Wesley Schultz, 9, who wants to be an artist, said, I spend a lot of time on my drawings and it

turns out good cause Ive been practicing a lot! "#he $ew %or& #imes, '()*(9+
#wenty years ago, Wesley Schultz saw the future
,ac& then, growing up in the $ew %or& -ity suburb of .amsey, $ew /ersey, Wesley spent his days
drawing side by side with his best friend, /osh 0raites #oday, as bandleader of #he 1umineers,
Wesleys replaced his pencil with a guitar, his drawings with songs, and plays side by side with
/oshuas younger brother /eremiah 2e still practices a lot, and it still turns out good
,ut #he 1umineers story didnt come so easily
It begins in +33+, the year /eremiahs brother, /osh, died from a drug overdose at )9 4midst the
loss and grief, Wes and /er found solace in music, writing songs and playing gigs around $ew %or&
4fter battling the citys cutthroat music scene and impossibly high cost of living, the two decided to
e5pand their horizons #hey pac&ed everything they owned6nothing more than a couple suitcases
of clothes and a trailer full of musical instruments6and headed for 7enver, -olorado It was less a
pilgrimage than act of stubborn hopefulness
#he first thing they did in 7enver was place a -raigslist ad for a cellist, and the first person to
respond was $eyla 8e&are&, a classically trained 7enver native 4s a trio, they began playing at the
9eadowlar&, a gritty basement club where the citys most talented songwriters gathered every
#uesday for an open mic and dollar 8,.s $eyla softened Wes and /ers rough edges while
e5panding her s&ills to mandolin and piano 4nd so #he 1umineers sound too& shape: an amalgam
of heart"swelling stomp"and"clap acoustic roc&, classic pop, and front"porch fol&
In +3)), an eponymous, self"recorded ;8 led to a self"boo&ed tour, and before long #he 1umineers
started attracting devout fans, first across the Western <S, then bac& in their old ;ast -oast stomp"
ing grounds %oung, old and in"between, theyre drawn by songs li&e 2o 2ey! and Stubborn
1ove,! 4mericana"inflected barnburners in the vein of the 4vett ,rothers and 9umford = Sons
#heyre drawn by songs li&e Slow it 7own! and 7ead Sea,! slow, sultry ballads that suggest the
raw revelations of /eff ,uc&ley and .yan 4dams #heyre drawn by the live 1umineers e5perience
6a coming"together in musical solidarity against isolation, adversity, and despair
#he roots revival of the last few years has primed listeners for a new generation of rustic, heart"on"
the" sleeve music6the &ind that nods to tradition while setting off into uncharted territory #he
1umineers wal& that line with an unerring gift for timeless melodies and soul"stirring lyrics It will
all be on display soon, on the bands first full"length album, due in 4pril
,orn out of sorrow, powered by passion, ripened by hard wor&, #he 1umineers have found their
sound when the world needs it most