A collision of the major influences of the last 100 years, never before has an artist blended the sounds of “modern music” like Aaron Newton. Jazz, Bossa Nova, Soul, R&B, Country, Bluegrass, Funk, Folk, Rock, classic and modern Pop: you will hear all of these genres seamlessly fused together in Aaron’s repertoire. Performed by Aaron and his group of veteran musicians, they comfortably navigate through his carefully crafted original compositions to create a sound that has to be experienced to define. With the release of the upcoming “…Where the Two Rivers Meet” EP another chapter in the book of Aaron’s path as a composer, performer, and band leader will be written, and he invites you to be part of the story.

Aaron grew up in a musically diverse environment. Both his parents had eclectic tastes and his early years were filled with the sounds of James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic, Motown, Randy Travis, Classical Symphonic music, bop era jazz, as well as the gospel that would be frequently listened to in their home. As he grew up, the influences from friends and acquaintances exposed him to the more modern sounds of top 40 radio including the Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows, and Boys II Men. This diverse set of influences would later manifest themselves in a sound that can only be described as his own.

Beginning lessons at 10 years of age, he vigorously studied the piano for several years, before switching to guitar at age 14. The praise he received while singing in the choir gave him confidence in his vocal abilities and the natural progression to songwriting came to fruition as he entered his sophomore year in high school.

After high school, Aaron left home to study journalism at the University of Kansas. While there, he was introduced to the sounds of 60’s pop and rock. Bands like the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, and the Grateful Dead became huge influences as well as modern folk sounds including Ben Harper and Jack Johnson. During his time there, his focus on music became more acute and he eventually left KU, coming back to Wichita to hone his craft.

Shortly after returning home, Aaron began writing furiously and his sound began to take shape. Writing almost exclusively on acoustic guitar, his jazz influenced harmonic progressions combined with his soaring vocal melodies quickly set him apart from the average folk singer. He began sneaking into bars, open mic nights, playing outside coffee shops and taking advantage of any opportunity to have his music heard. It was during one of those open jams he met local bassist Derek Tucker and formed the band “Sad Panda”.

For 2 ½ years, Sad Panda played locally in Wichita, quickly gaining a following as an original voice drawing influences from folk, rock, funk, jazz, bluegrass, and the modern indie rock sound. They released two albums and remained very active in the scene until eventually obligations drew the members apart. After the band dissolved, Aaron went back to school for further formal training due to his rekindled love for traditional jazz. His songwriting never stopped, and he continued to play shows as a solo artist. After several years of school, he was asked to join Soul Rock/Hip-Hop group “The Outerboundary” and began playing piano and singing with them regularly. While playing with “the O.B.” as well as doing solo shows and keeping up with his school performances, he rekindled his relationship with ex-Sad Panda bassist Derek Tucker and started another ensemble to reinterpret some of the old Sad Panda material as well as his more recent compositions. With the addition of scene regular Tatsuya Hidano on drums and the incendiary keyboard work of New Yorker Jared Brickman, a whole new sound has developed… built solidly upon the foundation of Aaron’s creative and exploratory songwriting style.

Innovative harmonic concepts coupled with dancing melodies, the sound of the Aaron Newton Quartet is a beacon of originality in the Mid-West. As has happened before, they are quickly gaining a following and are coming close to releasing their first EP: “…Where the Two Rivers Meet”. Stylistically diverse, you will experience Aaron’s influences and inspirations culminating into a blend of genres that come together as never before.

In Rotation
Naked City Magazine

Aaron Newton may have worked as a barista in Wichita for years, but the same hands that can craft a skim cafe-whatever, can also construct a soulfully nonchalant release like his Two Rivers EP.  Newtons voice is poignant and free with a message of color and whimsy.  It's a good introduction to Newton, and if you like smokey soul and jazz, this will leave a sweet sound in your ears.


Many Rivers To Cross
Wichita Eagle

On a cold night in early October, hundreds of people crowded into Rock Island Live to witness a milestone in a Wichita artist's career.
Aaron Newton, guitar in hand and voice penetrating through the audience's cheers, performed that night to celebrate the release of his first EP, "Two Rivers," a six-track compilation of bluegrass-tinged songs.
For the singer-songwriter, who will perform Saturday night at the Riverside Perk, the scene was a long way from where he started.
Newton's music career began in the usually mellow coffeehouse scene. After trying a stint in Lawrence as an artist, he returned to Wichita to seek a more collegial environment for musicianship.
He found that creative synergy at the Riverside Perk.
"I just liked the atmosphere," Newton said. "People were connected, thoughtful, friendly and open. It was the sort of place where art just seemed to happen naturally."
Writing songs came easily, he said.
"I write about stuff that happens to me — things that make me mad, sad, disappointed or happy — and try to take those emotions to the next level," he said.
Newton worked at the Perk for several years. Eventually, he met other musicians there, such as bass player Derek Tucker, and began to break out as an artist. Playing gigs at places like Kirby's, John Barleycorn's and the Bay Leaf Cafe became a regular part of his development as an artist.
After playing in several bands, including Outerboundary, he decided it was time to focus on his solo work. The time was right not only for a recording, but also for a tour that would showcase what his record label dubs a "uniquely Wichita sound."
Along with a band of musicians, Newton recorded "Two Rivers" last July, working 12-hour days on the top floor of a steamy gallery with no air conditioning.
Next up was arranging a tour to help give him more of a regional following. Accompanying him were Tucker on bass, Rudy Love Jr. on keys and Marrque Nunley on drums.
Packed into a large white van full of equipment, Newton and his band hit the road the day after the CD release party. The first leg of their tour took them to Kansas City, Chicago and Columbus and Youngstown, Ohio.
It was often a bumpy ride, but the band learned a lot about networking. In Columbus, they teamed up with a popular songwriter on the coffeehouse circuit who was able to help get them gigs in town. "It was really great to be able to play with and learn from musicians in other parts of the country," Newton said.
Youngstown was a particularly welcoming city, he said.
"Because of the economic slowdown and the steel mills going under, there isn't much of a thriving arts scene in the city," he said. "A lot of young people are leaving town as fast as they can. The folks who showed up at our show really appreciated us being there because they usually had to drive a good distance to see music."
With the first leg of the tour behind them, the "Two Rivers" crew looks forward to hitting the road again soon. In the meantime, Newton will continue performing in the Wichita area.
"When you have such a saturation of corporate media outlets limiting what gets played on the radio, you have to start just doing it yourself," he said. "The emergence of a local scene is a reaction to that."



