Bonnaroo Club Stage Band of the Day: Whitney

Bonnaroo Artist | Whitney
Bonnaroo History | Newbie
Stage & Time | TBA

As we’ve been doing for the past several years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with as many bands as we can from Bonnaroo‘s impressive 2016 lineup. In addition to the main stage acts, we also want to be sure to give the Club Stage bands some love, so, for the remainder of our coverage, we’ll be doubling up with a second daily spotlight. They might be the smallest artists on Bonnaroo’s bill, but the Club Stage boasts some of the best and most exciting up and coming acts around. As with our main stage previews, we’ll start from the bottom and work our way up. Keep reading for your Bonnaroo Club Stage Band of the Day…

LEARN

Bonnaroo’s Club Stages are always an eclectic, wide-ranging surprise. A mix of newcomers, under the radar acts, locals, and artists on the cusp of breaking out (some who’ve already done so in other markets), they’re a great alternative to the tried and true main stage lineups, and the perfect place to discover something new or see an artist on their way up. That last sentiment feels especially applicable to our first Club Stage Band of the Day for 2016, as Whitney are so good that they definitely won’t be relegated to the tiny stage for long. Last on the lineup but hardly least, the Chicago duo are already signed to Secretly Canadian, and are prepping to release their debut album, Light Upon the Lake, on June 3.

Made up of drummer/vocalist Julien Ehrlich (ex-Unknown Mortal Orchestra) and guitarist Max Kakacek (ex-Smith Westerns), the duo hail from Chicago, and have already been making rounds and amassing buzz at events like CMJ and SXSW, made all the more impressive by the fact that they only have two official tracks to their name. Adopting a laid back, folk-tinged, melancholy, layered, indie pop sound, the duo’s songs are simply haunting, cemented by Ehrlich’s falsetto style and personal, direct lyricism. Employing the use of trumpets, organs, and more, the band’s slow build, dense sound is simply haunting and packs an emotional weight that resonates with feelings of loneliness and isolation. More than a band, the members of Whitney share a musical bond that is so perfectly and harmoniously intertwined, and their forthcoming LP carries every chance of being one of the year’s best releases. Club Stages aside, Whitney are one of the best bands playing Bonnaroo this year period, and to miss them at this thrilling start to their career would be criminal.

LISTEN | “Golden Days”