There are 2 artists for Mad Anthony:
1) In early 1975, rays of California sun filtered through the rafters of an old barn in Santa Barbara as three friends from Ohio—John K. Schwab, Larry Dotson, and Carl “Mad Anthony” Richards—gathered around a single microphone. Armed with acoustic guitars, effortless harmonies, and a decade’s worth of musical chemistry from their time on the Ohio club circuit, they recorded a set of demos that shimmered with warmth, intimacy, and melodic grace. Though the trio hoped the recordings would launch their career, the promised record deal never came. The songs sat quietly for decades—until Schwab’s son Ben, now a musician with the bands Drugdealer and Sylvie, heard them and recognized their quiet brilliance.

After years of Ben’s gentle persuasion, the trio agreed the world should finally hear what they had created. The result is The Lost Tape, released in 2023 via Earth Libraries. It’s a poignant time capsule from a golden era of California soft rock, filled with fingerpicked guitars, wistful lyrics, and lush vocal interplay. Recorded live to two-track with a single Shure SM-57 mic—“the kind Roger Daltrey used,” Schwab jokes—the songs glow with a raw, analog warmth that digital recordings rarely match.

Originally formed in Cincinnati, Mad Anthony’s core sound was shaped by covers of The Byrds, The Beatles, Jackson Browne, and CSN, but their original songs evolved into something deeply personal. From the rolling piano lines of “Rina” to the waterfall guitars of “Nobody Knows,” and the aching, flute-accented ballad “Someday,” each track captures the trio in peak form—unvarnished, sincere, and deeply connected.

Though Dotson later moved to Florida and the band shifted away from its acoustic roots, The Lost Tape stands as the sole document of their original vision: three friends, one room, one mic, and ten beautiful songs that nearly vanished into history. Now, with Ben Schwab helping shepherd its long-overdue release, The Lost Tape invites listeners to step inside that old barn, close their eyes, and be transported.

Phratry Record's, Mad Anthony, is a four piece rock band from Cincinnati, OH.

2) Mad Anthony formed in the summer of 2007 to produce music full of the one thing they lacked... SOUL. Drawing inspiration from other Cincinnati rockers (Caterpillar Tracks, Knife the Symphony, Thistle, etc.) Mad Anthony soon found themselves making music reflecting their circumstance. Ringo wrote about debt, alcoholism, schizophrenic characters, and the degenerate scum he called friends.

In June of 2008, Mad Anthony released their debut EP to an overcrowded booze hungry swarm at the Gypsy Hut in Cincinnati. Sonically, the EP resembles the characters featured in the lyrics. The first listen often follows the melody, but with each pass a new element is discovered. The dark heavy drums of a lost soul, the screaming release of lead guitar, the mechanic bass of a routine driven life, and the murmurs of mad man stuck inside himself personified by the harmonies.

Recorded in the winter of 07-08 at Candyland studio by Mike Montgomery (guitarist for Ampline, Thistle and co-owner of Tiberius Records). The recording process was as much about capturing the music as it was a growing process for the band. The members of Mad Anthony found themselves becoming more aware of their roles as their compositions were broken down piece by piece and the group was able to focus on their individual parts and discuss how best to get their ideas across through Mike’s role not only as engineer, but also as producer.

Although the EP continues to receive praise from journalist, DJs, and critics, the boys take greater pride from their darker and more soulful full-length to be released in the fall of 2009.

Mad Anthony has toured consistently for the last year in support of their EP and support of regional and national touring acts. Mad Anthony will be on the road again September-November.


MAD ANTHONY's album ‘Party Heaven Hell Whatever!’ - ER00029, was released on Aug 11, 2021

MAD ANTHONY is: Rik Burnell on Lead Vocals, Ralph Longo on Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Mark ‘Freeze’ Freseman on Guitar, Bryan ‘Coach’ Lujan on Bass, and James Bohn on Drums. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.