Illiterate Light

Illiterate Light
The band onstage
Illiterate Light Performing Live in Charlottesville, VA
Background information
OriginHarrisonburg, Virginia, U.S.
Genres
Years active2015–present
Labels
Members
Websiteilliteratelight.com

Illiterate Light is an American alternative rock duo that formed in Harrisonburg, Virginia in 2015.[1] The band consists of Jeff Gorman (vocals, guitar, synth bass) and Jake Cochran (drums, vocals). They are well known for their high-energy performances and have gained a small but die-hard following due to their intense touring and dynamic live show.[2][3][4][5] They have an unconventional live performance style, with the Washington Post calling their sound "Massive."[6] Cochran plays a standing drum kit and is one of the few drummers to crowd surf, and Gorman plays a Moog Synthesizer with his feet while singing, playing guitar, and headbanging. The band notably does not perform to backing tracks.

The band's sound is rooted in rock and Americana, although they also incorporate folk and psychedelic elements into their songwriting. Their debut album Illiterate Light was released in October 2019 on Atlantic Records. After the Covid-19 pandemic ended, their sophomore album Sunburned was released in January 2023 by Thirty Tigers. Sunburned was considered "one of the best albums of 2023" by SPIN magazine.[7] Several press outlets have considered them one of the best modern live duos, with the Nashville Scene writing "No other band currently touring, let alone any duo, brings to the stage the same amount of passion and energy as this group, and no other band in recent memory can create such an enormous and incredibly engrossing sound with only two instruments."[8]

  1. ^ Greenberg, Rudi (January 17, 2020). "Illiterate Light and its very specific sound as a band: Massive". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Kallao, Stephen; Myers, John (December 2, 2019). "When 2 People Sound Like Many: Illiterate Light Reinvents The Classic Power Duo". NPR. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "LIVE SHOW REVIEW: ILLITERATE LIGHT". East of 8th Music Blog. February 13, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  4. ^ Johnson, Colleen. "LIVE REVIEW: Illiterate Light in Boston, MA". New England Music Reviews. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Nelson, John (November 22, 2022). "Review: Illiterate Light w/ Kind Hearted Strangers". Salt Lake Magazine. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Greenberg, Rudi (January 22, 2020). "Illiterate Light and its very specific sound as a band: Massive". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Best Albums of 2023 (So Far) - SPIN". Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  8. ^ "Illiterate Light". calendar.nashvillescene.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.