Bombadil is a four-piece Americana, folk-pop band from Durham,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

with guitar, bass, piano, and drums as their primary instruments. The band is known for their creative and heartfelt lyrics, lush vocal harmonies, thoughtful arrangements, and engaging live show.

History

Bombadil began in early 2005 after guitarist Bryan Rahija and bassist Daniel Michalak were studying abroad in

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as students at

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

. They recorded several demos at an elementary school in La Paz during their spare time. After returning to the U.S., Michalak recruited his brother John to write drum parts. Pianist and friend Stuart Robinson joined the band a few months later. After a busy year of touring and writing, Bombadil signed with Ramseur Records of

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

, North Carolina after playing a show with The Avett Brothers at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. The group immediately set out recording a debut EP, which was released in May 2006. John Michalak left the band to pursue medical school and was replaced by James Phillips in the fall of 2007. The group released their first full-length album entitled ''

A Buzz, A Buzz Bombadil is a four-piece Americana, folk-pop band from Durham, North Carolina with guitar, bass, piano, and drums as their primary instruments. The band is known for their creative and heartfelt lyrics, lush vocal harmonies, thoughtful arrangemen ...

'' on April 29, 2008. The band toured throughout the United States, playing festivals like Bonnaroo,

FloydFest FloydFest is a Music and arts festival held annually near Floyd, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains History The event began in 2002, and spans five days each year with on-site camping and multiple stages featuring rock, bluegrass, reggae, f ...

, Pickathon, and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion to support the album. Their second album, ''

Tarpits and Canyonlands ''Tarpits and Canyonlands'' is North Carolina folk-pop band Bombadil's second full-length album, which was released on July 7, 2009. The band members when the record was released were James Phillips, Bryan Rahija, Daniel Michalak and Stuart Robin ...

'', was recorded with

Scott Solter Scott Solter is an American recording engineer, record producer, mixer, remixer and musician. As a producer and mixer, Solter has worked with numerous indie rock artists, including Maps & Atlases, St. Vincent, Spoon, Sarah Jaffe, Becca Stevens ...

and released on July 7, 2009. The band went on hiatus from July 2009 to December 2010, due to Daniel suffering from nerve damage in his hands. Stuart Robinson also briefly left the band during this time to pursue academic interests, but later returned. The band gathered in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

to record a follow up to ''Tarpits and Canyonlands'' in November 2010. The album was recorded by drummer James Phillips in a barn on Pendarvis Farm (the same barn where The Decemberists recorded '' The King is Dead''). The album, released on November 8, 2011, is named ''

All That the Rain Promises ''All That the Rain Promises'' is North Carolina band Bombadil's third full-length album which was released on November 2, 2011. The band members when the record was released were James Phillips, Bryan Rahija, Daniel Michalak and Stuart Robinson. ...

''. In the summer of 2011, the four members moved back to Durham to record ''

Metrics of Affection Bombadil is a four-piece Americana, folk-pop band from Durham, North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina with guitar, bass, piano, and drums as their primary instruments. The band is known for their creative and heartfelt lyrics, lush vocal harmonie ...

'', which was released on July 25, 2014. After recording ''

'', Bryan Rahija left the band to attend business school at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. In Rahija's absence, the other members recorded '' Hold On'', their 5th full-length album. The album was released on March 24, 2015. "Amy's Friend," a song from the album, was used on the soundtrack to the movie '' Trainwreck''. On March 4, 2015 it was announced that Stuart Robinson would be leaving the band to pursue personal interests, and Daniel and James would continue writing and touring as Bombadil. During September 2016, the band, with new member Stacy Harden, recorded ''

Fences A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary. Fence or fences may also refer to: Entertainment Music * Fences (band), an Amer ...

'', their 6th full-length album, with producer John Vanderslice in San Francisco. Bryan Rahija contributed guitar tracks. The album was released on March 3, 2017. After taking 2020 and 2021 off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bombadil took to social media to announce their return to touring with guitarist MK Rodenbough, known individually as Rodes Baby, on guitar in Harden's stead. It was initially announced that founding member Stuart Robinson would join the band as an opening act for their first show back, but he ended up joining them for the majority of the spring 2022 tour, and as of fall 2022 appears to be back as a full touring member.

Personnel

Current members

* Daniel Michalak (vocals, bass, piano, guitar) * James Phillips (vocals, drums, synth) * MK Rodenbough (vocals, guitar) * Stuart Robinson (vocals, piano, ukelele)

Past members

*Bryan Rahija (guitar) *John Michalak (drums) *Stephen Bennett (drums) *Nicholas Vandenberg (vocals, guitar, bass, piano) * Stacy Harden (vocals, guitar, bass)

Discography

Full-length albums

* ''

A Buzz, a Buzz Bombadil is a four-piece Americana, folk-pop band from Durham, North Carolina with guitar, bass, piano, and drums as their primary instruments. The band is known for their creative and heartfelt lyrics, lush vocal harmonies, thoughtful arrangemen ...

'' (April 2008) * ''

'' (July 2009) * ''

'' (November 2011) * ''

'' (July 2013) * '' Hold On'' (March 2015) * ''

'' (March 2017) * ''

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'' (September 2019)

EPs

* '' Bombadil'' (May 2006) * ''Still Bombadil Issue#1: Score for Cell Phone, Rubber Band & Wine Glass'' (limited edition EP, March 2015)

7-inches

* ''

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'' (limited edition 7-inch, June 2012)

Singles

*"Sad Birthday" (June 2014) *"Sunny December" *"A Question" *"Coughing on the F Train"