“The truth is, everyone, deep down in their hearts, wants to be a rockstar,” said bassist Evan Dingle. And he’s right: the University of Connecticut’s music scene is filled with bands, groups and individual artists looking to share their music with an audience.
One of those groups stands out with a striking name and the drive it takes to succeed in such a competitive space. Whiplash! and the Weather is bringing their all and it all started with, hilariously enough, rejection.
“Four of us [Sydney Walker, Evan Dingle, Kai Dupee and CJ Beach] met auditioning for UConn Rock, and even though some of us got callbacks, thought, you know what? Let’s do our own thing,” said Walker, one of the group’s singers. She added that they pulled Sophia Kempe and Ryan Rosario in about a month after the band formed.
Rosario, who plays guitar, said that even though this is his first rock band, he immediately felt welcomed into the group.
“I cannot tell you the amount of kindness that is truly in their hearts,” he said. “They adopted me instantly.”
Kempe recalls talking with Dingle and mentioned that even though callbacks and auditions to other groups were happening, she found what she wanted to do and stuck with it, joining the band as a vocalist. Walker is one of two lead vocalists for the group alongside Kempe. They take pride in having female vocalists at the center of the band.
“That’s a special thing,” said Walker “You don’t usually see a band having two lead vocalists, and especially as women, it feels powerful.”
Not every member received a callback for the groups they originally auditioned for, but a common theme amongst the band members is that they all feel like this is what they are meant to do. Walker, Kempe and the rest of the members knew that this band is the way forward and have been pushing through to practice and work on their sound.
While they all have different backgrounds in music, one thing they all share is the ability to come up with a cool name. Whiplash! and the Weather came from throwing ideas onto a whiteboard, and while the first half, “whiplash,” was deemed a more serious name, “the weather” was on the sillier side. But still, combining the two somehow felt right.
“We’re all very different and we all like different styles of music,” said Kempe. “We have a lot of overlap and we like playing a lot of different genres which will sort of give you whiplash, and the weather changes a lot too, so it just made sense.”
Walker joked that the runner up name was “the glue,” which could be a potential name for a song or an extended play. Dupee agreed with the band’s sentiment about the name.
“I personally love the name; its unique and can be confusing but it exemplifies us and how different each of us are individually despite sitting under the same umbrella,” Dupee said.
They practice once a week and they’re dedicated to making sure each member is not only prepared, but also comfortable with their part. While speaking to them, it’s evident that they deeply care about each other, pushing each other to succeed and to feel comfortable in their space.
Dupee shared that rehearsals can feel like a friend group hanging out and just jamming together, and mentioned that when the band has photoshoots, there will often be at least one photo where members swapped instruments.
The group clicks together with the ease of people who have known each other for many years, and it’s for several reasons.
“We have a lot in common, but the way I see it, we all want this to become something. Our shared dedication towards our craft is something that brings us together,” said Dingle.
“We all enjoy music,” said Walker. “Of course, everyone enjoys music, but what I meant is that we enjoy it to the point of wanting to make our own and pour our own creativity into what we’re making.”
Even though they’re mainly a rock band, they refuse to limit themselves to only one genre.
“We’re not set in stone on only playing classic rock or only doing one thing, we’re all very willing to go out of our comfort zones and push ourselves to play songs we normally wouldn’t listen to and get ourselves into different genres,” said Beach.
One thing they are, however, is perfectionists. They’ve been editing and reworking their songs so that they can be at their very best when they record their tracks for a larger audience. Although it might feel limiting to some to not yet have their music uploaded, the band sees it in a positive light. It provides them with the opportunity to not only play their music live, but to provide their audience with an entirely unique experience when they watch a show.
“Something is so close knit about being able to tell people at a show that like, ‘Hey, we’re a new band and you’re hearing this original song that you can’t hear anywhere else, you’re only going to hear this in person,’” said Walker. “And it’s just so special to be able to share this with people.”
“It’s important for us that everyone feels like we are on the same level — not only does it help us form connections with an audience and other bands, but also become friends with them. Everyone’s really nice in this scene and welcoming to new people, which is what we’re all about,” said Walker.
The band will be performing with other bands at The Dog P0und, Storrs’ preeminent house venue, on Friday, Oct. 17. Further information will be posted on their Instagram, so be sure to keep an eye out for your chance to experience Whiplash! live!