Creature Comfort

MANCHESTER, Tenn. — There’s a world of difference between going to Bonnaroo and performing at Bonnaroo.

“I've been coming here for 10 (expletive) years,” Jessey Clark yelled from the New Music on Tap Lounge stage in Bonnaroo’s Centeroo on Saturday. “This is the best day of my life.”

Clark is the lead singer of Nashville-based indie rock band Creature Comfort, who played their first-ever Bonnaroo show this year. The band is composed of Jessey Clark, Cole Bearden, Taylor Cole and Nick Rose, who graduated Middle Tennessee State University in 2012, 2014, 2012 and 2013, respectively. Cole, Bearden and Clark met in their hometown of Tullahoma, Tennessee, later meeting Rose at MTSU. The band has played with these same members since 2013, running the Middle Tennessee gamut of performances.

“We’ve basically played everything,” Cole said in an interview Thursday evening on the Bonnaroo grounds. “We played house shows and birthday parties to Exit/In and Mercy Lounge, but this will be our first major festival.”

The band made it to Bonnaroo by way of the 2017 Road to Roo competition, a grueling four-week bracket of club shows against Tennessee’s top up-and-coming musicians."We stopped working on our album so we could practice, and we worked incredibly hard,” Cole said. "Man, it was worth it." After beating 31 other bands from Nashville and Memphis competing for the spot, the band made it to Bonnaroo.

On Thursday, about 48 hours before their set, the band was feeling surreal, facing what Clark called the “single biggest moment” of their career. "Usually every year on Sunday, I would watch the last artist on the Which Stage, and I would leave feeling empowered but kind of melancholy, because I would think, 'I could do this; I really want this,' but it seemed so far away," Clark said. “I'm speechless, and I'll honestly probably cry on stage if it ever sinks in." Saturday, on the heels of fellow Nashville band COIN, the four took to the stage in front of about 200 friends, family and festival goers. A dreamy, funky breed of indie rock followed. As the band performed the first two of their original songs, “Light Boy” and “Blue Blood,” foot-stomping began, and the crowd embraced the newcomers’ groovy rhythm. Later the band showed off their songwriting and vocal merit, namely with their new single “Common John (Sourhern Shame,” during which Clark shone as the band’s frontman.

Consistently, the electric, soulful bass and guitar riffs of Bearden and Rose stole the show, elevating the group from modern indie band to a unique combination of sounds reminiscent of The Arctic Monkeys and Barns Courtney. As the crowd grew to upward of 600 onlookers, the band fed off of the energy, earning new fans.“I had never heard of them before, but I will absolutely see them anytime I have the chance,” North Carolina native Halley Monson said, clutching the copy of Creature Comfort’s “Echoes and Relics” she bought after the show.

After a commanding performance on drums, Taylor Cole, beaming with sweat and excitement, summed up the band’s experience. “I'm tired,” Cole said. “I'm tired, but that was great — one of the best shows we've ever played. It was exhilarating.” - The Tennessean

As you are probably already aware, we got to hang out with “indie space rock” collective Creature Comfort – comprised of Jessey Clark (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Nick Rose (lead guitar, back p vocals), Cole Bearden (electric bass), and Taylor Cole (drums) – in the Artist Lounge at Bonnaroo. Not only did we get to help out a bit behind the scenes with their Paste portraits, but we got to take a moment out of the hot hot heat, sipping beverages in the air conditioning before heading over to get our own portraits.

As though it were fate, women in some of the most theatrical outfits happened to be sitting in lounge chairs by us while we took photos in front of some really badass artwork. They were all too happy to join in on the fun after Cole approached one woman to join them in their portraits. - Impose Magazine

After winning this year’s Road to Roo, indie rock band Creature Comfort will return to their childhood stomping grounds to play their biggest show yet.

“My dad put an electric bass in my hands on my thirteenth birthday, and from that point nothing else made sense,” says Cole Bearden, the bass player in Creature Comfort, a four-piece indie rock band that sounds a bit like Modest Mouse if you subtract some of the sadness. “And the ball has just kept rollin’,” Bearden says of his band’s momentum after winning this year’s Road to Roo, a contest that places the winner on the same four-day bill as artists like Crystal Castles, Chance the Rapper, and Lorde. Bearden and his bandmates slide into honest drawls when telling stories about their folks and growing up together in Tullahoma, Tennessee.



