Frontier Ruckus

Frontier Ruckus is an American band from Michigan. The project is centered on the lyrically intensive songs of Matthew Milia, and was formed by Milia and banjo player David Winston Jones while growing up in Metro Detroit.[1] In 2008, the band released its debut full-length record, The Orion Songbook. Though formed in a folk tradition, Frontier Ruckus has shown an eclecticism across their catalog, incorporating aspects of baroque and jangle pop, alt-country, bluegrass, and lo-fi.[2]

Frontier Ruckus
Frontier Ruckus performing at the 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival
Background information
OriginMetro Detroit, Michigan
GenresFolk, folk rock, bluegrass, alt-country, Americana, jangle pop
Years active2003-Present
LabelsQuite Scientific Records, Loose Music (Europe), Ramseur Records
WebsiteOfficial website
MembersMatthew Milia
David Jones
Zachary Nichols
Past membersAnna Burch
Ryan Etzcorn
Eli Eisman

Biography

Milia and Jones formed the band while both attending Brother Rice High School in Metro Detroit. They began by playing a mixture of Milia's early compositions and traditional bluegrass songs that Jones had collected. Around this time they also recruited Eli Eisman as a bassist. While Milia attended Michigan State University—where he studied poetry under Diane Wakoski—and Jones attended the University of Michigan, Frontier Ruckus expanded into a six-piece. The new formation included Zachary Nichols playing trumpet, musical saw, and melodica; Ryan Etzcorn playing drums; and Anna Burch singing harmony vocals—all of whom Milia met while in East Lansing.[3][4]

Frontier Ruckus performing at Lollapalooza in 2013

In the beginning of 2007, shortly after the release of I Am The Water You Are Pumping, Frontier Ruckus began to receive attention in Michigan, with Metro Times considering the band "already one of the very best sounds to come out of Michigan this entire decade," and Real Detroit Weekly stating: "This is the best band you haven't heard and Milia is the most impressive wordsmith I've listened to in a really long time. I'm not sure If I can recall a voice as untreated and honest as Milia's ... ever. His is a voice whose timbre carries as much meaning as the words that come through it."[5][6]

Frontier Ruckus was named "Best Folk Group" in Detroit by Real Detroit Weekly, who were also among the first to laud The Orion Songbook[5] prior to the album's official release, during an eMusic advance feature.[7]

Released on November 6, 2008 through Quite Scientific Records,[8] The Orion Songbook received positive reviews, garnering attention from Blurt Magazine, Crawdaddy!, and Under the Radar, who gave the album an 8/10.[9][10] Hear/Say called it "the year's best alt-country album."[11]

In 2009, Way Upstate and the Crippled Summer, pt. 1, a six-song EP, was released as the fourth side of the double-vinyl edition of The Orion Songbook.[12] Frontier Ruckus toured the entire US and to Europe for the first time, playing Slottsfjell Festival in Norway, among shows in the UK, Germany, and Holland.[13]

In 2010 the band toured extensively, including a month-long European tour and a performance at Bonnaroo Music Festival, for which Rolling Stone listed the band as one of their Essential Sets, calling the band "the perfect recipe for Gothic Americana."[14] Paste Magazine featured Frontier Ruckus in their "Best of What's Next" issue.[15] It was announced that Deadmalls and Nightfalls, their second full-length album, would be released July 20 via Ramseur Records.[16][17] Versions of several new songs were released through a Daytrotter session on February 14, 2010.[18]

Deadmalls and Nightfalls received positive critical reviews—given 9 out of 10 stars by PopMatters, who called the record "a musical map to the psyches of its performers" that "not only outdoes it predecessor, it reaches a level of top-notch songwriting most groups never attain on a greatest hits compilation."[19] A music video was shot for the song "Nerves of the Nightmind" which featured members of the band in downtown Los Angeles.[20] Deadmalls and Nightfalls served to broaden public appreciation for the group's songcraft and instrumentation, as it also left an impression with songwriters of note. Upon hearing the album, musician Ryan Adams posted on his Twitter page: "Loving the new Frontier Ruckus! Great band ... this is what I want to get back to. Those tunes go forever ...."[21]

