This week, Dayton punk band Never Try visited WYSO for a live studio session with music director Juliet Fromholt ahead of the June 21 release of their debut album, Takes the Cake. The bandmates–Moriah Yux (guitar, vocals), Jamie Ertley (drums), Phil Doncaster (bass, vocals), and Jeff Rudolf (guitar, vocals)–spoke with Juliet about founding Never Try and previewed their album release show, which will be held at Blind Bob's.
Never Try officially formed in January 2023. "I'm going to say it's Moriah's fault," Phil Doncaster joked. "At the time, I was in a band that was disbanding, and she messaged me and said, 'Hey, I'm sorry your band is breaking up, but if you ever want to get together and jam sometime…'"
The bandmates, who describe themselves on Instagram as "a hodgepodge of musical veterans [who] decided to try something new," decided from the very beginning to make positivity their guiding principle. "Moriah was very adamant about saying, 'Let's do what we want to do for fun, let's make fun the priority, and let's not worry about trying to meet a certain thing,'" Phil said.
That spirit of fun is evident in the band's debut single, "EVERYBODY," an upbeat anthem with lyrics written by Jeff's 11-year-old daughter, Josie. A music video for "EVERYBODY," which features a cast of Dayton musicians, is available on YouTube.
Never Try's album release show for Takes The Cake will be held at Blind Bob's on Saturday, June 22, and will feature guest performances from Tino and Sad Box. The show begins at 8:00 pm. More information about Never Try, including tour and release updates, is available at nevertryband.com.
Text by Peter Day adapted from a studio session hosted by Juliet Fromholt on June 12, 2024.