There’s the one about drummer Taylor Cole’s father, a tall and distinguished doctor who over the years has taken to cleaning lead singer Jessey Clark’s grandmother’s pool.

“My dad would stop on his way to the office in the morning,” Cole says. “I found out last Bonnaroo—we were getting ready to camp together for the first time. [Jessey’s] parents,” he slows his speech some, adding that twang, “they were like, ‘You know your daddy’s Nana’s pool boy, right? Yeah, he’s been going by there the past two years, cleanin’ out the pool.’ I just imagine him out there—for Nana!”

“For Nana!” Clark yells out, and all four guys laugh, imagining the well-dressed doctor skimming Nana’s pool for leaves.

We’re sitting around a cooler on the back porch of the Creature Comfort headquarters, where the band’s studio, rehearsal space, and hang spot are built into a two-story house that lead guitarist Nick Rose rents with a few other Nashville musicians. As the sun sets behind the trees on a hill overlooking Sylvan Park, we try to identify how it is these four friends made it here—how this month, after growing up just miles from the Woodstock of the South and recently winning the four-round, sixteen-band contest, they’ll play one of the stages they’ve been looking up to since they were kids.

“I’ve been ten times, they’ve been however many times,” Bearden says, leaning back in one of the dining room chairs Rose dragged out for the interview. “It’s huge because we grew up right next to it.”

A liquor store employee by day, Bearden is a kind of Southern sage who heats up as the conversation loosens. “You know, you keep waiting for it to stop rolling, but it doesn’t. You keep following it . . . it’s just fate. It’s just fate,” repeats the self-proclaimed Raphael of the group, with his quiet-to-loud passion about the band. And that’s Raphael as in Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He offers an explanation of how each member represents one of the heroes in a half shell.

Jessey Clark, lead vocals, rhythm guitar, retail pharmacist by day: “He’s Leonardo because he’s the leader, and he likes swords,” Bearden says, and the band piles on, outing Clark’s affection for Renaissance festivals. The band has gone so far as to accommodate by booking tour dates around Ren festivals.

Taylor Cole, drums, booking agent at The East Room: “He’s Michelangelo because he’s redheaded by nature and he’s silly and likes pizza.

”Nick Rose, lead guitar, audio engineer, amp technician, music teacher: “He’s Donatello because he is good with machines. He’s the whiz kid, the science boy of the group.”

“And I’m Raphael, because I’m an asshole,” Bearden says flatly, anticipating the laugh we give him. “We are looking to fill one Splinter spot,” he says, suggesting that they could use help with some of the regional booking, especially after playing Bonnaroo.

“So what’s it mean, you know, playing the festival after so many years of attending?” I ask.

“What’s cool about this year is all of our families are going to be there,” Cole says. “Our friends we grew up with, our teachers, our principals.”

“I’d never been to a live concert that wasn’t in a bar and grill before Bonnaroo,” Clark says. “I was seventeen, just graduated high school, my parents wouldn’t let me go before I graduated.”

“Why not?” I ask.

“Drugs, sex, rock ‘n’ roll,” Bearden jumps in.

And it’s true—all four rattle off hyperbolic rumors about the Manchester festival that has since become a kind of backyard get-together for the three members who grew up fifteen miles away. It’s difficult wrangling anything linear from the guys as they try to recreate those years in real time. It’s just too much. Too much magic to go around. You can see that those first Bonnaroo experiences, the epic and bleary days and nights, are too much to pin down. But they try.

Bonnaroo 2008. MGMT. Battles. Vampire Weekend.

“Thursday night was the shit!” Clark calls out as the group recreates a working lineup of that year. “I’ll never forget,” he continues. “I was there alone and [MGMT] played ‘Electric Feel’ . . . I don’t know what it was about it. Or My Morning Jacket played really late and it was raining.”

