Columbus’ Own: ‘Cowpoke garage-rock’ makes its way to the city with A-Go-Go

Molly Goheen, Phoebe Helms, Juliana Hilton
Thu, 15 Dec 2022 06:07:08 +0000
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From skateboarding at the outdoor basketball courts of Ohio State, to performing basement shows and then in The Basement Friday, local band A-Go-Go has come a long way.?

Comprised of guitarist and vocalist Henry Schuellerman, drummer Jack Smithberger, bassist Niko Francis and guitarist Robert Riley — A-Go-Go was formed by four friends with a shared love of music.?

“I think all of us would jam a lot with each other independently and then gradually started forming work together,” Francis, a fourth-year in sociology, said. “And then we were like, ‘Oh, well, we all love hanging out, and we like music and it makes sense to start a band together.’”

Although each band member has influences ranging from indie rock to country, which led to Francis’ overarching description of the band’s style as cowpoke garage-rock, its namesake may be the best encapsulation of its essence, Francis said.?

“I was on Wikipedia one day and I saw the word a-go-go,” Francis said. “And it was used to describe ‘60s nightclub rock-and-roll sort of thing, or like a ‘60s rock-and-roll nightclub. I was like, that’s kind of like what we — the vibe that our music has. And I like that.”

The Ohio State and Columbus communities offered A-Go-Go an environment to thrive and find like-minded artists, musicians and performers, according to the band.?

“I think it’s cool to see how inviting some communities can be,” Smithberger, a third-year in chemical engineering, said. “I was like, I didn’t realize that there is like, much community around music and, I don’t know, DIY music venues and stuff like that. But there really is, we’ve met a lot of cool people, even just in the Columbus area in general, a lot of bands, a lot of really cool people have been really open and just inviting.”

A-Go-Go started out performing covers of artists, such as The Rolling Stones and Twin Peaks, but have since began producing original songs. Schuellerman and Francis both said that they have an affinity for writing music. A-Go-Go has two upcoming songs, “Union Gate” and “Polly,” coming out Jan. 13 and available to pre-save on its Instagram.?

“I think a lot of what I write, it’s an observant, sort of commenting on the scenery around me and how that ties to what’s going on with what I’m doing,” Francis said. “And I think I started writing whenever I had some things that I needed to process a lot because it’s a really good outlet for me to kind of process things.”

Performing live offered the band opportunities to engage with the community and allowed the band members to express themselves in ways they didn’t know was possible, Riley said.?

“The crowd is probably the favorite part for me because I feel like college for everybody is a big? growing period, finding yourself and who you actually are,” Riley, a 2022 graduate, said. “I came from a very rural and conservative place, so it was not as encouraged. So, to be able to come here and to be in this scene of musicians and artists that it’s so encouraged, and to see the wonderful things people can do when they are allowed that capacity to really just express themselves in a very honest way.”

A-Go-Go’s circulation within the Columbus music community has grown tremendously, having performed at a variety of venues — including Ace of Cups and soon The Basement. However, the band is beginning to branch out, having performed in Louisville this summer with upcoming performances in Cleveland and Cincinnati, according to its Instagram.?

“So we used to play in Columbus a lot like a house show or a venue show, like every weekend,” Schuellerman, third-year in ecological engineering, said. “Our next show in Columbus is on Friday, Dec. 16 at The Basement. And we’re excited about that because that’s one of the bigger venues. Probably the biggest venue that we’ve ever played.”

A-Go-Go is looking to space out shows and focus energy outward, Schuellerman said. However, Smithberger said the band members share the goal of playing Newport Music Hall in the future.

“I think we’ve all talked like if we go, if we can play The Newport, we could die happy,” Smithberger said.

Despite this goal, the band members said they’re happy being able to play music in any capacity.

“I’d say I love traveling to play music with these boys,” Francis said. “And I just, I love doing that. And yeah, just being able to do that is, regardless of my mentality, whether there’s 30 people there or 200 people there, there’s people there to see, and we get to give them a good show and it’s special regardless.”