FRET12 SESSIONS
FELLER –
Live Performance
Hot off the release of their debut album, Sound Colored Penny, which has been described as 25 minutes of non-stop, calculated power, Feller stopped by to record a scorching FRET12 Session.
Broadcasting from our shop at The Salt Shed, FRET12 Sessions invites musicians of all genres and styles to come in, perform, and share their work with the world.
FRET12 SESSIONS
FELLER – LIVE PERFORMANCE
Hot off the release of their debut album, Sound Colored Penny, which has been described as 25 minutes of non-stop, calculated power, Feller stopped by to record a scorching FRET12 Session.
Broadcasting from our shop at The Salt Shed, FRET12 Sessions invites musicians of all genres and styles to come in, perform, and share their work with the world.
F12-SESSION 023 // Feller
For a band that’s only been around since 2023, Feller brings an incredibly tight and electric energy to the stage. With songs that balance technical precision with a certain easygoing, Midwestern vibe, they weave layers of tension and emotion that occasionally resolve into explosive, propulsive energy that keeps crowds on their toes.
The combo of Pete Wilson on guitar and vocals, Ethan Toenjes on drums, and Ramsay Bell on bass, tap into the slightly mathy strain of indie-rock that Chicago has always been known for, while expanding the sonic palette with moments of surprisingly fragile beauty.
After the session, we caught up with the band about the Chicago music scene, surprising Canadian confusion, and the inherent freedom of their writing process.
I can't escape the freeness I feel when I write and I don't think they can either. So we decided just to be a band that makes this music, I tried to pigeonhole myself and I couldn't.
— Pete, Feller
I can't escape the freeness I feel when I write and I don't think they can either. So we decided just to be a band that makes this music, I tried to pigeonhole myself and I couldn't.
— Pete, Feller
I think we have overlapping post rock, psychedelic rock influences that kind of synthesize in a pretty cohesive way organically
— Ramsey, Feller
I think we have overlapping post rock, psychedelic rock influences that kind of synthesize in a pretty cohesive way organically
— Ramsey, Feller
HARD-WON TOUR TIPS
💥 “School also serves the purpose of being something to kind of come back to and a schedule to be on, which I know is very helpful for me.”
💥 “We brought DVDs on tour, we watched Star Wars.”
💥 “Develop some stable things you do every night that can take away that strange Groundhog’s Day thing from touring.”
💥 “Make yourself wake up early enough to feel like you're real. It's like it's better to not just wake up and immediately get in a car.”
💥 “Taking a walk, eating breakfast, maybe with a piece of lettuce or something, just [doing] little things. Self-care, it’s 2024.”
💥 “Try to fill your days with things that aren’t just driving and moving gear.”
I wanted to run a band like a company, or a brand, so to speak image wise, to have some continuity with graphics. Through some miscommunication I thought part of Pete's family was Canadian so we ended up putting maple leaves on everything as iconography. Now there's no going back.
— Ethan, Feller
I wanted to run a band like a company, or a brand, so to speak image wise, to have some continuity with graphics. Through some miscommunication I thought part of Pete's family was Canadian so we ended up putting maple leaves on everything as iconography. Now there's no going back.
— Ethan, Feller
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
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FRET12 SESSIONS – Feller
Follow their journey ➔ Web // Instagram // Spotify // Apple Music
All video and photos by FRET12.
Venue: FRET12 Shop, located in the main lobby of the Salt Shed - Chicago.
FRET12 SESSIONS – THE BACK ALLEY
The high-powered Chicago indie rock quintet, The Back Alley, stopped by on a quick break from their spring tour to chop it up at the FRET12 shop and record a session.