Clark also remembers in 2010 when Thomas Mars of Phoenix—whose voice Clark’s resembles in terms of his ease and a certain boyish, raspy quality—scaled the scaffolding and shared his mic with the crowd as the chorus hit. “It was mind blowing. That’s when I was like, Fuck, I want to be up there . . . It’s when I first got that spark, that ember, you know?”

Now, about a decade after those transformative shows, Creature Comfort has earned their way onto one of the Bonnaroo stages, which, for a number of bands who are up-and-coming, can be a turning point. The contest was stressful and forced the band to step away from recording their second full-length, but they had a great time—though it’s hard imagining these guys not enjoying getting out and playing together.

“Music’s not a competition usually,” Rose says of the contest. “It’s a weird thing to [make it into], and we refused to treat it as a competition. We actually got made fun of for making friends with the other bands,” he continues, explaining how they mingled with bands before shows when it could have been contentious. They’ve maintained those Road to Roo relationships since and plan to play with some of the bands they competed against.

“The Nashville final was the biggest show I’ve ever played,” Clark says.

“It was packed,” Rose chimes in. “Which makes it a billion times more fun.”

For the Road to Roo city and state finals, they enlisted a lighting crew consisting of Eric Doran and Ryan Wells—one of Cole’s trusted teams that he uses at The East Room. And then there were flowers. “Instead of receiving flowers, we wanted to give them to people,” Bearden says, describing a chorus of singing audience members climbing the stage and tossing flowers into the crowd. Local florist Rachel Wayne (owner of the The Daily Bloom) provided the flowers that made those final rounds so special.

“We have amazing people around us, and we’re really thankful to have them,” Cole says.

“If you listen to our music, it’s friend-heavy,” Bearden says. “It’s often about the power of community and friendship in general. Those shows really exhibited that.”

“That’s funny,” Clark says, having never considered that so much of the lyrical content accompanying the energetic indie songs—which have a kind of Death Cab for Cutie sound without so much of the scarves, caps, sweaters, and gray weather—is about friendship.

“But I have the best friends,” Clark says laughing, defending songs like “Friend of a Friend” and “All My Friends” from their 2013 album Fox Tales. As evidenced by their years of making music together in high school, college, and since, to their regular Dungeons and Dragons sessions, friendship is the foundation of Creature Comfort.

Speaking to their escalating, all-in approach to the contest and the way they’ve lined up their lives around the band, Bearden says, “You only get one shot at doing anything . . . I’d hate to piss it all away on something I don’t care about.”

“Yeah, at least for me, I don’t want to be old and have a regret that I didn’t try,” Clark says. He explains that because of the expectation of his parents, who didn’t finish college, he attended and graduated. “If I didn’t do that, I would have been a disappointment, but I didn’t do it just for them, I did it for me. My dad, he used to give me shit”—he dips into his father’s drawl—“‘Well, son, I used to want to be a quarterback, but you know I had to realize it ain’t all a dream.’ But I graduated, and I’m still doing the band . . . ”

“I figured out how to do both,” Rose completes Clark’s thought. All four of the guys have graduated from college and are working and doing the band full time.

Beyond Bonnaroo, Creature Comfort is eager to continue working on their new record and is releasing a song, “Common John (Southern Shame),” this month. The panoramic, self-produced track gets at the heart of who and where Creature Comfort is—stuck between Tullahoma and the city. In the first lines Clark sings, “It’s been decided by the priest I’m just a Common John / Diggin’ holes in the dirt just to pass the time.” The song questions where a person finds his place. Is it somewhere between the “dirt” and the glassy heights of the New Nashville skyline, which Clark describes in the second verse as “busy bees” building hives? The ’80s-influenced track, with its shimmering guitars, driving bass, opened-up drums, and Clark’s mellow-to-howl tenor, is the perfect backdrop for this cautionary tale about what happens when you let others decide your fate.

