Patrick Barnett (vocals, guitar) met Leonard Gilmour (vocals, guitar) at a Big Thief showcase and bonded over an appreciation of Simon & Garfunkel, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Smiths, Silver Jews and Wilco The pair shared an apartment in Brooklyn, started to make music as a duo and calling themselves as The Wildflowers. Then, the duo expanded into a four-piece, with the Smith brothers, Jonathan Smith (bass, backing vocals) and Paul Smith (drums, percussion, backing vocals) who Patrick and Leonard met at the Blue Note club. Leonard recruited a music teacher named Ashkii Jones (piano, organ, backing vocals) and Jonathan recruited his friend, Gary Stevens (flutes, strings, pedal-steel guitar) which expanded the band into a six-piece. They played a style of indie rock influenced by folk and lo-fi music backed up with bittersweet poetic lyrics about mental health, romance and social issues. The band was described as "the sound of the generation".
3 parts