The Story

For upstart Seattle outfit Convent Bonfires, the goal is to be with people. Comprised of the eclectically creative Kyle Petersen, 23, and Caleb Jones, 22, Convent Bonfires seeks to bring unity, share stories, and seek after truth through their anecdotally-infused music. 

The strength of their music draws deeply from a friendship forged on a 2016 World Race gap year mutually embarked on by Petersen and Jones. Jones, hailing from the Seattle area, and Petersen, a native Minnesotan, found commonalities in their music taste, adventurous spirit, and faith in God as they served in their missionary roles. 

Naturally, the two found a home on the trip as the de facto worship leaders. It wasn’t long before they developed a newfound chemistry as they performed improvisational sets to stay creatively fresh. This segued into a collaboration on an original music album, and thus, Convent Bonfires was born. Deriving their name from nightly campfires outside of an old convent in South Africa, the two quickly got to work upon their return to the United States, recording the EP “Story Telling” in early 2017.

This year, the band picked up steam after Petersen and Jones reunited in Seattle. In February they released the fan-favorite “Road Trip,” a folky rock anthem highlighting the beauty of the journey despite bumps along the way.  The genre-amorphous band has been working at a torrid pace to create new music, recently performing some of their new album at Seattle’s Columbia City Theater this past November.

Though they have a meticulous dedication to consistently creating, don’t be surprised if they stop the show in its tracks to make up a song or improvise off of an audience suggestion, furthering their dedication to make it about the people, not themselves.