Humble Kind

By Claire Salinas



Formed out of the humble process of friends getting together to jam on guitar, one band is bringing a kind twist to the local country scene.

Humble Kind was formed in 2013 by a group of friends who all played guitar, according to band member Michael Legendre. As with the average group of friends, the guys collaborate and compromise—but for them, it’s about more than just where to grab a beer.

“There’s no lead songwriter, we all kind of contribute and sing,” said Legendre. “That’s the good thing; there’s totally no ego here. We don’t have one guy who is the speaker for the band.”

Country music has soundtracked much of the band’s development, but their sound is more of a departure from the typical country.

“We have some country influences for sure, but we’re not really a country band,” said Legendre. “We play a lot of amplified electric stuff, so the term we use is electric folk. Our very specific country songs are a little more in line with Merle Haggard or Willie Nelson kind of songs, as opposed to mainstream modern country songs. Our sound came out of having four guitars and trying to figure out how to make a band out of the group.”

Although there are currently six members in the band, Legendre explained it started off with four friends.

“We started a band under the notion that everyone can sing, so there are four core members and all of them can sing,” said Legendre. “A lot of what we do is based around harmonies. Our two electric guitarists do a lot of harmonized lead work.”

Legendre also explained that the bands strengths lie in the lyrics and voices of their songs.

“The strength of the songs are the voices, and our lyrics are a strong point,” said Legendre. “We care deeply about the songs that we write. There’s a really good group of songwriters in Baton Rouge and we consider ourselves to be a part of that scene.”

As the name of the band states, the band is mainly interested in making good music, rather than setting the world on fire.

“We’re just a modest band,” said Legendre. “There’s a song we’ve done called ‘Water Into Wine,’ which we all kind of contributed musically to it. The theme of the song is about not worrying about perception so much, and not comparing yourself to what you think other people want you to be. It’s a bit of a theme song in terms of the mission of the band.”

Several guests will be joining Humble Kind during their performance at Chelsea’s Café on June 26, including a jazz musician and an electric artist.

“This show is a big one for us,” said Legendre. “There are going be a couple of guests paying with us. There’s one guy who’s an amazing all around musician, a UNO graduate in jazz and a graduate of Manhattan School of Music. He will be sitting in on a couple of songs with us. My brother will be playing with us as our drummer, as well. It’s kind of a homecoming for a couple of people.”

Humble Kind will take the stage at Chelsea’s Café on June 26. The show kicks off at 9 p.m., and tickets can be purchased at the door. - Dig Baton Rouge

By Amanda Wicks

Humble Kind’s four core members, Will Folse (lead guitar), Michael Legendre (guitar and lap steel), Benjamin Moore (rhythm guitar) and Marc Stubbs (bass) are exactly what their name purports: humble. These Baton Rouge-based gents made their way around the local music scene before forming their Americana sound and becoming one of the area’s fastest growing bands. There is no frontman, no one person spearheading the songs; instead, they approach their music collectively, humbly. “I think here we gain so much by everyone playing a part in creating the music,” Moore says.

The band’s most impressive element results from their three-part male harmonies with additional vocals built in to augment the already robust sound. In a music world where guy-girl harmony duos reign supreme, Humble Kind offer something decidedly different. “I think we all kind of enjoy taking something and adding a dimension to it,” Legendre says.

It took a while for every member to find his place vocally. When Folse and Moore joined up with Legendre and Stubbs, they needed to figure out how they fit into that pair’s already tight harmonies. “[Michael and Mark] had such an ear because they were already together in that sense of power range harmony,” Folse explains. “It was easy for [Ben and me] to be like, ‘Oh, yeah tell us where we fit in.’ I think we’ve all developed past that now where it’s a little bit more intuitive.”

Now Humble Kind has what Folse describes as “crazy huge sounding harmonies.” Still, bigger isn’t always better. Stubbs says, “We know what parts to remove so that the fundamental harmony is working.”
With songs that at-times lean toward folk, at others toward rock, with a bit of Outlaw country thrown in for good measure, the harmonies are what ground the band, giving them their unique flare in a Louisiana scene rife with competition. Listening to the band’s song “Sweet, Far-Off Song” from their most recent EP, To Keep From Being Lonely, Legendre structures it with a folk-pop vocal reminiscent of Paul Simon mixed slightly with Robert Ellis’ affected flare. When the band joins him on the chorus, however, the sound takes on a folk-rock-country feel. Humble Kind are a choir in conversation with their Americana past as well as where they aim to take it in the future. Moore says, “I think we’re a bit of a fractured band; we all come from something a little bit different. That’s kind of American in a way.”
If you noticed there’s a drummer missing from Humble Kind’s line-up that’s because they have a handful of rotating players who sit in with them for gigs. As a result, their sound shifts between a heavier rock or folk feel, depending on the drummer.

