Cantharone is a metal band. What does that really mean? Not much. In this day and age anything is possible, and while some are skeptical as to what that truly means, Cantharone welcomes it with an open mind.

The band formed in 2010. Finding their sound as an aggressive trio, they began writing a conceptual album about a werewolf. Two years later they added a second drummer and guitar player, daring to create a bigger, more explosive sound. 

In 2012, on Halloween, they released their first EP, The Hunting EP, at a house show in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In the months leading up to this event, they filmed a music video for the title track, “The Hunting” at the same house, which was also released that Halloween. 

The band then hit the road, playing throughout Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. In August of 2013, they organized and put on their own music festival called Canthrammer. The festival brought together local metal and outlaw country bands in a benefit for Wounded Warriors, a local charity for veterans.

Since then the band has changed once again. After two members left they added a new bass player, one of the drummers began playing guitar, and the vocal approach has totally changed. The newly-made 4-piece metal band has been writing new material since January, and will continue to challenge the limits of metal as we know it.

Though going through many changes, Cantharone has never skipped a beat. When faced with challenges, they take them head on and create something new and exciting. They are not a band to pass up. They are an unstoppable force of metal and they are here to stay.

With the demise of Prog/Psych/Doom band Mad Monks, rhythm section of 13 years, Larson (vocals/bass) and Eric Dirks (drums) began working on new material with the intention of continuing as a riff-heavy power trio in the summer of 2014.  After much searching the group was completed with ex-Oculus lead-guitarist, Evan Chadwick.  The group settled in to a heavy blend of classic stoner rock and doom laced metal compositions influenced heavily by Black Sabbath, High On Fire, Red Fang, Soundgarden, and Truckfighters.  The band began playing shows around the Iowa City/Des Moines Iowa area in 2015, playing venues like Gabe's and Lefty's Live Music, honing their sound and gathering material suitably heavy for their recording debut.

Now, in 2016 the group has completed their first release, a 5-song, self-titled EP recorded and mastered by Luke Tweedy at Flat Black Studios.  This premiere of original riffs and crushing rhythms is a definite step away from the lengthy and intensely layered material of previous projects.  Driven by Chadwick's pure-amp-tone, this release screams of bygone days where metal was cranked-up amps, blistering leads, shouting vocals, rumbling bass lines, and tribal drums.  The EP will see a digital and limited physical release in March of 2016 accompanied by the music video for the first single, "Panta Rhei."


“Drawing on a variety of ’90s influences, including Nirvana and the Vines, Lever present what they coin “bipolar grunge pop.” While a unique take on the decade’s sound, the likeness is undeniable. In fact, we challenge you to put them in a playlist alongside Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden and tell us they don’t belong.”

-Alternative Press (2020)

Lever is a three-piece original alternative/grunge/pop/rock n’ roll band taking influences from artists such as Nirvana, The Vines, Oasis, Speedy Ortiz, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin. 
They have had the opportunity to perform on legendary stages like the Metro, House of Blues, Vans Warped Tour in Chicago, and the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood. 

​In 2017, Lever was voted "Best Rock Band" by the Chicago Reader's Poll and in 2018, Lever was awarded "Best Rock Entertainer" at the 37th Annual Chicago Music Awards.

Alongside their full-length Hover Bored (2015) and their EP Ms. Lead (2017), Lever released their second full-length album, Douse, on May 10, 2019.
 
Lever has shared the stage with national touring acts, such as Night Ranger, RED, TIGERCUB, Radkey, The Dead Deads, Diarrhea Planet, Blacktop Mojo, Thunderpussy, Summer Cannibals, Doll Skin, Saving Abel, City of the Weak, Stitched Up Heart, Darling Parade, and The Composure. 

In 2020, Alternative Press named Lever as one of the "10 alternative bands who are keeping ’90s music modern."
https://www.altpress.com/features/alternative-bands-modernizing-the-90s/

Purchase "Douse" digitally, on CD, or on cassette tape at https://midwestaxn.bandcamp.com/album/douse

Spotify: https://sptfy.com/9fRx

Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lever/1047032336

https://linktr.ee/LeverBand
https://www.leverband.com/
https://facebook.com/leverband
https://leverband.bandcamp.com/

Lever is:
Jon Babin - Vocals/Guitar/Bass
Jeff Aquino - Guitar/Backup Vocals
Michael Reinhold- Drums

This all began when I got a tape recorder for my 5th birthday.

We're not the best, but we're pretty good.

Dead Emperors is following