Sitting in my townhouse kitchen the other day, I thought about Fall Fest and how excited I was for both, The MisterWives and Atlas Genius to grace us with their presence on campus this Friday afternoon. I knew many classic songs like “Our Own House,” which reminded me of summer camp and made me smile, as well as “Molecules,” a nice tune for a rainy day. Yet, I also wanted to know some background on the bands. How did they form? Where were they from? What was their mission? With questions like these floating in my mind I went on a quick pre-concert hunt.
The MisterWives came out of New York City in 2012 when the now lead singer, Mandy Lee wanted an 80s cover band for her birthday. She gathered two friends and was slowly introduced to others that would help to complete the band that now includes: a lead singer (Lee, the only girl in the band!), a percussionist, a bass guitarist, a regular guitarist, a multi-instrumentalist (fancy), and a saxophonist. They played their first show at the New York City Canal Room and were immediately signed to Photo Finish Records following thier performance. They then produced the name, MisterWives, from the Mormon polygamy term, Sister Wives. After touring with and opening for many other bands, The MisterWives finally released their first album, Reflections, in January of 2014. Since then the band has been growing, working on another album, announcing their own world tour, and also having their songs premiere on T.V. shows and in commercials. It is safe to say the MisterWives are just being their musical journey.
On the other hand, Atlas Genius was formed in 2009 in Adelaide, Australia when the Jeffery brothers and a new British friend of theirs decided it was time to make their dreams a reality. They started in their family garage by building their own recording studio and then learning the ropes on how to get themselves out there. They released their first single, “Trojans,” in 2011 and entered it into a national radio station contest, known as “Triple J’s Talent Contest.” Soon enough, the single was well reviewed by big names from Neon Gold and placed on Sirius XM radios Alt Nation channel. From there, the group was signed to Warner Bros. Records and released their first three-track album, Through the Glass. Shortly after they released their debut album, When It Was Now. Since then the band has released two more albums and unfortunately lost two members, but have been touring with exclusive touring members, making them another band to look out for.
Now that I have provided this short band history, I hope to see you all out there on the lawn this afternoon giving it up for two bands that are most definitley on the rise!