Lazy Sunday

Once Lazy Sunday takes the stage, it isn’t hard to see why so many people hold them in such high esteem around the Louisville area. The start of the first song is a bit shaky, but within a minute or two, the group is dialing in. I wish that I knew song titles, so that I could relate them to you, but I
don’t. Nonetheless, their sound is incredible. Everything they do is steeped in rock, but there are infusions of ska, reggae, and blues that run throughout. Two guitars, bass, drums, and a single saxophone. Their songs all have a solid core to them, and lead vocals switch several times throughout the set, but every song is a jam. When they start to break down, and solos start getting passed back and forth, that’s when it really starts to get good. Though they might not cite him as one of their
influences, those grooving, dance-inciting jams remind me of when Neil Young used to break it all down with Crazy Horse. It might not be the same style of music, but it definitely carries that same feeling of intense musicianship. It turns out to be a great set, and if I were anyone living near Louisville, I would be sure to check this band out. You don’t get to open for the John Butler Trio unless your music is solid - Zen Wild

When a group of kids — loaded with potential — have the wide-ranging fan-base and sound that Lazy Sunday has in its first year, it makes a possible answer to the question many in this city ask:

Who is the next My Morning Jacket?

While this question needs to die — maybe by means of a Louisville Music Hall of Fame with Jacket headlining the first class, alongside Tim Krekel and Bonnie Prince Billy — Lazy Sunday is my best and only answer for who could fill MMJ’s shoes, say 10 years from now.


” The former dread-headed Sam Filiatreau and Anthony Keenan live in Boone, North Carolina
Sam Filiatreau and Anthony Keenan — the band’s co-founders, guitar players, and primary songwriters — stopped by and gave me a listen before their record release weekend with shows in Louisville and Lexington.

The two, alongside Tyler Johnson—one of the city’s top drummers and the band’s “perfectionist”— have been working on “Livin’ With It” for about 11 months, and during that span, the three found the “perfect” line-up.

That lineup include the addition of Sam Gulick — a funky bass-master, raspy harmonizer, and secondary songwriter and vocalist — and Jason Burgard, a saxophone player who was first seat in duPont Manual High School’s jazz class in 2007 and 2008.

“Livin’ With It” is Lazy Sunday’s first record and was recorded for free by IU-Southest student Christian Hannah. The album creates an overall feel-good that tingles up your spine and makes you feel all warm and gushy inside.



The record touches a bunch of musical styles (Reggae, Jam, Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Blues, and Funk) in what Anthony calls, “A nice marriage of everything.”

The band’s premier captures what Lazy Sunday is best at — live performance — as the record is primarily live-sounding and bare-bones in its production. What you hear on the record is what you get from a Lazy Sunday show. This record is as raw as it gets.

Which is a rarity in today’s music world where auto-tuning, over-production and studio engineering have raised live-listening expectations from music fans to beyond-realistic.

It’s a perfect first record for the talented band, and it’s only up from here as the boys will now look to dig more into exploring sound and dynamics in the future.

If you have never been to a Lazy Sunday show, the record release show on Friday at Mellow Mushroom will be a good introduction because the entire Lazy Sunday community should be in attendance. Lazy creates “timeless” music, said Anthony and Sam, and the band has listeners aging from “16-70 years old.”

Their friends’ parents love it, as well as their little brothers and sisters, so it creates a really fun show when everyone can come.


Pizza joint, Mellow Mushroom, is one of Louisville’s “prime” music venues, as it allows for all-ages attendance, beer drinking, a full-house PA and free admission.
In Louisville, it’s hard to find music venues to accommodate such a broad listening base as most “top” venues are bars.

The band is comprised of under-agers, and has played shows bringing their “of age” fan base to bars like Zazoo’s, Baxter’s and the Hideaway Saloon. Coincidentally, they’ve been kicked out of bars they’ve performed at once the clock strikes “after-hours.”

Sound fair?

The group is slowly getting a better grasp on the business mindset needed to survive and grow in Louisville’s music scene, which is one reason why the band has no plans to sign a deal in the near future.

“We’ve worked too hard to just sell our songs now,” said Sam Filiatreau.

The band will face an upward battle without big-time representation in putting together regional tours, but it’s not impossible, as Moon Taxi – a similar band that’s opened up alongside Louisville’s Funny Bones in multiple sold-out shows of 25 and 300 people — has proven.

In fact, Lazy Sunday had a show in Boone, North Carolina last year. After the show’s successful performance, the band was invited to play an after-party for amazed North Carolinians. It was a “grimy encore performance in a basement where everyone danced … even more than in Louisville,” said Mr. Keenan.

