Jamgrass, newgrass, funkgrass, whatever you want to call it—Armchair Boogie is rapidly becoming one of the country’s hottest acts. Armchair Boogie offers a funked up spin on bluegrass with their unconventional lineup of drums and electric bass backing acoustic/electric guitar and banjo. With an unbounded sound, this Wisconsin-based quartet is known for their powerful harmonies, timeless originals, and choice covers, along with their enthusiastic live performances.
Hard Times & Deadlines, their fourth studio album, is available now. The ten original songs that make up this collection were recorded and mixed by Jeffrey Peterson at Lunar Lava Audio in Fort Atkinson, WI and mastered by Collin Jordan. With Hard Times & Deadlines they want to help you boogie down in your living room, your car, on your phone, or wherever you listen to music when you're not at a show.
Armchair Boogie is Augie Dougherty on banjo and Ben Majeska acoustic and electric guitars backed by tight, driving rhythms of Eli Frieders on electric bass and Denzel Connor on drums. This high energy quartet has been on the rise in the festival and bluegrass music communitie since their formation in 2015, after meeting and forming on the front porch of their college home of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. The members all moved to Madison around 2017, releasing their debut album in 2018. Much of the material for this album was written during the early days of the pandemic and reflects their passion in managing life's realities while also allowing room for nostalgic toasts and memories. A band on the verge, the good word of the Boogie continues to spread like wildfire.
Kind Words about Armchair Boogie and Hard Times & Deadlines:
“Defined by a jam-driven grassy funk and harmonies that soar, the band have blazed their own trail, building a following without a label but with a razor sharp focus on their future.”
—Goldmine, Ray Chelstowski
“Both lead-off tracks ‘Hard Times,’ & ‘Livin’’ are fuel-injected, gutsy & lively creations with some humorous lyrics that take a back seat to the fiery performance of the fast & loose musicians. ‘Boneyard,’ even has an early 60s song humor & sounds like an outtake from Dante & the Evergreens after they recorded their hit ‘Alley-Oop.’ But nothing on this CD is novelty-oriented.”
—Americana Highways, John Apice
“the album clearly qualifies them as a band not only with an infectious sound but also an ample supply of wit and wisdom to go along with it”
—Bluegrass Today, Lee Zimmerman
“Melding indie rock fervour with the intricate fretwork of bluegrass, the band steer their way through both genres without slowing and manage to come out on the other side with something unique and wholly their own.” —Alan Cackett (UK)
“an unorthodox combo for the bluegrass world. But it works for them and their growing fanbase of Armchair Boogie enthusiasts” —Bluegrass Today, John Lawless
“On… ‘Livin’..., Armchair Boogie question the point of it all, and whether life is in fact all that good at all. Ridiculous, of course, as one can easily refute the posed question “what’s the use of livin’ if the livin’ really ain’t that good?” by pointing out that the combination of fast paced banjo giving way (wait long enough, it really does) to a funky electric guitar boogie coda is surely as good a reason as any to embrace life.
—AmericanaUK, Jonathan Aird
“The funky aspect of their music is most vivid in the horn slathered ‘Low Down Time’ while the closing ‘Boneyard’ with its upbeat music, much like the opener, disguises downcast lyrics, in this case a sarcastic view of life's finality. Yet, Armchair Boogie's unbounded energy and unabashed contagious enthusiasm prevail on anything they play or sing about.”
—Country Standard Time, Jim Hynes
“In my experience, some of the best songs are written to completion (or almost) within a few hours of starting. That’s what happened with ‘Gone in a Day.’ When you feel strongly about the subject matter, ideas tend to flow with far less second guessing. There was no rush, but all the feelings, words, and melodies were at the ready. It also didn’t take long at all to think of adding in our friend Jeremy Garrett on the fiddle to take it to new heights. We think it’ll be just as smooth a listen as it was to put together.”
—Ben Majeska says to The Bluegrass Situation
These songs [in Hard Times & Deadlines] look at the struggles and inevitable end of life, while the music works to lift us up and keep us going. There is some great playing and wonderful grooves on these tracks.” —Michael Doherty’s Music Log
“Majeska’s ‘Skippin’ Town’... is essentially a tuneful tip of the hat to nigh-universal bacchanalian, ageless examples of youth. This one has some rockin’ musical moments and must work well with live audiences.” —Will Phoenix, Now Playing: Track by Track Review
“unpredictably delightful” —Northwest Bluegrass Music Association
“This act of collaboration is what cemented these songs as Armchair Boogie material, as the band tapped into the fluid, communal playing style that has made it a rising name on the festival circuit.”
—Live For Live Music, Michael Broerman - Song Premiere
“Armchair Boogie Showcase Lightning-fast Bluegrass Chops and Strong Lyricism on ‘Liquor Store’”
—Glide Magazine Song Premiere
“Hard Times & Deadlines, the new release from the Wisconsin based jam-grass band Armchair Boogie is an enjoyable album that combines banjo dominated bluegrass influence with rock and jam band sensibility. What makes it more interesting, is that their songs often tend toward philosophical lyrics.”
—WVIA, The Graham Album Reviews, George Graham
Debuted at #44 on The Alt Country Specialty Chart Top 50 this week!
“A funkadelic,
boot-stompin’ bluegrass boogie
Borrow happiness”
—"Livin’” Haiku Review, Gary Schwind
”... uproarious, debaucherous like I’ve been transported to the Wild West and I'm in a saloon, throwing back shots. It has a timeless feeling and an uncanny ability to transport you to a different place.”
—Jammin’ on The Grass [Aaron Stein Interviews Ben Majeska]
“Tinkering and playing off of one another's music and ideas has shaped many songs in Armchair
Boogie's repertoire, and often the memories that come from these days feed into what their favorite songs to perform together are… Similar to how jazz musicians play, learning how and being able to play with improvisation keeps the brain active, and creates entirely unique sounds, such as with their new song "Skippin' Town.'” —Ion Indie Magazine [Kira Doman Interviews Augie Doherty]
Getting To Know Armchair Boogie [All That Jam Interviews Ben Majeska]
Hear more from Ben as he talks with WSUM’s GreenArrowRadio about Saturday’s hometown album release show at Stoughton Opera House.
Visit www.armchairboogiemusic.com for a full list of tour dates, and keep up with their adventures on facebook.com/armchairboogieboys and instagram.com/armchairboogieboys.
