Jack Goldstein - 101 Amazing Mumford & Sons Facts

Title Page

101 AMAZING MUMFORD & SONS FACTS

Jack Goldstein & Frankie Taylor

Publisher Information

Published in 2013 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

The rights of Jack Goldstein and Frankie Taylor to be identified as the Authors of this Work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998

Copyright 2013 Jack Goldstein and Frankie Taylor

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Introduction

Are you a fan of world-famous folk rock band Mumford & Sons? Do you want to know everything there is to know about the multi-instrumentalist Grammy-award-winning chart-toppers? If so, then this is the book for you.

Contained within are over one hundred amazing facts about everything from how the band got together to facts about Marcus Mumfords amazing talents, awards the band have won, their singles, albums and much, much more. Get the facts you want quick!

The Band

1. There are four key members of Mumford and Sons - Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall and Ted Dwayne.
2. Marcus is the lead vocalist and also plays guitar, mandolin and drums.
3. Ben contributes backup vocals, keyboard, accordion and drums.
4. Winston also sings, is a great banjo master and also plays both guitar and resonator guitar.
5. Ted, finally, is responsible for the string bass, more vocals, guitar and drums.
6. The band got together in 2007, coming from the same scene as Noah and the Whale amongst other contemporaries.
7. Since then the boys have garnered a worldwide following.
8. Fans are particularly attracted to the folk-based style of music which is often described as folk-pop crossover.
9. They are signed to Island Records in the UK, Universal Music in Australia, and Glassnote in the US.
10. Despite their folk roots, Marcus has said that he would love to rap on their next album!

The Early Years

1. The group of four multi-instrumentalists came together in December 2007.
2. The boys chose their unusual band name to give it the air of an antiquated family business.
3. They were part of what was known at the time as the West London folk scene.
4. Marcus played this down however and said it was more of a community; he didnt necessarily agree with the pigeon-holing label that the music media had bestowed on them.
5. In 2008, Adam Tudhope began to manage the band.
6. This led to them turning up on the radar of Island Records A&R genius Louis Bloom.
7. Bloom has said that when he first saw the band, they were not ready for a deal.
8. However, he went back to their gigs on multiple occasions, and every time they had picked up more fans.
9. Many of these gigs were during Mumfords 2008 UK tour, which included an appearance at the world-famous Glastonbury festival.
10. Towards the tail-end of 2008, the boys released their first EP - Love Your Ground - on the label Chess Club Records.

Marcus: Part 1

1. Marcus was born on the 31 st of January, 1987.
2. His full name is Marcus Oliver Johnston Mumford.
3. He was born in California to British parents.
4. This meant that he has held both British and American citizenship.
5. Marcuss parents planted the first British Vineyard Church in 1987.
6. When he was six months old, the family moved back to London, England
7. Marcus attended Kings College School in Wimbledon, where he met fellow bandmate Ben Lovett
8. Marcus is a keen fan of his local football team AFC Wimbledon
9. He attended the University of Edinburgh but returned home after a year to concentrate on a music career
10. It was whilst studying in Edinburgh that Marcus wrote most of the bands debut album

2009-2010

1. The boys continued to perform low-key gigs and wrote more material.
2. Eventually they had enough for an album. The only song from their previous EP which made the cut was Little Lion Man.
3. Well-known producer Markus Dravs recorded the album with the Mumfords - it was called Sign No More.
4. Dravs had previously worked with other famous indie bands such as Arcade Fire.
5. The album was - amazingly - self-financed!
6. Halfway through 2009, the boys signed a licensing deal for Sigh No More with labels in the UK, Australasia and North America.
7. That one single that remained from their first EP became very popular and won many fans for the band.
8. Little Lion Man was featured as record of the week on indie radio station XFM, with DJ Dave Berry announcing it wasnt just his record of the week but his record of the year!
9. It was during this period that Mumford & Sons received their first Grammy award nominations - for Best New Artist and Best Rock Song. Although they didnt win, they did perform at the ceremony, giving them a massive new audience.
10. Huge success inevitably followed, and the album went double platinum in the US and quadruple platinum in the UK.

Sigh No More

1. In the UK, the album was released on the 2 nd of October, 2009.
2. The US and Canadian releases were a fair time afterwards - on the 16 th of February, 2010.
3. It reached number two in both the UK and US charts.
4. The album was shortlisted for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize
5. The twelve tracks featured are as follows: Sigh No More, The Cave, Winter Winds, Roll Away Your Stone, White Blank Page, I Gave You All, Little Lion Man, Timshel, Thistle & Weeds, Awake My Soul, Dust Bowl Dance and After the Storm
6. A Deluxe edition of the album is also available which not only contains the standard tracks but also a live CD of one of the bands concerts, and a documentary DVD.
7. The phrase Sign No More can be found in the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing.
8. In addition to the albums title, many songs on the album themselves feature lines from the play.
9. As of March 2013, the album has sold more than three and a half million copies worldwide.
10. The albums best chart success came in Australia and New Zealand - it reached number one in both territories!

Instruments

In addition to the main four members of the band, a number of musicians have played on their recordings. Here are some of the more notable guests and the instruments they played...

1. A nail and a piano string: Markus Dravs
2. Cello: Christopher Allan
3. Fiddle: Ross Holmes
4. Flugelhorn: Nick Etwell
5. Percussion: Richard Martin
6. Trombone: Dave Williamson
7. Trombone: Pete Beachill
8. Trumpet: Nick Etwell
9. Viola: Nell Catchpole
10. Violin: Nell Catchpole

2011-2013

1. Inspired by the 1970 tour of Canada by Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead and other famous names, the boys joined forces with other folk rock musicians on their Railroad Revival Tour of America.
2. During the tour, the band only travelled by vintage railway cars. These took them to six unique outdoor locations!
3. A documentary of the tour was made, winning a Grammy at the 2013 award ceremony!
4. As 2011 progressed, the band returned to Glastonbury and won critical acclaim for their set.
5. With the success of Sign No More , the boys had time to get writing on a number of new tracks.
6. In late 2011, they began their first fully-fledged American tour.
7. It was during this tour where they tested out material from their upcoming album,.