Fort Lean
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Tags: rock, alternative, indie rock
It’s January 2011. There’s two feet of snow on the ground. Just blocks from Brooklyn’s largest garbage dump, a group of people are huddled around a space heater in a wasted apartment above a metal shop. It seems like a place where things go to die. The view out the window reveals a strip club and a poultry slaughterhouse. Even by the standards of a city not known for its scenic beauty, it’s a dirty place.
It’s in this primordial ooze that Fort Lean was born. For five old friends tired of working shit jobs, this is the very beginning, but it feels like the last chance. “You can only make so many heros,” quips frontman Keenan Mitchell. “Sandwich art is exhilarating, but I feel like I’m starting to run out of ideas.”
Having holed up in their metal shop bunker, writing and rehearsing for the first two months of 2011, they played their early March debut in front of a sold out crowd. “Beach Holiday,” “Dreams (Never Come True),” “High Defintion,” and “Perfect” are the band’s first recordings. The result of a weekend recording session, the four songs were released for free on April 13.
Fort Lean is on an urgent mission. They’re ready to go. “What the fuck is everyone waiting for?” asks Mitchell. “The world’s about to end.”
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TheOwlMag on Fort Lean
4 months agoFort Lean Change Your Name [Unsigned]
Maybe it’s because the leaves are turning and the temperature is consistently dropping. But man, oh man, Change Your Name is bringing us back to those summer days on the beach. These CMJ veterans are back with another self-released EP.
“Do You Remember” finds us sitting at a drive-in movie, arm in arm with our main squeeze, sipping cokes, and pretending that one tear didn’t just slide down our cheeks. The next day, we’re driving down the coast (to the shopping center, obviously) with “The Mall” pumping out of our stereos. Fort Lean’s upbeat jams flow right into each other.
The party continues with “Envious.” Our friends are clearly jealous of the hip outfits we just got, but they agree to dance with us anyway. “All The Lights” is the slow dance we seek outside of the house party, but we get distracted when we look up at the shooting stars. Fort Lean knows how to show us a good time.
Fort Lean – “Sunsick” Video from stereogum on Vimeo.
more at theowlmag.comQuit Mumbling on Fort Lean
7 months agoAfter some stellar post CMJ reviews, buzz band Fort Lean is ready . With only a self-released EP on their bandcamp , they have been able to make some lasting impressions with little material. Maybe it’s the hair? Frontman Keenan Mitchell rocks an 80’s metal band bleach blonde curly do, a feature that’s difficult not to notice or mention here. But of course, it’s not just the hair. Mitchell’s strong vocals evoke a sense of sincerity, moving between playful and light-hearted tonalities to desperate pleas for affection. Fort Lean’s new video for single “High Definition” showcases some seriously more here
Quit Mumbling on Fort Lean
9 months agoAfter some stellar post CMJ reviews, buzz band Fort Lean is ready . With only a self-released EP on their bandcamp , they have been able to make some lasting impressions with little material. Maybe it’s the hair? Frontman Keenan Mitchell rocks an 80’s metal band bleach blonde curly do, a feature that’s difficult not to notice or mention here. But of course, it’s not just the hair. Mitchell’s strong vocals evoke a sense of sincerity, moving between playful and light-hearted tonalities to desperate pleas for affection. Fort Lean’s new video for single “High Definition” showcases some seriously more at elbo.ws