Forlorn Strangers

Overview

Forlorn Strangers is a Nashville, TN based Americana quintet, with members hailing from the great states of Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania & Minnesota. The band is comprised of five songwriters, each having their own distinct sounds & styles that blend into one cohesive voice. Their music is rooted in family harmonies & flavored with guitars, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, & foot stomping percussion. The band was established in 2011 with Chris Banke (guitar, vocals), Benjamin Lusk (banjo, guitar, vocals), and Hannah Leigh Dempsey Lusk (mandolin, percussion, vocals), through a writer's group in South Florida. Songwriting sessions evolved into a committed group, and the three moved to a farm in Waco, TX, for a creative sabbatical. Continuing to grow, they transplanted to Nashville, TN in 2013. Hannah's sister, Abigail Dempsey (fiddle, percussion, vocals) joined the band soon thereafter. In September 2013, Forlorn Strangers released their debut EP, While the Grass Grows. It contains six dynamic tracks: from foot stomping hooks, train songs, and gospel choruses to yodeling ballads and introspective, thoughtful lyrics. It was recorded, mixed, and mastered in Nashville, TN by Jesse Thompson (upright bass, dobro), who joined the band in 2014 for their spring east coast tour. They covered thousands of miles gaining new fans and reviews, playing to rowdy bars and quiet coffee shops. Momentum from tour carried their return to Nashville where they received heavy radio play on Lightning 100, Nashville's independent radio station. In Summer 2014, Forlorn Strangers returned to the studio as a completed quintet to record their second EP, American Magic Tricks. In late August the band set out on the road for a southeastern tour with American Magic Tricks hot off the presses. Forlorn Strangers delivered rousing live sets and the new EP to an ever-growing fan base. Upon return, they were featured as New & Notable on Noisetrade.com, where their record was the site’s fourth most downloaded album among thousands. Forlorn Strangers maintained a weekly residency throughout 2014 at The National Underground on Nashville’s famous lower Broadway strip. In the fall, they were featured a second time as Lightning 100’s Local Artist of the Week and toured through Virginia and the Midwest. They completed a five-week tour in February and early March, covering most of the country east of the Mississippi.  In May 2015, the members of Forlorn Strangers became full time musicians and lived on the road throughout the summer. They travelled 20,000 miles playing music all over the country on a national tour. After a short break, they returned to the road in September and finished out the year on tour. In 2015, they've played over 180 shows in over 30 states. They joined the Yellow Couch Management roster, and signed a booking agent from Midwood Entertainment. Forlorn Strangers will record their debut full length album in January 2016, and they're honored to be working with Grammy winning producer, Phil Madeira, at John Prine's studio, The Butcher Shoppe, in Nashville, TN. The record is scheduled to be released early summer 2016 in tandem with a national tour. To help fund the creation of this record, please visit the homepage and donate to the Kickstarter campaign!