With hip-hop artist Vince Staples and EDM duo Louis the Child heading to Mayfest this year, the electronic-heavy lineup needed some rounding out. That’s where PUBLIC comes in. The band will bring an alternative rock sound, similar to bands like Walk the Moon, to the April 29 festival.

1. The band’s unsigned and proud

Scroll through PUBLIC’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and you’ll see the hashtag #YourFavoriteUnsignedBand in post after post. PUBLIC aims to be just what that hashtag sends — a band that rocks without the label. When the band opens its Twitter up for Q & A sessions, fans, known as their “dot tribe,” even reach out with the hashtag.

2. PUBLIC formed in high school

Band members John Vaughn, Matthew Alvarado and Ben Lapps met in their Cincinnati, Ohio high school, according to an article in CityBeat Cincinnati. The three played in their school’s jazz band together, where Alvarado made the decision to pick up bass guitar. Alvarado stuck with the instrument, and with Lapps on drums and Vaughan on guitar, they formed PUBLIC.

3. PUBLIC is battle of the band champions

In 2011, PUBLIC had its first foray into the mainstream at a battle of the bands competition. There, the band impressed a representative from an art development company, according to Red Bull Sound Select — and it impressed the crowd and won the competition. After the win, PUBLIC went right to the studio to record its debut EP “Red.”

4. It’s inspired by indie, rock and alternative artists

Vaughn and Lapps first met in grade school, where they bonded over classic rock music.

“We found Led Zeppelin together,” Lapps told CityBeat Cincinnati. “Led Zeppelin was kind of the start of music for us.”

When the two met Alvarado, they started listening to more modern bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Muse. Alvarado said he brought a punk sound to the band as well. Today, PUBLIC has been told it sound like the Killers. In fact, sounding too much like the band is one of the criticisms PUBLIC got at the battle of the bands.

5. They’ve rocked out in the big leagues

PUBLIC has been on tour before, most recently its Trendsetter Tour that stopped at eight colleges this past winter. But they’ve also toured with the biggest names in the alt-rock world, such as Walk the Moon, Twenty One Pilots and Neon Trees.

Published on April 19, 2016 at 5:46 pm

Contact Kathryn: kjkrawcz@syr.edu | @kathrynkrawczyk