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The Features are an American
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 from
Sparta, Tennessee Sparta is a city in and the county seat of White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,001 in 2020.U.S. Census we ...
, United States of America. The original lineup consisted of Matt Pelham, Roger Dabbs, and Don Sergio. The most recent iteration consists of Pelham, Dabbs, Rollum Haas, and Mark Bond. They have released five full-length albums and three EPs. The band has appeared twice as musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live!


History

Matt Pelham, Roger Dabbs, Don Sergio, and Parrish Yaw attended middle school together in the small rural town of
Sparta, Tennessee Sparta is a city in and the county seat of White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,001 in 2020.U.S. Census we ...
. Pelham, Dabbs, and Sergio started a band when they were in the eighth grade out of boredom, playing covers of acts like Camper Van Beethoven,
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...
, and Guns N' Roses. While in high school, they played local events like parties and talent shows. After graduation, Pelham and Dabbs moved to Murfreessboro to study music at Middle Tennessee State University while Sergio and Yaw went to Tennessee Technological University in nearby Cookeville. Pelham and Dabbs brought classmate Jason Taylor on to play drums, while Sergio brought Yaw on to play keyboards. The Features graduated to playing various bars and clubs around Murfreesboro and Nashville, eventually dropping out of college to focus on the band. Within a few years they had become a Murfreesboro fixture and signed a deal with Spongebath Records, a local independent label that featured several of the biggest rock acts in the Nashville area, such as
Self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhoo ...
,
The Katies The Katies are a three-piece power rock band originating in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee History Jason Moore (guitar, vocals) and Gary Welch (bass, vocals) had previously been in a Murfreesboro band ...
, and Fluid Ounces. Their first release, a six-song self-titled EP, was released in 1997. Soon after, original members Don Sergio and Jason Taylor both left the band. Taylor was replaced by Rollum Haas while Sergio was not replaced. In 1998, the band recorded a full-length demo for Spongebath that was never released, although two tracks from the sessions, "Thursday" and "Rabbit March," were later released as a limited 10" vinyl record. In 1999-2000, they recorded their second full-length demo with Matt Mahaffey at his studio in Murfreesboro, which was also never released. In 2001, they released ''The Beginning'' EP. Their incessant touring and critical buzz eventually led to a deal with
Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
. In 2004, Universal re-released ''The Beginning'' EP and the band's debut album, ''Exhibit A''. Due to creative differences between the band and Universal, their contract was dissolved shortly before the scheduled recording sessions for their second album, leaving The Features without a label. In the wake of this decision, keyboardist Parrish Yaw left the band and was replaced by Mark Bond. In 2006, The Features recorded and self-released their third EP ''Contrast''. In 2007, they won the international Diesel:U:Music Awards, placing first in the Rock/Indie category and in the Public Vote award. In 2008, they released their second full-length album, ''Some Kind of Salvation.'' In 2009, the band performed at the 2009 Bonnaroo Music Festival after winning the regional competition "Bonnaroo 8 Off 8th" in Nashville by placing first with a panel of judges and a public vote. The band soon gained a lot of exposure opening for
Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...
on various tours. On June 17, 2009, Bug Music CEO John Rudolph announced that his company and Kings of Leon would be entering into a joint venture to establish a new record label imprint (later named "Serpents & Snakes"). For this new imprint, Kings of Leon has the freedom to sign and champion artists of their choice. The Features were the first band to be signed to the imprint, and the first release as part of the deal was a re-release of the '' Some Kind of Salvation'' LP on July 28, 2009. In 2010, the band was the opening act for
Manchester Orchestra Manchester Orchestra is an American indie rock band from Atlanta formed in 2004. The group is composed of rhythm guitarist-singer-songwriter Andy Hull, lead guitarist Robert McDowell, bassist Andy Prince and drummer Tim Very. Former drummer Je ...
, an indie rock band from
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
that shares a similar sound. Their song "From Now On" appeared on the ''Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1'' soundtrack, released in November 2011. In a review of the soundtrack for
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
, Heather Phares called attention to the song, saying that it "turns that happiness
f finding a soulmate F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. His ...
into energetic pop." In 2011, The Features released their third album, '' Wilderness''. A track from that album, "How It Starts," was featured in a 2012 commercial for the 2013 Ford Mustang and in the video game Saints Row IV the following year. In late 2012, the band went on a European tour with concerts in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Gent. In May 2012, they announced that they were working on a new full-length album. Their fourth album, the eponymous ''The Features'', was released on May 14, 2013 and produced their highest charting single to date. Their most recent release was in 2015, their fifth album, ''Sunset Rock'', which produced no singles. The band has not performed together publicly or released any new material since a show at Exit-In in Nashville during the Summer of 2016.


Discography


Studio albums

*'' Exhibit A'' (Universal Records, 2004) *'' Some Kind of Salvation'' (self-released, 2008; Serpents & Snakes, 2009) *'' Wilderness'' (Serpents & Snakes, 2011) *'' The Features'' (Serpents & Snakes, 2013) *''Sunset Rock'' (self-released, 2015)


Extended plays

*''
The Features The Features are an American indie rock band from Sparta, Tennessee, United States of America. The original lineup consisted of Matt Pelham, Roger Dabbs, and Don Sergio. The most recent iteration consists of Pelham, Dabbs, Rollum Haas, and Mark ...
'' EP (Spongebath Records, 1997) *'' The Beginning'' EP (self-released, 2001; Universal Records, 2004) *'' Contrast'' EP (self-released, 2006)


Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name.


Music videos


References


External links


The Features Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Features, The Indie pop groups from Tennessee Indie rock musical groups from Tennessee Universal Music Group artists Fierce Panda Records artists