The Lonely Biscuits are an American

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...

band. The band currently consists of Grady Wenrich (vocals, guitar), Sam Gidley (drums) and Nick Byrd (bass). The Lonely Biscuits formed in September 2011 at

Belmont University Belmont University is a Private university, private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporate ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, where Grady Wenrich and Sam Gidley were roommates. John Paterini, former singer/guitarist, came into the picture later in the month after hearing some of their music from his dorm room across the hall. Two months later, Nick Byrd joined the band as an official "biscuit" playing bass guitar.

History

Gravy and the Biscuits

The Lonely Biscuits was formed in September 2011 by Grady Wenrich and Sam Gidley, who were random roommates at Belmont University. John Paterini lived across the hall and heard them playing music. John's voice blended well with Grady's rap and the band formed under the name "Gravy and the Biscuits." The band quickly became known for their unusual blend of

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

, with their first release "Butter" quickly reaching 25,000 views on

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. About a month after the release they played their first live show at 'Elberta,' a Belmont student-house known for parties and live shows. Hundreds of Belmont students came to see them perform. They soon released an EP by the name of "Soul Food" which they made available as a free download.

The Lonely Biscuits

Shortly after the release of "Soul Food", Nick Byrd joined the band as an official "biscuit" playing bass guitar. The band also ran into potential legal issues with the name "Gravy and the Biscuits" and changed their name to "The Lonely Biscuits." They recorded and released a new single, "Chasin' Echoes," with an accompanying video. This release became one of their most downloaded songs and increased their exposure. The single was included on their follow-up EP, "Biscuit Buffet." In 2012 the band entered the College Battle of the Bands and won the Southeast regional title. The band went on to the finals in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and took some time to play concerts in southern California. 2013 began with a nomination from

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

for the first ever

MTVu MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. MTVU programming initially served 750 college and univ ...

College Artist Woodie. Online voting opened in February and the band was announced as the winner in early March. 2015 brought about a major lineup change for the band. After a highly successful summer tour, John Paterini decided to leave the band to finish his education and pursue other creative endeavors. John's departure from the band was announced via Instagram on 8 October 2015. The Lonely Biscuits moved forward with the remaining three original members and their next EP, Come Around, was released later that month containing new material without John's influence. Fall and Winter tours included Robbie Jackson from Keeps as a live guitar player.

Hurricane Sandy Relief

In late 2012, the band was personally affected by

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

: Grady Wenrich originally came from the New Jersey coastal area devastated by the hurricane. The band decided to release a song recorded in the summer of 2012, in Normandy Beach, NJ, along with an accompanying video. The song, "Everybody," was well-received and the band collected more than $3,000 in donations. All proceeds from the song were donated to hurricane relief on the New Jersey coast.

Musical style and influences

The Lonely Biscuits blend several genres of music to produce their sound; influences cited include Sublime,

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

Jurassic 5 Jurassic 5 (stylized JuraSsic 5) is an American alternative hip hop group formed by rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup (Jurassic 5), Soup, Zaakir), and Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mar ...

, G. Love, and

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...

Discography

* ''Soul Food'' (EP, 2011) * ''Biscuit Buffet'' (EP, 2012) * '' A Girl Named Destiny'' (EP, 2013) - debuted at #25 on the iTunes Alternative Chart * '' Things Sure Have Changed'' (EP, 2013) - debuted at #36 on the iTunes Alternative Chart * '' Come Around'' (EP, 2015) * ''The Universe in You'' (Album, 2018)

Awards and nominations

MTVu Woodie Awards

The

Woodie Awards, is an annual music award show which recognizes "the music voted best by college students." , - , , 2013 , , The Lonely Biscuits , College Artist of the Year (First Year Award) ,

Band members

* Grady "Gravy" Wenrich - vocals, guitar * Sam Gidley - drums * Nick Byrd - Bass

Former Band Members

* John Paterini - vocals, guitar

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonely Biscuits Rock music groups from Tennessee Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee Musical groups established in 2011 American musical quartets Belmont University alumni 2011 establishments in Tennessee