The Features
The Features |
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The Features are an American indie rock band from Tennessee. Though they have had limited success in the United States, they have been very well received in the United Kingdom and have a very loyal following in the Southeastern United States.
History
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Early years
Matt Pelham, Roger Dabbs, Don Sergio and Parrish Yaw attended middle school together in Sparta, Tennessee, a rural town that at the time had a population of less than 5,000. Pelham, Dabbs and Sergio started a band when they were in the eighth grade out of boredom, and they started playing covers of Camper Van Beethoven, Neil Young, Guns N' Roses and others. As they continued through high school, they continued to play together at local events like parties and talent shows, then graduated to playing at various bars and clubs around nearby college town Murfreesboro and in Nashville.
Spongebath Records Era
While still in high school, a representative from Nashville independent music label Spongebath Records recruited them, supposedly at a Pizza Hut. Within a few years they had become a fixture of Murfreesboro and nearby Nashville, and soon signed a deal with Spongebath Records, a local independent label that featured several of the biggest rock acts in the Nashville area such as Self (band), The Katies, and Fluid Ounces. Their first release, a six-song self-titled EP, was released in 1997.
Once they graduated high school, Pelham and Dabbs moved to Murfreesboro to study music at Middle Tennessee State University while Sergio and Yaw went to Tennessee Technical University in nearby Cookeville. It was here that Pelham and Dabbs brought classmate Jason Taylor on to play drums, and Sergio brought Yaw on to play keyboards. Murfreesboro was a much larger town than Sparta, and The Features began to play at various bars and clubs around town, eventually dropping out of college to focus on the band.
Currently, the band consists of Matthew Pelham, Roger Dabbs, Mark Bond, and Rollum Haas. They are unsigned and have had limited success, but have been well received by English media. They are expected to release new material soon, and are currently supporting the Kings of Leon on their U.S. tour. In 2007, they won the international Diesel:U:Music Awards[1], placing first in the Rock/Indie category and in the Public Vote award.
Discography
- The Features EP, Spongebath Records, 1997
- The Beginning EP, Universal Records, 2004
- Exhibit A LP, Universal Records, 2004
- Contrast EP, Self-Released, 2006
- Some Kind Of Salvation LP, Self-Released, 2008
Singles
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Thursday" | None |
| 2004 | "The Way It's Meant To Be" | The Beginning EP |
| "There's A Million Ways To Sing The Blues" | Exhibit A | |
| "Leave It All Behind" | ||
| "The New Xmas Wishbook" | None | |
| 2005 | "Blow It Out" | Exhibit A |
| "The Way It's Meant To Be" | ||
| 2007 | "Late Night" | None |