Establishing a new type of sound wave on stage, the melodies of local punk bands Small Steps, Mom’s Weekend and Shower Beers have fused together, capturing the interest of bystanders.
As a result, the camaraderie has spread from the confines of their practice spaces to the general public, leading to a widening fan base and greater acclaim.
Though the origins of punk music in Athens date back to before the bands’ members enrolled at Ohio University, their burgeoning attempts to pioneer derivative styles are much easier to pinpoint.
Jimmy Eckman, a member of Mom’s Weekend and an OU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in audio production, said that even though a hardcore scene has been around since his early years at OU, its presence on campus has changed in the past few years.
“There were a lot more out-of-town bands coming through when I was a freshman and sophomore,” Eckman said. “These bands were more hardcore punk, but the sound has kind of changed now to a mix of melodic hardcore and softer punk.”
Paul Lampley, former OU student who studied audio production and current assistant manager at Wings Over Athens, 33 N. Court St., first began collaborating with Eckman in September 2011.
Their merger resulted in the manifestation of Mom’s Weekend, a band that combines the simplicity of a two-piece drum and guitar setup with Lampley’s raw, spirited singing to create a distinctive breed of pop punk.
Though Mom’s Weekend continues to write and plans to release new material in the near future, Eckman’s move to Akron last summer put a strain on the band’s production and inspired Lampley to pursue other musical endeavors closer to home.
The musician signed on to play bass in Small Steps last July, an emo project envisioned by his friend Grant Engstrom, a junior studying graphic design, and Drew Davis, a junior studying journalism.
Lampley hadn’t met Davis before the band’s first practice that same month, but that didn’t hinder the trio from gelling quickly.
“Things worked right away, and I was down to do whatever Grant thought was good because he already had a couple parts figured out,” Lampley said. “I just wanted to fill out the sound, not do anything too technical but get the songs to where they needed to be.”
Since the initial gathering, the group members have fostered a strong bond while improving their skills, completing a four-track EP, Whoops, by summer’s end. The band has frequently visited the stages of Athens’ venues.
Earlier this month, the band embarked on a short tour journeying through the Buckeye state with additional stops in Chicago and Grand Rapids, Mich. The experience opened their eyes to the burgeoning emo-music scene in surrounding areas, Engstrom said.
“There’s definitely a strong scene in most of the cities,” Engstrom said. “But even in some places where there’s a smaller scene, it’s still pretty established and a lot of fun.”
Though Small Steps and Mom’s Weekend have played at The Union, 18 W. Union St. — Athens’ own dive bar — on multiple occasions, the crew is more accustomed to the house show venues its members grew up playing and previously encountered while on tour.
One such example presented itself while on the road at a farmhouse known as the BLV, located at Bowling Green State University. The band played its set confined io a small living room.
Adam Blevins, a junior at Bowling Green studying English, has seen Small Steps and Mom’s Weekend at both the farmhouse and their most recent gig at The Union. While he enjoyed both performances, the “up-close, in-your-face” nature of the show in Bowling Green better lent itself to the bands’ energetic attitudes, Blevins said.
In Athens, reception of these bands is warming as they continue to make appearances at bars and house parties, distributing their songs through music-sharing websites such as Bandcamp.com and Facebook, Engstrom said.
He added that OU students are becoming more aware of homegrown punk talent in town as the development of Mom’s Weekend and Small Steps has expanded the local music scene, encouraging groups such as Shower Beers to join the fray.
Shower Beers comprises guitarist Donald “DJ” Wymer, a junior studying integrated social studies; bassist Jon Gordon, a senior studying film and English studies; and Davis.
Their sound often emulates a ’90s-era grunge style rather than emo as a result of the band members’ wide range of influences, from classic metal to math-rock, Davis said.
Forming before the most recent edition of Number Fest, Shower Beers quickly put together a short demo that is being distributed on the band’s website on a “name-your-price” basis.
Attempting to reach an untapped market at OU, the punk bands are vying to reach their full potential by hurdling over their biggest challenge — broadening their fan base — with the help of online sites and upcoming gigs, Gordon said.
“We’ve usually had pretty good turnouts, but it’s often the same people,” Gordon said. “Grant and I see kids we don’t recognize wearing T-shirts of bands that we listen to and everything, and we want these people at our shows.”
jd202409@ohiou.edu
