Bonnaroo Band of the Day: City and Colour

Just like last year and the year before, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with as many bands as we can from Bonnaroo‘s impressive 2014 lineup. We’ll start from the bottom and work our way up, paying special attention to the smaller and lesser known acts on this year’s bill. Keep reading for your Bonnaroo Band of the Day…

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Dallas Green, better known by his performing alias City and Colour (Dallas = a city, Green = a color; clever, right?) has officially been releasing music as a solo artist for nearly a decade, but has essentially been playing and writing since childhood. Green first gained prominence as a member of acclaimed Canadian post-hardcore outfit Alexisonfire, and, even as City and Colour’s critical attention and commercial appeal rose with each release, Green remained a member of the band until 2010 (they subsequently split in 2011, and Green took part in a farewell tour in 2012). A native Canadian, Dallas found pretty immediate success in his homeland, and has remained a chart-topping and award-winning artist there, while simultaneously breaking through to markets across the globe.

City and Colour’s first release, Sometimes, was a largely stripped down and minimalist record, with each subsequent album becoming more layered and involved, as well as employing the use of additional musicians; last year’s The Hurry and the Harm, especially, took on a more energetic rock and roll feel. The common thread of Green’s solo output has always been the sad, personal, and melancholy subject matter, which is something Dallas admits to best connecting to. In his years of organic growth, City and Colour has shared the stage with the likes of Tegan and Sara, Pink, Butch Walker, Biffy Clyro, and more, has collaborated with a diverse array of prominent musicians on his records and in his touring band. Co-opting a punk rock mindset and ethos in his fan-driven, sincere approach to music, Dallas has quietly and prominently become one of the most beloved songwriters in modern folk and alternative rock, attracting fans from all walks of life and becoming a regular staple at music festivals. It should go without saying, but this is one Bonnaroo performer you really don’t want to miss out on!

LISTEN | “The Girl”