Llama (band)
Encyclopedia
Llama was an American
alternative rock
band from Nashville, Tennessee
. Formed by high school friends Ben Brown, Neil Mason, Ben Morton, and Matthew Stewart, they were discovered while playing a concert in a local pizzeria. Then called the Dahlia Llamas, they were signed to a contract with MCA Records
and changed their name to Llama while the three original members of the band were still in high school.
, was recorded over two years as the members completed high school. Upon its release in 2001 it garnered critical comparisons to the Dave Matthews Band
. Llama spent the majority of 2001 touring with acts as varied as Béla Fleck
, O.A.R.
, and Blueground Undergrass. Their second release, the EP
The World from Here
, was released in 2002.
Llama broke up in 2003, but the former members are still active in the Nashville
music scene. Neil Mason and Ben Brown combined with former members of The Kicks to form the band Bang Bang Bang (later renamed American Bang
and signed to Warner Bros. Records
). Ben Morton now plays in Nashville-based rock band Cougar Fight; Ian Fitchuk has formed a partnership with fellow musician Justin Loucks, and Adam Binder has toured with Eliot Morris
and is currently playing bass in Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jeremy Lister
's band.
Llama is reuniting for a summer tour rumored to be starting at Bonnaroo
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Formed by high school friends Ben Brown, Neil Mason, Ben Morton, and Matthew Stewart, they were discovered while playing a concert in a local pizzeria. Then called the Dahlia Llamas, they were signed to a contract with MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
and changed their name to Llama while the three original members of the band were still in high school.
History
The band's first album, Close to the SilenceClose to the Silence
Close to the Silence was the debut album by the Nashville, Tennessee-based band Llama. It was recorded in Nashville over a two-year period while the three original members of the band were finishing high school...
, was recorded over two years as the members completed high school. Upon its release in 2001 it garnered critical comparisons to the Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
. Llama spent the majority of 2001 touring with acts as varied as Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
, O.A.R.
Of a Revolution
O.A.R. is an American rock band composed of Marc Roberge , Chris Culos , Richard On , Benj Gershman , and Jerry DePizzo...
, and Blueground Undergrass. Their second release, the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
The World from Here
The World from Here
The World From Here EP was Nashville, Tennessee-based band Llama's second and final release before their 2003 breakup.- Track listing :#"Fly to You" – 4:09#"Wildest Dreams" – 4:15...
, was released in 2002.
Llama broke up in 2003, but the former members are still active in the Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
music scene. Neil Mason and Ben Brown combined with former members of The Kicks to form the band Bang Bang Bang (later renamed American Bang
American Bang
American Bang is an American southern rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The group was founded by two former members of Llama and one of The Kicks, along with a fourth member, in 2005. They initially formed under the name Bang Bang Bang and self-released an album under this name in 2005, but...
and signed to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
). Ben Morton now plays in Nashville-based rock band Cougar Fight; Ian Fitchuk has formed a partnership with fellow musician Justin Loucks, and Adam Binder has toured with Eliot Morris
Eliot Morris
- Biography :Eliot Morris grew up one of six kids in his parents' house in Mobile, Alabama. A typical southern upbringing with typical boyhood interest, until the day his father brought home a CD player and a Motown compilation. He met Chris Sevier and the two began writing and recording songs and...
and is currently playing bass in Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jeremy Lister
Jeremy Lister
Ensign Jeremy Lister was a British officer in the 10th Regiment of Foot during the early days of the American Revolution. His journal was later published as Concord fight: Being so much of the narrative of Ensign Jeremy Lister of the 10th Regiment of Foot as pertains to his services on the 19th of...
's band.
Llama is reuniting for a summer tour rumored to be starting at Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
.