These four friends and bandmates seem to believe in the same things, and unlike the speaker in “Common John,” they see the future with a certain clarity. It just keeps rolling, as Bearden says. Their path, the dream, this road to Roo and beyond, it’s all out there in front of them. It makes me recall Kerouac’s road: “There [is] nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” - NATIVE Magazine

This is a fascinating and weird video for us to premiere by Creature Comfort. Even after knowing more about it, questions still linger and if art isn’t thought provoking what good is it? It may sound gentle, but it goes straight into your chest and stays there.

They call their music indie space rock, which is perfect, and a rare sound in Nashville. Their lead singer Jessey is a Pharmacist by day; it’s truly a passion project for him. Their new EP Echoes & Relics tackles topics of the misconception of love and questioning reality while carrying the listener through moody, vivid landscapes. - Live in Limbo

Hailing from Nashville, TN, four-piece Creature Comfort combine lush chordal movements with moving, dominant basslines to create indie space-pop well worth listening to. Their latest release, Echoes & Relics, hits the musical sphere today (8th April), and offers a plentiful alternative to the desiccation of many indie-rock bands.

With bass lines prominent and bold, flavouring in the jazz inspiration of giants such as Weather Report – and a coinciding of The Shins and Fleet Foxes flavoured happiness and sonic warmth – Echoes & Relics offer an eclectically diverse yet well sewed together collection of tracks.

Wonderfully performed, the five-song EP will serve as an apt welcome to the sunshine of the spring months. From “Blue Blood (Dark Boy)’s” ascending and optimistic vocal lines to “Sugar Cookies” downbeat and Jaco Pastorious melodic bass melodies, the album moves with a sophisticated stride that no too many indie artists can live up to.

Perfecting to The Beatle’s workmanship, all the tracks are meticulously crafted and exceptionally well written. With summer just around the corner, it might be the perfect time to get ready for the sunshine with Creature Comfort’s comforting new release. - Independent Music News

Nashville’s Creature Comfort calls themselves “Indie Space Rock.” This very accurately describes their sound (spanky, clean guitars soaked in echo and woozy synths bending in and out of tune with themselves), but it leaves one thing out that I think is a huge reason to give this band your attention: Their songwriting. On their latest EP, Echoes and Relics, out now, the writing is in full display over the top of a crisp, well-rehearsed band.

The lyrics are clear, clever, and meaningful, and lead singer Jessey Clark’s declamatory style of singing contrasts the band’s lush, tight dream-pop orchestration. Themes of guilt, shame, andself-doubt pervade the record, yet leave me with a feeling of redemption upon finishing. First of all, listen to Blue Blood (Dark Boy).

Speaking to himself? Speaking to a friend in a rut? Either way, it speaks to the listener. The tambourines shake, the guitars sparkle, the basslines move up and down, and above it all, Clark’s voice stands out. It’s honest and not overly affected.

When a band has such skilled musicians, they can show off as much as they want, and there are select moments where Nick Rose takes a smart, classic-sounding guitar solo or peppers in a quick fill here or there. Drummer Taylor Cole is on showcase for the whole EP. Cole Bearden’s basslines move quickly through every song. They’re not showy, but they sure are good. The bass is active and an interesting layer to keep track of on successive listens. The synths are very well-chosen, and form a perfect backdrop, even ending the album with a set of 8-bit arpeggios.

The key here is that the band doesn’t show off for 5 straight tracks. They marry their playing perfectly with the songs themselves, allowing the listener to choose what to listen to, which is perfect. - The Revue

Tennessee space indie rock quartet Creature Comfort took Bonnaroo by storm and we got a chance to hang out with them in the artist lounge. Jessey Clark (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Nick Rose (lead guitar, back up vocals), Cole Bearden (electric bass), and Taylor Cole (drums) are a passionate band whose music offers a refreshing take on alternative/indie rock. They are a super close knit group, and this is reflected in their music. They were gracious enough to let us interview them and it came out phenomenally. - Impose Magazine

Small Stage Find: Creature Comfort

Creature Comfort is a noisy, poppy four-piece from Nashville who are reminiscent of Modest Mouse or Death Cab for Cutie but louder than either one. Lead singer Jessey Clark’s lyrics were wry and interesting and stuck out from the noisy power pop, highlighted by lead guitarist Nick Rose’s continually inventive soloing. Dynamic on stage and noisy in all the right ways but backed with a surprising wit, this is definitely a band to keep an eye on. - Blank News

Creature Comfort's Taylor Cole sums up what it means for the band to have been picked to play this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in one word: Everything.

