Free Energy was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

rock band based out of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The members included Scott Wells, Sheridan Fox, Evan Wells, and Nicholas Shuminsky.

History

The Wells brothers and Sprangers are originally from

Red Wing, Minnesota Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. The population was 16,547 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County. This city is named for early 19th-century Dakota Sioux c ...

, where they first started playing together in the now-defunct

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band Hockey Night. Shuminsky, of St. Paul's Superhopper and Malachi Constant, joined Sprangers and the Wells brothers to form the band in the Fall of 2008. Critics have compared Free Energy's sound to 1970s rock acts like

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

and

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboard ...

. The band rose to national prominence in March 2010 with the critically acclaimed release of their debut album '' Stuck on Nothing'', produced by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. On March 17,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

named Free Energy one of the best new bands of 2010. The band has also received high marks from

Spin Magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. Histor ...

. On March 17, 2010, the band performed on the Late Show with David Letterman. The single Bang Pop was used on the Pilot episode of sitcom

Raising Hope ''Raising Hope'' is an American sitcom that aired from September 21, 2010, to April 4, 2014, on Fox. Following its first season, the show received two nominations at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Martha Plimpton was nominated for Outstanding ...

. Free Energy toured heavily with Mates of State, Titus Andronicus, Hollerado, Foreign Born and The Postelles. They opened for

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...

during their Memories tour and performed on the Weezer Cruise in January 2012. On March 6, 2012, the band released "Electric Fever," the first single from "Love Sign." The song is heavily inspired by " You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. On January 15, 2013, Free Energy self-released its second full-length studio album, "Love Sign." The album was recorded with producer John Agnello. Free Energy's final performance was at Clockenclap Festival in Hong Kong, 2013.

Band members

*Scott Wells – lead guitar (2008–2016) *Paul Sprangers – vocals (2008–2016) *Evan Wells – bass (2008–2016) *Jesse Sparhawk – rhythm guitar (2011) *Nicholas Shuminsky – drums (2008–2016) *Geoff Bucknum – rhythm guitar (2008–2011) *Sheridan Fox – rhythm guitar (2011–2016) *

Patrick Stickles Patrick Stickles (born July 28, 1985) is an American musician and the lead singer, frontman, and songwriter of New Jersey-based punk rock band Titus Andronicus. Stickles grew up in Glen Rock, New Jersey and graduated from Glen Rock High School as ...

- rhythm guitar (2011)

Discography

Albums

* '' Stuck on Nothing'' (2010) - US

Heatseekers Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is rad ...

#38 * ''

Love Sign "Love Sign" is a song by American musician Prince, from the '' 1-800-NEW-FUNK'' compilation album released by his independent record label NPG Records in 1994. "Love Sign" was the most successful song released from the album, and it is a duet ...

'' (2013) - US Heatseekers #13

EPs

* ''Free Energy (EP), Free Energy'' (2009)

Singles

* "Bang Pop" (2010) * "Electric Fever" (2012)

Notes

External links

Official website

Official Facebook
Musical groups from Philadelphia {{US-rock-band-stub