Central Ohio Punk Rock and self-proclaimed “Swemo” Yard Sign has just dropped his latest effort, The Midwest Midlife Meltdowns EP, on Punkerton Records. The 6 track EP features the standout single, “HLP U OUT”, which brings the fun and upbeat tempo of punk rock and combines it with folk sensibilities and even a kazoo!
“The single is something I had been working on for a while, but I didn’t finish until I literally started recording the drum tracks,” says Scott Marks, the brain and talent behind Yard Sign. “Outside of half of a song and a little piano jingle, the entire EP was basically written and recorded in one manic blast of inspiration. I’ve been playing live a lot lately and, as everyone who has come to a show knows, the kazoo is a huge part of the Yard Sign experience. This was the first record where I really made sure to incorporate the kazoo as a lead instrument, which I don’t know I’ve heard too much on record before. This EP is pure Yard Sign, for better or worse!”
The Midwest Midlife Meltdowns EP is a self-produced group of tunes, almost entirely conceived, written, and recorded over the course of a long weekend in late 2022. It is now playing across all digital streaming platforms.
Yard Sign is an online punk rock band, a one-man folk punk act, and Tik Tok Emo from Ohio. They specialize in songs about life, love, loss, and Star Wars. No matter the incarnation, Yard Sign is a variety of musical outputs led by Scott Marks, an elder millennial “Swemo” originally from New York, but calling central Ohio home for the past decade. Coming of musical age in both the New York Hard Core and Pop-punk scenes, Marks played all different instruments for all different bands before settling into middle-aged-dom in the Midwest. After 10+ years of musical semi-retirement, Yard Sign emerged from the pandemic, churning out full-band punk rock (and adjacent) anthems on the internet and leading sing-along kazoo parties across Ohio and beyond in their one-of-a-kind-one-man folk punk shows.
Yard Sign can be found performing at their Thursday Residency at Half baked Brew, and has performances scheduled at Cocktails, Cookies, & Guitars at Studio 614 on March 12th, as well as at Hell is Ohio fest on June 2nd.
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