Bio
Earth Radio are storytellers of a future yet to be realized. This Grand Rapids Future-Soul group consists of Justin Avdek (bass, vox), Hannah Laine (keys, vox), Dutcher Snedeker (keys, synth), and David Ward (drums, percussion). The band formed in 2017 when Avdek brought these unique West Michigan musicians together for a spontaneous recording collaboration, which turned into a progressive project, birthed from a shared passion of neo-soul and sonic ingenuity. You’ll hear elements of funk, rock, soul, and progressive jazz, reminiscent of Hiatus Kaiyote, Erykah Badu, Radiohead, and Knower, melded together into a sound that is uniquely Earth Radio.
Earth Radio has shared the stage with The Accidentals, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, Last Gasp Collective, Brandon Coleman, Jackie Venson, Minor Element, Afro Zuma, Outer Vibe, Lipstick Jodi, Desmond Jones, and more nationally touring artists. Their ability to collaborate as multi-instrumentalists leaves room for infinite possibility.
Since the release of their self-titled album, Earth Radio, in March 2018, their music has been well received by musical lovers from all genres, hitting the top of the charts as WYCE’s most played album. The excitement continued as the band was awarded “Emerging Artist of The Year” and “Best Jazz Album of 2018” at the 20th WYCE Jammie Awards. In 2019, Earth Radio released their sophomore record, “Mother’s Breath”, which earned them the Critics Choice Award and “Best Jazz Album of 2019” at the 21st WYCE Jammie Awards.
For 2020, Earth Radio released their latest album, “Reanimate,” which received three months on the “WYCE Hot Top 5” and a spot on the “2020 Hot Top 10 Local Spins Playlist.” In 2021, the band released a new single inspired by 2020 events, titled "After the Plague." Earth Radio's fourth album Mosaic Dreams released on March 17th, 2023 and was celebrated with an album release show and accompanying summer tour.
To close 2023, the community surrounding Earth Radio came together to help raise funds through a Kickstarter campaign to help publish their latest record, If The Earth Could Speak, where the band wrote and recorded the record on a trip to Vermont based around the prompt, "If the earth could speak, what would it say?" The album was written and tracked in 7 days, and it has been released publicly since April 2024 in physical/Bandcamp format and July 2024 on the wider streaming ecosystem. The band continues to tour these new songs while seeking to draw people in to the idea of living in reciprocity with nature. Recently, the band placed on the "Hot Top 5" Chart from Local Spins for the amount of streams of their latest record on 88.1 FM WYCE.