Today we’d like to introduce you to Surtsey Band / Music
Hi Surtsey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Surtsey is a St. Louis band, & was formed by three friends in early 2009 or so, in Cape Girardeau. Joe Bassa & Aaron Essner had known each other from various bands in the Cape scene, & the pair quickly recruited Drew Koeppel as the third founding member shortly after their first rehearsal.
The group cut their teeth early with multiple national DIY tours, cramming into Aaron’s CRV & crashing where whoever would let them sleep on their floor that night, wherever they were performing – from Fargo to New Orleans.
The band ended up taking a hiatus around 2011, & reunited in 2020 – adding fourth member & fellow Southeast Missourian, Zach Naeger, on pedal steel guitar.
The current iteration of the group has enjoyed consistent performances throughout the Midwest, as well as achieving personal milestones like recording at Native Sound in St. Louis, & turning that collection of songs into an EP, entitled Nothing Doing (2024).
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
[Joe Bassa]: being creative & consistently trying to naturally foster the desire to create is a constant internal struggle & outward balancing act. Every day life is happening, people are changing from experiences & time doesn’t stop. I try to incorporate my human experience into my art as a shared experience, while looking to the greats (in my eyes) who’ve inspired me through songs & songwriting. I’m into huge, ambiguous ideas – like love & grief – & those moods always permeate through my art. And that’s just the perspective of one individual in this group! The basic resilience of being able to plan practices & schedule times for recording & live performances, often even out of St. Louis, astounds me to this day. For our specific outlet of this art for this band, I don’t think it would be possible if we weren’t all as close as friends as we are. And that’s something we really cherish in the core of this band to its foundation.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We’re very proud of our aforementioned EP, Nothing Doing. We’ve also recently worked with an esteemed music & visual artist based in St. Louis, Samuel P, who created a stunning video for our song “Knot to Force”. It showcases a lot of love for St. Louis through the eyes of the band performing at multiple music venues & establishments known throughout the music scene in St. Louis – including the Whiskey Ring, Venice Cafe, Old Rock House & Broadway Oyster Bar. We were so happy to feature our lovely friends & these places we really like to play. Also forever cherishing the opportunity to work with such an inspirational visionary artist, & friend, in Samuel P.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
[JB]: We love our friends! So many of the people in our lives are artists in their own right & the band draws massive inspiration from that. So many of the people that impact us the most are our closest friends – who take gorgeous photographs, are otherworldly performers/songwriters, create remarkable designs, make beautiful music – & constantly empower each other’s art in this community. Our community with our friends is bonded through each other’s art, & that’s something for which we are really grateful.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybandsurtsey/
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC06Lg1edhNEvufydfWs43zw
