While the students of Colorado College have become accustomed to the regular appearances by Defacto, Drift Road or the recent slew of DJs, the people yearn for a new, hot band to hit the familiar venues such as Lulus, 1020 or Craigs. Enter Spyt: Quinlan Bobro ‘30, Everett Johnson ‘30, Ola Schlussman ‘30, Liam Weisierski ‘30 and Calvin Wooldridge ‘30. After hearing the new, all-freshman group make their debut at the Parents’ Weekend Farty (farm day party), I sat down with the band to understand what they are all about.
The band came to fruition when Weisierski and Schlussman met at an open mic night during New Student Orientation and discussed the possibility of forming a band. The two recruited Wooldridge for a few jam sessions and dinner parties in Mathias where they performed for friends, but they craved something more. The trio sought out to find their bassist and drummer. Luca Zoeller ‘27, a senior involved with the Music Initiative of Colorado College (MICC), helped them recruit their drummer, Johnson, for the job. Later, Zoeller asked them to perform at the Farty on Sept. 27, a mere five days before the event. On Sept. 21, the band rehearsed together for the first time and practiced every day until Friday.
Spyt, a name that arose during a friend’s birthday dinner, eating sushi, was supposed to be an interim name, but it has stuck. “I think the Y is really important because if you looked up spit on the internet and did a whole AI overview, it would kind of like tell you about like saliva…like in your mouth,” said Weisierski, “the Y definitely makes it unique to us because there’s nothing else in the world [like us].” Johnson, jokingly, added that he thinks Spyt stands for: serendipitous postman, ya think?
Although they only formed recently, the spunky bunch have a real camaraderie and have created a culture that seems fun to be a part of. Spyt’s passion and excitement shone when they told me about their pre-show ritual. “We all spit in our hands and then we do this thing,” exclaimed Wooldridge and the band members demonstrated their handshake, forming all of their hands into a spiral. Dressed in skirts and blazers — although the dress code is subject to change — the band deems themselves indie-rock or as Weisierski said, “Post-Rock Jazz Fusion.” The band’s set, lively as ever, played cover songs like “Get Numb to it!” by Friko. Despite the rain, the crowd danced and jumped around, responding to the emerging artists well.
As they continue to grow, the band aspires to make it big at CC and beyond. Starting on campus, they would like to start performing at more house parties or on a radio slot at Sounds of Colorado College (SOCC). When asked whether they will make an appearance later this year in the Battle of the Bands competition, Bobro stated, “Let’s do it. We’ll do anything music-related.” Schlussman chimed in, “We put a show on in a week, like what? We could totally do that again.” While they currently practice covers, they already have a few originals in the works. A long-term goal involves writing more songs collaboratively, producing an album and perhaps eventually going on a tour.
After watching their set and chatting with the five freshmen, I, for one, am ecstatic about this new band entering the music scene, especially as I savor the last of my time as a senior at CC. The band’s next performance will be at an upcoming event in the Cossitt Amphitheater on Oct. 24, but they hope to appear at more house parties in the near future. Spyt can be found on Instagram @spyt.the.band.