The Bad Ends
The Bad Ends is a rock band made up of veterans of the vibrant Athens, GA music scene, formed when singer-songwriter Mike Mantione (Five Eight) teamed up with drummer Bill Berry (R.E.M) to make a solo album. Along with bassist Dave Domizi (Abbey Road Live, Cosmic Charlie) and multi-instrumentalist/record producer Geoff Melkonian (Josh Joplin Group), the group’s chemistry was undeniable, and its exciting music has since been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, and on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert’s music channel Late Show Me Music. The band’s debut album, The Power And The Glory (2023, New West Records) showcases the compelling, guitar-driven songs that are Mantione’s meditations on the power of love as experienced through loss, survival, and joy. It has received strong international press, including write-ups and reviews in SPIN, MOJO, Relix, Glide, Uncut UK, Rolling Stone Germany, etc. The band has shared the stage with luminaries including Drive-by Truckers and Chickasaw Mudd Puppies, and its performance at the 2023 SXSW music festival in Austin, TX earned them a spot on Rolling Stone’s list of the best things they saw at the festival. The band’s debut video for song All Your Friends Are Dying was directed by Lance Bangs (R.E.M., Nirvana, Green Day) and includes cameos by members of R.E.M., Big Star, Pylon, and many others. The Bad Ends also feature John Swint (of critically-acclaimed Athens band Modern Skirts) on drums, and John Neff (founding/former Drive-by Truckers) on pedal steel guitar and guitars, with Berry continuing to enjoy his long-running retirement from the touring life.
Social Links