How do you feel about the Features now?

[Juan Horsetown]

So the message board ending and the fact that we all got older has definitely changed our experience with the band that is the Features over the last couple of years.  The warm greetings and conversations from the frequent shows of the past are replaced by occasional shows I attend with short greetings and sometimes no recognition at all.  We used to see shows twice a month or so it seemed, and now they're much rarer, and we're less likely to see them.  A new CD came out, which I'd like to discuss in detail elsewhere, but I'd just like to toss out there to all of you:

Where do you stand on the Features now?

Personally, the release of Some Kind of Salvation was the first time that I didn't think the Features died when Parrish left the band.  All the shows since that point, as well as the Contrast EP hadn't done it for me.  I didn't spend as much time with the Features' second album as much as, say, the 2nd De Novo Dahl album, but it was good to see them producing good things.  I think their live sets are good now, but sometimes it seems like they know the new songs aren't as good as the old and focus on the old material.  Last time I talked to Roger, he said the material for the third album is even better still.

I wrote this blog entry http://juanhorsetown.blogspot.com/2007/03/ten-years-with-features.html about anticipating the 10 year anniversary of my first Features show.  It's been so long even now that it doesn't feel entirely relevant, but I thought I'd toss it out there to you all to read. 

This is YaDaDaDa by the way.

[deathscythe257]

i think i feel exactly the same way. contrast didn't do it for me at first (but re-listening recently is a different story) and i felt like they were probably done. some kind of salvation feels fresh, though, and i've been loving it. unfortunately, i haven't been able to judge any live shows, so those hold special youthful properties in my mind.

[DigsySlattery]

The Features are still my favorite band of all time, and in most ways even more so than the other three bands that are in that slot (yes, four favorite bands). Moving to New York has strained my relationship. The Features were defined by my friends, Murfreesboro, seeing those shows live. I now have no regular contact with any of that. But if anything, living in New York has made me really focus on their music and what it means to me. The memories attached to the old songs (StephanieW's reaction to the first time we heard "Me & The Skirts," vogue-ing to "Kari-Ann" for HSS and IWE at Wall Street because we were annoyed that the college girls got their request, watching Ray Davies flip out every time "Walk You Home" was played, chalking the campus with everyone) hold up and they act like a song diary. If anyone wants to get to know me, I tell them to listen to the Features with me and they'll get a pretty good idea.

I do find it hard to listen to the Features sometimes, just because they're more to me than a band. They're friends I can't see and shows I can't go to. It really annoys me that I've messed so many shows and other new songs that will probably never see the light of day. I hate that I didn't get to hear some of the songs on "Some Kind Of Salvation" get born and grow up. I still hate that Parrish isn't in the band and that my Fab Four is gone.

BUT.

"Some Kind of Salvation" and "Contrast"  are amazing. Simply put. "Salvation" is great, through and through. A mature follow up to a solid first album with more true production and better songcraft. I do not like that the old version of "Temporary Blues" was abandoned and I don't like some of the changes to "Foundation's Cracked," but if I hadn't heard the older versions I would love these.

"Still Lost" makes me cry every time I listen to it. It's that touching to me.

I love this band. I wish I could explain this love to everyone up in New York City. It's hard. This isn't just my favorite band, this just isn't my friends' band, this just isn't a local band. This band is me, my history. I wish I could be as active as I used to be.

Now, how do I get an avatar?

[carligula]

To be entirely honest, I felt that the time between Parrish's departure/Universal dropping them and the release of SKOS was a dark period for the band.  Mark is incredibly talented and a great all-around guy, but it really seemed that the band was lacking a crucial element.  It wasn't so much that there was a new guy in the band as much as there was just this vague feeling that they had been "defeated".  I only got to see them sporadically while I was away from Nashville (the one time they played Charleston the entire time, I was in Boston), so my fandom lost quite a bit of its momentum.  It just didn't feel like the good old days.

Fast forward to the last couple of shows they've played since the album release and I'm officially in love with this band again.  It's like a switch has been flipped.  They are kicking so much ass again all of a sudden.  They're a well-oiled machine now and I just feel that they're ready to take on the world again.

I only saw a handful of familiar faces at the last show I attended, but I was happy to see a whole new generation of rabid fans singing along, clapping, and doing all the yadadadas.

[Tom Foolery]

I'll go with what Juan and deathscythe said plus most of carligula's sentiments.

Like most of you, back in the day I was a big-time Features super-fan.  My fandom had cooled some by early 2006, but when Parrish left and the message board was taken off-line, I was done.  I didn't know if the band would stay together or not, but as far as I was concerned, they were finished.  After that, I heard that they still played around town from time to time, but I never went to see them play.

