The Lumineers Biography

The Lumineers is currently enclosing the members Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites, Bryon Isaacs, and Neyla Pekarek.

Early Years

Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz suffered a common loss in 2002. Fraites’ brother and Wesley’s best friend, Josh died of drug overdose. The two got together and started focusing on music as a way of dealing with their grief. First, they sang in bars and covered songs, using names like Free Beer and Wesley Jeremiah for their band. They chose the name The Lumineers only after Jay Van Dyke joined the band in 2008.

First Album & Success

In 2009 the band consisted of Wesley, Jeremiah and the cellist Neyla Pekarek. The Lumineers’ breakthrough came with their debut single “Ho Hey”. They got contracts with record labels and released their self-entitled album in 2012. With singles like”Ho Hey” and “Stubborn Love”, the album reached number 2 on the Billboard 200.

While fighting a lawsuit by former member Van Dyke that will only be settled in 2017, the band started working again on new music. They issued their second album Cleopatra in 2016. “Ophelia” and “Sleep on the Floor” are some singles that shine through this album. While touring, The Lumineers play with musicians Stelth Ulvang and Byron Isaacs.

Wesley Schultz declared in an interview with The Independent: “It makes me feel that people are interested in us for substantive reasons. We’re going to go old and grey, but they like how we sound and we can do that for a long time. We want to have fans for life and grow and change with our audience. The bands we admire have had long careers because they listen to their inner compass.”

Photo Source: Discogs