The Suffers are an American soul, funk, and R&B group from Houston, Texas. The band consists of Kam Franklin (lead vocals), Juliet Terrill (bass guitar), Kevin Bernier (guitar), Jon Durbin (trumpet), Michael Razo (trombone), Jose Luna (percussion), and Nick Zamora (drums). They were formed in 2011.
The Suffers | |
|---|---|
 The Suffers perform in Los Angeles, CA | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, smooth jazz |
| Years active | 2011-present |
| Members | Kam Franklin Nick Zamora Jon Durbin Kevin Bernier Michael Razo Jose Luna Juliet Terrill |
| Past members |
|
| Website | www |
Style
editThe Suffers define their sound as Gulf Coast Soul, a term they define as resulting from the mixture of the different cultures and musical styles present around the Gulf coast and the city of Houston, including Cajun, African American, Mexican, Caribbean, which all come together and mix in the port city. They have said that their biggest influence is their environment and all of the musical styles they encounter (blues, soul, country, caribbean music, cajun styles, and hip hop, among others).[1]
Biography
editOrigin
editThe Suffers formed in Houston in 2011, and was started by Adam Castaneda and Pat Kelly. The two had played together for some time in other bands before coming together for a new concept that would eventually become The Suffers. The band was originally envisioned as a Reggae cover band, but the group grew, adding various musicians and evolving in style.
Their name comes from the 1978 Jamaican film Rockers. During their February 9, 2016 appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, lead singer Kam Franklin stated "Its a reference to an old Jamaican film called The Rockers. And in that film, the artists are actually the sufferers. The major labels aren't doing what they could be doing to make sure they get their just deserved things. And you know, I feel like us as artists we've been working for so long with no real reward or attention probably until recently..."[2]
Since 2011, the band has grown in popularity and has garnered international awards and recognition.
Awards and recognition
editIn December 2015, Billboard listed The Suffers debut full-length album as one of "Top 10 Anticipated Rock & Alternative Albums" [3]
In January 2015, BuzzFeed listed The Suffers as one of "25 New Artists You Need in Your Life in 2015".[4]
The Suffers were an official performer at the 2015 South by Southwest music festival, and were featured by Esquire as one of the 40 bands to see at South by Southwest.[5]
They are the recipients of 11 Houston Press Music Awards in 2015.
The Suffers have been covered by SPIN, The New York Times, and Paste.[6][7][8]
Tours and notable appearances
editOn October 18, 2014, The Suffers performed "Draped Up", "Big Pimpin", "Get Throwed" and "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)" alongside Bun B at the Premium Goods 10th Anniversary party in Houston, TX.[9] The Suffers performed at Big D NYE, the largest New Year's Eve celebration in the U.S. Central Time zone, on December 31, 2014.[10]
In 2015, The Suffers played a west coast tour to start the year, before performing at South by Southwest. On March 30, 2015, the band performed on the Late Show with David Letterman.[11] After the late night television appearance, The Suffers began an East Coast/Southern U.S. tour that lasted through the summer of 2015.
On October 27, 2015, The Suffers performed "Giver", "Midtown" & "Gwan" on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert for Bob Boilen[12]
On November 14, 2015, The Suffers performed "Gwan" with The University of Houston Spirit of Houston Marching Band during the football halftime show.[13]
In 2016, The Suffers toured with Galactic and Lake Street Dive.[14]
On February 9, 2016, they appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, performing "Peanuts" & "Midtown".[15]
On March 10, 2016, they appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, performing "Peanuts" & "Midtown"[16]
On August 10, 2016 their song "Gwan" was a part of the soundtrack for Mr Robot Season 2 Episode 6.[17]
In Fall of 2018, The Suffers replaced Julian Marley on a two month tour with Thievery Corporation.[18]
In 2020, Brene Brown selected The Suffers' song, "Take Me To The Good Times", for her "Dare To Lead" Podcast on Spotify.[19]
Discography
editEPs
edit- Slow it Down b/w Step Aside (2013)
- Make Some Room (2014)
LPs
edit- The Suffers (2016) Rhyme & Reason Records
- Everything Here (2018) Shanachie Records
- It Starts With Love (2022)
Singles
edit- Take Me To The Good Times (2020) Midcitizen Records
- How Do We Heal featuring Son Little and Bryce The Third (2022) Missing Piece Group Records
References
edit- ^ "The Suffers- interview at SXSW 2015". TheBlot Magazine. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "Exclusive - The Suffers - "Midtown"". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
- ^ "Top 10 Anticipated 2016 Rock and Alternative Albums | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
- ^ clampdown (11 January 2015). "25 New Artists You Need in Your Life in 2015". Buzzfeed (Blogs). Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "Songs of the Week, SXSW Edition: 40 Bands You Need to Hear". 16 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ Brennan Carley (17 December 2014). "The Suffers 'Make Some Room' for Soulful Revival on New Single". Spin Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ Andy Langer (27 December 2014). "Albums to Look Forward to From Texans in 2015". New York Times (Texas Monthly). Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ Dacey Orr (21 April 2014). "Video Premiere: The Suffers - "Gwan"". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ Marco Torres (20 October 2014). "Premium Goods Offers Premium Sounds at 10-Year Bash". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "About Big D NYE". Big D NYE. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "Houston band The Suffers to perform on Letterman". KHOU. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
- ^ Boilen, Bob (27 October 2015). "The Suffers: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
- ^ "Spirit of Houston set to perform with local band the Suffers". 7 October 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
- ^ "Shows". The Suffers. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
- ^ "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah". Hulu. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ Jimmy Kimmel Live (2016-03-11), The Suffers Perform "Midtown", retrieved 2016-05-02
- ^ Fowler, Matt (2016-08-10). "Mr. Robot: "eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
- ^ San Antonio Current (2016-03-11), The Suffers Replace Julian Marley as Support for Thievery Corporation this Saturday at the Aztec Theatre, retrieved 2020-07-04
- ^ Houston Chronicle (2020-10-21), The Suffers sing theme song for Brené Brown's new podcaste