We’re also going back to the studio in late October to record a new EP with Neil Tuuri at Amish Electric Chair Studios. Neil is the same guy who did all the mixing and mastering on Nothing of the Sort.”

Adams urges readers to help spread the word about the band’s new album, “streaming our new album on any service and sharing it with your friends does wonders for us.” Indeed, in the digital age streaming totals can make or break a band. Adams asks readers to, “follow our pages for updates, antics and new show postings.” He then adds, “hopefully we’ll be in your neighborhood soon!”

You can reach the band via email by contacting cassiusatbestohio@gmail.com

Richard Allen is a freelance writer for various publications. You can contact him via email at richardallenwrites@gmail.com or online at facebook.com/

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