The Apache Relay was an American folk-rock band based out of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. The band consisted of Michael Ford Jr (singer/guitarist), Mike Harris (guitar), Brett Moore (mandolin, organ), Steve Smith (drums), Kellen Wenrich (fiddle) and Ben Ford (bass and vocals). The band's name originated from a race-competition scene in the movie

Heavyweights ''Heavyweights'' is a 1995 American black comedy film directed by Steven Brill and written by Brill with Judd Apatow. The film follows a fat camp for kids that is taken over by a fitness guru named Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller). Plot When school e ...

History

Formed in a dorm at

Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...

, they released the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

''1988'' in 2009 under the moniker "Michael Ford Jr. & the Apache Relay", later dropping the frontman's name for their follow-up 2011 album ''American Nomad''. They opened for a number of

Mumford & Sons Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass), and Ben Lovett (vocals, key ...

tour dates, appeared at numerous music festivals, and a song from the album, "Power Hungry Animals" was used in the 2013 comedy film

The Way Way Back ''The Way, Way Back'' is a 2013 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash in their directorial debuts. It stars Liam James as Duncan, an introverted 14-year-old who goes on summer vacation to Wareh ...

. In 2014 they released the single "Katie Queen of Tennessee" from their eponymous 2014 album ''The Apache Relay''. They also recorded a cover of the

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

song " Cover Me" for the ''Dead Man's Town: A Tribute to Born in the U.S.A.'' compilation album.

Discography

References

External links

* * American folk rock groups Musical groups established in 2009 {{US-band-stub