Folk Music Artists You Need to Know
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Looking for some new folk music to check out? Here are five artists you need to know!
The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, who are the band’s vocalists, guitarists, and banjo players. The Avett Brothers have released nine studio albums, four live albums, and one extended play.
Band Members
The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Mount Pleasant, North Carolina. The group is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, who play the guitar and banjo respectively; Bob Crawford, who plays the double bass; and Joe Kwon, who plays the cello. The band’s musical style encompasses a range of genres including bluegrass, country, punk, pop, rock and indie. Since their formation in 2000, they have released nine studio albums and have seen their popularity grow steadily over the years.
Their most recent album “True Sadness” reached number three on the Billboard 200 chart and received critical acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone and The New York Times. The Avett Brothers are known for their lively stage shows and their ability to connect with their fans. If you’re a fan of folk music or just looking for a new band to check out, be sure to give the Avett Brothers a listen!
Origin Story
The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The group is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, who play guitar and banjo, respectively. The brothers are joined by Bob Crawford on drums and Joe Kwon on cello.
The Avett Brothers got their start in 2000, when they self-released their debut album, “Songs for the Late Night Drive Home.” Since then, the band has released eight more studio albums and three live albums. In 2007, they signed with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings label and released their major label debut album, “I and Love and You.”
The Avett Brothers have won several awards throughout their career. In 2013, they won a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album for “The Carpenter.” In 2015, they were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
The band is known for their energetic live shows and their dedication to their fans. In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine named them one of the “25 Best Live Bands Right Now.”
Music Style
The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The group is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, who play guitar and banjo, respectively. The Avett Brothers are known for their engaging live shows and their mix of traditional folk music with modern rock and roll.
The band got its start in 2000 when the brothers began playing music together in their father’s basement. They released their first album, Country Was, in 2002. The album was recorded on a 4-track tape recorder and was mostly made up of traditional folk songs. In 2003, the band released its second album, A Carolina Jubilee. This album was more experimental than their first and featured a mix of original songs and covers of traditional folk tunes.
The Avett Brothers’ breakthrough came with the release of their third album, I and Love and You, in 2009. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and featured the singles “I and Love and You” and “Laundry Room.” The album received high praise from critics and helped to solidify the band’s reputation as one of the leading forces in contemporary folk music.
The Avett Brothers have released six studio albums since I and Love and You. Their most recent album, True Sadness, was released in 2016. The band continues to tour extensively throughout the United States and Europe.
The Lumineers
With their anthemic, heartland rock sound and lyrical storytelling, The Lumineers became one of the breakout hits of 2012 with their self-titled debut album. The album’s signature song, “Ho Hey,” spent 62 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and helped the album go double platinum. The Lumineers are a band that knows how to write a catchy song, and they’re only getting better with each release.
Band Members
The Lumineers are an American folk rock band based in Denver, Colorado. The band members are Wesley Schultz on guitar and lead vocals, Neyla Pekarek on cello and vocals, Jeremiah Fraites on drums and percussion, and Stelth Ulvang on piano.
The band formed in 2005 in New York City before moving to Denver in 2010. They self-released their first two EPs, Lumineers (2011) and Flowers in Your Hair (2012), before signing with Dualtone Records. Their self-titled debut album was released on April 3, 2012. The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The Lumineers released their second album, Cleopatra, on April 8, 2016. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
Origin Story
The Lumineers are a Denver-based folk rock band founded in 2002 by Wesley Schultz (lead vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, percussion). The two childhood friends began writing songs together after Fraites’ brother and Schultz’s best friend, Joshua Josh Fraites, died of a drug overdose in 2010.
The death of Josh Fraites was a major tragedy that deeply affected both Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, and it was this tragedy that served as the impetus for the formation of The Lumineers. In an interview with American Songwriter, Schultz explained how the death of his friend inspired him to pursue music as a career: “Losing Josh was absolutely devastating, and music became our form of grieving…It picked us up when we were down, and it gave us a reason to keep living.”
The Lumineers released their self-titled debut album in 2012 to critical acclaim. The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album’s lead single, “Ho Hey,” was a massive success, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming one of the most iconic folk songs of the 2010s.
The Lumineers released their second album, Cleopatra, in 2016. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
Music Style
The Lumineers are an American folk rock band based in Denver, Colorado. The founding members are Wesley Schultz on guitar and vocals, and Jeremiah Fraites on drums and percussion. The band is best known for their hit single “Ho Hey”, which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2012.
The Lumineers’ musical style has been described as “heartland rock” and “Americana”. Their sound has been compared to that of such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Mumford & Sons.
Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons is a folk rock band that formed in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall, and Ted Dwane. The band’s debut album, Sigh No More, was released in 2009 and reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. Mumford & Sons’ second album, Babel, was released in 2012 and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Band Members
Mumford & Sons are a folk rock band from London, formed in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Winston Marshall (banjo, electric guitar, backing vocals), Ben Lovett (piano, keyboards, backing vocals), and Ted Dwane (bass guitar, double bass, backing vocals). Mumford & Sons have released three studio albums: Sigh No More (2009), Babel (2012), and Wilder Mind (2015). The band has also issued two live albums: Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire (2011) and The Road to Red Rocks (2012).
Origin Story
Mumford & Sons is a British indie folk band formed in London in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboard, piano), Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, electric guitar) and Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass). Mumford & Sons have released three studio albums: Sigh No More (2009), Babel (2012) and Wilder Mind (2015). The band has also issued two live albums: Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire (2011) and The Road to Red Rocks (2016).
The group won the Brit Award for Best British Group in 2013. Sigh No More peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2011. Babel peaked at number one on both the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200. It won Album of the Year at the 2013 Brit Awards and Grammy Awards. Wilder Mind debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200.
Music Style
Folk rock is a musical genre that combines elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and Canada around the mid-1960s. The genre was pioneered by Bob Dylan and The Byrds, and reached its greatest prominence in the 1970s with artists such as Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and The Band.
The term “folk rock” was used in the United States to describe the music of bands like The Byrds and Dylan; it entered the British lexicon in late 1966 with an article by Keith Altham in New Musical Express. Altham wrote that “Dylan’s new sound was now stamped firmly ‘folk rock’.” By 1967, British groups such as Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Donovan, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders were using electric instrumentation and playing folk-based material to achieve mainstream success.
