The Vindys

The Vindys are an American pop rock band based in Youngstown, Ohio. Founded in 2014 and rooted in northeast Ohio, the band expanded through the mid- to late-2010s to tour throughout the Midwest and beyond to cities including Pittsburgh, Nashville, and New York City, and, in the 2020s, to the West Coast.

The current members are vocalist Jackie Popovec, guitarists John Anthony and Rick Deak, keyboardist Nathan Anthony, bassist Brendan Burke, drummer Owen Davis, saxophonist Garret Kuchmaner, trumpeter Kyle O’Donnell, and trombonist Brian Mayle, the last three known as the Youngstown Horns.

Formation and Red Wine EP
The Vindys began in 2014 as a local cover band that included guitarist John Anthony, original drummer Nicholas Sainato, and a singer. The band's name derives from the Youngstown daily newspaper The Vindicator as a tribute to the group's hometown roots.

After lead singer and songwriter Jackie Popovec joined the band in 2014, they started writing original songs—initially mostly by Popovec, and later by other members as well. Their first EP, 2014's Red Wine, which was picked up by the Summit 91.3 FM radio. The EP included the horn section that would later be seen as a prominent element of the band's sound. Music Connection described the music as a "vibrant slice of vintage pop theatre", while noting that the "material will have to improve".

Keep Going and Bugs
The Vindys released their first full-length album, Keep Going, in 2017. Their next was a live recording, Live at Westside Bowl, recorded at that Youngstown venue in October 2019 and released in March 2021.

Their second full-length studio album, Bugs, came out on July 31, 2021, after a COVID-19 pandemic delay. Ideastream described it as "fus[ing] the group's vintage jazz aesthetic with a more straightforward blues-rock sound" and The Repository described it as "a record showcasing a maturing, versatile band whose musical palette encompasses everything from gritty classic rock to vintage jazz to refined pop."

"Too Elfin' Cold" single, collaborations, and appearances
The band resumed extensive touring as the pandemic receded. In 2023, while still described as a local band, their song "Are You Ready" became a sports anthem on ESPN's ACC Network, heard in promotional spots, telecasts and montages for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Penguins and in ESPN's NCAA Softball Championship coverage. Another highlight of 2023 was a pops show with the Canton Symphony Orchestra in March.

In December 2023 they released the holiday single "Too Elfin' Cold – Live at Peppermint Recording Studios." On the sports tip, they were booked to headline the inaugural SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout concert series in February 2024.

The title track of Bugs is featured on the soundtrack of the 2024 horror film Last Night at Terrace Lanes, and the video, directed by Peter-John Campbell, was selected as a featured short at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. The band collaborated with the Worthington Chamber Orchestra in November 2023, and another orchestral collaboration was scheduled for April 2024 with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. A new album is projected to be released in late spring 2024.