Frontier Ruckus returned to Europe in May 2011 for the third time, expanding to new countries such as Ireland, Sweden, and Italy. Their performance at the 2011 Kilkenny Rhythm and Roots festival was described as "a particular highlight" by The Irish Times.[22]

Zachary Nichols playing the musical saw on tour with Frontier Ruckus in Stockholm, Sweden in 2011

The band taped a performance for the NPR radio program Mountain Stage in August 2011 alongside John Oates of Hall and Oates, performing with him for the encore number.[23]

Adult Swim used Frontier Ruckus' song "Dark Autumn Hour" for four ads in their well-known series of bumps, first airing in September 2011.[24] Around this time, Deadmalls and Nightfalls was released in a deluxe double-vinyl package including the bonus EP Way Upstate and the Crippled Summer, pt. 2.

In March 2012, the band streamed the recording of their third Daytrotter session live. A music film shot on Super 8 mm film for the song "Mona and Emmy" was premiered by Paste Magazine who also announced the first official details on the band's upcoming third full-length record Eternity of Dimming—slated to be a double album of 20 songs and 5,500 words.[25]

In May 2012, footage of Jones and Nichols performing a medley of theme songs from The Legend of Zelda—on banjo and musical saw, melodica, and Casio keyboard respectively—was circulated by Geekologie and the Kotaku site of Gawker Media.[26][27]

Eternity of Dimming was released on January 29, 2013 to strong critical response. Jim Farber of the New York Daily News commended the double album's dense specificity and ability to "obsess on the most suburban images possible."[28] The band released Eternity of Dimming at the 36th Ann Arbor Folk Festival at Hill Auditorium, sharing the stage with Colin Hay and Rodriguez.[29]

2013 saw Frontier Ruckus perform at Lollapalooza and return to Europe twice, as Eternity was their first record to receive distribution from a European label, Loose Music. The band appeared at End of the Road Festival in the UK, where the record received positive reviews from Uncut magazine—who stated the band was at "their blinding best."[30] Singles for the record, "Careening Catalog Immemorial" and "Dealerships", were both accompanied by music videos and premiered by IFC and Rolling Stone, respectively.[31][32]

For The A.V. Club's "Undercover" series, Frontier Ruckus recorded a cover of Third Eye Blind's 1990s alternative rock hit "Semi-Charmed Life" at The Onion's Chicago office.[33]

On November 11, 2014 (November 10, 2014 in Europe), Frontier Ruckus released their fourth full-length album, Sitcom Afterlife.[34] Prior to the complete album release, the tracks "Sad Modernity", "Bathroom Stall Hypnosis", and "Darling Anonymity" were released individually, highlighting the band's shift toward a greater focus on classic power pop arrangements, while still remaining densely lyrical.[35][36] On the release tour for Sitcom Afterlife, CMJ reviewed the band's Manhattan stop glowingly, writing: "For an hour, they treated the crowd to a sampling of songs taken from their three existing LPs as well as their upcoming fourth, and transported us from New York City to a larger, intangible, folktale version of suburban America."[37]

In December 2016, Rolling Stone announced that Frontier Ruckus' 5th LP would be titled Enter the Kingdom and was to be released in February 2017. It was reported that the album was recorded in Nashville with founding Wilco member and final Uncle Tupelo drummer, Ken Coomer. They also premiered a music video for the single "27 Dollars," featuring the band performing on the roof of the Penobscot Building in downtown Detroit.[38] For the first half of 2017, the band toured across much of the United States and Europe in support of Enter the Kingdom. A music video for the album's title track was premiered by Billboard in late summer.[39]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

