Home BRU’d Sessions: S. Walcott

Fresh off of competing as a semifinalist in the 2015 WBRU Rock Hunt, S. Walcott joined us in the studio to promote their upcoming WBRU Dunkin Donuts Summer Concert Series show where they’ll be opening for our 2015 Rock Hunt winner, Public Alley. The five-piece band from Matunuck, RI, has their own brand of upbeat indie-pop with influences from The 1975, The Strokes, and Young the Giant (in fact, a WBRU Young the Giant show was one member’s first concert!). The first song, “Clockwork” is playful but insistent, downtempo with an underlying layer of optimism. Pianist Willie Grear’s trumpet adds rhapsodic high notes; Johnny Donnelly’s cascading vocals are laidback. He sings “it’s breezy but it’s just too easy,” yet he slides easily into “the tears stream down her face…I die.” They’re a young band playing at the kind of world-weariness that adults take for granted, but it grants them an earnest charisma. On “Obsessive Compulsive,” certain gestures betray their introspective attitude. Johnny puts a hand to his ear, hyperconscious of the sound of his voice. Drummer Luke Graham concentrates—you can almost see the count on his face, especially in the transitions as Willie breaks into the synth riff. Luke relaxes on the drums when he can coast into the faster drum fills, the parts where he has the freedom to bend the time and lean into the corners of the music. The band grew up listening to Jimi Hendrix, Herbie Hancock—the greats. That influence is clear in the musicality that shines through their tightly-crafted songs. The band concludes with the fun, fast-paced “Oh No.” After rehearsing together, going to school together, and working together over the past six years, they’ve seen each other grow up and grow together in a way that few bands get to. Their music and chemistry reflect the years they’ve spent crafting their sound. But next year, they’ll be scattered across the world: college, Brazil, Australia, Switzerland, and elsewhere – so catch them while you still can!    

S. Walcott and Public Alley, this Friday 7/24, 7:00pm @ Waterplace Park in Providence, FREE as always. Turn out!