The story of The Joy Formidable began in the small Welsh town of Mold. This is where childhood friends Ritzy Bryan and Rhydian Dafydd grew up. This is also where in 2007, after the breakup of their previous band Tricky Nixon, they returned to begin playing together under the new moniker The Joy Formidable.
Together they experimented with various sounds, combining heavy guitars and bass with catchy pop melodies. They released their first single "Austere" in 2008 and a year later, after adding current drummer Mat Thomas, they were introduced to American audiences when they opened for Passion Pit at a pair of sold-out shows in New York. Around this time they released the EP A Balloon Called Moaning which received good reviews from critics and heavy rotation on indie rock radio stations. Finally in 2011 they released their first album The Big Roar which reached #8 on Billboards Heatseekers chart. Most recently, they had a song featured on the Twilight: Breaking Dawn soundtrack.
The Joy Formidable's sound bridges a gap between indie rock, pop, and metal. Loud, distorted guitars, thick bass lines, and double-pedal drums mixed with pop hooks and emotional vocals manages to create powerful songs that rise and fall in intensity.
On Tuesday, March 8, The Joy Formidable with be bringing their unique sounds to The Majestic Theatre in Madison. They will be accompanied by special guests A Place To Bury Strangers and EXITMUSIC. Tickets are $15 in advance and $17 at the door. Doors open at 7:00, show beings at 8:00.
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, it is another gorgeous Monday, fit for another great show at the Crystal Corner tonight.
Through locking ourselves in the barn on Irish Lane, tossing some ideas around, as well as a few choice beverages to...
Hey everybody, we were thrown for a loop by the twist this week, but were able to make one of our "oldie but a goldie" songs fit the mold.
We have a few songs that we have played consistently over the years, and we are very happy that we will be...
We just received word of what this weeks twist is, and...oh boy. We need to take our "signature song" and cut it to only 2:30 without going over. Amberstein does not simply play 2:30 versions of our songs...so this could be interesting.
Last...
In 1984, Rockwell rose to number 2 for 3 weeks in 1984 with "Somebody's Watching Me." The backup singer for the song was Michael Jackson. How did Rockwell get Jackson to help him? Well, Rockwell's real name is Kennedy William Gordy and he...
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, it is another gorgeous Monday, fit for another great show at the Crystal Corner tonight.
Through locking ourselves in the barn on Irish Lane, tossing some ideas around, as well as a few choice beverages to...
Hey everybody, we were thrown for a loop by the twist this week, but were able to make one of our "oldie but a goldie" songs fit the mold.
We have a few songs that we have played consistently over the years, and we are very happy that we will be...
We just received word of what this weeks twist is, and...oh boy. We need to take our "signature song" and cut it to only 2:30 without going over. Amberstein does not simply play 2:30 versions of our songs...so this could be interesting.
Last...
In 1984, Rockwell rose to number 2 for 3 weeks in 1984 with "Somebody's Watching Me." The backup singer for the song was Michael Jackson. How did Rockwell get Jackson to help him? Well, Rockwell's real name is Kennedy William Gordy and he...
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
The story of The Joy Formidable began in the small Welsh town of Mold. This is where childhood friends Ritzy Bryan and Rhydian Dafydd grew up. This is also where in 2007, after the breakup of their previous band Tricky Nixon, they returned to begin playing together under the new moniker The Joy Formidable.
