Best Alt Country Album - Night is Alive
No Depression Magazine, ‘Best of Everything 2021’

“Their three-part harmony could well be the best since Crosby, Stills & Nash.”
Amos Perrine, No Depression

Voted "Most Wanted" Emerging Artist 
2017 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

Voted "Favorite New Artist”
2016 Philadelphia Folk Festival

"Soul-striking harmonies and folk-rock melodies."
WXPN, The Key

"They sound great and they seem to be loving doing it."
David Crosby via Twitter

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TEOA (The End of America) is James Downes, Trevor Leonard and Brendon Thomas: a band of friends who met on the road and found a kindred spirit in one another. The Philadelphia/Connecticut/New Hampshire based trio credit their name to Kerouac’s On The Road, travelling “across the groaning continent” in search of inspiration and reaching “the end of America, no more land, and now there was nowhere to go but back.” TEOA’s sound weaves three distinct lead vocals into captivating harmonies over a solid foundation of folk, rock and Americana. Songwriting Magazine UK writes, “(TEOA’s) classic songwriting and tight harmonies provide a perfect antidote and an example of what’s possible through collaboration and unity.”

TEOA has been recognized for “live performances that highlight their songwriting, harmonies and stage banter,” according to Stitched in Sound.  A Soulful Sound writes, “Anyone who has seen TEOA can attest to their powerful harmonies and stage presence.” 

Their latest album, Night is Alive, was self released on November 12, 2021. This collection of songs was written and recorded virtually during the first year of the pandemic. No Depression magazine ranked Night Is Alive as Best Alt Country album in their “THROUGH THE LENSE: 2021 in Review - The Best of Everything” list. Amos Perrine writes, “While they describe Night Is Alive as “Appalachian seriousness with a classic rock background,” it is also layered like a painter’s strokes on a canvas. Their three-part harmony could well be the best since Crosby, Stills & Nash.”

Downes, Leonard and Thomas joined forces in 2010 to record their debut LP, Steep Bay (2010). TEOA released Shakey (2012) and the eponymous self-titled LP, The End of America, in 2016. TEOA moved from the album format to singles in 2019, releasing a song per month beginning June and continuing through December of that same year.  In 2019, TEOA released “Break Away” (June), “Monsters” (July), “Howl” (August), “He Was a Friend of Mine” (September), “Footsteps in the Dark” in conjunction with Falcon Music and Sony/ATV (October) and “Evelyn” (November).  After WXPN (AAA/Philadelphia, PA) recruited TEOA to perform at the 20th anniversary celebration of Jeff Buckley’s Grace at World Café Live, TEOA released a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” in December 2019.  All of the aforementioned songs were released on the EP, Light Within (March 24, 2020), which Powerpopaholic states in their review, “[Light Within] is the ground floor of a band destined to go far.” 

In 2020, TEOA continued releasing a song per month, beginning with the Leonard penned “Not the End” (April 30, 2020). Step Inside This House writes, “bolstered by jangly guitars, a sweeping chorus and a breezy effervescence “Not the End” seems like the perfect song for this moment in American history.” “Canyon” (June 19, 2020) was written by Brendon Thomas and premiered on American Songwriter, “a heart-wrenching song with climatic riffs building up to the chorus that features fine-tuned vocal harmonies with whirling guitar solos…brimming with stories and memories.” The James Downes written “A Million Miles of Low Road” (July 16, 2020) premiered in Glide Magazine, “With sparse atmospheric instrumentation backing a simple acoustic guitar, the vocals shine as the band members sing about grappling with the difficulties of life, it dabbles in melancholy before ultimately transforming into a shimmering folk tune that will brighten your spirits.” In October 2020, TEOA celebrated the 10th anniversary of the release of their debut record, Steep Bay, with a special performance live streamed from the legendary Caffe Lena listening room in Saratoga Springs, New York. The band returned to the singles format with releases scheduled between June and September 2021.

TEOA’s songs have been added to various streaming playlists, such as No Depression’s “Best of June 2019,” Spotify’s “Folk Pop,” “Fresh Folk,” “Fresh Finds: Rock,” “Discover Weekly,” “Daily Mix” and “Release Radar,” as well as several 3rd party playlists, including “Undiscovered & Brilliant,” “Acoustic Work Day,” “Office Acoustic,” “Folk Yeah!,” “Hello Folks,” “Protest Anthems” and more. Several AAA/Americana radio stations have been spinning TEOA songs, including WBJB (Lincroft, NJ), WXPN (Philadelphia, PA), WTMD (Towson, MD), WFUV (Bronx, NY), WXPK (White Plains, NY), WDST (Woodstock, NY), WEXT (Albany, NY), KAXE (Grand Rapids, MI), WCBE (Columbus, OH), WCNR (Charlottesville, NC), WMNF (Tampa, FL) and more. “Canyon” was the Featured Song of the Week on WBJB (AAA/Lincroft, NJ) for the week of July 27, 2020. 

