In honor of International Guitar Month, today’s Inspired By post is devoted to Mumford and Sons. After a two-year hiatus, Mumford and Sons is back with an evolved, beefier sound. More rock, less banjo. Same amount of Marcus Mumford’s profound growl.
In case you’re wondering about Mumford’s musical volte-face: at the end of the Babel tour in 2013, banjo player Winston Marshall traded banjo for electric guitar during sound checks, and the band started jamming to heavier instrumentals and Radiohead. The band’s new album, Wilder Mind, was produced by James Ford, who has worked with the Arctic Monkeys.
Perhaps the band was getting tired of everyone from Avicii to Kanye West riffing off its down-home, bluegrass sound. Either way, the boys have traded their tweed jackets and folksy instruments for tough leather and a whole lot of electric guitar.
When you’re a band of rock stars who performs as constantly (and as gruelingly) as Mumford and Sons does, you’ve got to look good with minimal styling time. In fact, the members of Mumford and Sons call their international tour Gentlemen of the Road, if that tells you anything about how busy these guys are. Between June and August of this year they’ll be stopping at 31 different locations, hitting everywhere from Walla Walla, Washington to Lisbon, Portugal.
We’re pretty impressed by Mumford’s style transformation, which now includes a bit more pomade – the boys still rock low-maintenance hairstyles, but now they’re cleaner, slicker. Their new look broadcasts maturity and self-assurance.
Check out the guys below for some laid-back rock star style inspiration.
PHOTO CREDITS (TOP TO BOTTOM): Gallery Hip, Consequence of Sound, Mashable, USA Today
