Fences (band)

Last updated
Fences
Origin Seattle, Washington
Genres
Years active2010–present
Labels Elektra
Members
  • Christopher Mansfield
  • Benjamin Greenspan
  • Lindsey Starr
  • Elliott Garm Chaffee
Website fencesmusic.com

Fences is an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Christopher Mansfield, guitarist Benjamin Greenspan, bassist and vocalist Lindsey Starr and drummer Elliott Garm Chaffee. They released their debut studio album Fences in 2010 and Lesser Oceans in 2015.

Contents

History

Christopher Mansfield was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, the youngest in a family of ten children. He attended Berklee College of Music. [1]

In 2009, his debut EP, Ultimate Puke, was discovered via Myspace by Sara Quin of popular Canadian indie band Tegan & Sara. Quin ended up producing, recording and adding vocals to his self-titled debut album, Fences , released on September 28, 2010. [2] Fences went on to make the SPIN magazine's year-end list of "Albums You May Have Missed" in 2010. [3]

Mansfield had also caught the attention of Seattle rapper Macklemore, who came across his performance from Songs for eating and drinking, a collective of Seattle musicians who dine together and share music written specifically for that event.

In late 2010 and early 2011, Fences toured in support of punk rock band Against Me! and in July 2011, the band toured with indie pop band Hellogoodbye. In August 2011, Mansfield collaborated with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on "Otherside" (Remix), and he also co-wrote "Ten Thousand Hours" from Macklemore’s 2012 album The Heist, along with the vocals of Fences bassist Lindsey Starr. [4]

In 2013, Fences was signed to Elektra Records. "When I heard Chris Mansfield's demos for this album, I knew I had to work with him," said Elektra president Jeff Castelaz. "The songs he and Fences cohort Benjamin Greenspan created for Lesser Oceans capture those moments that pass most of us by in our hectic lives."

On July 29, 2014, Mansfield released a new single titled "Arrows" in collaboration with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, along with the announcement of Lesser Oceans. The single reached number one on Billboard Magazine's Emerging Artists chart. Lesser Oceans was released on March 10, 2015, and features production by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, Jacquire King (Of Monsters and Men) and Ryan Lewis.

Personal life

Christopher Mansfield has openly mentioned his sobriety on his blog and Twitter account. In an interview with a Seattle publication, he discusses the time he spent in rehab, saying "I also came to terms with the fact I cannot drink like other people. I know I put a lot about it in the music of Fences and have an image of being that kind of person. The 'drunk tortured artist.' It is total bullshit! In reality, I was blowing any chances I may have of ever touring or recording a real record or meeting any goals short or long." [5]

Band members

Discography

Studio albums

Fences

Release date: September 28, 2010

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Boys Around Here"3:04
2."Girls With Accents"2:58
3."Hands"3:13
4."My Girl the Horse"4:31
5."Fires"3:17
6."The Same Tattoos"2:55
7."From Roses"2:57
8."Sadie"3:29
9."Your Bones"3:14
10."From Russia With..."2:26

Lesser Oceans

Release date: March 10, 2015

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Songs About Angels"3:02
2."The Lake"3:23
3."Dogs At the Table"3:08
4."Arrows" (featuring Macklemore & Ryan Lewis)3:55
5."Running Off the Gods"2:15
6."Sunburns"3:49
7."Dusty Beds"2:43
8."My Mountain Is Cold"4:02
9."Lesser Oceans"3:03
10."Temple Dreaming"4:20

FAILURE SCULPTURES

Release date: June 21, 2019

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."A MISSION"3:30
2."PAPER ROUTE"3:18
3."SAME BLUES"3:10
4."BRASS BAND"3:24
5."THE PARK"3:22
6."WOODEN DOVE"3:29
7."FAILURE SCULPTURES"4:47
8."LILLIA"3:14
9."WAR KID"3:24
10."GOD MUSIC"3:33