The group is scheduled to perform today at 2:45 p.m., and bandmates Jessey Clark, Cole Bearden and Nick Rose all offer similar notes.

"It is the highlight of our career so far," Rose said.

"I'm hoping it's the turning point," Cole said.

Clark agreed, and went a step further.

"I'm hoping it leads to being able to quit my day job."

Clark is a pharmacist, but said he would happily give that up to be able to pay his bills with the money he makes from playing with the band.

Creature Comfort, a Nashville- based quartet, won this year's Road to Roo and the right to perform during the festival. All four are from the Nashville area and have been attending the Bonnaroo festival in Coffee County, Tenn., for years.

Clark said in the past he has left frustrated.

"Not because the music wasn't good, but because I felt like it should be us up there," he said.

Bearden said the band has used the opportunities to watch and learn.

"Every show becomes a critique," he said. "We pick them apart and look for things to use ourselves."

On Thursday before the band's performance, Cole said the reality of being "on the other side of the fence" literally and figuratively didn't hit him until he looked at the "artist" wristband on his arm.

"We've always been in general camping, so to look at it and it says "Artist" and we can go backstage and into areas we never could before, it's just so cool."

Rose said the band will release their new single "Common John (Southern Shame)" on Tuesday. - Times Free Press

It’s been a notable 2017 thus far for local indie rockers Creature Comfort. They nabbed the statewide Road To Roo crown, landing them a coveted spot at Bonnaroo this summer, and are gearing up for the release of new music ahead of the mid-June megafest. Today, they are releasing an acoustic video for their 2016 single “Light Boy,” which appeared on their Echoes & Relics album. The stripped down sound certainly takes the track in another direction, dialing back the jangly guitar riffs and upbeat delivery, and transforming it into a more introspective, campfire style duet featuring CC frontman Jessey Clark with help from Alex Robinson.

We asked Jessey about the genesis of the video, and he tells us, “One day in early winter I went over to my good friend Al’s house (Alex Robinson) to hangout out and catch up. He was writing/recording music as per usual. I walked in his kitchen/studio and he said to me ‘What do you think of this?’ He started playing this acoustic version of our song ‘Light Boy’ and I just really loved it. It’s a completely different reflection of the same song, yet still provides the emotion I wanted the lyrics to convey.”

Head below to dig into the acoustic earworm below, and keep your eye on Creature Comfort, as we expect big things ahead of their Bonnaroo debut next month. - No Country For New Nashville

This Nashville foursome make tranquil indie pop, but there’s something unsettling beneath the jangly guitars, subtle space-rock moodiness, and thoughtful lyrics. The same is true of its ambitious (especially for an indie outfit), fantasy-driven music videos. If Death Cab for Cutie and Explosions in the Sky were locked in a basement together, it might sound a bit like this - The Charlotte Observer

Nashville, Tennessee in the house with the eclectic indie rock of Creature Comfort and their track “Teeth for days”, with a beach like flow of the melodies and Jessey’s voice this young band make up one of the most thrilling indie rock acts that I’ve heard. This song sets the mood for the perfect ride to the beach, to the dessert or to nowhere in particular just enjoy the ride and let their music guide you through the road as you go through the landscape picturing their soundscape in vivid technicolor. Simply amazing and a must follow/must listen style that will capture you the instant you listen to them. - Wolf In A Suit

Indie rock outfit Creature Comfort just premiered this epic video for "All My Friends" yesterday. Warning: the raging ''Game of Thrones" styling and firelit nudity may distract from what a solid jam it is. It keeps the pace at a laid-back amble until the chorus, when Jessey Clark's vocals take on an aggressive yet doleful tone. The Deli Nashville recommends watching the video, and then replaying it minimized to fully absorb the vibe of the track, because hearing the guitar hit its high notes near the end definitely releases some dopamine. Combine that with a few flashes of boobs, Creature Comfort will have you feeling good all day. The band's next show in Nashville is on June 2nd at fooBar, and June 5th at the 5-Spo - The Deli Nashville

Creature Comfort is easily the most underrated band on my list. With an album like Fox Tales you’d think they were a multi-national touring band with nice shiny record deal. Unfortunately, this is not true. Creature Comfort is simply an awesome local band from Nashville, TN that was smart enough to put their music up on Spotify. I sat down with the guys for a video interview a few weeks ago. You can see that interview at the bottom of this page.

