The Lumineers

The Lumineers
The Lumineers in 2013
Background information
Origin	Ramsey, New Jersey, Denver, Colorado
Genres	Indie folk, folk rock, Americana
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Dualtone Records
Website	thelumineers.com
Members	Wesley Schultz Jeremiah Fraites Neyla Pekarek Stelth Ulvang Ben Wahamaki

The Lumineers are a folk rock band, based in Denver, Colorado. The two founding members and songwriters of the Lumineers are Wesley Schultz (lead vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, percussion). Schultz and Fraites began writing and performing together in New Jersey in 2005. Neyla Pekarek (cello, vocals) joined the band in 2010. Stelth Ulvang (piano), and Ben Wahamaki (bass), joined the band as full-time members in 2012.^[1][2] Their self-titled debut album was released on Dualtone Records on April 3, 2012, eventually peaking at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart in January 2013. As of December 2013, their debut album has been certified Platinum in the US and Ireland, with Gold certifications in the UK, Australia and Canada.

History

In the spring of 2005, Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites began to collaborate, writing together and playing gigs around New York, mostly under the name Wesley Jeremiah. During 2008 and 2009 they were joined by Jay Van Dyke on drums, backup vocals, and occasionally keyboards. ^[3]Originally based in Ramsey, New Jersey, they later moved to Brooklyn, New York. After battling the city's cutthroat music scene and high cost of living, the two decided to expand their horizons. They packed up and headed for Denver, Colorado. It was there they met Neyla Pekarek, after posting an ad on Craigslist for a cellist.^[4] They started to perform shows in small venues like the 100 capacity Meadowlark^[5] around Denver, writing songs, and eventually recording several songs in Jer's attic. From 2008 to 2011 they were managed by Katelyn Arnold who booked shows, tours, and eventually introduced them to their current management. In the Spring of 2011, they signed a management deal with Onto Entertainment managers Christen Greene and David Meinert, after the two saw a video on YouTube of the band playing their future hit single "Ho Hey" in a small apartment. Onto fronted the band money to record a full length album in Seattle at Bear Creek Studio with producer Ryan Hadlock, engineer Jerry Streeter^[6] and assistant engineer Grant Hathaway^[7] (mixed in LA by Kevin Augunas at Fairfax Studio).

2011–12: Debut album

At 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on August 2, 2012; touring with Old Crow Medicine Show. Wesley Schultz on acoustic guitar (right), Neyla Pekarek on cello (left).

In December 2011, what would become the band's first single, "Ho Hey", was used in the season finale of CW's Hart of Dixie. This started a national buzz on social media.^[8] In January 2012, John Richards, the morning show DJ at KEXP-FM in Seattle, discovered "Ho Hey" in a pile of new CDs he had received, played it twice in a row daily for a week, and called it the best song of 2012.^[9] WXPN Philadelphia/ NPR then did a feature on the band on their "World Cafe: Next" program. The band passed up major label offers to sign a deal with independent label Dualtone Records^[8] that same month. The album was then licensed under similar terms to Dine Alone Records in Canada, Inertia in Australia, and Decca Records for the rest of the world.

The Lumineers was released on April 3, 2012 on Dualtone Records. The band's popularity continued to build in 2012 with sold-out shows and favorable reviews with The Bears Of Blue River and other American bands, and their debut album went on to peak at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.^[10][11]

On June 14, 2012, the album's first single "Ho Hey" debuted at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, their first song to do so. "Ho Hey" later peaked at number 3 on the Hot 100,^[12] making it the band's first Top 5 single, and as of December 2012, the single had sold over 2 million copies, making it their first Double Platinum single. By June 23, "Ho Hey" hit No.1 at commercial Triple A radio, where it spent 8 weeks, and on September 17 the song hit #1 on the Alternative Radio chart where it stayed for two weeks. "Ho Hey" reached #1 on the US Hot AC airplay chart in December 2012, and #2 on the US Top 40 airplay chart, which makes it the highest charting independent label single in the history of the charts. "Ho Hey" is also having huge success internationally, reaching #1 on the Canadian Alternative radio chart and #17 on the Canadian single sales chart. It also reached number 8^[13] in the United Kingdom, becoming their first Top 10 single there.

In October, 2012, Spotify named "Ho Hey" as the most shared song in Manhattan, and 3rd most shared in Brooklyn.^[14] "Ho Hey" has also been the #1 most played track in the US on Spotify, while "The Lumineers" has been the #1 most listened to album for several weeks. In the UK Spotify chart "Ho Hey" is #1, and "The Lumineers" is #2.

Of the album's success, Schultz told American Songwriter that "It's really arbitrary to any of us, especially to Jer and Neyla and I... because we've never really had an album out in this way... I'm really thrilled, but I also take it with a grain of salt... I think basically, I feel really lucky because I know how fickle the business, the industry is."^[1]

The Lumineers headline shows in the Northeastern US were announced for February 2013, and quickly sold out.^[15] Similarly, the band's tours of the UK, Europe, and Australia in early 2013 has sold out all shows, after many shows were moved to larger venues.

On December 5, 2012, The Lumineers were nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Americana Album. Musicperk.com rated the album 8/10 quoting "A spark of uniqueness does exist".^[16] Submarines was released as the third single on July 30, 2013.

2013: Deluxe Edition of Debut Album and Reign

On August 20, 2013, the Lumineers released a deluxe edition of their self-titled debut album. The deluxe edition includes 5 bonus tracks, over 25 minutes of video footage, and a 28 page booklet.

The song by the Lumineers titled "Scotland" is currently being used as the theme song for the television series Reign. "Scotland" is co-written and features a performance from a former member of the band, Jay Van Dyke^[17]. Other songs of theirs have also been featured on the show.

Musical style

The Lumineers performing at the Rock4G concert in 2012.

Fraites emphasizes the simplicity of the group's style.

We’re not reinventing the wheel or doing anything that different, the songs are super simple. The ideas themselves are very simple ideas. Anyone who can play an instrument can play a Lumineers song. I think there’s a certain cinematic aspect of our music that I really like.^[18]

Press descriptions of the music:

The Lumineers' self-titled debut is a perfectly formed collection of rustic folk type songs, slotting in nicely amongst the current roots revival.^[19]

Where most bands these days look for that new, original sound to enhance the digital revolution, 'The Lumineers' do superbly in taking it back to simplicity.^[20]

Influences

The band cites a diverse range of influences including Beethoven, Guns N' Roses, Talking Heads, Bruce Springsteen, and "cinematic music and anything strange and weird." ^[21]

Members

• Wesley Keith Schultz – lead vocals, guitar, piano (2005–present)
• Jeremiah Caleb Fraites – drums, percussion, backing vocals, mandolin (2005–present)
• Neyla Pekarek – cello, backing vocals (2010–present)
• Stelth Ulvang – piano, mandolin, accordion, guitar, backing vocals (2012–present)
• Ben Wahamaki – bass (2012–present)

Discography

Studio albums

• The Lumineers (2012)

Awards and nominations

Billboard Music Awards

Grammy Awards

References

External links

• The Lumineers (website) .