Extended plays

Singles

YearSongAlbum
2010"Girls With Accents" [6] Fences
"The Same Tattoos (Sabzi Remix)" [7]
2011"Marketplace" [8] Non-album singles
2014"Arrows" (featuring Macklemore & Ryan Lewis) [9] Lesser Oceans
"Songs About Angels" [10]
2016"Buffalo Feet" [11] To the Tall Trembling Trees
2021"Globe"
(with Billy Strings)
Non-album single

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Walla</span> American musician

Christopher Ryan Walla is an American musician, record producer, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band Death Cab for Cutie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macklemore</span> American rapper (born 1983)

Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, better known by his stage name Macklemore, is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lewis as the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. His releases to date include one mixtape, three EPs, and four albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Lambert (singer)</span> Musical artist

Mary Danielle Lambert is an American singer, songwriter and spoken word artist. She worked with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on a track on their album The Heist. Lambert is the featured artist of their LGBTQ rights single, "Same Love". Lambert's contributions to "Same Love" draw upon her experiences as "a lesbian growing up in a tumultuous, Christian upbringing." Lambert took the content she created for "Same Love" and used it to develop the song "She Keeps Me Warm" which she released on July 30, 2013. A music video was released on Vevo on August 24.

<i>The Heist</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

The Heist is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It was released on October 9, 2012, by Macklemore LLC, distributed under the Alternative Distribution Alliance. The album was independently self-produced, self-recorded and self-released by the duo, with no mainstream promotion or support. After the album's release, the duo hired Warner Music Group's radio promotion department to help the push with their singles for a small percentage of the sales.

Arrows may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Lewis</span> American music producer

Ryan Scott Lewis is an American record producer, DJ, videographer, photographer, graphic designer, music video director, rapper, and songwriter. Along with producing his own album, Instrumentals, Lewis produced the albums The VS. EP (2009), The Heist (2012), and This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016) as part of the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. In 2006, Lewis befriended rapper Macklemore on Myspace and soon after became the behind-the-scenes partner of a successful duo, producing, recording, engineering and mixing all of the duo's music, as well as directing the music videos for "Same Love", "Thrift Shop", "And We Danced", "Otherside (Remix)", "Can't Hold Us", "Irish Celebration", "My Oh My", "Victory Lap", "Downtown", "Brad Pitt's Cousin" and "White Walls" and designing promotional graphics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thrift Shop</span> 2012 single by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz

"Thrift Shop" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, featuring vocals from American singer Wanz, released on August 27, 2012, as the fourth single from their debut studio album, The Heist (2012). The song's lyrics show Macklemore's esteem for thrift shops and saving money, rather than flaunting expensive items like many rappers. The song was met with universal acclaim, with various music reviewers praising its humorous lyrics and social critique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Same Love</span> 2012 single by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

"Same Love" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, released as the third single from their 2012 debut studio album, The Heist. The track, featuring vocals by Seattle-based singer Mary Lambert, talks about the issue of gay and lesbian rights and was recorded during the campaign for Washington Referendum 74, which, upon approval in November 2012, legalized same-sex marriage in Washington State. The song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and reached number 1 in both Australia and New Zealand. The song was nominated at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards for Song of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macklemore & Ryan Lewis</span> American hip hop duo

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are an American hip hop duo from Seattle, Washington, formed in 2008 by Macklemore, a rapper, and Ryan Lewis, a DJ and record producer. In 2009, they released their first collaborative effort, an EP titled VS. EP. They later followed up with VS. Redux (2010), the Grammy Award-winning album The Heist (2012) and This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanz</span> American singer

Michael "Mike" Wansley, better known by his stage names Wanz and TeeWanz, is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He performs in various genres, including rock, R&B, soul, hip hop, and pop. He was featured on fellow Seattle-based duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' international hit single "Thrift Shop", which received two Grammy Awards for "Best Rap Performance" and "Best Rap Song".

