Students have chosen The Sports, an up-and-coming band composed mostly of Ohio State students, as the Best Local Band in The Lantern’s Best of OSU contest.
The Sports, an up-and-coming Columbus-based band, didn’t expect to secure a win in Best of OSU.
Cameron Carr, a third-year in journalism and the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, said that while he was not completely surprised by the victory, he was expecting a more well-known band, such as Twenty One Pilots, to win.
“There are lot more better-known local bands, but I think we had the advantage being primarily made up of OSU students,” Carr said.
The band has four members: Carr, Kelsey Yappel, Brady Costigan and Nick Michael. The first three are all OSU students. The band formed in February 2015, but it didn’t start performing live shows and putting music up online until early fall 2015.
Costigan, guitarist and a second-year in linguistics, said the band’s genre is bedroom pop.
“It’s like indie rock, except a little bit more cozy and a little less produced,” he said. “We use less electronic instruments to produce a little more of a homey sound.”
Carr said that the band tries not to use the distorted bass and drums often associated with rock. Instead, it tries to use acoustic and interesting instruments, such as a glockenspiels and ukuleles, to produce a more cutesy and quirky sound. Yappel adds to the sound by focusing on playing the violin.
The band mostly performs at house shows, which are a part of an international musical network where people host shows inside their own homes. Carr said it was a great opportunity because it’s not an expensive cover charge, and the band members get to meet a lot of like-minded musicians.
“It’s really cool, because someone from Chicago might see you play in someone’s basement in Columbus and then you will go and play in their basement in Chicago,” Carr said.
On April 22, the band plans on releasing its first EP, which will feature five original songs on the free downloadable version, and two bonus tracks on the CD, which will cost $5. The release show is set to be on April 23 at a local show house, The House with No Name.
During the summer, the band is planning to go on tour, performing mostly at house shows all over Ohio and even going to Michigan to perform.
Costigan said that while winning Best of OSU is a nice pat on the back, he knew from the beginning that the band had the potential to be a success.
“I love playing music, and getting to play full-time, at least for part of my life, is my dream,” he said.
Disclaimer: Cameron Carr is a reporter for The Lantern.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 1 to correct the spelling of Kelsey Yappel’s name and the instrument Brady Costigan plays.
