The Features nab spot on upcoming Twilight soundtrack
Indie rock band The Features have flirted with success for more than 15 years. Now, they may finally breakthrough to major pop success—that is, if they win over the twi-hard fans who will hear one of the band's songs on the soundtrack for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.
Formed in the early 90s, the Tennessee rockers built a following in their hometown region by playing local parties and bars. They signed to an independent label, released some EPs and an LP and toured relentlessly. Universal Records signed the band, but then dropped the band. However, the boys kept going strong—touring with Kings of Leon, winning a competition to play at the 2009 Bonnaroo Music Festival and releasing several more albums—and gaining more fans. Time magazine highlighted the band in its Summer Entertainment Preview 2011. Spin gave their latest album, Wilderness, an 8 out of 10. Paste magazine published features on the band more than once this year. But they remain under the radar.
"I still feel like we're pretty small scale," said frontman Matt Pelham in an interview with Paste. "Maybe that's just the way it is."
Although Pelham and the guys possess broad appeal, they don't have a lot of teen fans. Paste described them as "old-school guys." They're not big into social media such as Twitter and Facebook—where much of teenage fandom originates these days. Inclusion on the Twilight soundtrack exposes The Features to this demographic. Teens are ubiquitous in the world of Twilight.
The soundtrack for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third film in the saga, based on a book series, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and featured artists such as Muse, The Bravery, Metric and The Dead Weather. Both the previous soundtracks topped the charts as well.
In a video interview with ClevverTv, Pelham admits he's not a twi-hard himself, but thought the project seemed cool. The band just added one more accomplishment to their long career.
And if the fans embrace the band as much as Twilight heartthrob Taylor Launter, Pelham says they're prepared. "We got garlic and stuff." If not, no problem. The guys will continue to rock for the devoted fans who love them. According to alternative newsweekly Nashville Scene, who have been touting The Features for a while, "They're the sort of underdogs who won't ever quit."
Tags: Billboard, Breaking Dawn, ClevverTV, Eclipse, Matt Pelham, Nashville Scene, Paste, soundtrack, The Features, Twilight
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