In January of '08, Digsy contacted some of us about a project he was working on and invited us to talk about our Features experiences.  I was reluctant at first but decided to give it a shot.  To get in the mood, I started listening to all of the band's music again.  I found that after being away from it for a year and a half, it was all fresh and new again.  I really gained a new appreciation for it.

But that was still old Features stuff.  I still didn't think the band had any kind of future.  In the summer of '08, I first heard about the new album.  I downloaded "GMF" from their web site and wasn't terribly impressed.  I figured that the band was now just a shell of its former self.  However, just for old times' sake, I decided to go to the SKoS release show in October.  I was very pleasantly surprised by that show and picked up a copy of the new record.  I listened to it several times over the next few weeks and really started to like it.  (Like Juan, I think we need a proper Some Kind of Salvation review topic.)

So now, six months later, I'm still enjoying the album.  Now that I can enjoy the Features Message Board again, my interest in the band is definitely starting to rise.  I seriously doubt that it will ever climb back to the feverish levels of 2002-2003, but I'm certainly digging them once again.  I've heard some rumors about a possible future project for them that would almost be too good to be true.  I'll just keep my fingers crossed for that one...

[ghostflower]

in september of 2006, I began to lose touch with the band. Mostly because of all the personal changes I was going through. I knew things were different when I was standing at the Mercy Lounge with Juanhorsetown, and we didn't recognize anyone. It was one of Mark's first shows with the band. I had not been to a show since January 2006, right before Parrish left, and was inactive on the board, if it even still existed. I was trying harder in school, making my own music, and trying to figure out life. Any extra show time was devoted to the Fluid Ounces. Contrast was alright in my book, "Wooden Heart" rocked my Ipod for the next few months. But the work as a whole was bittersweet, i missed parrish and there was something lost in the music.

I would not attend another show until April of 2007. Even then, I left early because I had to be at work at 3am. Let's face it, I was getting older and had more responsibilities. I couldn't do 3 shows a month anymore. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn't. The Features were in a lull and so was I.

but...in October of 2007, several of us former message board folk got together for a pre-show party at my house. We all went to the show and had a great time, just like the old days. Something changed that night. A new interest in the band had formed for me. Taking a year or two off from the Features is what I needed. I could see Mark's role in the band and Matt's writing had evolved. I really dug many of the newer tunes they were performing. I have been to 5 shows since. Not as many as I used to but enough to keep my interest. Standing at the Mercy Lounge in october of 2008 watching them perform the Some Kind of Salvation release show was great. A new band re-born? SKOS did not disapoint me. I was very happy they made yet another great record.

Just like life, a band has highs and lows. and true fans follow those highs and lows. I miss the days of seeing them at The Boro, but as long as they keep making records, I will be happy.

[carligula]

I think GF hit on something vital.  We might need a messageboard meet-up before the next show.  I think so much of the appeal of the band has always been the ability to bring folks together.

I just wonder when the next show will be.  They're doing a pretty extensive tour in May, which has me hopeful that we'll be seeing more of them soon.  Hopefully it'll also generate some fresh buzz for their Bonnaroo set.

[iwantelvis]

I think GF hit on something vital.  We might need a messageboard meet-up before the next show.  I think so much of the appeal of the band has always been the ability to bring folks together.

I just wonder when the next show will be.  They're doing a pretty extensive tour in May, which has me hopeful that we'll be seeing more of them soon.  Hopefully it'll also generate some fresh buzz for their Bonnaroo set.

I'm down for a reunion. Sounds like fun.

[Tom Foolery]

I just wonder when the next show will be.  They're doing a pretty extensive tour in May, which has me hopeful that we'll be seeing more of them soon.  Hopefully it'll also generate some fresh buzz for their Bonnaroo set.

I was hoping that the tour would stop here because I'd like to see Those Darlin's after all of the hype about them on Nashville Cream.  Doesn't look like that will happen, though.

I think GF hit on something vital.  We might need a messageboard meet-up before the next show.  I think so much of the appeal of the band has always been the ability to bring folks together.

I totally agree!    Maybe we could complete the whole "high school reunion" feel of this archive project by renting out a hotel ballroom somewhere and having a big banquet.  Instead of waiting for a Features show, we could just hire them to play there.  We should also take up a collection and fly Sina back here.

[ghostflower]

I sent the band a few emails about playing with my band at The Boro in april Never got a reply. I wouldn't even know the best way to get in touch with anyone or their management. i could go for another show soon...my calender is filling up.

[carligula]

As far as I know, Rory Daigle is still booking their shows, but Matt Meeks is no longer part of the management team.

[Keith]

I am quite ashamed to say that I've only seen The Features with Mark, I think twice. It has little to do with The Features and much more to do with my aging, much like what JC said. I'm a working man and don't stay out as late anymore. I also pretty much hate crowds. It's not just the Features. I can count the number of shows I've seen in the last year (that I haven't been playing at) on one hand.

