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JULY FIGHTER

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Big stage, outdoor venues, music festivals... yes please!

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Hometown	Minneapolis, MN
Genres	Alt. Rock, Americana / Alt Country
Band Members	Jimmy Lyback - Vocals / Guitar; Spencer Franson - ... » more
Achievements	» more
Upcoming Shows	None

Contact Information:	Artist / Band Member Jimmy Lyback luv2wsurf@yahoo.com (651)210-5176
# Years Experience Performing Live:	15
Venue History:	Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, MN TC Pride Festival - Minneapolis, MN Hoon Fest - Fayetteville, IL Memory Lanes - Minneapolis, MN O'gara's garage - St. Paul , MN Honey - Minneapolis, MN The Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN
Opener Experience:	Everclear; Blind Melon (while with my previous band)
Discography:	July Fighter (self titled) LP—2010

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About the Artist

“July Fighter” is an alternative rock, pop, and sometimes modern country band based in Minneapolis, MN. Pushing our way through the music scene, we are dedicated to our craft and determined to reach out to all those addicted to aural stimulation. Come...

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Music

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Achievements

Roots Finals Grand Prize Winner March 2015

Americana Winner, January 2017

Reached 18th in Best of Country chart in 2017. In the top 20 for 1 week.

Roots Finals Grand Prize Winner March 2015

Americana Winner, January 2017

Reached 18th in Best of Country chart in 2017. In the top 20 for 1 week.

Reached 10th in Best of Rock chart in 2016. In the top 20 for 3 weeks.

Reached 12th in Best of Country chart in 2016. In the top 20 for 12 weeks.

Reached 4th in Best of Rock chart in 2015. In the top 20 for 4 weeks.

Indie Pop Winner, February 2012

Reached 41st in Best of Rock chart in 2017. In the top 100 for 1 week.

Reached 88th in Best of Pop chart in 2014. In the top 100 for 4 weeks.

Reached 22nd in Best of Rock chart in 2014. In the top 100 for 18 weeks.

Reached 79th in Best of Rock chart in 2013. In the top 100 for 2 weeks.

Reached 95th in Best of Pop chart in 2011. In the top 100 for 2 weeks.

Top 10 in Rock, September 2017

Top 10 in Pop, August 2017

Top 10 in Americana, May 2017

Top 10 in Americana, February 2017

Top 10 in Americana, December 2016

Top 10 in Americana, October 2016

Top 10 in Americana, December 2015

Top 10 in Americana, November 2015

Top 10 in Indie Rock , July 2015

Top 10 in Folk, July 2015

Top 10 in Indie Rock , May 2015

Top 10 in Americana, March 2015

Top 10 in Indie Pop, January 2014

Top 10 in Alternative, November 2013

Top 10 in Alternative, October 2013

Top 10 in Indie Pop, April 2013

Top 10 in Indie Pop, January 2013

Press Coverage

"July Fighter's" Spencer to move in to Teapot by Posted by DiveBar Daisy 3/5/12
July Fighter claims guitarist Spencer Franson will shortly be moving into a teapot (pictured left). They are planning a housewarming where tea will be served.

July Fighter by Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet
June 19, 2010 A bit back, sometime around late last year, I get a call from Jimmy Lyback of Sunshine Behavior, only it wasn't to come see SB. Lyback was, it turned out, playing in a new band, something called July Fighter, at the Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis. I arrive, figuring it'll be a fairly modest affair to showcase a little known spin-off for which Lyback will be lucky to draw a decent crowd. Guess again. The place is packed. At the bar, affably holding court, Lyback is mobbed by fans, friends, and general well-wishers. I manage to get within speaking, well, actually, shouting distance and, in short order, am whisked downstairs to the dressing room. Lyback would like to do an interview but has to beg off. Seems there's a TV news crew shooting footage and a few other matters with which he needs to contend. Momentum Series view counter No problem. I go back upstairs, find a spot along the wall, and get ready for the show, marveling at just how many charged-up folk have crammed their way into a full house to catch this unheralded offshoot of the solidly successful Sunshine Behavior. Word of mouth among SB followers had to have been fierce. And once July Fighter hit the stage, all cheering, clapping pandemonium ensues. It's well deserved. Fine a band as SB is, you can see why JF is necessary. It's a different bag, departing from the sardonic, poignant alt-rock that marks SB as up and coming successors to likes of say, Gin Blossoms. This is much more acoustic, soft-rock in a warm, good-timey vein. Think the old Grateful Dead classic "Uncle John's Band" and you've got the feel. Anytime you catch them at a club, ask—demand, if need be—for the band to do "Failure to Function," a Ray-Davies-tinged sparkler. And "Know You," a wistful, upbeat swinger with a sweet guitar solo...

July Fighter makes case for larger stage by Monica Millsap Rasmussen 1/8/12
July Fighter warmed up an enthusiastic crowd at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St Paul on Saturday night, January 7, 2012. The group started the evening with some country rock originals, suitable for line-dancing between the tables. Later in the set, the guitar solos broke out as the group channeled its inner Van Halen. July Fighter band members have all perfected their instrumentation. For example, Spencer Franson, guitarist, seems quite comfortable with lead guitar solos, grimacing and posing at times in retro rock and roll fashion. Sitting in with the band was an excellent pedal steel player. While on one hand, July Fighter had a typical genre sound, the pedal steel added a slightly unique sound for the Americana-hard rock band. An early listen to the band would have audiences believing this was another Gear Daddies influenced country-rock band, like the many that have become popular in the local music scene. In fact, during the early part of the set, some audience members were out of their seats, bouncing in a bow legged folk dance frenzy. Then, like an abrupt radio dial change, July Fighter broke out into a hard rock song. Singer Jimmy Lyback repeated, “It ain’t right” in the chorus, but it was all right. The change-up added some depth to the band’s earlier set. Perhaps the most sincere song in the evening was near the end. “This is a love song,” smiles Lyback into the microphone. He further explains that it is the type of love song that is about a break-up. “You told me the sunshine’s coming after the rain,” he croons as he recounts the age old tale of love gone sour. The audience sways. Were smoking more popular, the lighters would have been up. July Fighter definitely fills a club. Audiences seem to like their polished Americana-hard rock sound as well as their rock and roll grandeur. The fact that they’ve worked in a talented pedal steel guitarist demonstrates some originality. Lyback says in the band’s OurStage page that the band is “continually morphing.” With each change in any band’s line-up, the sound and focus of the band changes. But, a band can also grow with continuity. With a growing local following that is reminiscent of Gear Daddies or GB Leighton, July Fighter may want to continue with their mainstream sound. However, they are also capable in terms of talent to break out of that mold, growing their fan base to another level, while also not alienating their current devotees. It will be interesting to see where July Fighter goes from here. Continue reading on Examiner.com July Fighter makes case for larger stage - St. Paul Live Music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/live-music-in-st-paul/july-fighter-makes-case-for-larger-stage#ixzz1oXx4lFa9

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