The Feralings

The Feralings are Benj Upchurch (mandolin / vocals), Nicole Upchurch (clawhammer banjo / vocals), Patrick Bloom (upright bass / vocals), and Stacy Webster (acoustic guitar / vocals), but the name is a bit of a misnomer, as the members of the band are far more likely to invite you to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea than they are to jump you and steal your beer money.

Patrick Bloom and Stacy Webster share a long musical partnership that includes performing in the critically acclaimed Iowa roots bands The Mayflies and The Letterpress Opry. While Patrick and Stacy went their own ways in 2003, with Patrick producing records and releasing several noteworthy solo albums and Stacy growing The Mayflies into a major Americana outfit, their musical collaborations continued, as did their close friendship. In the meanwhile, Nicole and Benj Upchurch moved to Iowa by way of Montana, hauling their charisma, humor, and a busload of instruments behind them. Nicole, being the blacksheep banjo player in a family of accomplished jazz musicians, joined Iowa's all-female quintet, Awful Purdies, and Benj, having worked as a luthier back West, decided to put aside building mandolins and started playing one with The Mayflies. Soon after a very unique kinship was born as gravity pulled the four of them into a quartet.

The result is The Feralings, a rare collaboration in which all members write, sing, laugh, engage in general naughtiness, and genuinely like each other. They travel a vast musical landscape, combining bully musicianship, sparkling harmonies, and evocative songwriting. And hey, they don't bite.