Feverbox is:
Griffin Smith- Guitar/ Vocals
Nick Kelly- Bass/ Vocals
Josh Little- Drums/ Vocals
The guys in Buffalo’s newest indie rock outfit, Feverbox are sitting with me around their dining room table. I’ve been watching them adamantly work on the mix of their single “Castles” which is playing over a pair of speakers. The group teased the track by posting a live acoustic version of the song on YouTube earlier this year. We’re quietly listening when bass player Nick Kelly breaks the silence by commenting on how the vocals need to be louder. It should be noted that everything Feverbox has released thus far has been recorded and mixed by the band themselves. Slightly more impressive still, the band records their tracks in a living room of the house that the three guys share together.
Feverbox is a tight-knit band with deep roots, meaning they’ve been around the block a few times. Forming in high school, guitarist Griffin Smith, bassist Nick Kelly and drummer Josh Little were part of a notable Buffalo band called Inlite. Through playing with Inlite the trio gained a multitude of experience by opening up for some huge acts that included Young the Giant and Foxy Shazam. It was during this time that they really discovered the chemistry that would follow them throughout the next few years.
When Inlite decided to hang up their hats, the leftover members were at a crossroad and had to make a choice, continue as a new band together or call it a day and move on with different projects and musicians. Ultimately the group thought it was best to stick together and continue the momentum they had been building on.
Not long after deciding to start the new band up and after writing a couple early drafts of Feverbox songs, the guys were approached with another fortuitous offer, backing up alt-pop duo Royal Tongues. It was an experience that they couldn’t turn down. “We had all these songs in the back of our minds and had this intention to start a new band,” said Smith “But at the same time, after Inlite broke up we had this opportunity to play with Royal Tongues”. The stint lasted about a half a year but took the young group across the country on a number of tours, going as far as Los Angeles. Once Royal Tongues opted for a move out to LA, the guys knew it was the perfect timing to start focusing one hundred percent on Feverbox.
And here we are, moving forward…
Their sound is fairly unique for a Buffalo band. On one hand the songs can be as melodic and energetic as a Franz Ferdinand tune (“Voices”). On the other hand, the group can sound like The Zombies, complete with three part harmonies (“Surrender”). While the band sits within a range of influence that start in the 60’s and go all the way back up to 2016, they are fully their own in terms of style. Put simply, Feverbox just works.
…the songs can be as melodic and energetic as a Franz Ferdinand tune (“Voices”). On the other hand, the group can sound like The Zombies, complete with three part harmonies (“Surrender”).
When asked about continuing together as a three piece, Smith pauses for a second before commenting “It just seemed like an obvious thing to do. We all still wanted to keep making music and we had some graveyard Inlite songs that we wanted to finish.” With all of their attention now shifted towards this project, the guys have certainly been blazing their own path. The band has been steadily releasing music since the beginning of 2016. To date they have dropped 3 dance-able songs titled “Surrender”, “Voices” and mostly recently, “Castles”. It’s all part of a simple but effective “12 month plan” for Feverbox, get new music online and available to be listened to at least once a month.
The guys have been on a hot streak as of late. They opened up to a packed out BJ’s with Made Violent in Fredonia a few weeks ago and played with The Moth and The Flame at The Tralf last month. Nothing is getting in their way.
Feverbox has quite impressively climbed the first few steps as a band so far. It all depends on where they take it from here.
Listen to Feverbox’s new single “Castles” below!
Twitter: @feverboxmusic
Instagram: feverbox
Lead image taken by Andy Deluca