(Photo Courtesy of Th Senators)We live in a society increasingly defined by the variously redundant demands of the mundane, the ordinary and the humdrum. Each morning, millions of Americans are faced with a perplexing decision: get up and go to work or press the snooze button just one more time, putting off the inevitable return of duty for just five minutes more. But for brothers and band mates Jesse and Adam Teer, each new day offers them yet another opportunity to do what they love — make music.
Raised in southern Scottsdale, the two were introduced to music at a young age. The son of a successful concert pianist, Jesse got his musical start on the piano and eventually branched out to the cello, even playing in Phoenix Youth Symphony for a while. It wasn’t until high school, when Jesse picked up a guitar for the first time, that the idea of a band even occurred to him.
“At that point I was taking my cello and turning it sideways and trying to play along with songs on the radio,” Jesse, lead singer, remembers. “Then I realized that while cello is fun, I really wanted to express myself more musically, and so I picked up the guitar.”
For a while, after college, Jesse and Adam grappled to determine exactly what they wanted to do with their passions for music. With Adam living in Tennessee and Jesse just beginning to write music, the two tried to balance the struggles of long-distance collaboration with everyday life. When Adam made the decision to move back to Phoenix, everything changed. Jesse and Adam teamed up with long-time friends Joe Bitz (who plays trumpet, mandolin and keyboard) and percussionist Jason Yee forming the band now known as The Senators.
With the unique combination of western grassroots style and classic indie rock, The Senators combine an eclectic blend of instruments, ranging from the mandolin and cello to guitars and percussion, and creative songwriting. The band's poetic lyrics and melodic harmonies are perfect for any conceptual music connoisseur. Touching on themes ranging from the historical events of past eras to the struggles of daily life and love songs, The Senators create a sound that echoes as an anthem for all quintessential hipsters.
“When it comes to listeners, we’re not trying to write poppy music; we want to make music that is fun to enjoy but still a little bit more thoughtful," Jesse said. "We’re looking for that community of people who will kind of connect with the music, and are interested in diving into the lyrics. Folks like that are more responsive, and it creates a interesting back and forth dynamic between the audience and us when we’re on stage.”
The band's midwestern tones put it in the league with early Johnny Cash and other eclectic styles. It's unexpected that a band with these inspirations would find a large audience, but The Senators have played at many iconic music venues, including The Mint in Los Angeles, The House of Blues in San Francisco and, most recently, the Summer Ends Music Festival that was held at Tempe Beach Park.
While the band, which was recently ranked No. 6 on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart, remains relatively unknown to mainstream music lovers, the local band is definitely one to watch. In the style of The Lumineers and Bastille, The Senators aim to systematically take the world by storm, first tackling their city, state and region, and then taking their music to an international, overseas forum. The Senators’s album Harsher than Whiskey Sweeter than Wine, is currently available on iTunes and on the band's website.
Reach the reporter at oprichar@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @OliviaRichard1
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