Head of Femur October 26, 2007

Head of Femur is a Chicago octet led by Nebraska natives Mike Elsener, Ben Armstrong, and Matt Focht. Initially conceived as a forum for the three to compose more straightforward pop songs while awaiting the reformation of their previous band, the quality of the music being created by Head of Femur was surprisingly high. With a large catalog of songs already taking shape by early 2002, Head of Femur began to recruit musicians to flesh out the lineup for live performance. The nature of the music demanded more than the traditional rock band instrumentation, so strings, trumpet, and orchestral percussion were added along with drums and bass. Following more than a year of touring with such acts as Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley, as well as outings on their own, Head of Femur signed with Brooklyn's spinART Records in 2004.