Join ArtsNow for a special edition of Live From the Living Room as you travel around Akron via bus with DreamStates! Thank you to our partner with Akron Metro for making this possible! Catch the live stream on August 20th at 7pm or visit ArtsNow Facebook page to view at a later date. 

Founded in 2017 by Natalie Grace Martin and Madeline Eckhart, DreamStates began with a cover of Kokomo and has evolved into a powerhouse ensemble of transgender pop musicians. Based in Akron, Ohio, the band proudly stands as musical ambassadors to the trans and gender non-conforming communities across all of Ohio. Their music exudes hope and positivity, knows no bounds stylistically, and is full to the brim with catchy melodies, clever hooks, and lush, inventive instrumentation.

They have opened for LGBTQ icons Ryan Cassata and Betty Who, been featured on LA Music Critic’s “Most Amazing Music Videos” blog, and performed at Pride festivals and events across Ohio and Erie, PA.

DreamStates released Part One of their self-titled debut album in January 2018, and Part Two was released shortly after in late February. They jumped over the sophomore slump with their second album, “Mode Of Being” in August of 2018, and its lead single “Memory Lane” dominated local radio while earning them a headlining spot in the second annual Akron Pride Festival. That December, they released an album of twisted covers called “Massive Sonic Implications,” and kept rolling into 2019 with the April release of their fourth studio effort, the pop spectacular “SAD BAD HAPPY GOOD.”

Led by Martin’s soaring alto vocals, and strongly elevated by a rich chorus of harmony (featuring new singers Heil and Lee), DreamStates toured “SBHG” for the next whole year. In March of 2020, they released their long-awaited follow-up, “Something Borrowed, Something Groove” featuring the single “Hilltop Song (When The World Ends)” and its mind-bending music video, featuring the sci-fi short film “Pendulum” by DUST filmmaker Lauren Cooney.
DreamStates are currently developing a three-part album series titled “Definition,” and released “Part One: Chrysalism” on May 22, with Parts Two and Three coming this summer. They are supported by a legion of fans, family, and friends from coast to coast, and are incredibly thankful for each and every person counted among them.

Thank you to Akron Community Foundation and Knight Foundation for making this series possible!