104.3, broadcasting from Radio Free Elsewhere. Your glitch in the airwaves.
The Elsewhere GazetteExtra
The Lumineers
American indie folk band
The Lumineers are an American indie folk band formed in Ramsey, New Jersey, in 2005, and now based in Denver, Colorado. The founding members are Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites ; cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek joined the band in 2010, and was a member until 2018.
The Lumineers emerged as one of the most popular folk-rock/Americana artists during the revival of these genres, their popularity growing in the 2010s. They are known for their energetic live shows and several international hit singles, including "Ho Hey", "Stubborn Love", "Ophelia", "Angela" and "Cleopatra".
The band has become one of the top touring bands in the United States and is also popular in other countries.
americanaindie folkfolk popalternative countrystomp and hollercountry folk
The Glitch WeeklyExtra
2002–2009: Early years
When Schultz and Fraites began collaborating, writing together and playing gigs around New York City, they did so under various names, including Free Beer, 6Cheek and Wesley Jeremiah. Fraites elaborated, "When Wes and I got together, our first band name was Free Beer. It wasn't serious at first. We were a crappy band doing (terrible) covers. But we slowly started getting away from covers and writing originals. We were doing everything: vanilla singer-songwriter stuff, hard rock, electronic music. There was no focus; it was a mad, random mess." According to Schultz, the band became 'The Lumineers' after a band called Lumineers (a made up word) were supposed to play at a club in Jersey City the week after Schultz and Fraites played there....
Schultz has stated, "I write the lyrics, and I co-write the songs with Jer," adding "It's never the same thing with each song. Generally speaking it involves a piano, a guitar, and maybe singing, and we usually start out with the chord structure, a set of chords, a melody especially, and then the lyrics usually follow. Or it's one phrase that you really find great and then you build the song around that." Schultz later claimed, "Your melodies make people want to hear what you're saying," adding, "They've got to be open to hearing it, almost hum it. And if they want to go deeper there is something there."
The band cites a diverse range of influences, including Bob Dylan, Ludwig van Beethoven, Guns N' Roses, Talking Heads, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, The Cars, Leonard Cohen, and "cinematic music and anything strange and weird." Schultz adds Bob Dylan, Born in the U.S.A., Greatest Hits, Sand in the Vaseline, Exile on Main St., and The Future as specific album influences. Additionally, Schultz cites a Tom Petty performance as one that "really stands out" to him, stating "I just remember him playing "Last Dance with Mary Jane", and as the opening guitar line was being played, he opened up a chest on stage that had not been opened the entire show, pulled out a hat, put that hat on for the duration of the song, and then opened the chest back up...
"Ophelia" is a song recorded by American folk rock band the Lumineers. It was released as the lead single from their sophomore album Cleopatra on February 5, 2016.
Background
The song started as a slower instrumental demo that Jeremiah Fraites (one sixth of the Lumineers) sent to Wesley Schultz (lead vocalist of the Lumineers) in 2011. According to Schultz, the demo generated enough excitement to work on the project. While playing at a backbar in LA alongside the Lumineers, Schultz wrote the song's hook.
Critical reception
The song has received mixed reviews from music critics. The song was praised by Marina Watts of The Cornell Daily Sun; where Watts refers to "Ophelia" as "hauntingly beautiful", also noting that the song is "a march that wishes anyone who ever falls in love the best of luck." David Dye of NPR also viewed "Ophelia" positively, while comparing its musical influences and style to the Lumineers' earlier hit, "Ho Hey".
Music video
The official music video was directed by Isaac Ravishankara, and released via the Lumineers' YouTube and Vevo accounts on February 12, 2016. As of January 2022, it has gained over 200 million views.
"Ho Hey" is a song by American folk rock band the Lumineers. It was released on June 4, 2012, as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album (2012).
The music video was released on March 11, 2012. "Ho Hey" reached number one for 18 non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard Rock Songs chart, as well as two weeks in the top spot on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and eight weeks in the top spot on the Adult Pop Songs chart, and reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming their first single to do so, as well as their first top 5 single.
Background information
The song was originally created during Schultz and Fraites' time in New York as a kiss-off to disinterested concert-goers. "That song was an effort to get under people's skin at shows in Brooklyn, where everyone is pretty indifferent," Schultz told American Songwriter. "And I figured if we could punctuate it with shouts we might get someone's attention."