Andrew Joslyn is an American composer, orchestrator, film scorer, and violinist in various genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macklemore & Ryan Lewis discography</span>

The discography of American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis consists of two studio albums, two extended plays, 17 singles and 15 music videos. Macklemore and Lewis' single "Thrift Shop" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2013. The single was soon dubbed the first song since 1994 to top the Hot 100 chart without the support of a major record label by Billboard, although Macklemore, in a slightly unusual recording contract, pays a nominal percentage of sales for the usage of Warner Bros. Records' radio promotion department to push the releases of their singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollis (singer)</span> American singer-songwriter

Hollis Wong-Wear, known mononymously as Hollis, is an American singer-songwriter and creative producer. She is best known for featuring on "White Walls", a song by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, which also featured Schoolboy Q. Hollis is also a spoken-word artist. Her major debut was on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' debut album, The Heist. This was followed by the single "White Walls" in which she did the vocals for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. This song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrows (song)</span> 2014 single by Fences featuring Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

"Arrows" is a song by American indie rock artist Fences, pen name of singer Christopher Mansfield. The song features American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It was released on July 29, 2014, coinciding with Mansfield's announcement of the release of the debut Fences studio album Lesser Oceans on January 13, 2015. The single topped Billboard magazine's Emerging Artists chart and has also peaked at number 33 in Australia.

<i>This Unruly Mess Ive Made</i> 2016 studio album by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

This Unruly Mess I've Made is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It was released on February 26, 2016, by Macklemore LLC and Alternative Distribution Alliance. Following the success of the duo's hit album The Heist (2012), which earned them their first Grammy wins, the duo delved into lyrical themes that tackle political and social issues, including white privilege, fame and the scrutiny of the media and tabloids. The album was supported by three singles: "Downtown" featuring Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Caz and "Dance Off" featuring Idris Elba and Anderson .Paak, along with "White Privilege II" featuring Jamila Woods, which was released as the album's promotional single.

Tyler Andrews, better known by his stage name Xperience, is an American hip hop recording artist from Detroit, Michigan, who is currently based in Seattle, Washington. He is a member of the hip hop group Oldominion and is a frequent collaborator with fellow Pacific Northwest hip hop artist Macklemore.

John Lavin is a production designer, art director and painter from Seattle, Washington. He works mainly in film, music videos, commercials, and photography.

<i>Gemini</i> (Macklemore album) 2017 studio album by Macklemore

Gemini is the second solo studio album by American rapper Macklemore. It was released on September 22, 2017, via Bendo LLC. The first album he did without producer Ryan Lewis since his 2005 solo effort The Language of My World, Macklemore wanted to create a record devoid of any political subject matter and just about having a good time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Rawlings</span> Musical artist

Joshua Robert Rawlings is an American pianist, songwriter and record producer. His band, The Teaching, wrote and recorded a song "Bom Bom" for the Macklemore album The Heist, which became the most successful instrumental single on that multiple GRAMMY winning album. Josh earned his first GRAMMY nomination for his contributions on that album.

The Rangehoods were an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. The group released one EP titled Rough Town in 1985 under Big D Records, and released it on cassette in 1985 under Exploding records. In 1991 they released their only studio album, Long Way Home under the same record company. The band started out under the name The Pins, but renamed to The Rangehoods after guitarist and lead singer Steve Pearson joined.

References

  1. Barry Walters (2010-09-09). "Fences, 'Fences' (Onto/ADA)". spin.com. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
  2. JESS GITNER (2010-11-18). "Fences: Even In Hope, Forever Bummed". npr.org. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
  3. Goodman, William (13 December 2010). "10 Best Albums You Might Have Missed This Year". spin.com. Spin. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  4. Megan Buerger (2014-07-28). "Exclusive: Fences Teams Up with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on New Single 'Arrows'". billboard.com. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
  5. Grandy, Eric (2009-11-19). "Bad Boy Gone Good Chris Mansfield Gets His Shit Together with Fences". thestranger.com/. The Stranger. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  6. "Fences – Girls With Accents (Clean)" via www.discogs.com.
  7. "Fences – The Same Tattoos (Sabzi Remix)" via www.discogs.com.
  8. "Fences / Mansions – Fences / Mansions" via www.discogs.com.
  9. "Fences Feat. Macklemore – Arrows" via www.discogs.com.
  10. "Fences – Songs About Angels" via www.discogs.com.
  11. "Fences Announces New EP 'To The Tall Trembling Trees'". July 22, 2016.