From left to right: Henry Schuellerman, Jack Smithberger, Colin Palmieri, Niko Francis and Case Koernerat of Columbus-based garage rock band A-Go-Go backstage at Newport Music Hall on Dec. 8. Courtesy of Maria Cardillo
Columbus-based garage-rock band A-Go-Go has already made a significant impact on the local music scene — even though its debut full-length album isn’t set to release until Friday.
Featuring bassist Niko Francis, guitarist and vocalist Henry Schuellerman, drummer Jack Smithberger and guitarist Case Koerner, A-Go-Go has steadily expanded its discography since 2023, when it released two EPs titled “Super Sport Singles” and “It’s Alright,” followed by another EP, “Best House,” in April 2024.
The band’s most recent EP, “On & On,” was released Jan. 14. Now, the quartet is gearing up to share its first-ever LP — short for “long play” album — “Today, Today,” which is set to release Friday.
Francis said the album, consisting of 10 tracks, will be released through Caamp banjoist Evan Westfall’s local label Super Sport Records and will be available on all streaming platforms, along with limited batches of vinyl.
Schuellerman said the earliest conversations about the LP arose nearly three years ago and were largely inspired by Chicago-based alternative band Twin Peaks’ 2016 album “Down in Heaven.”
“Of course, it’s changed as we’ve worked on it,” Schuellerman said. “Some of the songs have been written for a year or two years, but they’ve all changed and been edited and agreed upon.”
Francis said this album is special because it represents the time when the band members grew up, having all graduated from Ohio State in the spring and summer of 2024.
“A lot of the songs are about growing up,” Francis said. “There are songs for the party, but there are also songs for after the party. There are a lot of feelings that go along with the highs and lows of being in your early 20s, and I feel like this record captures a lot of those feelings, and a lot of the songs feel very cathartic to play live because of that.”
Francis reflected on the band’s time at Ohio State, saying that its sound has matured a lot since the members first met and began playing shows during their freshman year in 2020.
“It’s much more intentional — not that our previous releases haven’t been intentional, but I feel like this is a different intentionality and maturity than our other releases,” Francis said. “When we first started the band, our whole thing was that we wanted to play house shows, you know, ‘Let’s get sweaty and play house shows.’ And now, as we have matured as people, I think our sound has matured too. Now, we get sweaty with intention.”
Francis and Schuellerman agreed that working in a band with four people means that maintaining one cohesive sound and style can prove to be a bit challenging.
“There are some party songs, some slower songs, some that are kind of folk,” Francis said. “Each EP sounds a little different from each other, and as a band with four members, we were really leaning into the variety of what all of us listen to, and I feel like the LP ties in all the themes from all the things we have released in the past as one cohesive album.”
The main difference with this release, Schuellerman said, has been recording in the studio for the first time.
“We recorded it in a studio rather than at home,” Schuellerman said. “It’s a higher quality, and we had more resources, which has helped a lot. It’s also been more collaborative. There’s a lot more writing and arranging than there was in the past.”
Along with working in a studio for the first time, Francis said this was the first time the band has worked with producers to create an album.
Francis said Colin Croom of Twin Peaks and Jesse Henry — a producer who has previously helped produce albums for Columbus-based band Caamp — have helped bring the album from just a concept to reality.
“It’s been really fun to have other people in the room to bounce ideas off of,” Francis said. “Being in a band feels a lot like being on a sports team, and then the producer is kind of like your coach in the studio. They help everyone be their best selves, and they help us be the best we can be together too.”
Francis said though all four members of the band have recently graduated from Ohio State, they will continue to make music for as long as they can.
“We hope that as we grow and mature, that the band continues to grow and mature,” Francis said. “We would like to see A-Go-Go bring as many people together as possible — people from everywhere, not just Ohio. We hope that with each release, we can make the A-Go-Go community bigger, and we’re hoping that this release does that too.”
For more information about A-Go-Go’s upcoming releases and tour dates, visit the band’s Instagram page.
