page_title: Pinegrove (band)
section_title: Early years (2010–2014)
hierarchical_section_title: Pinegrove (band) / History / Early years (2010–2014)
caption_attribution_description: Indie rock group Pinegrove perform at the Circle Bar in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana in June 2014. Photo taken by Frank Maggiore. www.facebook.com/Pinegroveband
context_page_description: Pinegrove is an American rock band formed in Montclair, New Jersey in 2010. The band's lineup is variable, with singer-songwriter Evan Stephens Hall and drummer Zack Levine representing its "core" members. The two met as children and played in various bands before founding Pinegrove. The band's musical style, which uses instruments such as the banjo and pedal steel guitar, is commonly described as a mix between alternative country and emo. Pinegrove spent its early years self-releasing its music—including their debut album, Meridian, in 2012—and performing do-it-yourself house shows.
  After signing to independent record label Run for Cover, the group issued an anthology of their early work, titled Everything So Far. Their second LP, Cardinal, represented a breakthrough, amassing a devoted fan listenership and appearing on many music critics' top-ten-year-end lists. After recording their third full-length, Skylight, the band took a year-long hiatus after Hall was accused of "sexual coercion" by a person with whom he had a relationship. Skylight saw proper release in 2018, and was followed by several sold-out tours.
context_section_description: Pinegrove was formed in Montclair, a township in New Jersey, in 2010. Singer-songwriter Evan Stephens Hall and drummer Zack Levine met in childhood. Their fathers played in a cover band together. The two first began playing music together at seven years old, forming their first band, the Pug Fuglies, in the sixth grade. The next year, the duo began playing together in Dogwater, a grunge band, which they focused on throughout high school. Hall went on to attend Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio; the band's name refers to the Brown Family Environmental Center, a nature reserve located in the Kokosing River valley. Hall frequented the land for introspection. One spot contained a region of pine trees, referred to as the "pine grove" by students, that Hall felt was particularly important; its grid was visually geometrical, a concept often explored by Hall, as well as repetitious, which Hall related back to music.
  Pinegrove's lineup has been variable over the course of its career; Levine and Hall are considered the band's core members. Since its inception, the band has also included guitar contributions from Levine's younger sibling, Nick, as well as Josh Marré. Sam Skinner has co-produced each Pinegrove album and performed bass, and Adan Carlo Feliciano and David Mitchell have also served as bassists. Throughout its history, the band has also featured vocals from musician Nandi Rose Plunkett, who has since ceased touring with the group but continues to contribute to studio recordings. Plunkett, who met Hall at Kenyon, leads her own electronic music project called Half Waif, which Zack Levine and Carlo also play in as well. Levine explained in an interview that "the full-time band structure [of Pinegrove] dissipated" based on who was available to tour with the band.
  Pinegrove spent its early years performing DIY concerts in basements around Montclair and surrounding areas. Many of their early tours were booked by the members themselves and performed to small audiences. Hall posted the band's debut extended play (EP), titled Mixtape One, on online music platform Bandcamp in January 2010. Bandcamp was instrumental in the band's early career, with the group using it as an official website and merchandise store. The group followed it up with Meridian, their first album, released in February 2012. Spin contributor Rachel Brodsky writes that the LP was received "breathlessly in their microcosm of listeners," prompting the band to relocate east of the Hudson to Brooklyn, New York City, in hopes of garnering more notoriety. Hall spent nine months in the borough and returned home to Montclair, viewing it a more peaceful space to write music.
  The band followed the release with & (2013), then Mixtape Two in 2014, upon which Hall observed listeners began to connect more strongly with the band. All of the aforementioned releases were re-configured into the track listing for their 2014 compilation, Everything So Far, which serves as an anthology of the band's early material. That same year, Pinegrove re-recorded their song "Problems" for Topshelf Records' 2014 digital sampler. After several years of self-releasing their music, the band signed to Boston-based independent label Run for Cover Records (RFC) in October 2015. The group were connected with the label by Cam Boucher of the band Sorority Noise. In addition, the group received help from booking agent Greg Horbel, whom the group met through Dexter Loos, a drummer who had worked with fellow Montclair acts Tawny Peaks and Alex G. RFC re-released Everything So Far with updated cover art that same month.
caption: Pinegrove performing in New Orleans in 2014.
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