Stage Fright is an up-and-coming alternative rock band. Lucy, Lily, Haley, Salemn and Kaitlyn were once strangers but are now bound together by their unquenchable passion for new sound and music.
The story of Stage Fright began in 2020, the year of the pandemic.
Salemn, Lucy, and Kaitlyn were dedicated music students in need of a safe and available space to practice as the usual practice rooms reserved for music majors had been closed down. Quickly, an empty, run-down building at the corner of Bagby and Speight Avenue became prime real estate.
In the echoing, acoustic halls, Salemn, Lucy, and Kaitlyn began to pass by each other often, coming and going from their late-night practice sessions. But when their sounds overlapped, it soon became a fight to disrupt and overpower the others. Over time, the three were drawn to the ever-shifting sound of disequilibrium they generated together.
Salemn made the first move. Stopping the others one day in the same abandoned building, they asked them if they were willing to help them record their newest composition. Excited and willing, Kaitlyn began bringing her sister Lily, a keyboard hobbyist, to the practices; Salemn recruited Haley, a fellow music major, to play the drum kit.
Lucy's brutal electric guitar, Lily's classy keyboard, Haley's free-wheeling drumset, Salemn's metallic dry voice and Kaitlyn's steady bass layered onto each other to create new and passionate riffs.
In December 2020, the group made their official debut at the university's annual Winterfest. That night they exited the stage to the deafening cheers of their fellow students.
They named their group Stage Fright in an attempt to own their insecurities. What they did not know was how this would transform the meaning of the term 'stage fright'.
Janice Yoder (a member of the Rolling Stones) put it this way: "Stage fright is generally the nervousness one feels when on stage. With the lights blinding you and the crowd’s eyes fixed on your every move, it's hard not to be. But, Stage Fright, once on the stage, shows how to disown your fear...by owning it. Their music mesmerizes the fears in us all."
Stage Fright's name especially reminds the band of the insecurities they had their first night on stage. Despite their growth and gradual defeat of their fears, they hold onto the name as a reminder of how far they’ve come.
The band has released two albums and one single thus far, and more music is coming soon!
