The Year's Best

The Year's Best began in the summer of 2001 in Barre VT, where Mike Wheeler and guitarist Adam Fuller began collaborating on original songs. The results seemed so catchy and promising that the two recruited a drummer and began hashing out punk/pop tunes at a speedy rate. A few months later, after establishing some songs, they invited Sean Martin (bass/backup vocals) into the mix. Vocal harmonies became an important aspect of the band's sound a short time after Sean's arrival. At the time the band was heavily influenced by popular emo/pop/rock/punk bands of the time such as Taking Back Sunday and Jimmy Eat World and they began producing songs to that same effect. After about a year of evolving as music performers and listeners and mucking through the over used and genre identifying sound of distorted guitars, the band traded in on an acoustic sound which offered a brighter and richer style that greatly complimented the writing method then used to develop the bands first full length release in September of 2003, Interview with Sentiment. The band soon separated with their original drummer and welcomed Kevin Bell, a long time friend and accomplished drummer. The Year's Best continues to evolve indie pop with their heartening tunes and straight-ahead lyrics as they perform live regularly in and around central and outer Vermont. Live shows illustrate a polish and energy rarely seen by bands in this genre and the band is becoming quickly recognized by nearby colleges and the local music scene. Their second album, It's Not Easy Being Me Around You, was released in september of 2005. The record displays a much more matured collection of songs than previous efforts and signifies the band's continual growth towards a unique yet very accessible sound. The band has resided in Burlington VT for over almost two years now, where fans have been seeking them out for their niche performances in a scene over crowded with jam/jazz/funk bands and metal shows.