Jeddy’s final jam
September 9, 2017
Almost an hour past the 11 p.m. end time, Jeddy continued to blast out song after song to their eager crowd. The band brought fans off their feet with their energy level then grounded them again with goofy onstage antics.
Thursday, Aug. 31 marked the final show of Jeddy, student-made rock and pop based-jam band that put out an original album in April of 2016.
Long before this final show, Jeddy was merely another flier around campus. The poster was a call for any musicians looking to join a band and was put up by guitarist senior Drew Steinberg in his sophomore year.
The response Steinberg got was not what he expected, he said; numerous people reached out to him eager to join a band. He ended up recruiting guitarist junior Elias Levinson and drummer sophomore Tanner Schanzlin.
As the band progressed they began to grow in size, adding bassist keyboardist sophomore Ben Schnier and vocalist junior Lindsay Ross. It was at this time they settled on the name Jeddy, Steinberg said.
“It got to a point where we could be seen around campus and people would know we were associated with Jeddy,” Steinberg said. “We got to see the presence grow and grow and grow.”
After the band began gaining traction they booked shows at local venues including a residency at Nectar’s, and venues in Massachusetts and New York, Steinberg said.
The group attributes this success largely to their stage presence, he said.
“People are going to remember how you act on stage above how you sounded,” Steinberg said “So if you’re going to sound bad you might as well do it loud and with a smile because that’s what they’re going to remember: that you did it with a smile.”
Their success carried over to the next academic year, and the band decided to record an album. The process was something they didn’t have much experience with as only Schanzlin and Schnier had recorded music in a studio before, Steinberg said.
The group’s accomplishment culminated into Thursday’s final concert. At the show there were newcomers and day one fans in attendance, and Jeddy brought all the solos, energy and carefree disposition they have become known for.
“The one thing I’ve told people is that we never fought or argued,” Steinberg said. “There were plenty of times we didn’t see eye to eye and had to talk things out. Sometimes that took three to four hours, but I don’t think we ever yelled once at each other.”
Steinberg is satisfied with what the group has accomplished and the level of success they have been able to achieve, he said.
“At this point in my life, every so often I’ll get a text from a friend who’s like, oh I know so-and-so from my college that went to a Jeddy show when they were up in Vermont,” Steinberg said.