Worried Well
Portland, Maine, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014
Music
Press
There's something baroque, something emotional and primal, vivid and stark about Luck, the band's first proper full-length release. Subtlety was not a baroque touchstone value, by any means. They liked things big and loud and raucous back then — but all in exaltation of their devotion to their newly entrenched Christian god
- The Portland Phoenix
While the pop-punk sound crops up in a turn of vocal phrase now and again, Worried Well brings to mind songwriters like Elvis Costello and Ted Leo, as well as bands like Spoon or the Hold Steady, in its mixture of smart and simple. - Bangor Daily News
Daniel James of the new Portland, Maine based indie-pop band Worried Well is paranoid. Worried Well has produced a new dismal three-song e.p. for this summer. His previous band The Sophomore Beat won teenagers’ hearts all over New England with their sugary, Fall Out Boy-esque pop. This new project, seems to be a bit of a departure from that idea. The lyrics here are considerably better than what we’ve heard from James in the past and the vocals are much more gruff and desperate than I would’ve expected. The sound quality here remains solid, similar and singer-songwriter-ish, with tambourine and electric drums throughout. There are surprisingly few acoustic guitar sounds and the majority of the guitar work is a nice sounding distorted electric style... - Dispatch Magazine
The result is often reminiscent of Colin Meloy doing pop-punk ballads. It's cerebral and interesting (I like the lyrics to the strutting "Sad Cells," especially, with their play on James's first name)...
Read more: http://portland.thephoenix.com/music/129645-daniel-james-debuts-solo-project-worried-well/authors/sam-pfeifle/#ixzz1x8Ew6Cq3 - the Portland Phoenix
Discography
Worried Well (s/t) - 2011
Over And Over/She's Got Something To Say (Single)- 2012
Luck (LP) - May 2013
Winter Defeats (Single) - 2013
Psych 101 (and done) (SIingle)- 2014
Great Appetite, Poor Taste - Summer 2015
Photos
Bio
You get to a point when its not about anything at all other than expressing yourself in the most honest and natural way possible. This is what seasoned songwriter Daniel James has accomplished with Worried Well. By scaling back the traditional rock instrumentation, James has made the focus of Worried Well rely solely upon the message and the tense feel of his melodic and often afflictive songwriting. James and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Cam Jones have turned their two-man band into a regional indie staple since forming in 2011. The duo has been developing a following and headlining club shows in their native New England, getting press recognition and favorable reviews including a nomination for “Best New Act” and “Best Rock-Pop Act” in The Portland Phoenix, as well as touring the northeast and performing with such acts as Murder By Death, mewithoutYou, the Hold Steady, and Gin Blossoms. A well received self-titled record was released in late 2011. James recorded the album himself to set the raw, organic tone that the band have become known for. 2012 saw the band working with producer TJ Swan (Starfight Studio) and veteran recording engineer Dean Baltulonis (The Hold Steady, Ra Ra Riot, Piebald) at The Wild Arctic studio to produce their first full-length record. The product of months of pre-production and weeks of studio time, “Luck” was released May 7th, 2013. The duo entered the studio the following summer for a follow up full length “Great Appetite, Poor Taste”, due out July 24th 2015 on CD and vinyl as well as digitally via Mint400 Records on September 8th. The new album will focus more on the dynamics of the bands live sound and James’ dramatic and often poignant lyrics.
Worried Well continues to perform in New England and beyond, all the while gaining new fans with their desperate and poetic approach to a sound that is scathingly articulate and delivered with sincere honesty.
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