Professional Actor And Musician Returns Home To Cleveland To Give Back To Loyal Fans

5j BARROW

(left to right) Ian Hunt, Eric Namaky, Jason Hite, Eryn Murman, Haydn Frank and Michael Hunter.

“Best Band” in NYC honors Cleveland area supporters

Clevelanders Eryn Murman and Eric Namaky—members of the band 5j Barrow which was voted the best in New York City­­-‐return home for a one-night performance to honor fans who supported their rise to the top. With online votes coming in from throughout the nation, their band, 5j Barrow, won the Battle of the Boroughs WNYC-­‐FM radio-sponsored competition, and a date to perform at the historic Apollo theater in NYC.

Lauded for their musicality, creativity, dynamics, energy and theatricality, the six-­piece indie folk/rock band also recently released its first album, with help from fans who contributed to a Kickstarter campaign. "From the Dim, Sweet Light" was described by Indie Music as “a rollicking, energetic glimpse into a collective of performers that click when they play together...in a way that’s exciting to listen to. There can be little doubt they would put on a hell of a live show.” The band is coming to Cleveland as part of a September tour of cities with the largest fan base. 5j Barrow will perform at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights on Saturday, September 6, 2014, at 8:30 p.m.

5j Barrow founder Eryn Murman grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, and has appeared on Broadway and stages around the country. She is the songwriter, mandolin and lead vocalist for many of the band’s songs. Eric Namaky from Chagrin Falls is an acclaimed pianist who also went to NYC to pursue a theatre career and anchors the band on keyboards. Additional members are Jason Hite, band co‐founder, guitar; Michael Hunter, violin; Ian Hunt, drums; and Drew Jones, bass.

The band’s principal musicians hail from musical theater backgrounds and infuse lyrical and dramatic poetry into their work. 5j Barrow creates a sound reminiscent of The Civil Wars, Of Monsters and Men, The Avett Brothers, and Ani DiFranco. Theatricality and lyrics with deep meaning are at their core-– Murman spent over eighteen months on Broadway in Duncan Sheik’s Tony­award winning "Spring Awakening," playing every female character, including the featured leads.

After their weekend performance at Nighttown, the band will offer a free master class “of movement and live music” to the dancers at The Dance Centre (TDC) by Heidi Glynias in Rocky River on Monday evening, September 8th from 7-­9:15 p.m. TDC is where both Eryn and Eric received substantial training and inspiration that helped shape them as artists and performers. The workshop will explore the dancer's musicality, improv, intention and breath in the forms of dance and yoga to the live music of 5j Barrow. Eryn is a certified yoga instructor and an accomplished choreographer. She has taught at TDC and choreographed the dancers in the performance company. She also directed and choreographed her own piece, "Caught In The Threshold" which premiered at the Peter J. Sharpe Theater in NYC and has choreographed for musicals and film. She was the Dance Captain for "Spring Awakening" on Broadway and the regional premiere of "Spring Awakening" in San Jose Rep, working with choreographers Bill T. Jones and Sonya Tayeh from "So You Think You Can Dance."

TDC is an award winning studio featured in "Dance Spirit Magazine" as 1 of 50 top studios in North America. Heidi Glynias, a life-long teacher and mentor to Murman, is an instructor at Baldwin Wallace University and owner of The Dance Centre in Rocky River since 1989. Heidi’s performance experience includes NBA Cleveland Cavaliers Dance Team, "Red Hot Broadway" in NYC, Sister Sledge, Quad City DJ, Luke, 98 Degrees, Ce Ce Peniston, NFL Browns Countdown with Michael Stanley and more. 

5j Barrow's album "From The Dim Sweet Light" is available on iTunes, Pandora and Spotify.

To learn more about Eryn Murman and 5j Barrow visit: www.erynmurman.com and www5jbarrow.com.

Drue Koran

Designer

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Volume 10, Issue 18, Posted 4:26 PM, 09.02.2014