Frontier Ruckus
Encyclopedia
Frontier Ruckus is an American
folk-rock band from Michigan
. The project is centered on the lyrically intensive songs of Matthew Milia, and was formed by Milia and banjo player David Winston Jones while living in Metro Detroit
. The band released its debut full-length record, The Orion Songbook
, through Quite Scientific Records in November, 2008. In February, 2009, it was announced that Frontier Ruckus had joined North Carolina-based label Ramseur Records.
songs that Jones had collected. Around this time they also recruited Eli Eisman as a bassist. While Milia attended Michigan State University
—where he studied poetry under Diane Wakoski
—and Jones attended the University of Michigan
, Frontier Ruckus expanded into a six-piece with Zachary Nichols playing trumpet, musical saw
, and melodica; Ryan Etzcorn playing drums; and Anna Burch singing harmony vocals—all of whom Milia met while in Lansing, where the band is now based.
In the beginning of 2007, shortly after the release of I Am The Water You Are Pumping, Frontier Ruckus began to receive attention in Michigan, with Metro Times considering the band "already one of the very best sounds to come out of Michigan this entire decade," and Real Detroit stating: "This is the best band you haven't heard and Milia is the most impressive wordsmith I've listened to in a really long time. I'm not sure If I can recall a voice as untreated and honest as Milia's ... ever. His is a voice whose timbre carries as much meaning as the words that come through it."
Frontier Ruckus was named "Best Folk Group" in Detroit by Real Detroit Weekly
, who were also among the first to laud The Orion Songbook prior to the album's official release, during an eMusic advance feature.
Released on November 6, 2008, The Orion Songbook received positive reviews, garnering attention from Blurt, Crawdaddy, and Under the Radar, who gave the album an 8/10.
Hear/Say called it "the year's best alt-country album."
In 2009, Way Upstate and the Crippled Summer, pt. 1, a six-song EP, was released as the fourth side of the double-vinyl edition of The Orion Songbook. Frontier Ruckus toured the entire US and to Europe for the first time, playing Slottsfjell Festival in Norway, among shows in the UK, Germany, and Holland. The band was also featured as Paste Magazine's Live MP3 of the Week and recorded several videos in their studios.
In 2010 the band toured extensively, including a month-long European tour and a performance at Bonnaroo Music Festival
, for which Rolling Stone
listed the band as one of their Essential Sets. It was also announced that Deadmalls and Nightfalls, their second full-length album, would be released July 20 via Ramseur Records.
Versions of several new songs were released through a Daytrotter
session on February 14, 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk-rock band from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The project is centered on the lyrically intensive songs of Matthew Milia, and was formed by Milia and banjo player David Winston Jones while living in Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
. The band released its debut full-length record, The Orion Songbook
The Orion Songbook
The Orion Songbook is the debut full-length album by Frontier Ruckus, released November 6, 2010. The album received positive reviews, with Allmusic stating that it is "about as good a debut as a band can hope for." Crawdaddy! praised the album's musical and lyrical landscapes, marked by the...
, through Quite Scientific Records in November, 2008. In February, 2009, it was announced that Frontier Ruckus had joined North Carolina-based label Ramseur Records.
Biography
Milia and Jones formed the band while attending high school together at Brother Rice in Metro Detroit. They began by playing a mixture of Milia's early compositions and traditional bluegrassBluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
songs that Jones had collected. Around this time they also recruited Eli Eisman as a bassist. While Milia attended Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
—where he studied poetry under Diane Wakoski
Diane Wakoski
Diane Wakoski is a American poet who is primarily associated with the deep image poets, as well as the confessional and Beat poets of the 1960s.-Biography:...
—and Jones attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Frontier Ruckus expanded into a six-piece with Zachary Nichols playing trumpet, musical saw
Musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
, and melodica; Ryan Etzcorn playing drums; and Anna Burch singing harmony vocals—all of whom Milia met while in Lansing, where the band is now based.
In the beginning of 2007, shortly after the release of I Am The Water You Are Pumping, Frontier Ruckus began to receive attention in Michigan, with Metro Times considering the band "already one of the very best sounds to come out of Michigan this entire decade," and Real Detroit stating: "This is the best band you haven't heard and Milia is the most impressive wordsmith I've listened to in a really long time. I'm not sure If I can recall a voice as untreated and honest as Milia's ... ever. His is a voice whose timbre carries as much meaning as the words that come through it."
Frontier Ruckus was named "Best Folk Group" in Detroit by Real Detroit Weekly
Real Detroit Weekly
Real Detroit Weekly is a weekly newspaper distributed free of charge every Wednesday, that focuses mainly on entertainment news from Hollywood and the metro Detroit nightclub scene...
, who were also among the first to laud The Orion Songbook prior to the album's official release, during an eMusic advance feature.
Released on November 6, 2008, The Orion Songbook received positive reviews, garnering attention from Blurt, Crawdaddy, and Under the Radar, who gave the album an 8/10.
Hear/Say called it "the year's best alt-country album."
In 2009, Way Upstate and the Crippled Summer, pt. 1, a six-song EP, was released as the fourth side of the double-vinyl edition of The Orion Songbook. Frontier Ruckus toured the entire US and to Europe for the first time, playing Slottsfjell Festival in Norway, among shows in the UK, Germany, and Holland. The band was also featured as Paste Magazine's Live MP3 of the Week and recorded several videos in their studios.
In 2010 the band toured extensively, including a month-long European tour and a performance at Bonnaroo Music Festival
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
, for which Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
listed the band as one of their Essential Sets. It was also announced that Deadmalls and Nightfalls, their second full-length album, would be released July 20 via Ramseur Records.
Versions of several new songs were released through a Daytrotter
Daytrotter
Daytrotter is a website for the recording studio Horseshack, which hosts recording sessions with many popular and typically upcoming indie music acts, although it works with local bands in the Illinois area as well. The sessions can be compared to that of a radio station's lounge recordings, where...
session on February 14, 2010.
Albums
- I Am The Water You Are Pumping EP (2006)
- The Orion SongbookThe Orion SongbookThe Orion Songbook is the debut full-length album by Frontier Ruckus, released November 6, 2010. The album received positive reviews, with Allmusic stating that it is "about as good a debut as a band can hope for." Crawdaddy! praised the album's musical and lyrical landscapes, marked by the...
(2008) - Way Upstate and the Crippled Summer, pt. 1 (2009)
- Deadmalls & Nightfalls (2010)
Compilations
- Quite Scientific: Camp Summer, Summer Comp (2009)
- Folk Yeah! Indie Folk For Fall (2009)