I first heard of Creature Comfort in the Spring of 2013 when my good friend, and WatchPlayRead staffer Kristi, sent me a link to check out the song “Friend of a Friend” on Spotify. Now, I must admit Kristi sends me a lot of songs, and I do enjoy almost all of them quite a bit. Friend of a Friend was different though. Right away the lyrics hit me hard, especially the first verse.

"The day that constance breathed
I wore my Heart on my sleeve
And tossed and turned while awake
and slept through my mistakes
Black eyes and broken teeth
Another ice cream treat that the sun melts away before you ate it
A free spirt is just a good excuse to be used and be used and be used
A free spirt is just a good excuse to be used and be used and be used"

I listened to Friend of a Friend on repeat for weeks before I started listening to the rest of the album. I fell in love with Fox Tales from the get go. The beautiful art work, amazing songs, and for the most part, very fluid producing. I love an album that tells a story, and Fox Tales does this in an epic way. Creature Comfort manages to capture the emotion of young adulthood so vividly you can’t help but relate to every song. You can feel the frustrations, the misunderstandings, and the inflated emotions; it’s quite beautiful.

Another song that really spoke to me was “Riptide.” The mind blowing guitar parts by Nick Rose elevate this song to a level that’s reminiscent of Johnny Marr of Morrissey fame. All the while Jessey Clark is pouring his soul out in vocals that raise the hair on the back of your arms. During the second half of the song the rhythm section comes alive. Cole Bearden’s bass lines are just as beautiful as Rose’s guitar work, and the drums come through in an emotional way that mirrors Clark’s singing.

Riptide, and Friend of a Friend are the two songs that have the most notable somber feel to them, and that is most likely why they were the most appealing to me. However, that doesn’t stop the rest of the album from being nothing short of amazing. - WatchPlayRead

Never underestimate the influence of alluring album art! I know nothing of Creature Comfort beyond the fact that they tagged themselves from Nashville, have eye catching album artwork and often create a bit of raucous upbeat, layered indie rock (sometimes it’s not so raucous but it’s still smart, enjoyable tunes). I suggest starting with “Friend of a Friend.” - We Own This Town

This humble alternative band is birthed straight out of the south from Nashville, Tennessee and their name Creature Comfort describes it all. The band frequently plays local shows and has garnered quite a generous following, which has resulted in recording and now releasing their debut full-length album Fox Tales earlier this year.

Fox Tales has tones that remind one of bands like Grizzly Bear, Modest Mouse and Spoon. The melodies are really chill and the lead vocalist has a great sound that tells stories that are influenced and based around each of the band members lives. The song “We Paid and We Fought” starts off with a hypnotic guitar chord and then the vocalist appears with a matching soothing tone. This song showcases the band’s ability for effects and their success in song building. It is also softly accentuated by a simple percussion beat and later on in the track a female voice harmonizes with the lead singer.

All of the stories told on the album are not only relatable, but the successful song structures really let you feel the concept of the overall album. It seems to be about the basics of a social life, having ups and downs, fun times and sad times, and dealing with sweet and sour relationships. One of the tracks “Karma’s Gonna Get You” illustrates a situation in which everyone is familiar with, the act of just allowing the simple forces of karma to let someone get what they deserve; “karma’s got a funny way of transporting and communicating.” Another great song from the album is “Riptide” where the chorus screams the lyrics “it will be alright.”

I can just imagine the crowds that Creature Comfort gathers for their live shows as their music is both hypnotizing and comforting. Hopefully this album will enable their following to expand into new lands. Fox Tales is a great album if you like alternative rock music. - The Equal Ground