From soloists to full bands to a cappella ensembles, there are incredibly talented student musicians who call ASU home. In the spirit of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts, The State Press invited some of these students to perform their music in our basement newsroom on the Tempe campus.
Next up is the Arizona-based indie-rock group Breakup Shoes.
The band is made up of John MacLeod, Derrick Lafforthun, Matthew Witsoe and ASU alumnus Nick Zawisa, who graduated in 2017 with a degree in psychology. The quartet defines itself on its Facebook page as “4 doods makin tunes with a cute cat.”
During the performance, Zawisa was wearing a shirt from the band Elna Rae. He said they did a merch swap at a show they played together.
Read More: SP Sessions: Elna Rae, alternative indie-band from ASU
Breakup Shoes started performing together in 2015 after meeting at a church in Scottsdale where they all played music together. The group transitioned from performing church tunes to writing its own music and performing around Arizona.
The members said their influences range from The Strokes to Mac Demarco. They said they all have their own individual music tastes, but “it all comes together nicely.”
Having released solo tracks and EPs in the past, the group released its first full-length album titled “Unrequited Love (& other clichés)” on March 1, 2018.
“It’s the name of one of the songs, but it encapsulates the album pretty effectively,” Zawisa said.
Breakup Shoes also recently performed its first out-of-state show on March 6 in Los Angeles and will be performing in Phoenix on May 21 at Trunk Space with The Wee Beasties and PRO TEENS. Zawisa will also be performing solo at Acoustic Night at the Nile Shop on April 28.
Check out statepress.com for upcoming SP Sessions videos coming soon.
Reach the reporter at abpotter@asu.edu and follow @lexipotter04 on Twitter.
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