Family of the Year, an indie rock band with Vineyard roots, has been picking up steam in recent years, especially with its contribution to the 2014 film Boyhood, which won three Golden Globe awards this year and has been nominated for six Oscars.
The band’s 2012 single, Hero, an earnest, folky song about growing up, was featured in the film’s soundtrack and trailer. The song peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart and number one on the Triple A Top 30 Radio Chart.
A variety of films and television shows have featured the band’s music, and the popularity of Hero led to a run of performances on late-night TV in 2013. Their ventures in popular media stem partly from the their connections in Los Angeles, where the boundaries between music, television and film are often vague.
Drummer Sebastian Keefe, who grew up on the Vineyard, told the Gazette in an interview that the band’s success didn’t come out of the blue. “For us it’s just been a lot of steady progress and hard work. It can be difficult to point to one or two or maybe three singular moments.”
Sebastian and his older brother, Joe (also the frontman for Family of the Year), have been playing in bands since they were teenagers. As students at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, they played together with Willy Mason, now a popular singer-songwriter, in the band Keep Thinking. Joe also started the band Unbusted, which Sebastian joined after graduating.
Unbusted enjoyed local success on the Vineyard and later in Boston. “They had a good following here,” said Alex Karalekas, a singer-songwriter from West Tisbury who considers Unbusted to be a major influence on his music. What drew him to the music was its freshness, drive and versatility. “They were just exciting,” he said. “All the elements you’d want in a fresh alternative band. Driving power but the ability to make changes.”
He recalled sharing a rehearsal space with the band at Peacegate, a dojo and yoga studio in Vineyard Haven that also houses the alternative Vineyard radio station WVVY. “I used to listen to them until I passed out,” he said. “They were pretty dedicated. Jams would go late. I would often be in Peacegate playing music and then they would show up and do their thing, so I’d stay and listen. I’d say they influenced me big time.”
One of the band’s early breakthroughs was recording with the legendary session guitarist Danny Kortchmar, who lived on the Vineyard at the time and who has worked with James Taylor, Carly Simon, David Crosby and many others.
While living in Boston, the brothers started a second band, The Billionaires, which included Vineyarders Tim Laursen and Farley Glavin, along with aspiring actress Laura Jordan. Farley, whose father Jim Glavin owns Peacegate, now lives in New York but plays bass with Family of the Year when they are on tour.
From Boston, the brothers headed to L.A., looking for still greater opportunities to create and be heard. Before moving they spent one last summer on the Vineyard. “That was kind of our jump-off spot for Los Angeles, just to kind of see family and friends and do a little work before we left,” Sebastian said.
Unbusted and The Billionaires broke up in LA, but the brothers kept at it with Family of the Year, this time with James Buckey on guitar, Christina Schroeter on vocals and keyboards, and former high school classmate Meredith Sheldon on vocals, guitar and bass. (Meredith later left the band and now lives on the Vineyard where she writes and produces her own music.)
Looking back, Sebastian acknowledged the role the Vineyard played in shaping his musical career, along with that of his brother. “It’s such a musical community,” he said. “There were always a lot of places for us to play and be heard. And our parents’ generation was so musical — we were exposed to that as a useful and productive way to spend your time with friends. It’s a great place that really nurtures creativity.”
Living in Los Angeles provided new opportunities, including through film and television. One of the band’s songs, Chugjug, was featured in a 2010 Advil commercial. “It’s something that with the right opportunity and the right pitch, it’s really awesome,” Sebastian said of the TV and film collaborations. “In some sense it’s something that I think most bands want to happen.”
He said Boyhood was an especially good fit for the band. Director Richard Linklater had asked to use their song during a long scene where the main character is leaving home to attend college. The lyrics to the song reflect the singer’s apprehension about growing up and taking on responsibilities. Music was a central part of the film, Sebastian said.
Despite the recent acclaim, Sebastian said there was no one moment when the band really took off. “There have always been goals that we have set and we work towards those,” he said. “It’s basically been a series of small steps forward and up.”
Family of the Year is now finishing up its third album and preparing for a tour of the U.S. and Europe later this year. The band has a strong following in Europe, and Hero was a Top-10 hit in Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The new album was recorded mostly in Berlin.
As for a future tour date on the Vineyard, there are no immediate plans, but Sebastian hopes to leave that door open. “I can’t wait to play there again,” he said.
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