Bombadil (band)
Encyclopedia
Bombadil is a four-piece band from Durham
, North Carolina
with guitar, bass, piano, and drums as their primary instruments. Their music is best described as folk-pop. The band are known for their creative and somewhat elusive lyrics, quirky sound, and upbeat, energetic live show.
They recorded several demos at an elementary school during their spare time.
After returning to the United States
, Michalak recruited his brother John to write drum parts for the songs and the three spent the holiday break pulling the songs together. Pianist and friend Stuart Robinson joined the band a couple months later.
After a busy year of touring and writing music, Bombadil signed with Ramseur Records of Concord
, NC after playing a show with The Avett Brothers
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. The group immediately set out recording a debut EP
, which was released in May 2006. John Michalak left the band to pursue academic interests and was replaced by James Phillips in the fall of 2007. Stuart Robinson left the band in 2009 to pursue academic interests.
The group released a full length album entitled A Buzz, A Buzz on April 29, 2008. The band toured throughout the United States, and played festivals like Bonnaroo, FloydFest
, Pickathon, and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion to support the album. Their second album, Tarpits and Canyonlands, was released on July 7, 2009.
From July 2009 to December 2010, the band was on hiatus as Daniel has been suffering from nerve damage in his hands.
The band gathered in Portland, OR to record a follow up to Tarpits and Canyonlands in November 2010. The album was recorded by drummer James Phillips in a barn on Pendarvis Farm (the same barn where The Decemberists
recorded The King is Dead). The album, to be released on November 8, 2011, is named All That the Rain Promises. The title is a homage to the mushroom collecting book All That the Rain Promises and More.
Bombadil in the media
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
with guitar, bass, piano, and drums as their primary instruments. Their music is best described as folk-pop. The band are known for their creative and somewhat elusive lyrics, quirky sound, and upbeat, energetic live show.
History
Bombadil began in early 2005 after guitarist Bryan Rahija and bassist Daniel Michalak decided to start a band while Duke University students studying abroad in Bolivia.Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
They recorded several demos at an elementary school during their spare time.
After returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Michalak recruited his brother John to write drum parts for the songs and the three spent the holiday break pulling the songs together. Pianist and friend Stuart Robinson joined the band a couple months later.
After a busy year of touring and writing music, Bombadil signed with Ramseur Records of Concord
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
, NC after playing a show with The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers is a folk rock band from Mount Pleasant, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, who play the banjo and guitar respectively, and Bob Crawford who plays the stand-up bass. Joe Kwon, cello, and Jacob Edwards, drums, are touring members of...
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. The group immediately set out recording a debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, which was released in May 2006. John Michalak left the band to pursue academic interests and was replaced by James Phillips in the fall of 2007. Stuart Robinson left the band in 2009 to pursue academic interests.
The group released a full length album entitled A Buzz, A Buzz on April 29, 2008. The band toured throughout the United States, and played festivals like Bonnaroo, FloydFest
FloydFest
FloydFest is a world music and arts festival held annually near Floyd, Virginia, situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It began in 2002 and has received excellent reviews ever since, earning a name for itself in 2005 when it played host to well-known folk singer Ani DiFranco...
, Pickathon, and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion to support the album. Their second album, Tarpits and Canyonlands, was released on July 7, 2009.
From July 2009 to December 2010, the band was on hiatus as Daniel has been suffering from nerve damage in his hands.
The band gathered in Portland, OR to record a follow up to Tarpits and Canyonlands in November 2010. The album was recorded by drummer James Phillips in a barn on Pendarvis Farm (the same barn where The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
recorded The King is Dead). The album, to be released on November 8, 2011, is named All That the Rain Promises. The title is a homage to the mushroom collecting book All That the Rain Promises and More.
Current members
- Stuart Robinson (vocals, keyboards, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, ukuleleUkuleleThe ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
, xylophoneXylophoneThe xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
) - Daniel Michalak (vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, zampona, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
) - Bryan Rahija (vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, charangoCharangoThe charango is a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, 66 cm long, traditionally made with the shell of the back of an armadillo. Primarily played in traditional Andean music, and is sometimes used by other Latin American musicians. Many contemporary charangos are now made with...
) - James Phillips (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, tenor recorder, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
)
Discography
- Live at Duke (April 2006)
- Bombadil EP (May 2006)
- 3/4 Length Album (June 2007)
- A Buzz, A Buzz (April 2008)
- Tarpits and Canyonlands (July 2009)
- All That the Rain Promises (November 2011)
External links
Bombadil in the media
- npr.org
- smoother.net
- indyweek.com
- iguessimfloating
- Show review (5/10/08) from honesttune.com
- Paste Magazine's band of the week
- Feature from HonestTune.com
- http://www.shufflemag.com/bombadil-announces-new-album-all-that-the-rain-promises-out-nov-8/