Whatever way their sound skews on a given night, the band exudes immense and visible fun playing together. “That is the best part for me, just playing with these guys,” Stubbs says, which draws good-natured “Awws” from the other guys. It’s hard not to be a happy listener when a band is visibly enjoying themselves and what they offer audiences. “I’ve talked to people after shows and they’ve mentioned to me that it’s evident we enjoy playing with one another,” Legendre says, “and I hope that’s a message we’re getting across because we are enjoying it.”

The band will head into Baton Rouge recording studio The Legendary Noise Floor towards 2015’s end to begin work on their first LP. While they’ve primarily toured around Louisiana thus far, they have plans to break out of their box and hit the road to take their swelling vocals to parts unknown. - Turnstyled Junkpiled

Three songs is far too little from this up-and-coming Americana group. It'll do for now, but keep your eye on these guys. They've already been tapped to open shows at the Varsity, and they could be heard at festivals in no time. - The Advocate

If you like old-style Americana with plenty of guitar and vocal harmonies perfect for singing and dancing along, you will want to check out Humble Kind's new album "American Vernacular."

The Baton Rouge band will host an album release celebration Friday complete with tacos, rice, beans and baked goods. The show starts at 7 p.m. at The Guru. Singer and guitarist Mike Montoya, of New Mexico, will open the show. Entry is $20 per person, $30 per couple, and includes a copy of the CD and food. The Guru welcomes guests to bring their own drinks.

Humble Kind started from humble beginnings, or local open mic nights, more specifically. The quartet came together after meeting one another time and time again at small showcases.

“We eventually decided to put our efforts together,” singer and guitarist Benjamin Moore said. “We started out playing covers, but [guitarist] Michael [Legendre] and I had the songwriting bug and thought, ‘Why not use the tools you have?’ One thing led to another, and pretty soon, we were playing shows with all original music.”

Though an affinity for backyard gatherings and passing around guitars is still the foundation of the band, the guys worked to hone their songs and stage performances. With influences like Dawes; Crosby, Stills and Nash; and Wilco, an audience latched on to Humble Kind’s sound. Soon, the band had a following.

Earlier this year, the band began recording its full-length debut with producer John Tulley at the Legendary Noise Floor in Baton Rouge.

“You want to document that time and have something to preserve it and share with friends and family, but as soon as you get into the studio, you start seeing possibilities," Moore said. "Instead of just capturing, you get the chance to define yourself in the studio.”

“It became clear that this record should sound like the absolute best Humble Kind set you could see, with some extra bells and whistles around the edges,” guitarist Will Folse said.

The band and Tulley amped up the role of drummer Chad Townsend on record. When he stretched his chops, it infused a new intensity to the band's classic Americana sound. Meanwhile, the band looked to keyboardist Anthony Polizzi for his talents with composition and details.

“Even if you’ve heard the song a million times, we wanted something that would catch your ear again,” Folse said.

Moore added that the band didn't want to just rest on its trademark vocal harmonies on the record. Folse and Legendre now also trade guitar riffs throughout songs in an Allman Brothers-inspired style.

“When Mike started playing electric, it gave us the opportunity to do some dueling guitar work,” Folse said. “We became tighter musicians and better guitarists.”

The band members wanted their time in the studio to be like the rest of the time they spend together — fun and focused on creativity, and without ego battles, Moore said.

“The studio time was an extension of our recreational time,” Folse said. “The vibe was awesome.”

That atmosphere is what you can expect at Friday's release show. In the idea of gathering around music, rather than just playing or listening to it, the band is cooking dinner for all its guests at the album release party.

“We want it to feel like a hang,” Folse said. “We want to put on a show, hang out and visit — have a nice little celebration and let it be a bookend for us.” - The Advocate