It was the Spring of 2017, late on a Saturday night. The weather was cool, the sky was a brilliant orange. The perfect night to jam. Five friends gather as a result of a simple statement made the previous week: “We should start a band.” As they gather and head to a rehearsal space, one notices a Freight elevator, suggesting they use it to haul their gear to the upper floor to rehearse. Seeing a sign stating “For Freight Only,” another disappointingly says they cannot use the elevator, to which a third replies, “Well…what if we just name the band Freight?” From there, the band was born, and the “For Freight Only” elevator was deemed usable.
Who is Freight?
CVE is the lead vocalist of Freight. He is from Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in music education. CVE plays an active role in the Dayton music scene as a K-12 music teacher and an active performer. In college, he wrote a thesis on funk music and its influence in the Dayton area. CVE joined the band in May of 2018 and has been writing music ever since. Currently, his biggest musical influences are Weezer, Neck Deep, and Green Day.
Caleb Elliott is one of two guitarists for Freight and a backup vocalist. Raised on rock music from a young age, they have always had a desire to be a musician. Inspired by seeing Billie Joe Armstrong with Green Day in 2005 at just 9 years old, they knew what they wanted out of life: to share a passion for music with as many people as possible. Finally allowed a guitar at 13, they immediately went to work learning on their own. Reading tablature or by ear, they spent many years learning their favorite music, and has lead to an ability to cross genres and offer an interesting sound and dynamic to the Freight entity often taking riff ideas from others and adding a unique twist as well. Finally having found a place in music, they’re very eager to continue to share their work with the world through their friends in Freight.
Ethan “Steinomite” Steinmetz is one of the two guitarists of Freight and a founding member of the band. He has been playing guitar since he was 14. Starting out self taught, he was highly influenced by blues music, especially Eric Clapton. Other influences include The Avett Brothers and Iron & Wine. Ethan enjoys improvising solos, which can be heard in many Freight songs. Ethan is currently pursuing a masters degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Dayton while working as a research engineer at a local aerospace and defense company. Besides music, Ethan’s other main passion is rock climbing.
Adam Knox is the bassist of Freight and a founding member of the group. As a Dayton native, he has played with several other bands in the area, and has personal connections with many more. Aside from playing bass, Adam also produces all of Freight’s official releases, which from an early part of his career, let him explore and develop his own production techniques more than he thought would happen. Outside of Freight, he also records and produces for other Dayton residents, and his own music (Digital Warmth, 2018).
Matthew Stevenson is the drummer and a founding member of Freight. Outside Freight, Matthew studies Music Therapy at the University of Dayton and plays as a freelance musician in various groups and solo work, including his recent project “Seaturtle Philosophy” on youtube. Matthew’s biggest music influences come from his Dad’s early 2000s rock band, The Dukes of Wellington, as well as Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Linkin Park.
Past members:
Tim Schroeder – guitar and vocals
Matt Huntington – keyboard and vocals