When Abby Thompson ‘29 saw the low-effort, black and white flyer advertising a band in need of a vocalist, she responded almost immediately.The band, named Groundspeed, consisted of Alex Burton ‘28 on drums, Austin Crowe ‘27 on lead guitar and Creight Lawrence ‘27 on bass.
“One of my goals when I came into college was to start a band,” says Burton. The group had been playing together since last spring semester.
Despite the awkwardness of their first jam session with Thompson, the members were in agreement that she would be their newest edition as vocalist, rhythm guitar and keyboard.
From there, the band began writing songs and playing shows in the Daniel Music Building. They are unified by their shared love of rock ‘n’ roll, taking inspiration from bands such as Stone Temple Pilots, Deftones and Smashing Pumpkins. Despite their similarities, each member brings their own unique musical backgrounds to each jam session.
“Sometimes we would just make stuff up and just jam it out, just to improvise,” Burton explains. “And then there was one time where I was like, ‘hey, let’s try doing something a little more indie or shoegazey (an indie and alt subgenre)’ and then Austin made up some chords and we ran with it.”
During this particular jam session, the band created the original song “Stella,” and it later became one of their favorite songs to play. Lawrence, the lyricist for the song, says that his inspiration for “Stella” came from the idea that all matter comes from the death of stars.
“Frosty Windows” is another song that is meaningful to the band. Burton began writing it on guitar over Thanksgiving break and sent it to the rest of the group. From there, Thompson picked up her own guitar and wrote the lyrics in about four hours. “When I wrote the chords for it, I was fresh out of a breakup. Then Abby … just happened to write lyrics that were relatable for me,” says Burton.
Thompson notes how each original song has a distinct sound. “I think that’s more of just our personality seeping through.”
Though it has rather serious subject matter, Burton describes “Stella” as being “fun and upbeat,” with Crowe mentioning some of the “bluesy” elements. On the other hand, Burton describes “Frosty Windows” as being “a little more dreamy.” Their other original song, “Queen of Hearts” has more of an 80s arena rock sound, according to Crowe.
The band’s hard work has paid off, giving them opportunities to play at major campus events. On February 12, Burton called all of his bandmates, including Lawrence, who is studying abroad in Scotland, to share the news that Groundspeed would be the opening band for FUSAB’s spring concert.
Obviously, the band is ecstatic. After their performance at FUNC Radio’s Big Bug Bash, Crowe explains that they’re “switching gears” into preparing for the FUSAB concert, not only putting together their set list but also thinking about how to interact between songs and how to present themselves. “It’s something I want to be proud of,” Thompson states.
Aside from the FUSAB Spring Concert, Groundspeed has more exciting plans for this summer onward. The band is looking forward to writing more music together when Lawrence returns from Scotland. They hope to play entire shows with their original songs.
“We’re just trying to keep growing, keep on the track we’re already on, keep writing new music and just having a good time,” Crowe says.
Check out Groundspeed’s next performance on April 17 at the FUSAB Spring Concert and keep up with the band’s activities on their Instagram.
