Video by Mikaela Duhs
In a dimly lit garage, six friends meet to bond over their favorite tunes, from classics by the Beatles to ballads by John Mayer and up-tempo songs by the Growlers. What began as casual get-togethers to jam quickly transitioned into songwriting and music arrangement practices. Eight-weeks into the San Luis Obispo music scene, The Super Somethings performed live at KCPR’s quarterly Open Mic Night March 9.
The band consists of Cal Poly sophomores Davis Leach, Lennon Fanning, Ryan Kraemer, Tyler Hentges, Brenden Sallstrom and Cameron Segel, whose self-described sound of “garage pop” took flight after taking on their drummer, Sallstrom.
Guitarist and environmental management and protection sophomore Leach said the majority of The Super Somethings started making music during their freshman year. However, once Sallstrom was introduced, their jam-sessions became more organized.
“Making a band just seemed like the next step to take from just jamming together,” Leach said. “It happened super naturally, not forced at all … Bringing him into our jam sessions really solidified us as a band.”
Leach added that even though The Super Somethings have more members than most bands, this works in their favor. Each member brings something special and necessary to the group’s music.
“Having more people in the band, especially more guitar players, makes our sound more unique,” Leach said. “All three of us guitarists play different parts for each song and it definitely adds a new layer of complexity, unlike other bands.”
The Super Somethings quickly dove into writing original pieces to find their sound.
Lead singer and anthropology and geography sophomore Fanning said The Super Something’s songwriting process doesn’t always start the same way, but usually begins with a chord progression idea.
“Usually someone will have an idea and just start running with it,” Fanning said. “Then they’ll bounce it off the rest of us and we’ll collaboratively start adding parts. Everyone puts their little touches on a song, but the root of it is always just an idea.”
Guided by musical influences such as the Arcs, the Beatles and the Growlers, the band put their minds together with the hope of creating unique songs to share.
“We try our best to create catchy Beatles-like choruses, but try to make our verses deeper and [a] little more thought-out,” Leach said.
With a few original pieces under their belts, The Super Somethings took the stage for the first time at an open mic night at SLO Donut Company.
“It went a lot better than we thought it would,” Segel said. “There was a pretty big crowd and we just had a lot of fun playing up there. It was a
great time.”
The Super Somethings wowed the crowd at their debut shows with their alternative rock sound and contagious personalities.
In coming months, the band wants to fit in studio time to record their music and tackle Shabang in the spring.