When Dan Harris and his bandmates Griffin Goode and Nick Fichter moved into their South Campus apartment, his dad joked that they better be nice to their neighbors. The trio was carrying amps, a drum kit, guitars and microphones with the concern that they might keep their neighbors up with all of the noise.

Their walls are decorated with an Austin Powers poster, acoustic padding and colorful lights that give ambience to the live performances they host in their cramped living room. When friends and strangers alike come to watch the group of sophomores play, there are people kneeling on the floor, standing against the wall and crouching in any possible space to hear them live.

What began as jam sessions in a dorm room has grown exponentially since. In August the group released a new song, “Home,” and is currently working on more music which it plans to release before the start of second semester, Harris said. Although the group doesn’t have a professional recording studio to work in, it makes do with what it has.

The band recorded its first songs as freshmen last year in a makeshift vocal isolation booth, created with a microphone hanging off a hockey stick surrounded by blankets to eliminate reflections so they could get the best sound, Fichter said. There, the band produced one of its first songs: “Blue Hills.”

One time, the group was in Fichter’s basement and arranged the couch cushions to make another vocal booth. Fichter said the group recorded for six or seven hours and made the whole album.

“We had to wait every couple of minutes because the AC would turn on right next to the mic and you had to wait for that to stop before you could keep recording,” he said, laughing. “Those little breaks gave us time to reflect and be like, well, how can we make this melody better?”

Fichter said that the band is trying to define its sound before putting out its first full-length album. The group began with an indie folk sound before transitioning to more traditional influences. Now, they’re going back to more folk rock, Harris said.

The group’s folk roots are what defines it, said Fichter. The group’s influences come from a lot of things, he said, but want to keep it vocal-based to express its musical ideas.

Fichter added he would challenge anyone to find a band or artist that doesn’t take influence from the music they listen to.

“I think it comes from listening to who your idols are and just taking what they do and being like, ‘well I love that, but what if they did this too?’” he said.

Goode said in his effort to develop his own songwriting style, listening to artists like Frank Ocean or Fleet Foxes has taught him to find his own voice instead of copying other artists. He tries to present his thoughts in a way that is original, but has found that to be difficult.

“I think the trick is taking your influences and blending them with your own sound,” he said.

Writing music has opened Harris’ eyes to how endless music is, he said. When he writes, he presents open-ended ideas to the group to see what they can add to it. For Fichter, ideas for melodies come to him randomly – and that’s how a lot of songs begin to develop.

When Goode writes, the words come first, then the music. His mom gave him a book when he was eight years old to write things down. Now, he’s always using it to jot down poems, thoughts or vignettes.

While working on its sound and new music this summer, the group toured in San Antonio, Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee. The band brought along its tour manager and some friends to perform with, including Fichter’s friend from home Connor O’Brien. O’Brien later moved from Texas to Syracuse to play with the band while they were at Syracuse University.

Being part of the project was a life-changing experience, Fichter said, and he’s grateful to have learned so much about the business. He said the band got to know each other and what it takes to survive on the road. While the group played in bars and stage venues down south, in Syracuse it’s had a different experience.

“Up here it’s based a lot more around houses and knowing people,” said Harris. “You kind of have to know people to get into this underground house circuit. It’s a cool community, honestly, because everyone knows everyone.”

Griffin Goode is a guitarist and singer for Shallow Alcove. When the band first began recording their full-length album, they originally had an indie folk sound. After transitioning to more traditional influence, their sound is now more folk rock. Lauren Miller | Asst. Video Editor

Venues like Big Red and The End are notorious in the underground music scene in Syracuse, hosting performances in their attics for students. Shallow Alcove got its start at Space Camp – a now-closed venue – but it meant so much to them that Fichter got a tattoo to commemorate it.

“They always, like, gave us these stamps,” he said, rubbing the design of a planet and stars on his wrist. “So I got a tattoo.”

The underground music community has helped shape Shallow Alcove — they attribute some of their success to the people they’ve met and the shows that they’ve played. For Fichter, having a place where people feel safe listening to live music is a “commodity.”

The dream, they all agreed, would be to take this as far as they can — venues, record labels and beyond.

“I made a deal with myself that I’m not going to step foot in Madison Square Garden until I play there,” said Fichter.

Goode’s dream is getting signed to Sub Pop Records, a “crazy historic label.” He said that’s just the beginning, because once a band gets signed, it can go anywhere. Harris dreams of playing festivals like Lollapalooza and Panorama, after seeing his favorite bands rise to stardom playing those stages.

Layne Lindroth, the band’s manager, met the band when its members were freshmen Bandier students. He said they’ve been a blast to work with.

“It’s chaos, but it’s hilarious,” she said. “My vision is their vision. I want to help them reach their goals.”

When the group hits a good harmony, it’s the best feeling because it feels so natural, Goode said. Sharing intimate musical moments with people, Harris said, is what makes what the band does so special. Whether it’s with an audience or each other, the group creates connections with people.

One special moment that all three of them recalled was when they hiked around Green Lakes State Park earlier in the semester. They wandered off the trail and found themselves in a divot carved out by a stream. They sat on a log and arranged an a cappella song without realizing a couple was sitting on a bench listening to them sing below.

The lyrics to the song were about a breakup, Goode said. But it was ironic, because the two people listening to them were obviously very much in love.

“Everything just felt like it clicked,” Goode said. “It was the most spiritual experience I’ve ever had with music.”

Published on December 6, 2018 at 1:14 am

Contact Brooke: bnkato@syr.edu