References
  1. "Sessions: Frontier Ruckus". American Songwriter. 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  2. Deming, Mark. "Sitcom Afterlife Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  3. Emily Hopkins. "Frontier Ruckus cuts a trail through bluegrass with deeper arrangements and a singing saw". Okgazette.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  4. Tupica, Rich (2009-08-26). "Raising a Ruckus". Lansingcitypulse.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  5. Bartle, Gary. "Ear Candy (October 29, 2008) | Ear Candy". Real Detroit Weekly. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  6. Shaul, Aaron (2008-11-26). "Record Review: Frontier Ruckus / The Orion Songbook". Metro Times. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  7. "Download The Orion Songbook by Frontier Ruckus". eMusic. 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  8. "Quite Scientific Records". Quitescientific.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  9. "TALES OF THE NEW FRONTIER Frontier Ruckus on Blurt Online". Blurt-online.com. 2008-12-22. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  10. Williams, Paul. "Crawdaddy". Crawdaddy. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  11. "Hear/Say: America's College Music Magazine". Hearsay.cc. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  12. "Frontier Ruckus - The Orion Songbook / Way Upstate and the Crippled Summer, pt.1". Lansingscene.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  13. Archived May 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. J. Edward Keyes (2010-06-07). "Bonnaroo 2010's Essential Sets | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  15. "Best of What's Next: Frontier Ruckus". Pastemagazine.com. 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  16. Archived April 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  17. Archived April 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "A Wide-Eyed Astonishment Of Nature, And More". Daytrotter.com. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  19. Dietzel, Andrew. "Frontier Ruckus: Deadmalls and Nightfalls". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  20. "Video Premiere: Frontier Ruckus – Nerves of the Nightmind". Muzzle of Bees. 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  21. Tupica, Rich (2012-05-02). "Sonic boom on the frontier". Lansingcitypulse.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  22. "Mon, May 02, 2011 - Rhythmic Kilkenny roots for music festival". The Irish Times. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  23. "Frontier Ruckus On Mountain Stage". NPR. 2012-05-30. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  24. "Frontier Ruckus on [adult swim] - (Hemingway & Faulkner hangover cures)". YouTube. 2012-01-24. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  25. "Video Premiere: Frontier Ruckus - "Mona and Emmy"". Pastemagazine.com. 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  26. "Zelda Medley Performed On Banjo And Musical Saw". Geekologie. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  27. "It's A Beautiful Bluegrass Zelda Jamboree | Kotaku Australia". Kotaku.com.au. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  28. Farber, Jim (February 7, 2013). "Matthew Milia raises a Frontier Ruckus by writing about his strip-mall dreams". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  29. LeLievre, Roger (January 19, 2013). "Frontier Ruckus promises to give Friday set at Ann Arbor Folk Festival everything we have". Ann Arbor.com. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  30. "UNCUT'S PRAISE FOR FRONTIER RUCKUS". Uncut. January 11, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  31. "EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: FRONTIER RUCKUS "CAREENING CATALOG IMMEMORIAL". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  32. Kim, Brandon. "EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: FRONTIER RUCKUS "CAREENING CATALOG IMMEMORIAL"". IFC.
  33. "Frontier Ruckus Semi Charmed Life". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  34. Studarus, Laura. "Premiere: Frontier Ruckus – "Sitcom Afterlife" Album Stream". Undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  35. "Track Premiere: Frontier Ruckus - "Darling Anonymity"". CMJ. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  36. "Frontier Ruckus - "Bathroom Stall Hypnosis" (audio) (Premiere)". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  37. "Frontier Ruckus @ Mercury Lounge | Live Reviews". CMJ. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  38. Parton, Chris (December 13, 2016). "See Frontier Ruckus' Detroit Rooftop Video for '27 Dollars'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  39. Graff, Gary (August 1, 2017). "Folk Band Frontier Ruckus Share the Heartwarming Video for 'Enter the Kingdom': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
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