In 2013, Beck invited TEOA to play at his Song Reader album release show in Los Angeles after hearing the trio's rendition of “Please Leave a Light on When You Go.” The Song Reader performance aired live on KCRW (AAA/Santa Monica, CA) and earned praise from Spin and Filter. TEOA made their debut at the 2016 Philadelphia Folk Festival and was voted “Favorite New Artist” of the festival. That same year, Bernie Sanders licensed TEOA’s song “Empty Sea” for use in one of his campaign videos during his 2016 Presidential bid. In 2017, TEOA won the Emerging Artist Showcase at Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, returning in 2018 to perform as FRFF’s “Most Wanted” band. In February 2020, TEOA performed as a featured act on NPR’s Mountain Stage along with Keller Williams and Town Mountain. TEOA’s performance on Mountain Stage was broadcast to over 200 NPR affiliated public radio stations nationwide in March 2020.

2020 was quite a test for TEOA: residing in three different states, caring for families in times of loss and struggle, and of course, living in lockdown. Unable to tour or be in the same room, the band decided to make the most of the dark times by forging through with a brand new crop of music. Some of it written over Zoom, all of it recorded, mixed and produced by the band at their home studios, Night Is Alive is a lamp light turned on high. The ten song album, the band's third, was initially released as monthly singles and later bundled as one body of work for release on November 12, 2021. It showcases some of the group's strongest writing to date, including the song "Wait No More," featured on Spotify's “Folk Pop” playlist. 

As venues open up with a safe return to live performances, TEOA looks forward to hitting the road, connecting with their devout following and making new friends. Spring 2022 will see the band returning to tour their home turf of the Northeast US. In Fall 2022, TEOA will tour throughout Germany with the Joseph Parsons Band. Keep an eye on the Tour Calendar as more dates are added.

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Discography

Select Shows

NPR’s Mountain Stage - Charleston, WV
w/ Keller Williams, Town Mountain, Fruition

Sonos Studio - Los Angeles, CA
Beck Song Reader Exhibition
w/ Beck, Tim Heidecker, Adam Green & Binky Shapiro

Philadelphia Folk Festival
w/ Graham Nash, Old Crow Medicine Show

World Cafe Live - Wilmington, DE
w/ David Bromberg

The Outpost - Montclair, NJ
w/ Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams

Pittsburgh Winery - Pittsburgh, PA
w/ The Ghost of Paul Revere

PRESS

Best Alt Country Album - Night is Alive
No Depression Magazine, ‘Best of Everything 2021’

“Their three-part harmony could well be the best since Crosby, Stills & Nash.”
Amos Perrine, No Depression

"Beautiful three-part harmony, the cornerstone of their sound, soars in 'Monsters,' as they examine the current state of affairs."
Mother Church Pew

“The End of America are a spirited, warm, and beautifully harmonizing band.”
The Big Takeover

“Their musical approach, however, goes beyond acoustic guitars as they sample an array of different instruments and sounds.”
Glide Magazine

“Swirling acoustic guitar and keys form a path for lush, vocal harmonies. Hanging in the balance, the fantasy of escape unfolds.”
The Deli Magazine Philly

“...Each member’s vocals ingrains the music with a harrowing authenticity.”
CT Scramble

"The End Of America is a great Americana band that consists of the tightest harmonies since Crosby, Stills, and Nash were young. Only a band of friends could sound so tight."
Audio Fuzz

Voted "Favorite Newcomer" of the 2016 
Philadelphia Folk Festival

Voted "Most Wanted" band of 2017 
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

"Soul-striking harmonies and folk-rock melodies."
WXPN, The Key

"They sound great and they seem to be loving doing it."
David Crosby via Twitter

“... the three songwriters proved rich and bountiful, but was overwhelmed by the airy, floating voices blending together organically. “
Aquarium Weekly

“Anyone who has seen TEOA can attest to their powerful harmonies and stage presence.”
A Soulful Sound

“The music is dark, but also warm and beautiful with its three-way vocal harmonies. Is it just me who thinks “Monsters” would not be out of place on Pink Floyd’s 1979 masterpiece “The Wall?”
Glamglare

“They came across as a band that really had something to say, important messengers during times of trouble.”
Live Music NYC

“In many ways, their classic songwriting and tight harmonies are the perfect antidote and an example of what’s possible through collaboration and unity.”
Songwriting Magazine UK

“Praised for their live performances that highlight their songwriting, harmonies and stage banter.”
Stitched Sound