PHOX was an American six-piece alternative folk / indie pop band from

Baraboo Baraboo is a city in the Midwest and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The largest city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2020 population was 12,556. It is situ ...

, Wisconsin. Active from 2011 until 2017, they released their self-titled debut LP on June 24, 2014.

History

Prior to the formation of PHOX, many eventual members collaborated with Zach Johnston for his album ''Sonntag'', which was written in San Francisco, but recorded in Wisconsin. Some time later while Matt Holmen was playing with Davey Roberts, Matt Roberts (keys), and Jason Krunnfusz (bass) in Baraboo. The group connected once again for what was originally thought to be a one-off show at the local event, Boo Bash on May 4, 2011. The group still needed songs to play and someone to sing them. Monica Martin was asked if she'd sing some tracks from ''Sonntag'' and some cover songs at the event and she agreed. Moving forward, Monica wrote lyrics and melodies, and the group arranged the songs from their first two EP's and their self-titled first record release. The band released their EP ''Confetti'' in early 2013, for which they created a video component for each track. 2013 also saw a Daytrotter session, positive press, a spot at

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

and a national tour opening for Blitzen Trapper. The band played

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...

as a last-minute addition in August 2013, drawing a large crowd despite their midday spot. In September 2013 PHOX opened for The Lumineers at Apple's

iTunes Festival The Apple Music Festival (formerly known as the iTunes Festival) was a concert series held by Apple, Inc. and inaugurated in 2007. Free tickets were given to Apple Music, iTunes and DICE users who lived in the United Kingdom, through localized p ...

in London. Local Wisconsin publication '' Isthmus'' praised PHOX as one of the year's greatest musical success stories. Throughout 2015, Phox supported Paolo Nutini and The Head and the Heart, while also headlining around the U.S. non-stop. They also made their debut in New Zealand and Australia during March 2015. They were also featured on

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

's Tiny Desk Concert. Other notable festival stops included

Coachella Coachella may refer to: * Coachella, California * Coachella Canal, in California * Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California * "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind "Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind" is a song by Ame ...

, Bonnaroo, Firefly, Summerfest, Sasquatch, and the inaugural Eaux Claires Music and Arts Festival where they also screened their latest mockumentary film titled, ''Amor Fati'', directed by member Zach Johnston. The film was uploaded publicly to YouTube on December 24, 2015. The band signed to Partisan Records, and were managed by Foundations Artist Management. They recorded their first full-length, self-titled album at April Base – Justin Vernon's home studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. PHOX announced an indefinite hiatus on October 17, 2016, after which they decided to conclude their time as a band and played their farewell concert at the

Al. Ringling Theatre The Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States, opened its doors in November 1915 and has been operating continuously ever since. Designed by the architectural firm Rapp and Rapp, it was built by Albert Ringling, one of the circus R ...

in their hometown of Baraboo, WI on February 4, 2017.

Members

* Monica Martin – lead vocals (2011–2017) * Matthew Holmen – guitar, trumpet (2011–2017) * Jason Krunnfusz – guitar, bass guitar (2011–2017) * Davey Roberts – drums (2011–2017) * Matteo Roberts – keyboards (2011–2017) *Zach Johnston – banjo (2011–2015) *Cheston VanHuss – bass guitar, clarinet, flute (2011–2013)

Discography

Albums

* ''iTunes Festival: London 2013'' (2013) * ''PHOX'' (2014)

Extended plays

* ''Unblushing'' (2012) * ''Friendship'' (2012) * ''Confetti'' (2013)

References

External links

* {{Authority control American folk rock groups American indie pop groups Indie rock musical groups from Wisconsin Musical groups established in 2011 2011 establishments in Wisconsin Partisan Records artists Dine Alone Records artists Alternative rock groups from Wisconsin