Spirited Rock ‘n Roll From The Mile High City

Q&A with the Groovy, Alt-Rock Band Rumours Follow

Spirited+Rock+%E2%80%98n+Roll+From+The+Mile+High+City

Colorado’s capital city boasts a wide dynamic of talented musicians from many different stylistic backgrounds. Whether you’re in for an introspectively vivacious night at the Larimer Lounge, a fiery, ear-slaughtering show at Seventh Circle, or an immersion at the rugged spirit of the Marquis Theater, the wide array of artists you can watch perform never falls short when you’re planning a night out on the town.

Rumours Follow, one of Denver’s finest alt-rock bands with a sweet tooth for synthesizers and charming piano kicks, have been broadening in popularity rapidly since winning the local stage on Channel 93.3’s Big Gig 2014. Built from vocalist and guitarist Nick Sanders, keyboardists Adam Swanson and Dennis Hernandez, and drummer Will Hubert, Rumours Follow rose from the ashes of the bands Regret Night and The Broadway, merging members from both groups to create a charismatic fusion of alternative pop and traditional, windows-down rock ‘n roll. The Howler had the chance to talk one on one with the band and get a unique perspective on their recent success, roots, influences, and musical future; be sure to see what the band has to say below.

H: Hey! Thanks for the opportunity for me to talk to you guys. To start things off, could you introduce the band and give a notable fact about the group to anyone who may not know the band?

RF: Rumours Follow is a 4 piece Rock Quartet based out of Denver, Colorado. Nick Sanders- The singer of the band, also plays the guitar, Adam Swanson plays keyboards and sings back-up vocals, Adam uses one of his keyboards as a bass, Dennis Hernandez plays keyboards, and Will Hubert plays the drums.

Fact: We entered and won Channel 93.3’s Big Gig 2014 using the first song us 4 recorded together.

H: What’s the story behind Rumours Follow – How’d the band form and come together?

RF: Nick and Dennis have been playing in bands together since High School. They were in a band called Regret Night for nearly 7 years before they started Rumours Follow in early 2013. Rumours Follow started as just Nick and Dennis then, shortly after, the band grew to 6 members. Will Hubert, now drummer, played the guitar in the early stages of Rumours Follow.

In 8 short months, Rumours Follow wrote an EP, played shows around Colorado and lost 3 of its 6 members for various reasons. Will then made the transition to his first instrument, the drums, and the search for a permanent bass player began.

Enter Adam Swanson. Adam moved to Denver in 2013 and was looking to join a band. It wasn’t long after Adam moved to Denver before he was trying out as a bass player for Rumours Follow. He instantly made an impression on the band and has been a member of Rumours Follow ever since. Shortly after joining Rumours Follow, Adam ditched the bass altogether and plays bass with one hand and piano with the other. Creating, what now is Rumours Follow.

H: How long have you each been playing music?

RF: Nick has been writing songs on the guitar for nearly 13 years, Adam has played the piano since he was very young; he can also play the bass, Dennis has been playing for nearly 10 years, and Will has been playing music his whole life; He can play; the drums, piano, and guitar.

H: Where did the name Rumours Follow stem from?

RF: Rumours Follow comes from a song called “Found Out About You” by the Gin Blossoms. The lyric says, “Rumors Follow everywhere you go…” We liked that lyric because it hits home with us. We like to leave an impression on people wherever we go… so we just let the Rumours Follow.

H: A couple of your members used to play with Regret Night and The Broadway, two former contributors to the Denver music scene. Has Rumours Follow seen more success than these groups, or is it too early to say?

RF: Yes and no. Rumours Follow has seen success much faster than Regret NIght and the Broadway; it took Regret Night nearly 7 years to win Big Gig 2014.. But Regret Night had a much larger more loyal fan base. Granted, it takes a long time to establish a loyal fan base. So it may be too early to tell but we are very happy with the direction that we are headed.

H: You guys are a relatively new band, but you already have a self titled, full length LP out and two solid singles. Has it been easy to get your music out there, seeing as how prosperous the music scene in Denver is?

RF: Surprisingly, yes it’s relatively easy to get music out there. With all of these social media sites, it’s easy to promote our new material to the people. However, we notice that today’s music is singles based. Not many people buy entire albums anymore, people tend to buy only the individual songs they like. Our plan moving forward is to shoot to record and release one new song a month starting this October. We think that our fans will appreciate this because they will be able to hear new material every month.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOLwv5Lyovc&w=560&h=315]
Rumours Follow

H: Who are some of your favorite local bands to play with?

Some of our favorite local bands are: The Epilogues, My Body Sings Electric, Vices I Admire, In the Whale, Racheal and the Kings, Kimi Most, Ian Mahan and Amzy.. We have such a diverse and talented music scene, and we are happy to be a part of it.

H: What was it like playing the locals only stage at channel 93.3’s Big Gig, seeing as it’s such a prestigious show out here?

RF: Playing on the main stage at Big Gig was an absolute dream come true. We can’t thank the people who voted for us and Channel 93.3 enough for making that happen! It was by far the most people any of us have played in front of.

H: What band or artists have had the biggest influence on your sound?

RF: All of us listen to different music.. our influences range anywhere from Third Eye Blind to The 1975. We like to think our sound combines the best elements of the 80’s and 90’s and today’s music.

H: How would you describe the band’s sound to someone who doesn’t know of Rumours Follow?

RF: Rumours Follow is a groovy, pop-alternative, synth rock band.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38GgmSAuzPw&w=420&h=315]
Rumours Follow

H: How do you all spend your time when you’re not playing shows?

RF: We spend most of our time writing new material and rehearsing. Our goal is to get together at least 3 times a week; If we have a show coming up we will practice on making our live show better. If we have no shows in the immediate future, we are writing new songs. We also like going to local shows to support our friends in the scene.

H: Thanks for the time! Anything else you’d like to say?

RF: We are releasing our new song, “Flavor” sometime in the next couple of weeks… Stay tuned!


Be sure to check out Rumours Follow on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with new music and show announcements!

You can also stream some of their library via their BandPage.