THE LUMINEERS- ARTIST OF THE WEEK

The Lumineers successfully get recognition in mainstream music scene with their genre-bending music. The indie folk rock trio climbed to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100 with single "Ho Hey" and landed two nominations at the upcoming 2013 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Americana Album.



Consisting of Wesley Schultz on guitar, Jeremiah Fraites on drums, and Neyla Pekarek on cello and vocals, the band started off as a duo by Wesley and Jeremiah in the New York City suburb of Ramsey, New Jersey, where they grew up. Neyla joined them after the two moved to Denver, Colorado.

Wes and Jeremiah bonded together as they were grieving the loss of Josh Fraites, Wes' childhood best friend and Jeremiah's brother, who died from drug overdose. The twosome found solace in music, writing songs and playing gigs around NY before packing their bags for Denver to expand their horizons.

"We're not reinventing the wheel or doing anything that different, the songs are super simple. The ideas themselves are very simple ideas. Anyone who can play an instrument can play a Lumineers song. I think there's a certain cinematic aspect of our music that I really like," Jeremiah once explained their style.

They released a self-titled mini album "The Lumineers" in April 2012, but it wasn't until near the end of the year that they tasted success. In the wake of their chart success and Grammy nods, the band were invited to "Saturday Night Live" to perform in an episode hosted by Jennifer Lawrence.

Wes, Jeremiah and Neyla performed twice on the variety show. In between the sketches that took on the likes of Jodie Foster, Lance Armstrong, Manti Te'o and Tommy Lee Jones, they sang their hit single "Ho Hey" before following it up in a later set with another song "Stubborn Love".