Composition
"Ho Hey" is written in the key of C major. A McIntosh MC240 amplifier was used in the recording.
Critical reception
"Ho Hey" has received positive reviews from critics. Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio gave the song a rating of 4 out of 5, favorably comparing Wesley Schultz's lead vocals on the song to Raine Maida. Erickson went on to say that "it's darn refreshing to sit back and take in some genuine, straightforward music that comes from the heart". Rolling Stone named the song the 26th-best song of 2012.
Music video
The music video for "Ho Hey" was released on March 11, 2012. The video was directed by Ben Fee. The video shows the band walking down a hall in the former Linda Vista Hospital while singing and dancing to the song.
"Stubborn Love" is a song by American folk rock band the Lumineers. It was released in 2012 as the second single from their debut self-titled studio album.
Music video
There are 2 music videos for "Stubborn Love". The first one released on October 3, 2012 is a collection of live performances and behind the scenes footage shot between April and August 2012 during the Lumineers Big Parade 2012 tour. The 2nd one released on February 7, 2013 centers around a young daughter who is going with her mother as a result of her parents divorcing. As situations in their road trip go from gray and stormy to bright and sunny, the girl rolls down her window and smiles in the end of the video. The Lumineers themselves make a brief appearance as street performers.
"Gloria" is a single by American folk rock band The Lumineers from their third studio album III (2019). The song was released on April 4, 2019 by Dualtone Records and Decca Records, with the accompanying music video being released on May 20, 2019.
Background And Composition
The song is the third track from their third studio album III, and was released as a single on April 4, 2019 by Dualtone and Decca Records.
"Cleopatra" is a song recorded by American folk rock band the Lumineers. The song serves as the title track to their second studio album of the same name.
Background and composition
According to Wesley Schultz, lead vocalist of the Lumineers, "Cleopatra" tells the life story of a female taxi driver, named Manana, in the Republic of Georgia. While Schultz's wife was working on her college thesis in the country, the couple came across Manana, who became the first female taxi driver in Georgia. He describes her as a "badass lady - she’ll pick you up at the airport with a cigarette hanging out her mouth and a beer can between [her] legs." Schultz was inspired by her realism, in contrast to the false imagery of contemporary Instagram culture. He also admired her lack of self-pity and "willingness to confront life."
Release and reception
On March 24, 2016, Zane Lowe premiered the song on Beats 1 Radio. "Cleopatra" reached number one on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart, and reached number three on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Music video
The official music video was directed by Isaac Ravishankara, and uploaded to the Lumineers' YouTube and VEVO account on July 7, 2016. It acts as the conclusion to the storyline that began with Sleep on the Floor music video and continued in the video for Angela. Since being uploaded, it has garnered over 77 million views.
Covers
The song has been covered numerous times since its release, by many upcoming artists which include:
"Sleep on the Floor" is a single by American folk rock band The Lumineers from their second studio album Cleopatra. The song was released on November 16, 2016, by Dualtone Records, with the accompanying music video being released the same day.
The song was written by members Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, and produced by Simone Felice.
Music video
The official music video was released via the Lumineers' YouTube and Vevo accounts on November 16, 2016. As of November 2023, it has gained over 210 million views. The music video was directed by Isaac Ravishankara, who also directed The Ballad of Cleopatra videos compilation, starring Elise Eberle and Adam C. Lively. The music video was intended as, essentially, a trailer. The full movie was later released on Vimeo.
Covers
The song was covered by Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan, initially as a standalone single in February 2024 before being included on his "mixtape" album Being Elsewhere Mix in the fall.
"Submarines" is a song by American folk rock band The Lumineers. It impacted modern rock radio in the United States as the third single from their debut studio album The Lumineers (2012).
"Angela" is a song recorded by American folk rock band The Lumineers for their second studio album, Cleopatra, and released as the album's third single on April 1, 2016.
Background
The Lumineers have said that the song "Angela," is about "a small town success story struggling to escape her past." During an interview, The Lumineers also mentioned how the name "Angela" comes from lead singer Wesley Schultz's ex-girlfriend Angela Henard; noting:
Music video
The official music video was released via the Lumineers' YouTube and Vevo accounts on September 13, 2016. As of September, 2021, it has gained over 55 million views.
