Bonnaroo Band of the Day: FIDLAR

Bonnaroo Artist | FIDLAR
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. 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…

LEARN

Formed in Los Angeles in 2009, FIDLAR quickly rose to garage punk prominence by the release of their ferocious, eponymous debut in 2013. Led by frontman Zac Carper, born in Hawaii, who met LA native Elvis Kuehn while working in a recording studio, and San Diego-born bassist Brandon Schwartzel pre-FIDLAR, while dealing with a spell of homelessness and drug addition, the band, rounded out by drummer Max Kuehn (he and Elvis are sons of legendary T.S.O.L. keyboardist Greg Kuehn) quickly found an audience on the west coast thanks to their wild, rowdy, punk-spirited live shows. Earning early praise thanks to standout tracks like “Cheap Beer” and “No Waves,” the band have been touring relentlessly for the last several years, sharing the stage with an impressive array of acts like the Pixies, The Hives, Wavves, JEFF the Brotherhood, the Black Lips, OFF!, and more, all the while becoming a staple in the modern punk scene.

Co-opting elements of skate culture and skate punk (their name, even, is an acronym for “Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk,” the mantra of Cooper’s former skater roommates), and blending them with garage rock and straightforward punk, FIDLAR’s no fucks given attitude, unpredictability, and carefree thematic focus has made them one of the most fun, authentic, and enduring acts to erupt from the indie scene in recent memory. We’ve had the chance to see them on several occasions, both at festivals and in smaller venue spaces, and can attest to the fact that their live show is just as wild and fun as their records. The band’s latest LP, last year’s Too, ranks among our favorite recent releases, so give it a spin now if you haven’t yet discovered FIDLAR, and add them to your “must-see” list for a necessary dose of punk this year at Bonnaroo.

LISTEN | “Cheap Beer”