Awesome Color

After gathering in Brooklyn, NY, in 2004, Awesome Color came together when Michigan skateboarders and musicians Michael Troutman, performing as Michael Awesome, and Allison Busch, performing as Allison Awesome, joined forces with fellow Great Lakes transplant Derek Stanton, performing as Derek Awesome. Disenchanted with the stale state of local underground punk, the three aimed to bring fresh Detroit-inspired energy to the city’s scene. Their live performances delivered a relentless, riff-driven punch infused with the raw spirit and unrestrained energy of the Stooges and MC5 while echoing Black Sabbath’s weighty approach. The sound quickly drew attention from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, who promptly added the band to his Ecstatic Peace! roster. The self-titled debut arrived in 2006, followed by Electric Aborigines in 2008. In the wake of the second album’s release, Awesome Color spent the remainder of that year on the road across multiple continents, opening for both Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.