BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Introducing the New Familiars. Justin Fedor plays mandolin. Eric-Scott Guthrie three fingers the banjo. Josh Daniel picks guitar. Pat Maholland plucks the upright bass, while newest member Daniel Flynn sticks the drums.
See the potent New Familiars for free on June 20 during the monthly Border Bash series in downtown Bristol.
“They can expect to see us having a good time playing some good solid rock and roll,” Daniel said by phone last week from his home in Charlotte, N.C. “The second we get on stage we give it our all.”
They had better.
Formed in late 2006 and based in Charlotte, the rocking New Familiars do not have a record deal. They self-release their records. To date, that has led to two EPs and a single.
An EP is a CD that usually contains five to seven songs, while a single will have from one to four. An LP or full CD will have anywhere from nine or 10 songs and up. If a CD sells well, the New Familiars make money. If not, they do not.
So how does such a band build its name? Word of mouth based upon those give-it-all performances.
“We have to have it. That’s where our core of fans come from,” Daniel said. “We rely on our friends and fans. It’s awesome to see.”
Free shows such as Border Bash serve as a bridge to fence-sitting fans, folks perhaps reluctant to spend money on a band they have either not heard or heard of.
“We’re fans of free shows,” Daniel said. “Of course, we get to sell merchandise to them. We’ve got T-shirts, our 45 vinyl that comes with a digital download, and we’ll have our second EP on hand.”
Free shows and word of mouth spread the word of a hot band on the loose as part of a vast grassroots effort. Add the Internet to mix.
“We do a lot of myspace messaging,” Daniel said. “It’s huge for a young band. It’s a great tool, and it’s free.”
For example?
“When we play Charlotte, we message every single person on there that we will be there in Charlotte,” he said. “Everything is handled through the Internet – booking, merchandise, etcetera. We all bust our butts.”
Bristol’s Rhythm and Roots Reunion has helped. Just as the Carolina Chocolate Drops sprung forth into prominence from its performance at Rhythm and Roots in 2006, so too have the New Familiars built upon momentum from last year’s festival.
“It was huge, overwhelming,” Daniel said.
But it absolutely would not have proven overwhelming without a sound.
Do not come looking to hear the New Familiars play Bill Monroe’s catalog. They will not. Sorry, probably not any Flatt & Scruggs, either. Expect the unexpected. Just look to their new vinyl and CD single release.
“We put out the CD with The Temptations’ ‘My Girl,’ but it’s totally rearranged,” Daniel said. “We’ve done Huey Lewis songs to Sly & The Family Stone and the Grateful Dead. People dig it.”
Fellas with banjos and mandolins playing Sly Stone’s “Everyday People,” dig it indeed.
“It just kind of comes out,” Daniel said. “We have our own sound. It sounds like the New Familiars.”
TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.
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