Two Rivers Album Review
nakedcitywichita.com

The biggest threat to the antidepressant company’s pocket book has been spotted in Wichita at places like the Artichoke, Rock Island Live, and The Bay Leaf Café.
I’m releasing this information to the overworked, antidepressant-pill-popping, population, because its time for an alternative approach to be recognized. If you live in or around the Wichita area take advantage of this information before the supply can no longer meet the demand.
Aaron Newton’s soulful, jazz, pop music makes the little tragedies in life seem like cloud nine events. Listening to his single, “Sunshine and Bacon”, (which is about a lover cheating and leaving him nowhere to go) surprisingly, didn’t make me want to drop seventy dollars on antidepressants. Or, fill my empty beer mug with tears while trying to maintain my balance on a cold wet barstool. Instead, it made me want to embrace the unknown while kickin’ back with a few good friends in celebration of my new found freedom. The feeling this song gives off is best summed up with my favorite part, which may seem a bit quirky and can be taken badly, but that’s not my intent. My favorite part is… the title. “Sunshine and Bacon”, what a way to sum up the overall feeling of the song; When I read “Sunshine and Bacon” I think: the nightmare is over, happy, fulfilled, and anticipating a brand new day. I’m now craving breakfast and I just ate. Hello appetite, goodbye depression!
How did Aaron Newton take such a heavy subject and turn it into an energizing yet refreshing escape? It’s the way the dancing bass and playful keys intertwine nicely, giving off a flighty feeling; a feeling like the first time mom allowed me to ride my bike to a friend’s house for a slumber party. It’s also the way the soulful vocals join in on the enticing bass and keys dance; while the steady drums anchor the lighthearted movement, and add smooth fills for interest. The lyrics give the listener a clear solid story to grasp, and the chorus has a hint of a hook which means you could listen to this song for years before getting burned out. The recording is better than most when it comes to indie/underground artists, however there is still rawness to it. Some people love the raw sound, and others write it off as cheap. However, there is nothing cheap about this music, and I’m excited to catch Aaron live in Wichita after November 8th when he’ll return from Chicago Illinois.
Although Aaron Newton’s been influenced by many genres, if not all genres, the influences I hear most in the song “Sunshine and Bacon” are soul, jazz, and funk. Better yet, if Jack Johnson and Tracy Chapmen hung out in a jazz bar then nine months later had a kid, who grew up to join a funk inspired band, you would get Aaron Newton.



Sad Panda
Splurge Magazine

Going into this one blind, I must admit, sketched me for a slight second. Usually, we have some sort of idea of what a band sounds like when we decide to line them up. But this time we only knew the name. And did we get a left-hander.
I suggest pulling out your goat harps and gherkin-merckins for this one. Earnest, burstful lyrics along with nutty percussions out the kazoo are what sets this band apart. And the band does have a kazoo.
Sitting on stockpiles of percussion instruments in his apartment, Kyle Cavanaugh of Sad Panda has it all. Do you have a Darbuka? Can you say Udongo? The rest of the group consists of Aaron Newton who strums on guitars and hums on vocals, Dru Waggoner also on guitar and Derek Tucker on the bass.
Amazed by the attention it is already receiving, the band has only been together for four months. With no recorded music out there, the guys' live performances have turned some heads. Cavanaugh describes it as a "Folky sound that is slowly but continually adapting."
When I witnessed for myself what these dudes were about, I was impressed.
From tracks like "Sunshine and Bacon" to "Wednesday Afternoon," the band mixes feel-good progressions with lyrics that are simple yet far-reaching. Though I only heard its acoustic versions I'm sure with a little plug into amplification, it would be on. "Sunshine and Bacon" with its soulful bellows from Newton, has a sparkle/fade vibe. His resilient ray of gleaming lyrics is what makes the song. Being that all the lyrics for the band are Newton's, immense emotion transcends and the rest seems to fall in place. The same goes for "Wednesday Afternoon" - moody boisterous lyrics with a fresh chord progression. There's nothing like picking the blues away in the sun, on a Wednesday afternoon.
Other hot jams include "Seven Long Pall Malls" and for the sake of names ordained by Cavanaugh, "Jap Jipsy." It's a plucky sound that really feels like a fresh underground beat that O.D.B. would be on. But then you would have to call it "Ill-matic."
All the guys are keeping it real on side gigs they tend to as well as Sad Panda. So music is always on the brain and schedules are a little hairy. When I got a chance to chit chat and relax with they guys, what I got was totally rad.
After a set of sweet action, Cavanaugh forced the wood block on me and the session was on. I found myself beaming while we jammed out to vibrant tunes - one of the best times I've ever had with complete strangers. Hands down.
When the session came to an end, the guys slowed it down with the tales of an Okie with swelled eyes pulling his eyelids back, still in his underwear. It turns out they were at a wedding. Anyway.....
With a modest, savvy sound that stands out in the local music scene, Sad Panda is definitely worth checking out.