Five experienced, teenage musicians and friends in Providence, Rhode Island, decided to start up a band last year after hearing their friend sing at an open mic night. After that night, the five youngsters officially launched as S. Walcott. From there on, things have gone well for the young band.
We’re not exactly sure what that name means or where it comes from, but we had an immediate thought that they were fans of Vampire Weekend because of that band’s popular song, “Walcott.” But, we found the answer – the band’s name comes from the character, Susan Walcott, from The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
We were impressed with their musicianship, style and the overall energy and fun of their sounds. The guys have backgrounds in hip-hop, jazz and rock.
“We’re five teenagers from Rhode Island who have been playing music together for forever,” vocalist/guitarist, Johnny Donnelly wrote. “We started S. Walcott last year…since then we’ve played shows all around Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, and also have released two EP’s. We’ve got backgrounds in jazz, hip-hop, and of course rock, and we believe all these elements are what help us write our music.”
He also gave one of the best answers we’ve heard to a question we ask all musicians – “What is indie rock?” Donnelly replied: “The term indie rock has been so mixed up and used in so many different situations that the genre can really mean anything. What it means to us is just fun, that’s all. It’s all about strong hooks and melodies that result in just this youthful, spirited genre of music that is what it makes it great.”
The band definitely has a great teenage indie pop and rock sound with spirit, melodic hooks, upbeat rhythms and great beats. It’s no surprise that among their top musical influences include Young The Giant and The Strokes.
Other S. Walcott members are Paul Sayour (lead guitar), Luke Graham (drums and guitar), Rory Maynard-Dean (bassist) and Willie Grear (trumpet and synth).
Listen to the band’s new single, “Ghost” on S. Walcott Bandcamp page, and visit their Facebook page.