(Further evidence Louisville can’t dance, Chip.)

There is a little bit of everything for everyone — including dancers — on “Livin’ With It,” and there isn’t a bad song on the album.

“In The Town,” a song obviously about Louisville, will excite Highland Hippies with its funky bass riffs and Sublime-like and party-lifestyle-filled lyrics. As will the proceeding song on the record, “Stray” which has a dirty-low toned saxophone harmony line to create the overall “bad-to-the-bone” feel with its jammy goodness.


Bassman Gulick serenading a lady-filled front row.
Sam Gulick’s “Spins” and “Take Care of My Baby” are both heart-melters. The harmonies are lush, simple and complete the feel-good sensation caused by the young-romantic songwriter.

Lazy Sunday’s ability to maintain two lead songwriters is testament to the band’s ability to keep egos in check, which is remarkable given the band’s age.

These kids just really want to make it.

“Boston” ups the tempo and is the closest the band gets to Ska. Tyler Johnson nails the double-time beat, and the song combines saxophone and guitar solos brilliantly. The tune is a prime example of why Anthony Keenan is one of Louisville’s best guitarists.



Filiatreau’s songwriting is spiritually uplifting, and the metaphor-wizard creates feel-good song after feel-good song, with the occasionally humbled moment of self-doubt and self-reflection.

The album’s strongest track in displaying the full talents of Lazy Sunday is “Natarajah.” Burgard’s saxophone solo is truly classic; the guitar-work is at its finest, as the song has multiple guitar-led and drum-heavy breakdowns, which lends the song to being the most rich in dynamics on “Livin’ With It.”

I recently spoke with Kyle Meredith, in beginning a WFPK follow-up piece to the now infamous Local Radio, but No Local Music piece — keep your eyes peeled — and we discussed how bands need to have the whole package… the whole “pie,”as Kyle called it.

And while Lazy Sunday has yet to make a quality Youtube video, be featured in LEO, have a photo shoot and dominate WFPK airplay, they have the biggest ingredient of pie-making success – good music that has wide appeal.

Kyle and I both agreed that Louisville is a town that loves good music, as many in this city have good taste.

So, Louisville, be ready to gobble down the Lazy Sunday pie for years to come, because this band is probably going to blow up.

A Forecastle spot would help ….
“We really, really, want to play Forecastle this summer,” said Sam.

And there isn’t a more deserving local band in the city.

The free record release show is at Mellow Mushroom in St. Matthews and kicks off around 9:30 p.m. tonight.

There will be about a hundred copies of “Livn’ With It” available for purchase.

Don’t be late. - Michael Tierney

From the Highlands area of Louisville, Lazy Sunday began the evening with a solid mix of alternative rock. They are a young group of excellent musicians and were a perfect start to the evening. - Michael Deinlein

Indie-Rock
Lazy Sunday – ‘ Middleman’
August 17, 2017
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Bryon William
Lazy Sunday is an outstanding indie-rock band out of Louisville, Kentucky. The group was formed by songwriter Sam Filatreau and guitarist Anthony Keenan later adding Leo Klarer on bass and Jason Owen on drums. Since, the group has been crafting their sound and working their way into the east coast scene working with bands like John Butler Trio, Post Animal, Mo Lowda, the Humble and The Nude Party. The title track of their recently released 'Middleman' EP is the perfect introduction to their sound.

The drums kick off the song followed by the entrance of a melodic lead guitar accompanied by harmonic backing guitar. The quartet creates an exciting arrangement that engages listeners right from the beginning. The intro leads seamlessly into the verse as the vocals enter singing, “I see you/you're looking for the stars/you're looking for a place that you'll call home,” showing off their mellow timbre.

“Middleman” is full of memorable melodies paired with poetic lyrics that will have listeners hooked on the musical experience created by Lazy Sunday. The chorus is a shining moment of the song switching to smoother groove as they sing, “If you call me your middle man/taste it all give this a try /It will make you feel much better and/It will make you feel so high/gonna make you feel so” with accents of background vocals. The song continues to build throughout the second verse as the song progresses towards an instrumental section with ambient guitar solos.

“Middleman” is sure to have you hooked on their sound making it the perfect titled track for the EP. Filled with nuance, artistic expression and deep lyrics open for interpretation, Lazy Sunday proves that they are a band to keep an eye out for with a desirable sound and unforgettable tunes. Their Middleman EP gives you a few songs to whet your appetite for their up coming music. Their songs are available on iTunes, Amazon music, and Spotify.
For more information, visit their website. - Bryon William