Cincinnati Band Returns to Athens

Photo by Kelsey Boeing

Cincinnati-based band, Harbour, has made a name for itself in its hometown since 2014. The five-piece consists of Ryan Green on vocals and guitar, Levi Snyder on bass, Ryan Sulken on drums, Matt Starcher on guitar and Marshall Sallee on guitar. On Oct. 5, the band will return to Athens before heading out on a month long tour. 

In August, Harbour announced a national tour with stops in cities like Los Angeles, Dallas and Denver, Colorado. Prior to their tour the band has plans to return to Athens to play at Casa Nueva. 

“Athens has always been one of my favorite places,” Green says. “I’ve seen a lot of bands [at Casa Nueva], so we’re incredibly excited to get on that stage ourselves.”

Over the past few months, Harbour has been busy debuting a new drummer, returning to the stage in Cincinnati after a seven-month hiatus and releasing its newest single, “Waiting on the Weekend.”

Last March, the indie-pop/rock band opened for CLUBHOUSE at The Union, bringing all of the best parts of the Cincinnati music scene to Athens and making quite an impression on Ohio University students. With its high-energy stage presence and catchy lyrics, Harbour attracted new and old fans alike. 

“My first semester in Athens, I was really missing the local music scene of Columbus,” Hannah Morris, a sophomore studying integrated media says. “Once I went to my first Harbour show in the spring, I was able to get that little piece of home even though I’m not a Cincinnati native.” 

For Cincinnati locals, this feeling hit a little closer to home.

“When Harbour visited Athens, it made me feel a lot closer to home,” Abby Kongos, a sophomore studying journalism says. “Their shows are truly an experience you would not want to miss. Ryan Green and the other members have this way of hyping up the crowd like I’ve never seen before from a local band.”

The overwhelming feeling of community and family that fills the atmosphere at any Harbour show is something the band strives for. When playing a college campus, Green says the desire to achieve this feeling is strengthened.

“Playing a college campus is playing for people that, for the most part, have no idea who you are,” he says. “Playing for new people at a college campus presents more of a challenge because you have to take a room full of people that don’t know a single song you’re playing and show them a good time. I love it.”

With the anticipation of Harbour’s return growing and new songs added to the set list, both the band and fans alike are eager to see what the night has in store. 

“We’re incredibly excited to get on that stage,” Green says. “And hopefully see some people making it their second Harbour show in Athens!”