- The Features
Infobox musical artist
Name = The Features
Img_capt = The iconic logo for the band.
Img_size = 212
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin =Sparta, Tennessee , USA
Genre =Indie rock Indie pop Neo-Psychedelia
Occupation =
Years_active = 1994—present
Label =Spongebath Records Fierce Panda Universal Records
Associated_acts =The Privates The Preservatives De Novo Dahl
URL = [http://thefeatures.com The Features]
Current_members =Matt Pelham Roger Dabbs Rollum Haas Mark Bond
Past_members =Don Sergio
Jason TaylorParrish Yaw The Features are an American
indie rock band fromTennessee . Though they have had limited success in the United States, they have been very well received in theUnited Kingdom and have a very loyal following in the Southeastern United States.History
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.History
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 asSelf (band) ,The Katies , andFluid 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 toTennessee 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.In 1998, the band recorded a full-length LP for Spongebath. The album was never released, although two tracks from the sessions, "Thursday" and "Rabbit March", were released on a limited 12-inch. Around this time, original members Don Sergio and Jason Taylor both left the band. Taylor was replaced by Rollum Haas.
In 1999-2000, they recorded their second full-length LP with
Matt Mahaffey at his studio in Murfreesboro, which was also never released. In 2001, they released "The Beginning" EP. Their incessant touring and critical buzz led to a deal with Universal Records. Universal re-released "The Beginning" EP in 2004, and followed with their first-officially released album, Exhibit A. The band gained a lot of exposure opening for fellow Tennesseans Kings of Leon on various tours.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 Awards [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a76991/features-triumph-at-dieselumusic-awards.html] , 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, 2008ingles
External links
* [http://www.thefeatures.com The Features Official Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/thefeatures The Features on MySpace]
* [http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=THE|FEATURES&sql=11:abfyxq9gldfe~T1 The Features on AllMusicGuide]
* [http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/features/artist.jhtml The Features on MTV]
* [http://media.www.mtsusidelines.com/media/storage/paper202/news/2002/11/21/Flash/The-Features-330128.shtml "The Features: ...Their Beginning", MTSU Sideline]
* [http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Cover_Story/2006/09/07/Back_to_the_Drawing_Board/index.shtml Back To "The Drawing Board", Nashville Scene]
* [http://media.www.easttennessean.com/media/storage/paper203/news/2002/10/21/Lifestyle/Reader.Please.Introduce.Yourself.To.The.Features.The.Next.Big.Thing-302471.shtml "Reader, Please Introduce Yourself to the Next Big Thing", East Tennessean]
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