I do like the new record though.

[ray davies]

well............

i haven't seen the features live since the summer of 2006 in atlanta. it was my first exposure to the mark lineup, and i was heartbroken. they didn't click in the way that the parrish lineup did. the contrast ep was an even bigger heartbreak. what had happened??? was i growing out of my fascination with the features??!!? or did they lose that certain je ne sais quoi when mr. parrish left the fold??!??!!!

i finally heard SKOS last summer, and it redeemed a lot of what i loved about the features. is it a perfect record? no. is it better than exhibit a? yes.


i've had two opportunities to see them live since i have moved to athens, and i missed both of them due to work related circumstances. i look forward to the day when i will be blown away again by the live fury known as "the features".

[Matthew-CC-Hurtt]

I don't go to shows as frequently, but I'd say I am still just as passionate about them as I once was. I have several copies of "Some Kind Of Salvation" that I frequently pass out to friends, who - in turn - gain an appreciation for the music.

It's good to see the message board back - I think it's one of the things that kept many of us connected and interested - it was that interaction with one another here that furthered our appreciation for The Features.

Kudos.

[StephanieW]

I cannot believe I am just now finding out about this board, but that says a lot about how things have changed for me as I've gotten older.

That being said, my love for The Features has fluctuated between all-out fandom and (frankly) complacency. Like many of you, the complacency came after Parrish left. In fact, I believe I've only seen one show with Mark, shortly after Parrish's departure. I still adored them at that time, but shortly after the show I realized that my multiple trips to Nashville had to come to end (or I'd be eternally broke).

I never could get behind Contrast the way I would have liked, so that didn't invoke interest in driving for shows either. Some Kind of Salvation, however, has grown on me. Much like TF (it feels weird to type that again), I didn't take to it at first. After my thirdish listen I began to get that feeling I used to get back in 2001, which was quite refreshing.

Digsy's mention of our reaction to "Me and the Skirts" certainly does stand out, as well as swaying to "The Idea of Growing Old" with TF, being pulled into insanity by Sina, and the general sense of excitement I used to feel when the opening band(s) (no matter how good or bad) would leave the stage. Now, do I think that any of these memories are possibilities for me now that I've gotten older and changed quite a bit? God, I hope so.

Even now as I type this I sit at my super boring 8-5 and listen to some of the first songs by The Features that I ever heard, I can't help but feel that it's possible. Maybe I'm holding on to something that I shouldn't, but my gut tells me that isn't so. Moving to Nashville next week will certainly help out, and if I do see any of you at a show you better believe I'm saying hello.

I'm happy to find you guys again. This is way better than talking to high school friends, anyway.

[Wiyum]

I'm still as ravenous a consumer of the band as ever, with the caveat that I've just had fewer opportunities to consume. Living in Chicago, then LA, and now New York has certainly made it difficult (impossible in some cases) to see the band. When I saw them at Pianos earlier this year it was my first show since I saw them at the Double Door in 2005. A far cry from the summer of 2002, during which I must've seen at least ten shows.

At the same time, I ordered (and loved) Contrast the day I became aware of it. I imported all of the Exhibit A singles to get the B-Sides. Some Kind of Salvation was briefly available early on lala last year, and I happened to discover it while it was, so I grabbed it (ironically, iTunes tells me that this happened a year ago tomorrow, made all the more ironic because...). Today I happened to discover that the "Vinyl Only" tracks from SKoS were available on iTunes, so I grabbed those as well. I have no lack of appetite for the music, and I still go back to my bootlegs too.

Still, it has been a trickle for me. Partially this is because they've not released too much. Really, though, how different is that from the "good old days?" The real difference, I suppose, is that I no longer get to discover new songs while they're still gestating. Some Kind of Salvation was almost all-new to me (minus Temp Blues, Drawing Board, Wooden Heart, and as of today Mosis Tosis). Compared to Exhibit A, which I feel grew up before my eyes, it just doesn't feel the same.

Still, there's no other band that I have a relationship with like the relationship I have with The Features. No other band with dozens of songs that never saw official release of any kind that I could sing along to every word. No other band with a sizable group of fans that I know primarily as fans of the band. No other band with an internet fan community that doesn't annoy the piss out of me. No other band that I feel compelled to track down every last demo and b-side because I love the music so much I couldn't bear to think that there's more out there that I don't have (my Vinyl-Free life has made "Late Night" an out-of-reach gem for me, finally listenable thanks to Digsy's wonderful site). If I were forced to name one favorite band, would it be The Features? Probably not. But they are the band I'd have the hardest time letting go of.


Wow. So ramble-y.

[DigsySlattery]

Wiyum, you are in New York AND you were at Piano's?! What in the world?! That place was packed with Murfreesboro people. I wish I had recognized you and said hello.