The Lumineers
Denver, CO
Mumford & Sons, Avett Brothers, The Rosebuds
The Lumineers traditional songs are moored by earnest songwriting and rooted in timeless melodies that recall the glory days of the Greenwich Village folk scene. Songs of personal strife and yearning are buoyed by rousing choruses and foot-stomping rhythms, belying the back porch predilections inherent in the band's sound.
The Lumineers began as a pet project for Northern New Jersey natives Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites as they navigated the competitive streets of Manhattan, seeking out gigs while honing their song-craft. Hardened by the death of Jeremiah's younger brother and eager to reinvent themselves, the duo headed west to Denver, Colorado where the Lumineers found their footing, and musical direction, adding multi-instrumentalist Neyla Pekarek (piano, cello, and mandolin) to their call and response songs, infusing the band's raw sound with lush instrumentation that helped soften the band's edges. Lumineer press photos are suggestive of outlaw bootleggers from the speakeasy era, which has only added to their allure as a trio of time-traveling mid-westerners serenading passersby with toe-tapping tunes. Ironically, in light of the old-fashioned sound and image they've cultivated, Wesley and Jeremiah found Neyla by way of thoroughly modern means, they placed an add on Craigslist.
The band has built considerable anticipation for their self-titled debut release on the strength of two EPs and the catchy single "Ho Hey", a song that personifies the descriptive adjectives and superlatives that have thus far defined them. The Lumineers will soon get to experience that hallowed music tradition; the three shows per day for five days hazing at SXSW in Austin, TX. They'll then embark on an extensive two month tour of the states so you'll have ample time to polish your stomping boots and limber up those hand clappers.
Great find here. Reminds me a little bit of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. “Ho Hey” is so catchy!