| Hometown heroes return from 'Wilderness' |
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By: TRAVIS SWANN, tswann@murfreesboropost.com
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Posted: Sunday, August 7, 2011 4:25 am
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Matt Pelham, Rollum Haas, Roger Dabbs and Mark Bond (clockwise) released their third full-length album as The Features, Murfreesboro’s favorite hometown band.
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The Features have been a permanent fixture in the middle Tennessee soundscape for years now and have flirted in the midst of success with major labels and tours along the way.
Through the ups, downs and everything else in between, the group has maintained a consistent drive over their 10-plus year career as they have churned out a mix of EPs and three albums including their latest effort, Wilderness.
And how do they do it? “Stubborn persistence and never getting bored,” drummer Rollum Haas said during a recent interview.
With roots that run deep into the late 1990s, The Features have went through a few different variations like any other group, but now include front man Matt Pelham, Roger Dabbs, Mark Bond and Haas.
Calling Nashville home now even though only two of the members actually reside there, the group’s early days can be traced back to Murfreesboro.
“We usually say we’re from Nashville because everyone in the world knows where that’s at.”
“Murfreesboro had a great music scene when we were all living there. I don’t remember there being any bands from Nashville that caught my ear at the time, but I was never hanging out there. Only a few of us had cars that functioned,” said Haas.
Coinciding with the days of Spongebath Records, The Features had a couple of releases on the label but found their breakthrough on Exhibit A in 2004 and the radio-friendly cut “Blow it Out.”
“I came in so late to the Spongebath thing,” noted Haas.
“When I joined in 1998, Don & Jason, original guitarist and drummer, had both quit. Spongebath was close to being defunct, and there honestly wasn’t a whole lot of interest in the band. We went through a bit of an identity crisis. We auditioned several guitarists before realizing that we worked as a four piece. “
The Features’ distinct sound is one that provides them staying power and is marked by circus-like pop sounds, which provide the setting for Pelham’s powerful, shifting melodic hooks and quivering vocals. And when it comes to melodies, this is their hallmark as there aren’t too many in the businesses that compete with Pelham.
As subject matter crosses different lines through each album, their sound has been a constant and has landed them an unfaultable niche in the music community.
“I feel like we walk this fine line. We’re not weird enough for a certain crowd and we’re a little bit too out there for the other crowd. We fall in the middle somewhere between mainstream and hipster, which puts us in this weird place, but we’re all pretty happy to be here,“ said Pelham in a recent press release.
Pelham and company have treaded steady ground since the release of Exhibt A, as they have toured heavily with Kings of Leon and Manchester Orchestra and played a few festivals during this span. In 2009, they released Some Kind of Salvation via Kings of Leon’s label, Serpents and Snakes, which is a music venture with publisher Bug Music.
This past month, The Features released their third full-length installment, Wilderness, and celebrated with a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on its release date in which they performed the track “Golden Comb.”
As one grows older, the stages of life become more evident in the writing process and come into play more often. Where Some Kind of Salvation showcased the complexities of aging as compared to the more blissful songs found in Exhibit A, Wilderness transcends these thoughts and grabs them in full force with tracks like the opener “Content” which asks several questions in the form of lines such as “Say so long to the ones who’ve passed away/You and I know that nature has her ways/Were they happy and were their hearts content/I hope they felt like their time here was well spent.”
Other tracks like “Golden Comb” tackle the obstacles in relationships with different transitions in cadence and arrangements, while “This Much I Know” highlights a little more of an upbeat pattern lyrically and musically.
As Some Kind of Salvation appeared to be more introspective in subject matter, Wilderness takes a different tone and fuses more kaleidoscopic and retro-sonic sounds.
“It’s not as subdued, it only has one ballad, and there’s a song named after an action hero,” said Haas in reference to the track “Rambo.”
Nailing down studio time after being on the road, The Features combined their live prowess and stage show to fuel their craft as each album’s listening experience can be comparative to the same energy as their live show.
The group is scheduled for a well-rounded tour to finish out the summer, which includes dates in the Southeast as they will perform on Aug. 27 at Mercy Lounge in Nashville, Tenn. and several dates on the West Coast in September.
When the knockout blow could have landed very early in their career, The Features have endured the struggles and remain to be on of the musical treasures of the mid-state.
“The success as a band in the music business is of much appreciations. We are very rocking right now,” said Haas.
And depending on how success is measured, the goal for this group is simple – to make a living playing music. |
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