House of Fools is an American

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

from

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

, United States. Members include Josh King (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

), David McLaughlin (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

), Joel Kiser (guitar), Matt Bowers (

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

), Jordan Powers (ex-

Far-Less Far-Less was a five-piece post-hardcore band originally from Marion, Virginia, with members from Marion and other surrounding areas, including Pulaski and Blacksburg. They were signed to Tooth & Nail Records. Far-less played their final show on ...

) (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

) and Jack Foster (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). House of Fools formed in 2004, from a demo recording made by King and Bowers. At the time King was the lead singer and

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instr ...

for The Necessary. The Necessary was an

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from Greensboro, with the same members as House of Fools, minus Bowers and Scifres and with David McLaughlin (ex-guitarist/vocalist of House of Fools), Todd Turner (ex-drummer of the band Far-Less) playing drums, and Jeff Linn (ex-bassist of House of Fools) playing bass. Influenced by bands like

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They h ...

, The Necessary wrote a wide range of songs released in 2004 on the album ''This Is Us'', for Forsaken Records. The Necessary grew to have a large fanbase in Greensboro. A friend of the band sent demos that Bowers and King had recorded under the name House of Fools to Drive-Thru Records. In November 2004, King was contacted by Drive-Thru Records and was flown out to discuss a record deal.

Drive-Thru Records Drive-Thru Records was a California-based independent record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. The label was partially responsible for popularizing the pop-punk/emo merger sound of the early to mid-2000s. After facing financia ...

agreed to sign House of Fools to a record deal. The line-up was completed by the rest of The Necessary, while, due to band-internal issues, Todd Turner was replaced by Phil Bell. They released a self-titled EP in October 2006. They ended the year touring the East Coast with Paulson. In January and February 2007, they supported

Daphne Loves Derby Daphne Loves Derby is an American Indie rock band that formed in Kent, Washington, in 2001. They have released three studio albums, the third in 2007 titled '' Good Night, Witness Light'', peaking at number 30 on the ''Billboard'' Top Heatseekers ...

on their headlining acoustic tour. After the release of their first album, recorded and produced by

R. Walt Vincent R. Walt Vincent is a Los Angeles-based record producer, recording engineer, composer, and multi instrumentalist known for his work with indie rock icons Pete Yorn, Liz Phair and Tommy Keene. Grandson of recording pioneer George Robert Vincent, fo ...

in his Los Angeles studio, they were named to

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

's2007 Albums so far... by soundscapem n. — best of, mid-season report, midyear , Gather
/ref> list of "100 Bands You Need To Know". On December 19, 2008, the band announced on their Myspace page that 2008 had "been a rough year for House of Fools." After writing and recording about 30 new songs, the band's drummer, Phil Bell, left the band for medical reasons. Bell has had degenerative disc disease for years, and lately the members all realized that although he "has always pulled through, with talk of surgery and the possibility of paralysis, Phil is too young to continue long and strenuous drives in a van on tour and playing drums every night." Therefore, the band searched for a new drummer. On March 12, the band announced that their new drummer would be Jack Foster, and that their bassist, Jeff "Salsa" Linn, was slowly transitioning out of the band. The band was able to find a replacement in Jordan Powers, longtime friend of the band and former guitarist of

Far-less Far-Less was a five-piece post-hardcore band originally from Marion, Virginia, with members from Marion and other surrounding areas, including Pulaski and Blacksburg. They were signed to Tooth & Nail Records. Far-less played their final show on ...

. On January 17 an official press release was posted on the band's new website, www.houseoffools.net. The band announced that they had finally severed ties with Drive-Thru Records and were planning to release their long-awaited second album in the spring or summer of 2011. House of Fools released their long-awaited second album, ''Versus The Beast'', on December 30, 2011. Near the end of 2012, guitarist and vocalist David McLaughlin announced he was leaving the band. He has been replaced by Tommy Scifres.

Discography

Albums

*''Live and Learn'' (2007) *''Versus the Beast'' (2011)

EPs

*'' House of Fools'' (2006)

Non-album tracks

Blowin' in the Wind "Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions about ...

" – released on '' Listen to Bob Dylan: A Tribute'' (2005) *"Tricky Treats" – featured on the band's MySpace

References

External links

House of Fools' profile
at MySpace
House of Fools' profile
at

PureVolume PureVolume (formerly Unborn Media) was a website for uploading and streaming of music files, the first independently run of its type. PureVolume was created by Unborn Media, Inc; Mitchell Pavao; Brett Woitunski; and Nate Hudson, all from the Univer ...

The Necessary's profile
at MySpace
The Necessary's profile
at

{{Authority control Musical groups from North Carolina Drive-Thru Records artists