Jamgrass, newgrass, funkgrass, whatever you want to call it—Armchair Boogie is rapidly becoming one of the country’s hottest acts. With an unbounded sound, this Wisconsin-based quartet is known for their powerful harmonies, timeless originals, and choice covers, along with unforgettable live performances.
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 unconventional lineup enhances their lightning-fast bluegrass, allowing them to freely venture into the realms of funk or country. A band on the verge, Armchair Boogie is excited to independently release a collection of ten original songs as their fourth studio recording, Hard Times & Deadlines, on March 15.
This week, The Bluegrass Situation premiered “Gone in a Day,” the album’s newest single. Having previously listed Armchair Boogie as a “Must-See Roots Artists at Bourbon & Beyond,” stating, “We recently caught this jammy Wisconsin outfit at Earl Scruggs Music Festival, where they burnt down their late-night set.”
“Gone in a Day,” captures the fervor of a hopeless circumstance—channeling the energy from a storm's eye outwards, personified by the delicate pizzicato turned fiddle frenzy that special guest Jeremy Garrett (Infamous Stringdusters, appearing courtesy of Organic Records) brings in. After experiencing loss in both love and friendship in a short amount of time, the result is a song that moves through the emotions of acceptance,” says Majeska.
After meeting at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in 2015, they moved to Madison in 2018 and released their debut self-titled album, followed by another in 2019 and an EP in 2021. Self-produced, this new album shows a maturing of the band’s songwriting and musical capabilities. Composing these songs around the beginning of the pandemic, Majeska and Dougherty—who sing lead on the respective songs they wrote—were experiencing the stresses of entering their late twenties.
“Hard Times & Deadlines is a pretty literal explanation of what I felt life was turning into,” Dougherty says. "The fluffy part of college and party life was beginning to fade away and it seemed like it was time to put my head down and work."
Once the tunes were drafted, they were brought to the whole band for collaboration. "This is where the tune truly becomes a Boogie song. Everyone adds their touch of creative input and we're able to polish it up collectively pretty quickly,” explains Dougherty.
Majeska says “Life comes with highs and lows, and Hard Times & Deadlines captures the fleet of emotions that come with it. From broken hearts and fond memories. To broad horizons and the inevitable end of this human journey.”
Live for Live Music says, “funk-grass outfit Armchair Boogie is ready for whatever life throws its way” on their premiere of the Hartforesque first single and lead track “Hard Times.” Dougherty says the song, “is about my navigation of life's realities. Entering my late twenties came with a lot of pressure to pursue musical and other professional endeavors. Feeling lost, feeling a lack of freedom, feeling like I have to push on through.”
With rousing banjo and guitar solos, they raise a glass to wild nights and timeless stories in the rhythmic 'Skippin' Town” and the nostalgic “Liquor Store.” Meanwhile they touch upon poignant moments with a more measured approach in "You've Been Hurt,’ a song about fostering trust in a relationship.
Glide Magazine premiered “Liquor Store” and calls it, “a hyper-paced work of alt-country-laced bluegrass that balances impressive picking with strong lyricism that could just as easily fit in a work of quiet folk. Propelled by Dougherty’s banjo, the music careens forward with a lively energy that you can imagine turning into an explosive jam onstage.”
Upbeat and cheerful on the outside, ”Low Down Time” pleads, “It’s been a low down time, And things been out of line. And I just need some help getting by. Won’t you help me stay alive?” The song features special guests The Payback Horns (Jamie Kember on trombone, Jon Schipper on trumpet, and Allen Cordingley on tenor sax).
Dougherty's characteristic fast-talking vocal wit shines through in the buoyant “All the Same and the electrifying "Livin'"—inspired by a quote from The Hobbit: "What's the good in living, if the living isn't good?” Using his best "John Prine energy" while writing about our inevitable finish line in the tongue-in-cheek "Boneyard," Augie sings, '‘I'm headed to the bone yard. So are you. It’s the same old story that they’re following too close to.”
“Armchair Boogie is a name that somehow oddly perfects their vibe: a folk, funk, and bluegrass that originated on a front porch. A band that can turn downhome bluegrass into an upbeat groove with contagious rhythm is not to be missed…” writes The Pitch Kansas City’s Allison Scavo. “As I entered, the crowd was already screaming to the point where I questioned if I had missed them. I quickly realized they had just gotten on stage and the frenzied elation was merely for their presence. From the first note to the elongated jams and everything in between, Armchair Boogie aerated the venue with unforgettable energy.”
Presave the album at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/armchairboogie/hard-times--deadlines.
Armchair Boogie Shows:
1/20 Center For The Arts - Crested Butte, CO*
1/21 Sheridan Opera House - Telluride, CO*
2/03 Grand Theater - Wausau, WI
2/08 West Theater - Duluth, MN
2/09 Fox Hollow - La Crosse, WI
2/10 Ice Dance Music Fest - Appleton, WI
2/21 WOW Hall - Eugene, OR*
2/22 Revolution Hall - Portland, OR*
2/23 Midtown Ballroom/Domino Room/Annex - Bend, OR*
2/24 Neptune Theatre - Seattle, WA*
2/25 Wild Buffalo - Bellingham, WA*
2/28 The Elm - Bozeman, MT*
3/01 Talbott’s Cider Company - Palisade, CO*
3/02 WinterWonderGrass - Steamboat Springs, CO
3/16 Stoughton Opera House - Stoughton, WI
3/21 xBk Live - Des Moines, IA^
3/22 Turner Hall Ballroom - Milwaukee, WI^>
3/23 Turf Club - St. Paul, MN^
3/27 Rumba Cafe - Columbus, OH
3/28 Hi-Fi - Indianapolis, IN
3/29 The Stache at The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
3/30 Martyrs’ - Chicago, IL
5/24-25 DelFest - Cumberland, MD
5/24-26 Solshine Reverie - Chillicothe, IL
6/20-23 Moccasin Creek Festival - Effingham, IL
7/11-13 The Boogiedown - Hillsboro, WI
7/18-20 4848 Festival - Snowshoe, WV
*w/ The Kitchen Dwellers
^w/ AJ Lee & Blue Summit
>w/ Henhouse Prowlers
