Last March, Amelia Smith ‘26, Michael Ross ‘26, Joe Bricker ‘25 and Christina Uzzi ‘27 played their very first show as Normal People, not on a stage, but in a packed Furman Eco Cabin. They were washed in neon lights and drenched in sweat. The crowd not only sang along to well-known covers but also heard original songs from the band. Ross, the band’s guitarist, described the show as “the best experience of (his) life.”
Before Normal People, Ross and lead singer Smith were randomly paired together as Summer Orientation leaders after their freshman year. When they discovered they were both in funk bands in high school, Smith pitched the idea of starting a band. When it came time to find a drummer, Smith and Ross felt choosing Bricker was a no-brainer considering he was one of the few drummers on Furman’s campus they knew.
Bassist Uzzi’s addition to the band began with Smith messaging her on Instagram after seeing her cover of a Stevie Wonder song. “I was freaking out because at this point I hadn’t played bass consistently in like three years,” Uzzi said.
Normal People is a band shrouded in mystery, as they use cryptic Instagram captions and a unique way of promoting their shows. To find out the location of their first gig, students had to ask around. Later, when they had a gig with The Lucky 7s, they shared all of the details in an Instagram post through a puzzle that students had to unscramble.
Though an enigmatic band, the members of Normal People really are just normal people. “We just want to play music,” Smith said. “We don’t necessarily want to perform. We don’t want to reach a certain status. We just want to play music. That’s it.”
It is this philosophy that informs the way the band operates and promotes. “We want to make the live music process less of a transactional thing and more of a relational experience,” Ross said.
At its core, their somewhat secretive approach to promoting their gigs is a very personal one, allowing for students to connect with each other by spreading information through word of mouth. “I hope we can make live music fun at Furman,” Bricker said.
Their band name encapsulates their music philosophy well. According to Smith, who pitched the name, Normal People was the first name that all the members liked. “(Normal People) sounded cool because we had a certain kind of mindset going into it,” Ross explains. He feels that the name is “humble,” reflecting their goal to just have fun and play music rather than reach celebrity standing.
While their band name is simple, their musical style is eclectic. Ross describes their music, and specifically his guitar parts, as “metal and math rock with a bluegrass mindset.”
Each member is uniquely influenced. Smith is not only inspired by her studies in opera and vocal performance, but also singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker. Uzzi is influenced by classic rock, specifically Led Zeppelin. Bricker describes himself as “a metal drummer trapped in a jazz drummer’s body.” The band members’ various tastes in music are what make their songs unique and authentic to them as a band.
Smith described their songwriting process using a lego analogy — each member building, rebuilding and adding to a lego set. Ross says his and Smith’s approaches to songwriting are very different, but, when they come together, they create something “explorative but palatable.”
“A Story About Sappho” is a song that all of the band members particularly love, both lyrically and musically. Smith wrote the song based on her dating experiences as a lesbian, noting that her sexuality is a realization that she gradually came to. For Ross and Bricker, they had fun experimenting with complicated guitar riffs and death metal drum beats that unexpectedly worked together to create their “most twangy, indie-leaning song.”
In March 2024, Normal People first shared their music with the Furman community. The size of the crowd and the acoustics of the Eco Cabin venue defied the band’s expectations. Uzzi was particularly excited to play her first show in three years.
“There’s nothing that can compare to the rush that you get from performing your own music,” Uzzi said. She and Ross, who have both been in School of Rock cover bands, are touched that people enjoy their original songs. Ross also marvels at how smoothly everything went. As is the nature of live music, Smith explains that Normal People is “never going to play a song the same way. (The songs are) always going to be changing and evolving.”
Looking forward, Normal People is continuing to expand on their sound, not only writing new songs but also revisiting previous ones. They also have hopes to officially record their music. As for other activities, they teased that they have “something spooky in the works,” so keep an eye on their Instagram for updates.
