Roadkill Ghost Choir was an American alternative rock band from

DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in central Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. As of the 20 ...

. In January 2014, they performed on ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

'', and had notable appearances at

Bonnaroo The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in M ...

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Mus ...

and

Governors Ball The Governors Ball Music Festival (commonly known as Governors Ball or Gov Ball) is a multi-day music festival held in New York City. Launched in 2011 by original founders Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, Yoni Reisman, the festival features an arr ...

festivals. In August 2014, the band released their debut full-length album ''In Tongues'', produced by Doug Boehm (

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drum ...

, The Vines, Booker T. Jones). Their sound was once described as "combining the experimental edge of Radiohead and the dusty roots-rock of

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the late ...

, tailor-made for arena-sized, prog-rock festivals and grassy, pastoral stages alike."

Overview

Forming in 2011, the band released their debut EP, ''Quiet Light'', in 2012. Self-released, the mastering and printing of the record was supported by a successful Kickstarter campaign. “Quiet Light” premiered on

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outl ...

and received positive critical acclaim from outlets such as

Absolute Punk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to feat ...

an
The Dropp
In January 2014 the band was invited to perform on ''

'', where they performed standout track “Beggar’s Guild.” They also were one of the bands handpicked to join the inaugura
Communion Presents
Tour Dates, an artist showcase curated by Mumford and Sons' Ben Lovett. Their debut full-length album, ''In Tongues'', was released 19 August 2014 to wide critical acclaim. Recorded in their home studio and produced by Doug Boehm, the album received exclusive streams on Consequence of Sound and Paste Magazine, as well as positive reviews from

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

, SPIN,

Relix ''Relix'', originally and occasionally later ''Dead Relix'', is a magazine that focuses on live and improvisational music. The magazine was launched in 1974 as a handmade newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concert ...

an
In Your Speakers
Rolling Stone's Cady Drell noted that Andrew Shepard's vocals on the opening track "make him sound like the latter-day

he's been pitched as”, and that "synths and roiling surf rock guitars illuminate fans' flattering comparisons of Shepard to

My Morning Jacket My Morning Jacket is an American rock band formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster. The ...

's Jim James”. Similarly, Justin Jacobs of Relix magazine stated “Roadkill Ghost Choir hit the sweet spot between

Mumford & Sons Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass), and Ben Lovett (vocals, ...

’ power-folk and

’s passionate post-Southern rock.” The band split in May 2019, playing a farewell show at the Caledonia Lounge in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the st ...

Touring

The band toured with

Band of Horses Band of Horses is an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Washington. Led by singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes, the band's current line-up also incl ...

performing opening slots in 2013, and were featured at

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...

, New York's Governors Ball an
Shaky Knees
2014 saw festival inclusions at

Electric Forest Electric Forest is a multi-genre music festival produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac Events with a focus on electronic music and jam band genres. Original named Rothbury Festival in 2008, it is held in Rothbury, Michigan at the ...

and

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

, among others. They also joined the inaugura
Communion Presents
tour, alongside

Willy Mason Willy Mason (born November 21, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter. Early life Mason was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Jemima James and Michael Mason, both songwriters. Mason is a direct descendant of the 19th-century phi ...

, Yacht Club DJs and Rubblebucket, stopping at nine cities in one month.

Band members

* Andrew Shepard – songwriter and singer * Stephen Garza – lead guitar * Zach Shepard – bass * Maxx Shepard – drums * Kiffy Myers – pedal steel, banjo Former members: * Joey Davoli – trumpet, keys, whistling

Discography

Studio albums

* ''In Tongues'' (2014) * ''False Youth Etcetera'' (2017)

Extended plays

* ''Quiet Light'' (2012) * ''Keep It Under Cover'' (2015)

References

{{Authority control Alternative rock groups from Florida