Let's go back 18 months ago to Denver, Colorado. We are in a small club with a few hundred people listening to The Lumineers. Fast forward to the summer of 2012 and
they are now touring the country playing for thousands and selling out venues nightly. When I met them working their
merch table, I posed to them the question about their year, and they said it has
been somewhat surreal. Their rise has
been meteoric and they are enjoying and appreciating the ride. This is a band that has blown up
in a very short period of time. They have taken it in stride and are enjoying
the people they play for and have met.
The band consists of three people: Wesley who plays guitar
and lead vocals, Jeremiah on drums, vocals and mandolin, and Neyla on cello,
piano and vocals. Wesley and Jeremiah grew up together in New Jersey and started writing songs in 2002
with Jeremiah’s brother Josh. Josh died of an overdose and Wesley and Jeremiah
moved to Denver
after struggling to make ends meet as musicians in NYC. They met classically
trained Neyla who added the final touches to this alternative folk-rock band. The band refers to their music as “heart
swelling stomp-and-clap acoustic rock”. They released an EP in 2011 and signed
with Dualtone Records which released
their self titled album in April of this year. The record did incredibly well
topping out at #17 on the best selling albums on the Billboard charts. Their first single “Ho Hey” continues
to do well on the charts as of this writing.
What makes a band have this rise so quickly? They are a band of creative and fantastic musicians. Their songwriting is intelligent and very catchy. What I found that sets them apart is their rapport with their audience. They
make a large crowd feel like they are playing personally to each one of them. You can see
and feel the joy they have playing their music for their fans. Their songs are
almost arena anthems with catchy choruses that the audience always can sing, stomp, and clap to.
This to me is the real charm of the Lumineers. I think you will see it in this live video of "Ho Hey". Feel free to sing along with the chorus.
For me it was a thrill to work their table and have the
opportunity to meet them. They are down to earth people who have the “it”
factor to write great songs and make the audience feel like they are on the
front porch listening to this band. Everyone I have told about this band has
loved the CD. Go out and get it now, for you will also love it.
