Catch Bluphoria at Raccoon Motel
Bluphoria is bringing their fusion of rock, blues, alternative, pop and psychedelia to the Raccoon Motel on November 2 in support of their newly released, self-titled ,major label debut album. Tickets are on sale here. Doors open at 6 p.m. for this 21 and over concert and the show starts at 7 p.m. Raccoon Motel is located at 315 E. Second Street in Davenport. Fans can sample their music here.
“I wrote these songs as a Black man making rock ‘n’ roll in America,” said Reign LaFreniere, the group’s 23-year-old lead vocalist and lead guitarist. LaFreniere grew up in Northern California, influenced by Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Sam Cooke, James Brown and Pink Floyd. “Rock ‘n’ roll started as a Black art pioneered by Black men and women,” said LaFreniere. “I’m taking my people’s music back. We’re reframing it together in our way. The rhythm is the focal point. The blues is in there. Rock ‘n’ roll is definitely not dying.”
Now based in Nashville, Bluphoria formed in 2019 after LaFreniere moved to Eugene to study film at the University of Oregon. During his sophomore year, he met Dakota Landrum, a fellow University of Oregon student. LaFreniere described Landrum, a 20-year-old rhythm guitarist and background vocalist, as “the only other Black guy in the area,” at a party they were both attending. Rex Wolf, a 22-year-old bassist, background vocalist and music major at the University of Oregon, and LaFreniere met shortly after through Instagram.
The band released their debut EP Alone in June 2020 and the double A-side Landfills & Bottlecaps, featuring the songs “Something More” and “Conscientious Debauchery” that November. An EDGEOUT Records intern attended one of the band’s famed house shows, leading to Bluphoria signing with EDGEOUT / UME / UMG in January 2021. A lineup change brought 21-year-old Dani Janae to the band as its new drummer and the only woman in the group. In January 2022, they drove to Tennessee to record an album with Grammy award-winning producer Mark Needham at East Iris Studios in Berry Hill and at Needham’s own studio in Nashville. They have signed with Glastry Management, who also represent the Rolling Stones and up-and-coming English singer-songwriter Daisy Clark.
