RADAR: Churchill

Add Denver's Churchill to the growing list of bands like Delta Rae, The Lumineers and Shovels & Rope who take acoustic music and turn it, Mumford-and-Sons-style, into something freewheeling, boisterous and ebullient. We haven't tossed around the term folk/rock in a while but this hybrid of stomping, high-energy kick and wailing vocal harmonies has pretty much redefined the concept of "unplugged" from mellow to musical maelstrom. Things changed for Churchill a few years ago when founders Tim Bruns and Mike Morter moved from guitar/mandolin duo to a full band by adding a rhythm section and keyboardist/singer Bethany Ward to their lineup. There's certainly no lack of electricity in songs like the high-flying anthem "Change", the title track from Churchill's latest self-produced EP and a bellwether pronouncement that this is a band ready to lift you, forcefully, out of your seat. Be sure to check out the stream for "Ark In A Flood" and the video for "Change" below the jump as we await the major label full-length debut from Churchill later this year.

Churchill - 'Change' from the EP Change)

Churchill - 'Ark In A Flood' (from the EP Change)