Fictionist: Mormon Band
Fictionist is a Provo, Utah-based up-and-coming alternative rock band comprised of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Aaron Anderson (drums), Robbie Connolly (lead vocals, guitar), Stuart Maxfield (lead vocals, bass), and Brandon Kitterman (guitar, bass). Former members include Jacob Jones, Spencer Harrison, and Jeremy Bowen. Jones left the band without a keyboardist when he left the band in January 2015. The band formed in 2007 as Good Morning Maxfield.
The group has opened for Imagine Dragons, Vampire Weekend, Neon Trees, Young the Giant, and Shiny Toy Guns. They have produced albums Invisible Hand (2009), Lasting Echo (2010), and Fictionist (2014). Their labels have been Red Owl (2005–2011) and Atlantic Records (2011–2014). They recorded an album under Atlantic, but neither Fictionist nor Atlantic liked the album so it was never released. Fictionist is now Independent. They released their Fictionist album at the Provo Rooftop Concert Series on October 3, 2014, in gratitude to their local fans. They released it nationally four days later.
The band was one of four finalists in the 2011 “Do you want to be a rock and roll star” contest sponsored by Rolling Stone. Fictionist spent a full week in New York City, where the band performed live in front of Rolling Stone staff members, representatives from Atlantic Records, and corporate sponsors. As part of the contest, they recorded two new tracks with producer David Bendeth. They were eliminated in round four of the competition as semifinalists.
The band toured in 2015 with Neon Trees on their east-coast tour (June 13–July 26) and Mates of State. They were featured in an episode of BYU-TV’s “The Song That Changed My Life.” Singles “Invisible Hand” and “Blue-eyed Universe” won Best Pop/Rock Song in the Independent Music Awards (2010). They were nominated for their album Lasting Echo. They were named 2015 Salt Lake City Weekly Best Band Winner.
