Hoist the Colors Los Angeles, CA Hoist the Colors isn’t an “LA” band in any conventional sense. In a city that sometimes values style over substance, they are a working man’s band. They aren’t jaded, there is no irony or posing; Hoist the Colors is a group of genuine individuals who genuinely love what they do. But Los Angeles has shaped the band. Like the cultural fabric of their city, their music is an eclectic mix, the product of different traditions coming together to create something totally original. And LA can be a brutal city. Ugly and sprawling, it has a tendency to wear you down, to swallow you up, and it’s made the band work harder, persevere longer, and come out stronger on the other side. Hoist the Colors plays a blend of punk rock, traditional Irish music, and American folk and bluegrass. The band began humbly, in lead singer and songwriter Josh Linden’s living room in 2007. “A few friends and I were bored and began learning Irish rebel songs and Pogues covers on these acoustic instruments that we really didn’t know how to play,” he recalls. Soon the friends recruited a drummer and fiddle player, began writing their own versions of rebel songs, and started playing at local bars under the name Hoist the Colors. Raucous and spirited performances attracted a loyal following and word quickly spread. The band soon found themselves playing marathon pub shows that regularly drew packed houses, all blood, sweat, and spilled beer. A year after self-releasing their debut album Second City, the band headed back to the studio for their second effort, teaming up with new label Hardline Entertainment for 2012’s Miles To Go Before We Sleep. Inspired by their dedication to their craft, the title is a statement about the band’s commitment to pushing their music forward, and the limitless possibilities of the road ahead. Songs like “Gordie Lachance,” “Dance Through the Days,” and “Gold,” speak to the album’s theme of dedicating oneself to a life less ordinary. Whereas Second City was a portrait of a band discovering their sound, Miles To Go is the band’s most definitive statement to date. As singer Linden explains, “We spent the first record figuring out who we were. With Miles To Go Before We Sleep, we’ve found our sound, refined and made it bigger and tighter - bigger choruses, bigger vocal harmonies, and tighter arrangements and instrumentation.” The band’s commitment to their music has begun to pay off, resulting in sold out shows in their hometown and recognition across the U.S. Miles To Go Before We Sleep was named the best celtic album of the year by Celtic Music blogger Grinning Beggar, was named the #2 album of the year (Editor’s Pick) by punk rock blog Dying Scene, and their video for “Gordie Lachance” was featured on CMT.com. In addition, venerated music magazine Alternative Press named the band one of their 100 Bands You Need to Know for 2013. The band has shared the stage with the likes of Ignite, Authority Zero, The English Beat, The Black Pacific, The Ramshackle Army (Australia), The Young Dubliners, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, and many more. Now with a solid lineup, Hoist the Colors plans to tour non stop behind their new record, with a West Coast tour slated for the summer of 2013. Miles to go Before We Sleep is currently available for purchase on iTunes and is streaming on Spotify. For fans of The Pogues, Mumford and Sons, Flogging Molly, and Bad Religion. Hoist the Colors is: Josh Linden - Vocals, mandolin, and banjo Camilo Barahona - Fiddle Fabian De La Torre - Bass and vocals Ivan De La Torre - Drums Sina Etesami - Acoustic guitar and vocals Jeff Murphy - Electric Guitar Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.