Banners - Fall 2019 Tour
Mercy Lounge
∙
Nashville
Friday, September 27 at 8 pm CDT
Concert Venue
Friday, September 27 at 8 pm CDT
Concert Venue
Entry Options
Details
Description
In the space between piano chords, sweeping beats, and orchestral guitar, an
awakening happens.
As if stirring to life, the music of BANNERS ascends towards steeple-size heights
lifted by frontman Michael Nelson’s dynamic delivery and exquisite songcraft as well as
the robust presence and impressive instrumental chops of his band..
However, a keen intuition always informs sustained success and evolution. “I
decided to just sit at the piano and see what comes out,” says Nelson. “That’s how I
used to write at the beginning. Instead of second guessing or wondering what someone
else might like, I wrote songs that I like, ‘Whatever else happens, happens.’ We’re in a
really wonderful place.”
This realization follows a whirlwind four years. Since emerging in
2015,BANNERS has quietly carved out a place within the zeitgeist, clocking nearly 200
million total streams. The group’s self-titled 2016 EP, BANNERS, yielded a string of hits.
Gold-certified in Canada, the breakout single “Start A Riot” generated over 59 million
Spotify streams as “Shine A Light” eclipsed 22 million. Meanwhile, 2017’s Empires On
Fire produced “Someone To You,” which also leapt past 22 million. Along the way,
BANNERS toured with the likes of Milky Chance and POP ETC, performed on national
television on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! and American Idol, and has had songs appear in
countless movies and television shows.
“I’ve figured out what I want to say and as a band we’ve figured out what we
sound like,” affirms Nelson. “Hearing how people reacted to what we are doing is a big
thing. The concept of being able to make someone’s day a little bit brighter becomes the
priority above and beyond anything else. We’re in a place where we can make
everything better—the live experiences and the songs.”
BANNERS’ 2019 single “Got It In You” illustrates such a commitment. Released
in its acoustic form first, the piano-driven track serves as a positive personal affirmation
co-written with Sarah Emily Berrios. Underpinned by resounding chords, the lyrics
transmit an important message, “You can’t tell that you’re bigger than the sea that
you’re sinking in, and you don’t know what you got, but you got it at your fingertips...you
got it in you.”
“It was specifically written to someone I really care about,” he goes on. “I’m
basically saying, ‘You can do it. You’ve got this’. It’s easy to convince yourself anything
good that has happened up until today is due to somebody else’s talent. So, it’s a
subconscious reminder to myself I can do it as well. It was the first time I was back at
the piano following my own internal compass. It worked out well.”
“At my gigs, I want to make a space where everybody is safe, welcomed, and
genuinely part of a bigger thing,” he leaves off. “I hope to create music listeners feel a
similar way about. I have an opportunity to do something good. I’m trying to make the
most of it. It’s an amazing privilege.”